Ahoy!

Hi there! If you're reading this, welcome to the Admiralty House Communications Museum summer blog! My name is Lauren Lambe and I am a graduate student in Public History at Western University in London, Ontario, and as the last step in getting my MA, I am interning here for the summer! Being originally from Newfoundland, it was a no brainer for me when I had to decide where I wanted to do my internship for two reasons: 1) Newfoundland is such an historically and culturally rich place which I knew would guarantee a fun and exciting summer and 2) I'm a big sook and I wanted to get back on The Rock as soon as I could. But the first reason was the more important one. 😜

 My first official day was Wednesday and it was so much fun. Right off the bat, Sarah, the museum manager and I met with local historian/folklorist/storyteller/haunted hiker, Dale Jarvis, to discuss oral history and podcast strategies. Why were you talking about podcasts? You probably just wondered that, so I will tell you. As the museum's summer intern, my primary task is to write and record a series of podcasts to be loaded up and played on a regular basis on the museum's radio station CICQ 92.3 Tourism Radio. When I first spoke with Sarah back in January/February, she was very excited to propose this project to me and I was just as, if not more excited to accept it. I went into Public History because I love history, but I also love people, (most of the time), so being given the opportunity to work on a project that will allow me to seek out and interact with various members of the Mount Pearl community is truly a treat.

Yesterday I spent most of the day listening to interviews with people of Mount Pearl from 2001 to get an idea of people's overall attitudes and whether or not there was an overarching theme or narrative that seemed to come through, and boy, was there ever. In the 5 interviews I listened to today, (that's actually a lot because they're at least an hour long), every single person mentioned how much they loved Mount Pearl, how family-oriented their community is, and how it's such a beautiful place to live, then and now. While the weather today is anything but beautiful, I've listened to enough firsthand accounts and spent enough time in Mount Pearl to know that all of these things are true.

Today is only my third day at the museum, but I'm already so excited for the amazing people I know I will meet this summer, and for the stories I will get to hear and share with the rest of the community.

I've set up shop in the Society of Newfoundland Radio Amateurs (SONRA) Room at the museum, which I expect will become my lair as the summer progresses. I'm looking forward to getting to work with Sarah, as well as the other incoming summer students, but most of all I'm looking forward to getting the podcast on the air! Be sure to follow @AdmiraltyMuseum on Twitter, check out the Facebook page, and if you feel so inclined to keep up with my more personalized journey, follow me on Twitter @lauren_lambe.

Thanks for reading, and if you or someone you know lives or has lived in Mount Pearl and has a story they want to share with the world, get in touch with me!

-Lauren

PS

Here's a look at where I'll be working and what I've been up to!