Calm but interesting... also cake!

                Hi everyone! This week had the museum has been really good.  It has calmed down for me and gotten a bit more stable since Monday because I was given a bit more of a schedule and deadlines on projects to work on.  Last week was nice since it was my first week and I was watching and learning while being eased into things but now I’m watching/learning and doing some work for the museum with a few writing and researching projects.  It wasn’t without its fun though because here I’m always learning something new and interesting about the Civil War.

                I got to watch three tours this week with docents which meant watching them give a group a tour of the museum while I followed like a quiet shadow.  It was interesting to see because they are very experienced in giving guided tours and are highly knowledgeable about the artifacts and the period itself.  Each tour takes about an hour to do both floors and I saw them do large and small groups as I followed along quietly.  Sometimes people would ask me questions though.  Each followed the same basic pattern when they entered a room of pointing out certain things or mentioning certain facts but they also each had details that they alone mentioned.  One mentioned George Washington and cupping during the time of Heroic medicine and another the value of real Civil War surgeon’s kits being available to view.  It makes me wonder what my personal touch will be when I do a tour.

One day after following a tour I joined Kyle on a bus as he gave a tour of Antietam battlefield.  It was a small group and I sat a few rows behind everyone and listened.  It was much the same as when Kyle showed me Antietam last week.  We stopped at the same places and we all listened as he described troop movement, names and events in detail.  Just like I was amazed at his memory last week, this time all the visitors were amazed this week.  When the tour ended they all mentioned how much they enjoyed it too.

                This week the museum staff also gave me some more responsibilities.  I worked a bit on the booklet that will be distributed at the Letterman Award dinner we’re having later this month.  The dinner honors and awards those that are making an outstanding contribution to improving modern medicine and patient outcomes.  The nominee’s bios are amazing to read and I am really glad we have medical innovators and practitioners like that in the world.  There is always room for improvement right? I have also been researching roundtables in Maryland and in the states around us.  Delaware and Maryland don’t have that many but man does Pennsylvania!  My list is almost done though after I get through Virginia and West Virginia.  Some of the speaker lists are quite impressive and it’s fun to find names I recognize.  I’ve seen some of our docents on the lists and some authors I am a fan of reading.  Maybe they will come speak here someday soon and I will see them in person? *fingers crossed*

                I’ve been working on this blog as well.  I see this as a journal of sorts except instead of it being private for my eyes only this is a very public one that I put online.  My hopes with this blog and writing about what I do in the museum is to inspire others to become interested in history and/or apply to be interns here themselves.  Everyday I learn something new from the people who work here and they are extremely friendly.  I go home happy and I come to work happy everyday.  Moving from California is hard (everyone including roommates,  who love to tell how me how cold this winter will be, it’s almost like Game of Thrones with “Winter is coming!”) but I think that the museum has given me a good support system. 

                A lot of staff are also getting ready for our annual conference that will happen later this week.  It’s been happening annually for over twenty years and this is the first time it will take place in Georgia so there’s a lot for them to prepare.  George will be taking the ballistics gel we shot at earlier this week along with the presentation he has to go with it.  He will be going along with a few other members and I think the conference will be successful.  How can it not when you have such a great team? They left earlier today and Tom left last night since he’s driving down and the rest are flying.  They will all be back Monday though.  I’m excited to see the pictures and hear how it went.

Beginning the conference.

                The colonel’s promotion in the conference room was also today so we had tons of military in the museum.  Two enormous cakes with “congratulations” and with the seal of the United State of America were brought in this morning as I walked in.  Some people were dressed in camouflage, others in formal wear and others in dress blues.  I was upstairs all morning so I did not see the ceremony but I imagine it went off without a hitch.  When I cam downstairs for lunch Katie stopped me and said I should go up to have some of the leftovers from the ceremony.  We both went up and had some delicious sandwiches and loaded potatoes (my favorite) and then some cake! I’ve been wanting cake for awhile so this was the perfect opportunity to have some!  I laughed a bit when my slice said ‘MERICA.’ Congratulations to the now former colonel on the promotion!

                I spent the rest of the day working with Jenna downstairs and it was a fairly quiet Friday afternoon since the promotion ceremony was over and some of our staff was gone.  I’m getting more efficient with the store and admissions though so I’m seeing my work speed improve already.  Fingers crossed that week three is as historically awesome as this one was.