Where to even begin?
Joining the Squam Lakes Association has been one of the biggest turns in my life, but I can’t help but feel like it’s going to be, quite possibly, the best decision I’ll ever make. Even in the short time I’ve been here, I’ve already had so many “firsts”. So, in an attempt to put my own chaotic brain in order, and to paint a picture to you about what the past month has been like, I’ll share a few of these!
Upon moving in to the little cottage that I now call home, I met a whole spectrum of new people. I only had a 15 minute drive from my previous apartment in Plymouth NH, so I imagined that most of my new roommates would be fairly local as well; but my goodness was I wrong. I have roommates from Ohio, Florida, Texas, and New York, just to name a few. This is the most people I’ve ever lived with though; It’s a total of 9 of us! The kitchen is cramped, the bedrooms have limited storage space, and someone is always doing laundry. But I’m already starting to love these people, and I look forward to spending the next 5 months with them.
Of everyone here, I feel like a bit of a ‘Fish-out-of-Water’ in the most exciting way. Orientation day came and went, and with that, I went on my first ever hike up West Rattlesnake. The view from the top was incredible though. Looking down at the lake that I’d be calling home was breathtaking; It was so beautiful. Only a few days later, we went out to the campsites on Moon and Bowman Island and after a day of trail work, all the AmeriCorps members camped out; another first for me!
I knew this program would come with a lot of training, but I was still taken by surprise at how fast they brought us through it all. In this short time, we have received CPR certifications, Wilderness First Aid certifications, Open Water Diver certifications, Weed Control Diver Certifications, and Commercial Boating Licenses. I love looking at them all. All this training is certainly paying off; I now feel much more confident in my abilities to serve here at Squam Lake. The folks here are setting all of us up to be the best Lake Hosts that we can be.
There are a lot more “firsts” that I’m looking forward to in my future. I’ve gone from just dipping my toe in the water, to diving right in (pun intended). This first month has already gone by so quickly, and I’m sure by the end of my stay here, I’ll wonder where all the time went. But for now, I’ve got my sights set on all the tomorrows I have!
Dawe is a recent graduate of Plymouth State University majoring in Environmental Biology. You can read more about Dawe here!