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A Baptism by Sewage Water

Sloshing through a water-carp mixture on the Rock River walkway in the middle of my second week of work was not what I expected from this internship. Frankly, I thought that by the middle of my second week here at the Gazette, I would still be shadowing the staff photographers on jobs, getting to know the ropes. Fate interceded.

As some of you have read, my first day on the job was the day that General Motors announced it would be closing the plant in Janesville. Three minutes after I'd walked in to the office, I was out with a reporter (the famous Gina Duwe) taking pictures. After several days of covering the GM plant, the flood started.

Given a pair of waders, I was pushed out the door and told to search for photo opportunities. The coverage has been an experience. I've seen extremely ridiculous sights, like hundreds of carp in the streets and parking lots of downtown Janesville and children playing in sewage water. I've also met some incredibly inspiring people who have lost a lot to this disaster. I think that might be the best part of my job so far. I've already learned so much about myself through others.

And coverage will continue until this is all cleaned up. I have a feeling that downtown Janesville is going to smell really bad for a few weeks.

The city workers I've been meeting on these journeys through the river formerly known as N. Main St. keep warning me that I need to get a Tetanus shot. I think I'll do that soon. Any suggestions?

These events have made me pick up my slack early, and I hope I've done a good job of doing that so far. With two of the photographers now on vacation for a few weeks, I'm running half the desk myself, and I finally feel confident doing that. I guess you can say I've been baptized, not so much by fire, but by contaminated water.