05 Jul The Witch City

Hi. Hello. Greetings from Salem.

Wow. I can’t believe that I am really here in Salem, Massachusetts doing an internship with the National Park Service. I almost did not make it to Salem. A few days before I got my internship offer in the beginning of May I broke my left elbow.

I didn’t know if I would be able to move across the country a month later. Once I had the all clear from my doctor I accepted the internship offer and with the help of HAF was able to figure out a start date and a place to live. But then I had to push back my initial start date by a week in order to attend some physical therapy sessions in order to get more mobility in my elbow. With one arm in a sling, I packed my bags and flew across the country on Wednesday.

Have I met any witches since I got to Salem? Nope. Not at all. Quite the opposite. My supervisor, Maryann, is awesome. She is the best! She met me at the airport and drove me to my dorm. She even drove my to work the next morning so I wouldn’t have to figure out the bus system right away. At Salem Maritime National Park I met Nora, a ParkEd ranger I will be working with, along with many other rangers who have been very welcoming. I was able to observe a program at the park for a group of fifth graders and then I got the chance to set sail on The Fame. Spending an hour and a half on a sailboat for my first day of work, it can’t get better than that. The views were incredible.

The next day on Friday I went to Saugus Ironworks National Park where I met Colleen, another ParkEd ranger I will be working with. I was able to see some of the wildlife the park has with some of the rangers. We saw a snapper turtle, ducks, birds, and dragonflies. I also learned more about the Preschoolers in the Park program which is what I will be working on this summer. I am excited to create a bilingual program and hopefully get more latinx people to come and enjoy the parks.