Farewell

Hi all,

It's strange to think that my time at Save the Harbor is finished. The summer has flown by. I've had the chance to work with some wonderful people.  Its rare to get a group of people so willing and dedicated to one cause. One fact that struck me was how much everyone––the JPA's, the LHE's, and the Senior Marine Educators––enjoyed coming in every morning. There are a lot of people who go to work simply because they have to, and they begrudgingly do their work. No one ever complained about Save the Harbor. Sure, we moaned and groaned about getting up early for staff meetings and smelling of fish, but at the end of the day their was no other place we wanted to be. That's amazing––really.

The last couple days felt too fast, but then again the summer felt too fast. I had the chance to be on site with some great JPA's. I really liked working with Abdi, Ivan, and Jayda on my last day. They knew how to have fun, laugh, and play pranks on each other while also doing what they need to do. I have been with other groups on site who were very serious and didn't talk during our down time, and others who needed to do a little less talking, but striking the perfect balance makes the day feel easy and fun.

I received a gift on my last day––a best friend. A little girl came up to our site, Adelaide. When she saw the crabs, I swear she fell in love. She couldn't stop touching them, asking questions, and showing other kids. She even helped other kids get over their fears. One girl came up and was scared to touch the crabs. So Adelaide, holding a crab in her hand, said: "See their nice. You don't have to be scared because I'm holding it. You can hold this one. It's not scary." Adelaide gently put the crab in the girls hand. One day, I swear, she's going to be a teacher.

She didn't leave the site for forty-five minutes. We talked, touched crabs, and she helped me pull up the crab traps. It's moments like this that I'll miss.

It's been an amazing summer––the best I've had in a very long time. Goodbye until next summer.

-Mike Murray