It’s challenging to try and put my first impressions into words. New Hampshire is not, by any means, a foreign land, and there’s no language barrier to overcome or a difference in currency to get used to. Even so, the sharp transition from being quarantined with only my immediate family and inability to travel to moving approximately 21 hours away was still quite the adjustment.
Our first weeks here have mostly consisted of training, both virtual and in the field, and simply getting to know the NLRA and its properties. While a handful of days have consisted of pretty typical training sessions, complete with Powerpoint presentations and Zoom meetings, our sessions outside the office are the ones I’m most grateful for. After all, it isn’t every day your program manager tells you to go hike a 3,121 foot summit in order to get to know the area better, or even asks you to drive a boat despite having never done so before in my life.
As we learn, though, we’re starting to get more responsibilities as well. Just last week we were able to take the boat out on our own (after obtaining our boating licenses, of course) to help a few undergraduate students from the University of New Hampshire take samples and gather information regarding the water quality of Newfound Lake. After completing online Lake Host training, we were able to put our skills to use by monitoring the Grey Rocks Conservation Area property over the weekend and taking surveys of the kayaks that were going into the water in order to assure that no invasive species, like variable milfoil, could sneak their way into our lake.
We’ve been given a lot of information in a short period of time, but as we begin to do more hands-on service and are given more responsibility, everything is slowly coming together and it’s easier to make connections between what we’re taught through a screen with what we do in the field. In just under two weeks I feel that I’ve already learned so much not only about lake conservation, but about New Hampshire overall.
Despite this, I don’t think I’ve fully registered the fact that I’ll be staying here for the next five months. Gradually, I know the days will become more routine and the roads and buildings I drive by will grow familiar (which is saying a lot, considering my inability to navigate without the GPS app on my phone). Maybe even the thought of leaving our residence in Betsy’s Park will sadden me in the same way that leaving my home and family in Memphis did. But as of now, nearly two weeks into the program, everything still feels new and just a bit daunting. Nevertheless, as it finally begins to feel like summer really has arrived, I’m excited to delve more into my service term with the NLRA and gain experiences that I can take with me and knowledge I can put to use long after I leave New Hampshire.