Tuesday, August 3rd: Let the adventure continue...

So here I am, almost two weeks after Shad ended, back in my hometown of Corner Brook, Newfoundland. From falling victim to Shad withdrawal like so many others, I really had felt like the Shad experience was sadly over. Despite this however, I soon realized that my Shad adventure would in fact continue as my internship start date was fast approaching.

On the morning of August 2nd I excitedly jumped out of bed to begin my long anticipated internship with the Government of Newfoundland & Labrador. When I arrived, I was given a warm introduction to the friendly staff and an excellent overview of what exactly the division does within the government. I was going to be employed in the Transportation and Works department working with engineers, designers and inspectors to assist in the process of constructing new government building in the Western Region of Newfoundland.

After settling into my assigned desk area, my supervisor Stephen who is a mechanical engineer, informed me that I was going to be traveling to the neighbouring community of Stephenville to see a construction site and what actually takes place behind the scenes. We ended up visiting one of the public colleges in the area. My supervisor gave me a tour of the area and exposed me to a large amount of the work they currently were completing on the project. It included installing new plumbing and other utilities throughout the facility.

During my second day of the internship position, I was once again given the opportunity to visit the future home of another government building in a nearby community called Hampden. Dennis and Debbie my additional supervisors brought me to the construction site where they taught me many things such as the art of surveying which is used to determine the desired elevation measurements in an area. In addition, I also learned how to perform perspiration tests to determine how long it takes liquids to seep into the ground. Our field days were very exciting and it was fantastic to actually participate in real “hands on” work.

Overall, my internship so far has been an excellent experience and helped me gain a much greater appreciation for the work that engineers and designers do in our communities. From the awesome experiences I have had so far, I truly believe that this position will be very educational and rewarding for me. I am very grateful and thankful for the opportunity to be able to participate in this internship program within the Transportation and Works Department of the Government of Newfoundland & Labrador.

Rahul-dev Singh Kalsi
Hometown: Corner Brook, NL