As I previously posted, my final project has been basically a story of my journey at my new workplace, Hartwood Animal Hospital. I originally chose this as my project because, honestly, I had no idea what else to do. It started out as something simple that I knew I would stay interested in and that I hoped would interest others, too. Well, it turned into a lot more than that for me.

Although I knew I was passionate about my job before I started this project, I am now even more in tune with HAH than I ever thought I could be. Since I was brand new to HAH right around the time I started this project, it took a lot of courage for me to approach the doctors and propose the idea of me documenting my days at work. I did not know either doctor well at all, so I wasn’t sure how they’d react. Lucky for me, they loved the idea! They were more than happy to allow me to photograph and record my daily encounters for my Digital Storytelling class. Not only that, but they would often say, “Hey, Emily, come record this for your class!” which was even more encouraging. It allowed me to get closer to my co-workers without even trying. So I guess what I’m saying is I can thanks DS106 for making the transition into my new job very smooth.

Over the past six weeks, I have gained an incredible amount of knowledge in the veterinary field. I have learned how to use and care for different tools and instruments, how to deal with medicine, and most importantly, how to interact with and care for the animals. That’s obviously the most rewarding part. I have experienced ups and downs, emotional moments, exciting moments, and pretty much anything else you could ever imagine experiencing at your job. Being able to document these experiences has given me the opportunity to remember some of these moments forever. Plus, it reassured me that I belong here and it’s only going to get even better! After completing this project, I am happier than ever that I chose HAH as my topic. I’ve been able to share with everyone my story about starting out in a new place, meeting all new people, and seeing/experiencing things I never have before. I feel like I had an audience to impress, which made me work even harder to find the story and capture my experiences. So not only was this a great way for me to learn new things at my job, but it’s DEFINITELY a story (my story, more specifically).

I was very lucky to be able to keep my phone in my pocket for the past six weeks. It’s what got me all of the pictures and videos I’ve included in my project. I’ve basically just snapped photos here and there, and also set up my phone in random places to record the happenings. That’s it; pretty simple. Thanks for reading, and I hope everyone has enjoyed reading about my experience just as much as I’ve enjoyed writing about it.