My Home Away from Home

It is where I would go with my peers on school field trips, and where I would spend rainy days with friends and family.  Now, it is where I work on weekends and vacations, teaching young children science through exploration and discovery.  The Museum of Science in Boston, just a fifteen minute drive (without traffic) from my house, is my home away from home. 

As a kid, the Museum of Science was always a place that was educational and fun.  The people in the red coats and red jackets made science look interesting and interactive.  One of my favorite places was the Discovery Center for children ages eight and under.  They had books, a beehive and robins’ nest, and an experiment station where even thought that I was actually a scientist!

Many years later, I began volunteering at the museum, as I knew that it would look good on my college resume.   However, throughout my sophomore year of volunteering, I realized that it was more than just something to put on my college resume.  I had grown to love the children I was around all the time, had grown to love who I worked with, and had also become a better person.  I became someone patient, who listened, and had strengthened social and speaking skills.

I worked my way up to being a Program Assistant in the Discovery Center, where I continue to be around people I enjoy and in an environment I appreciate.  My day fist consists of being in the Suit Cabot Lab, where we do a Forensic Scientists Activity.  Then, I have my lunch right next to the Charles River.  I then spend the rest of the day in the Discovery Center, playing with young kids in the fantasy or physical science areas, or facilitating the experiment station. 

I not only enjoy being around the presence of enthusiastic young children, but also my co-workers.  They are very similar in personality to me: Respectful, nice, reserved, but a little corky at times.  Being surrounded by people who are almost just like me, makes working that much easier and relaxing.

Even the location of the Museum of Science is very comforting to me.  In the Discovery Center, there is a big window that overlooks the glistening Charles River, where Duck Boats constantly reside in the summertime.  The Prudential building and the Citgo sign right next to Fenway are also common sights to see.  Boston is my favorite place to visit, and working in such a unique coastal city with so much to offer and to do, adds to the experience.

Home is a place where you are comfortable and can be yourself.  It is an environment where you feel relaxed and like a part of community. The people I am surrounded by at the museum make me feel like I can be my corky and positive self, and the experience and skills I that I have gained are a result of, in a way, being raised in a fun and educational place.  It is my home away from home, shaping who I am today and being a place I look forward to being in.