My First Week at the University of New Hampshire

Hello all! I am happy to be sharing this rewarding and educating experience as a NACUFS Summer Intern with you. My name is Rachel McCluskey, and I will be entering my junior year as a Dietetic major at Cedar Crest College in Allentown, Pennsylvania. I learned of the program through a professor of mine and I am so happy to have applied. I have learned and experienced so much already and it has only been the first week!

 I was lucky to be placed at the University of New Hampshire, located in Durham, New Hampshire. The locals refer to this area as the sea coast being as it is so close to just that, the sea coast! It is a large campus (at least what I am used to) and the environment is an interesting and tranquil dynamic. You can be surrounded by trees and wilderness, but also so close to the water and beaches. It's fantastic!

My first day arriving was eventful, being that I drove to my host school. I got to meet Dahlia and Richard, my internship coordinators, for the first time. I felt so welcomed upon arrival and could not wait to jump in. So much has happened and so I will try to highlight the major events as well as provide some pictures.

This first week, Dahlia gave me a tour of all the campus dining halls as well as retail locations they have here at UNH. That is three large dining halls, and seven retail locations. Each location is unique in its own and I was amazed with each one. As well as touring the campus, I met a number of key players that will be contributing to my internship experience, as well as countless others. It really feels like a giant family here. I reviewed food-safety and allergen information, and received a certificate in PCI-DSS training. One of my favorite moments was getting to eat at one of the University's most iconic retail locations, the Dairy Bar. The location is an old train station (still functioning as a common train stop), that has been selling food to the campus since around the seventies. The food is fresh and the ice cream is nothing short of delicious.

Dairy Bar on the right with view of the train stop.

Richard's and my lunch at the Dairy Bar!

In the evenings, I got a chance to really see the campus and discover downtown Durham. It is such a

cute and quaint little town, with some delicious places to eat. One evening I was able to grab a slice at a local pizzeria.

I also began work in one of the retail locations that the school has open for the summer, Union Court. The manager and staff are wonderful people. I learned their operations at Union Court, worked hands on with the food, and also was able to observe what happens behind the scenes with the financial aspect of both the dining halls and retail locations.

On the weekend Dahlia became my tour guide in Portsmouth for a while, and I ended up staying the entire day exploring the historic and beautiful town.

Had to try some well known seafood chowder!

And now off for more adventures!