It was around this time last year that I was preparing for a job interview with the SLA. In a normal world I don't know if I would have taken the risk of considering a job across the country, but the circumstances back then were a little different. Stressed out about Covid-19, I wanted something solid where I knew that the people I lived and worked with were on the same page about staying safe. When I was offered the job, I read all of the required material and ventured deep into the website where I found the conservation journals of the current members of the LRCC. I remember reading about 3 or so, and as it was at the end of their term the con jons were about how much they loved and would miss the SLA and the lakes region. Those bittersweet journals played a large part in eventually convincing me that I too could find a home here.
I love New Hampshire, I knew that I would miss it as early as December. On one of my winter drives I drove down Route 3 past the Squam River and burst into tears thinking about how someday I would have to leave this place. This past week I passed that same spot and had a revamp of those winter time feelings. Every weekend spent in the White Mountains brings me closer to having to leave them.
I’ve done a lot while here: checked off almost all of the 48 4,000ft peaks in the White Mountains (I'm finishing my last in less than a week), learned to knit and drive a boat, learned how to split wood by hand, install docks, and how to clean a composting toilet. I have learned so much about the natural world: the names of native trees, shrubs and wildflowers, how to identify many different types of insects, about the incredibly specialized relationships between pollinators and their plants, as well as how to install a rain integration and native pollinator garden. And I’ve learned a lot about myself, how I love to hike alone and can go so much further than I ever thought possible, how much I need the outdoors, and more about how to make lasting friendships.
The SLA is a little home away from home for me and I know I’ll be back to visit someday and the magical thing about working for an environmental nonprofit is that I know that it will be just as beautiful and natural (if not moreso) when I return.
Cecilia is a full timer who just completed her term of service, and we will miss her here at the SLA. Next stop for Cecilia? Spain! Learn more about Cecilia here!