When I began my Internship the only thing I knew for certain was that I would have to work 120 hours. The work itself combined with my day to day life was a bigger mystery to me than the pyramids.
What I found out, almost immediately, was that not only was this work enjoyable, but it was infectious. If a certain job I had been given took more than one day to complete, I would immediately ask to come in on my day off in order to finish it. Usually I would be fine with a day off, but there was something about the museum work that drove me.
Quickly it became clear that this would be a summer of fun, hard work, learning, and having fun while learning at work. I learned about soft-packing, accessioning, archives, artifact storage, past perfect, and many other practical things for museum work, but the most important thing I learned was that I could love working in a museum. Fulfilling Roanoke College’s requirement was good, but that is not why I went to work every day. I went to work because I loved it. This is what I learned. Any class can teach you about courtesy tabs, how to make your own box, and cold storage; but the passion for the work I found could only be sparked by diving into the work, a caring curator, and a natural love for a work I have become passionate about.
When I began my Internship the only thing I knew for certain was that I would have to work 120 hours, now I know so much more.
