Young Ambassadors 2016 Internship Blog: MOLAA- Museum of Latin American Art Week 3

This week was the second week of MOLAA's Summer Art and Culture Camp. With this new session, in entered brand new faces. We could never know who nor what to expect, so we hoped for the best. We set up just like last week and begin checking in the kids. Last week, I worked in my cubicle much more with my help needed, the Education Department busy with the opening of the new exhibit. But after a successful turnout on Sunday, this week was much calmer with less of a hustle, so I spent more time with the children. I was given my own group, ages 6 to 8, like a camp counselor. There were two cousins in my group who loved chatting and playing around, so already I knew this would be interesting. Working with children is truly life-giving. I forgot how intelligent six, seven year-olds really were. I realized how easy they learned and absorbed information from their surroundings and people, mainly their counselor. We worked on printmaking, seed planting, and weaving, in which the children relied on me to assist them when cutting string and tying knots. Throughout the week, my group and I got closer, and as Friday came, I felt a bit of sadness in having to say goodbye. At the end of a long day, I would remember their happy faces while sitting in the train, and a smile was put on my face. Children are unpredictable, in the most terrifying and entertaining ways. My kids were huge fans of Pokemon Go and knew about this old phenomenon much more than I did (fun fact: MOLAA is a hotspot). Thursdays are probably my busiest days because of the Open House gallery planning for Friday. Yesterday, I was unable to spend as much time the children. When I came into the recreation room to take pictures for the slideshow, they all ran up to me and gave me warm hug. I felt good in seeing how much I had truly played a role in their life during camp. I am probably going to minor in Linguistics, language, and cultural studies, so my time at MOLAA has been very beneficial in various ways, During the children's LANGO classes, in which they are taught Spanish lessons, I observe the interactions between teacher and students for the most efficient language acquirement and group engagement. Furthermore, I partook in science experiments, DIY activities, and more zumba and capoeira lessons. On Wednesday, we took a field trip to Point Fermin and got a tour of the lighthouse to the top where I marveled at the sight of the vast deep ocean. It was a beautiful break, and up on the cliff, with the wind blowing through my hair, above the blue sea, I felt the most exhilarating feeling. Moreover, there was a movie being filmed at this location, which was definitely exciting!

My developing work ethic and relationships have increased my confidence before people of all ages and in all sorts of situations. Carmen, one of the camp's art teachers, told me that she liked the way I stayed calm despite the hustle and chaos. In a workplace like this, you have people in all kinds of fields needing to come together to accomplish one unified project. Oftentimes, this can be difficult, especially everyone being an artist with their own ideas. I am looking forward to my fourth week with new people to meet and stories to tell.