New Experiences at Longfellow House-Washington’s Headquarters

Written By: Kaylie Alvarez

Having only started this internship seven weeks ago, I feel both sadness that a month has gone by in a blink and joy that I can proudly say that I have settled here at Longfellow House-Washington’s Headquarters (LONG). Although my days are not consistently the same, it has been a welcome challenge to do tasks that take place on different sides of museum work.

 

My desk at LONG with a (growing) literary collection

 

My position as the Indigenous Artists’ Fellowship Planning Member has been such an enjoyable experience, and something that is almost completely new to the prior work I have done at museums while I was in college. Given that LONG is still in the planning process for the fellowship, which will take place in 2025, I have been doing a lot of work related to researching artist-in-residency programs, Indigenous history, and potential consultants for this project. Along with helping with this preliminary research and developing an Indigenous collections and archives overview for future use, I have also been assisting public programming with my fellow interns. So far, I have participated in our Family Saturday events, Pride Picnic, and the Juneteenth Celebration, all of which were a great chance to talk with people about the house and its history.

 

Helping with Family Saturday events, including assisting children with making their own musical instruments!

 

Apart from my time at LONG, I am quite new to Boston and have spent my weekends seeing and enjoying all the city has to offer, from visiting museums to going to Red Sox games. After a month, I would have to say the biggest adjustment of my CRDIP internship has been moving across the country and learning how to find comfort in a new city. Now that I can successfully navigate my way around the T, I want to get out more and take advantage of being on the East Coast for only the second time in my life.

 

Enjoying a Red Sox game at Fenway

 

I did not expect for the start of my internship to be as easy as it was, given that this is my first time being away from home for this long, on top of being on the opposite side of the country. While I did have minor hiccups (the amount of times I lost my CharlieCard on the bus), I felt like I had lots of support through ACE to help alleviate any nerves I had about starting a new job. My successful transition into this new chapter of my life also could not have been done without the warm welcome and helpful advice I received upon arriving to LONG, not only from my supervisors but also from the park rangers and museum staff. Their support and happiness to educate visitors about Longfellow’s history has inspired my own fondness for this site, and I am very excited for what the next five months here have to offer!

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