Since I last wrote, I happy to report that spring has arrived! After the long, tough winter the sun finally shone through to Baltimore. Last week it was in the 90s and we even had a heat-induced thunderstorm. The trees are blooming and the flowers are emerging; it is a BEAUTIFUL time of year here. Coming from the rainy—yet evergreen—Pacific Northwest, I’ve come to see that the dramatic change of seasons can be a great thing.
Baking! Baltimore! Crafts! Springtime!
I have been thoroughly enjoying my newfound status as a member of the workforce—that doesn’t have to do homework at night! I am still totally reveling in having free time. It is lovely to come home from work and have the whole evening to do whatever I want! Or to wake up on a Saturday morning not having a huge research paper looming over my head all weekend. That being said, things have been pretty crazy at work as we prepare for Maryland History Day on April 24. I have been receiving what seems like hundreds of emails and calls from students, parents, teachers, principals, coordinators, etc. worried about their registration, sending their materials in, details about the contest day… As a student I didn’t consider all the work that went into the contest, but I am sure impressed with it now. My supervisor is so inspirational in her dedication to History Day! I can tell she is really passionate about it. She seems to know almost all of the 550 or so students plus their parents, teachers and coordinators. I am really looking forward to the big day, and then attending Nationals in June after that! I’m excited to attend the state coordinator conference this fall as well!
As of this morning I was formally offered another awesome part-time position, this time at my alma matter! Beginning next week I’ll work 20 hours a week as a Development Assistant for the Annual Fund at Goucher, an office located in the Alumni House. Development is basically the most important function in the nonprofit sector, and it will be a terrific learning experience for me. I will be raising funds for financial aid, which I truly believe is a very worthy cause. I know I wouldn’t be the same person I am today without the generosity of donors giving to Goucher’s financial aid pool! Nonetheless, I’m thrilled to start this job next week.
When I’m not working, I’ve been enjoying the springtime in a variety of ways. We’ve had quite a few guests visiting from out of town (Seattle, Minneapolis, Boston, Providence…) and it has been fun showing them around. I like playing tourist in my own town sometimes. I’ve also been doing lots of crafting (sewing, stamping, making cards and pins, and having fun with felt) and trying to do more with my photography. I’m helping to organize a photo exhibit in my neighborhood, matching contemporary photos of the area with historic photos we found in the library archives. I have also been exercising much more lately than I ever did in college, now that I feel that I have time to do so. I’ve biked to work a few times and was proud to go 10 miles on the stationary bike at the gym the other day.
When I’m not doing any of the above-mentioned activities, I’ve been thinking about my next steps. Both Timmy and I applied to a year-long internship program in Denmark but didn’t make the cut, which was a bit of a relief…an intercontinental move sounds like a challenge. I was originally looking for a short-term position in Baltimore and then wanted to move on to a new city, but I have been totally loving this town lately. It’s so much more fun to take advantage of all that it offers—in the coming weeks I’m going to check out a free lecture by Gwen Ifill (that one’s at Goucher), another free lecture about the Star-Spangled Banner, the state-wide Sheep & Wool Festival, the Kinetic Sculpture Race at the American Visionary Art Museum, a dance performance put on by some friends, a literature festival downtown, a concert in DC, a community potluck at the local church, and a conference on Baltimore History at the historical society!! How can I leave a place that offers all this? Plus my house and neighborhood have really grown on me—I feel quite comfortable in this spot. I feel like I have such a great network, both personally and professionally, in this area and it seems silly to walk away from such a resource. I am up for exploring, seeing a new place, moving elsewhere, but feel that now is not the time.
A trip to South Mountain Creamery, a family dairy farm in rural Maryland:
I look forward to posting later this spring with more details about my new job and perhaps some photos from my mini-family reunion for commencement!
