Switch to Low-Key Mode

Now that October is behind me, things have gotten more low-key on the job. In an almost symbolic act, I always turn off the valve for the water fountain outside the Visitors' Center after the end of the major fundraiser... it's nice that it coincides with the drop in temperatures that occurs at this time.

This afternoon marked the start of a local grammar school's afterschool program- it's a small group of third graders from the town. They are a mixed bag of middle and working-class students. One particularly friendly boy told me about his mom's job as a bus driver while we were waiting for transportation. He was one of three kids who weren't taking the bus home after the program, which struck me as a bit ironic, seeing as he had a bus driver drive him anyway.

One of my tasks while working during the afterschool program is to help translate any questions for Spanish-speaking parents who might be concerned about the bus running late. Yo estudiaba español por muchos años y practicaba la lengua cuando puedo hacerlo. This year, the site staff had an indispensable ally in our Chilean cleaning contractor, who spent some of her downtime on the job calling Spanish-speaking parents and making sure that they understood the transportation arrangements. Everyone in our organization has told her that they will be more than happy to write her any sort of referral letters she could possibly need. Being a high school senior, she will have some sort of public service requirement, and a dozen or so recommendation letters should open some doors.

At any rate, things ran smoothly, and I didn't have to field any queries regarding transportation. I waited onsite with one of the managers for another forty-five minutes or so, in case a parent called about a missed bus stop, but it was a quiet afternoon. No onslaught of tourists, no racing around the site making sure contractors could access what they needed. It'll be like this for a few months now, when we go on Winter hiatus, and I am ready for it. The one task I need to perform is to write a recommendation letter.