Busy Day!

This morning started out pretty hectically as we were directing buses arriving to OSV. In the aftermath of the tornado the road buses usually take was blocked and part of the main parking lot was being used as a staging area for electric and gas companies to repair the damage in Sturbridge. This meant that we had to sort out directing, unloading, and parking buses in areas not designed to serve this purpose with people not used to performing these tasks. But we managed and everyone arrived in a semi-organized fashion.

Then I got fitted for my costumes!!! The women in costuming, Chris & Sue, are great. Chris picked out a blue plaid dress with a red apron for me to work in at the farm and a pink dress for the school house. I can't wait to bring them home, pictures will be posted immediately that day. :)

I spent the first part of the afternoon at the museum education building. I'm not sure what I was expecting but that certainly wasn't it. The building is big and beautiful. The interior is wood and laid out into pods or stations. around the outside there are craft and game stations, like weaving and stenciling, and in the center there are four kitchens complete with hearths! It's very cool, I'll try my best to get pictures because it's very difficult to explain and I'm not even sure photos would give a real sense of the space. The staff in museum ed were great and seemed excited to meet us, not to mention have some extra hands. After a tour of the space we had a first taste of "troubleshooting" which pretty much meant washing dishes and keeping the kitchens stocked during their sessions. It got a little crazy but the teachers were obviously understanding and worked with us. Even though I'm happy to help it would be nice to actually learn to help with the lessons instead of just cleaning up after them. I'm sure that will be the case once camp starts, here's hoping it'll be sooner but if not there's only two more weeks of school groups and I'll have a few days of interpretation training to break that up. 

By 3:00 the last school group had left and everything was cleaned up so I had two hours to wander the village. It was nice because with the schools gone there were only a few guests left in the village so I got lots of one-on-one time to chat with the staff. I took the opportunity to visit buildings I hadn't been to before and won't be working in this summer. I also made sure to stop at the pottery and get a clay mug (I'm not aloud anything modern-looking when in costume including cups or water bottles). Oh, and one of the staff complemented my handshake. Thanks Blue Ridge Virtual Governor's School & Mrs. J!

The tornado went just past the far end of the village just a few hundred yards from the buildings. It took out a few trees in the orchard but otherwise we are very lucky. You can clearly see a path of fallen/stripped trees cut across the landscape. 

It's been a crazy first week but I think this will be a fantastic summer!

Tours & Tornadoes

Day 2 was the longest day. We finished around 5 just in time to be moved to shelter from a tornado.
http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/local/worcester-area/12004466867524/cmass-town-cleaning-up-after-apparent-tornado/
I'm feeling very lucky and grateful to be okay. Security was great about taking care of us, even bringing us food and bedding to help keep us comfortable overnight. It's very surreal to be back at my sister's watching the news and seeing the damage, some of which was just down the street from where I was. At the time, we took seriously what was happening but I don't think we were scared, I wasn't anyway. We got to shelter and huddled together cracking jokes and telling stories, which I guess helped keep people calm who were feeling scared or nervous. Tornadoes have always been something I was taught to be prepared for but never worried about because the regions I've lived in aren't prone to them. As terrible as all the destruction I've seen is I feel like it's a miracle there were only four deaths. I don't say this to devalue the lost of those four people, but it's really hard to believe there wasn't more loss of life when I see houses laid flat or even flipped upside down.
I guess I should move on to a rundown of my day but I really wanted to express my gratitude and sympathy after  last night.

Yesterday we got to tour OSV's collections not on exhibit which was pretty cool especially because we were with the museum's curator. How  many people ever get to tour a museum with the curator let alone get to wander through storage looking through drawers and shelves? My favorite part was opening a drawer not knowing what I would find inside. It was also cool to hear the curator explain the stories of the people who had owned certain items.
Then we had two hours for lunch and exploring the village. It was a nice chance to meet some of the staff and continue to get to know the other interns. I really can't wait to work at the Freeman Farm! The kitchen garden is huge and I'm excited to learn hearth cooking!
We went over costuming which only made me more excited for my fitting which I'm now assuming is postponed. We also learned all about what a typical day would've been like and how mothers would organize pretty much their whole year considering what they would eat, when they would harvest, preserve, make candles... And of course we learned about the animals! Sturbridge tries to find breeds that at least look or function the way animals would have in the 1830s. For example they raise dual purpose breeds of cows (that means they were both used for milk and beef) which look a lot different from modern cows which have been bred for either milk or beef.
In my last post I mentioned I was a little nervous about making friends since most other interns are staying in lodges in Sturbridge. Apart from the bonding experience we shared last night, I learned about a group that meets to practice historic dance on Monday nights and a group of interns who are planning to get together to knit on Tuesdays, both of which I'm excited to join.
Obviously OSV is closed today and no word yet about tomorrow but I'll keep you posted.
Best wishes to all those who lost their homes and loved ones last night.