The end of my term of service with AmeriCorps is drawing near. As it does, I’m naturally drawn to reflect on what I’ve gained from these past ten months. Below are seven things I’ve learned about thus far.
1. Lake Conservation 101 One of my main gains from my time here is an understanding of the standard water quality monitoring process for natural bodies of water. I now have a whole lecture I can whip out about the science behind water quality, limnology, and aquatic invasives with which I can harangue unsuspecting members of the public and kids volun-told to learn about nature. I’d like to think I am now prepared for jobs having to do with water quality, though the employers I’ve supplicated thus far seem to think otherwise. Lack of employment aside, I feel personal gratification at knowing more about the natural world, and sharing that knowledge with others has been one of my favorite aspects of this position.
2. New England Maple and lobster, live free or die. Everyone and their mom drives a Subaru (me and mine included). People like nature and are willing to invest money and/or time into their outdoor hobbies (boating, rowing, sailing, skiing, camping, snowmobiling). It seems to be a common conception that New Hampshire is a vacation state, as are Vermont and Maine, and we love to drag people from Mass, for many of whom these states are their seasonal retreats. People come here to enjoy themselves, not to make a living, often to escape to a house at the end of a dirt road where they won’t be disturbed. Having no cell service is an aesthetic. Lots of pride in the ideas of generational succession and self-sufficiency, though maybe this is something true across semi-rural areas in the U.S. I’m stereotyping, but I do think New England has a distinct culture from even the Northeast in general.
3. The White Mountains Here’s my take: I don’t think the Whites are THAT much better than what the SLA trail network offers if you’re not looking for elevation. If you are a leaf-peeper who wants to experience the fall and not looking for a challenge, I’d say the SLA trail network offers an equally comparable experience without quite as much sitting in traffic. Take some of the popular, relatively moderate hikes in both areas: Mt. Willard in Crawford Notch and Cannon Mountain near Franconia and West Rattlesnake and the Morgan-Percival Loop in the SLA network. Out of these, I think my favorite was the Morgan-Percival Loop, and West Rattlesnake was the best bang-for-your-buck for non-hiker friends and family. And here’s perhaps more of a hot take: fall foliage is best when you’re within it and near it; it’s not actually all that great of a view from very high up. I think I got the best views of the fall foliage from Mt. Morgan and just from driving around. Also, the snowy winter scenery was better than the fall’s.
4. A wide array of do-it-yourself skills Have I ever entertained fantasies of being a self-sufficient hermit in the woods? Actually yes, in fits of drama in my previous life when I was still a member of civilization (my exaggerated way of referring to living in suburbia and cities in my time here). But not in the way Thoreau or this guy I met here who had lived for eight years in the Alaskan bush did. Yet I did find some kind of satisfaction in learning how to split wood with an ax, how to start a bonfire, and what to do if you find someone unconscious in the woods. Even with more mechanized things like driving a truck and a van, using a snowblower and snow plow, using a woodsplitter, trailering. I like the idea of defying expectations as a young Asian woman engaging in activities associated with so-called outdoorsmen. I have a greater appreciation for the effort behind things whether it's event planning or how virtually every human-made thing we see required someone to make it and put it there (and a lot of non-manmade things too).
5. Outdoor recreation My dad remarked when he visited that I had essentially spent the last half year learning how to have fun (this is a translation), which when I told my roommates, they seemed to take to mean that he thought I was loosening up and living in the moment. Really, he was making a comment about the time that must have been required to learn how to do these unproductive things that could have been better spent on things that would benefit my resume. Honestly, I can’t say I don’t see what he means, because he is the one who raised me to value achievement and success in the societal sense. Yet one thing I tell myself is that we don’t know how certain experiences will change us until later down the line. Maybe knowing how to drive a boat and scuba dive will help me later when I decide to become a resort busboy. Just kidding, what I mean is that maybe I’ll be glad I experienced these forms of recreation that I didn’t have the means to experience growing up.
6. Life in a small tourist town Almost everything in this town is geared toward tourists and thus there is a clear seasonality to it: the seasons when visitors are here and can stay in our inns and buy ice cream and dock their boats, and the seasons when visitors aren’t here and we’re hibernating until they come back. I’ve gotten used to the no service thing, but I wish there were more public quiet spaces that were open past 5 that I could go to (I’ve been to every public library in the Lakes Region and then some, except the Moultonborough Library). I have no problem with living somewhere that’s more sparsely populated, but with that comes the fact that your main pool of potential connections are probably at least a few decades older than you. Also I haven’t seen a dermatologist in a year because I wasn’t able to find any that were under an hour away.
7. “Service” jobs I had never had the kind of job where people wonder if they should tip you (side note: while what I’m making is a couple dollars shy of federal minimum wage, I still stand by the idea that we should move toward eliminating tipping as a practice and replace tips with consistent livable wages). I think I’ve been fortunate in that the members of the public I’m interacting with are not the ones that make a lot of people despise customer service jobs. In fact, I find that aspect of what I do to be one of the highlights of my job. I didn’t sign on to this job because it was through AmeriCorps. But the framework of public service that AmeriCorps has introduced has made me think more about what that means. I’m glad to have met people who believe that it is better to give than to receive.
Photo caption: From left to right: Mt. Morgan, West Rattlesnake, Mt. Willard, and Cannon Mountain
Tara is a full-term member just finishing up her service term. The top 5 most exciting wildlife she saw in the wild for the first time this year: 1) bald eagles 2) owls 3) salamanders 4) loons 5) perch. Learn more about Tara here!