And it turned out to be a wonderful opportunity for all of us, we were extremely impressed with Annika and her bravery at coming and living here for 5 months speaking constantly in a foreign language for her.
Annika worked across the property in all departments and in particular really supported the Ranger team with our Education work.
In fact follow this years success we are hoping to offer another Intern position at Arlington.
Here is Annika's account of her experience here at Arlington;
Hi, my name is Annika, I’m 25 and I was a
volunteer at Arlington Court for five months (from May to September). I'm
writing this piece in retrospect as I'm back in Germany now but enjoyed my time
at Arlington immensely! As it had been part of my studies to spend some time
abroad in an English-speaking country, I had chosen to apply for a job as a
volunteer at Arlington. What can I say? I got extremely lucky and was given the
opportunity to work with and learn from all of you which was an amazing
experience!
What did I actually do at Arlington? Apart from
working with the Rangers, I had the chance to spend time in the House and in
the Carriage Museum, thereby gaining an insight into several of the estate’s
different working environments.
Among other things, volunteering with the
Rangers involved assisting during school group sessions, helping with the sheep
and cattle as well as supporting the new Equine Ranger’s work with the ponies.
In
the House and Carriage Museum I undertook the task of translating both English
interpretations into German to contribute to the German visitors’ experience.
Furthermore, I learned about conservation in many different areas while packing
and re-packing lovely gowns and dresses in the textile store (after removing mould
if necessary), doing light readings and cleaning ships and carriages. In
addition to that, I tried my luck at room guiding in both the House and
Carriage Museum. Hopefully, the visitors had as much fun as I had! ;-)
Nevertheless, the work was always varied and
interesting. I liked all aspects equally well, be it in the outdoors or inside.
If you asked me about any kind of preference, I really couldn't name one!
During my stay I was also able to visit a few beautiful
National Trust properties (Finch Foundry, Dunster Castle, Cotehele, Coleton
Fishacre) and travel to other exciting places like Plymouth, Southampton,
Exeter and Looe.I had such a good time thanks to all the people who took me around
with them. Thank you very much for that!
What am I planning to do now? Well, university
has started again and I'm back to continue my studies of History and English.
By the looks of it, the lecturers are definitely not going to go easy on us
this year! However, I’d like to be a secondary school teacher (eventually) and encourage
students’ interest in History and English – definitely something to look
forward to!
I’d like to thank everybody who contributed to
make my stay an unforgettable experience. Thank you very much and hopefully see
you soon!
Annika and Kitty
