10 Jul The Experience I Didn’t Know I Needed

Hi Everyone,

It’s been a whole month since I got to Grants, New Mexico and my goodness has it been quite the experience so far! Being from such a big city, I didn’t know what to expect while living in Grants. I’ve noticed a lot of changes since I started living here. One of the biggest ones is how relaxed and at peace I feel here. Everything is so calm and when I go out for a run, the scenery that surrounds me makes me feel amazing and happy. Another thing I have noticed is that I don’t have headaches like I used to get in the city. This is the much needed change of scenery that I didn’t know I needed.

These last two weeks have been amazing, to say the least! I went out with my housemate to the bat program they host every Friday to watch the bats come out and eat their nightly dinner. The night sky looked beautiful and it was amazing to see so many bats fly around the cave.

My work in the National Park Service is to interview people about the history of the use of the lands resources. I have been lucky enough to meet various people and interview them. The information I have collected has taken me to a trip through the past. I can’t wait to see who else I meet and what else I learn about El Malpais’s history.

The following week, I was fortunate enough to go out cave exploring with two of my coworkers. The first day was difficult since I’m not used to the elevation or hiking through basalt rock, but it was worth it when I went inside the cave. The cave was huge and it looked spectacular. We only walked inside it so much because we didn’t want to disturb the bats. The second day, we went out to a different cave that was close by to the other one. This one was small but there were many more rocks inside. I took the opportunity to take some pictures since words can’t describe how amazing everything looked.  

As many of you know, 4th of July was last week. I didn’t know what to expect but it was beautiful. I had a delicious homemade stuffed chicken Parmesan and pasta dinner and brownies for dessert with my housemate. We then went out for a drive trying to get to a town event for fireworks but it was blocked off. During that drive, I captured a picture of the sunset. It’s one of the many sunset photos I will be taking during my visit in Grants. We then decided to head back to the house and watch the fireworks in the field that’s beyond our backyard. This is the first 4th of July that didn’t feel hectic or rushed in any way.

My adventures in Grants, New Mexico have just started and I can’t wait what else my internship brings me. It’s truly been a blessing.