“Life happens when you experience new things.” That was one of the nuggets of wisdom I got to hear while working at Boise Urban Garden School this summer as an extern. While I was up to my elbows (literally) washing and pitting cherries, I thought about the truth of that statement, and I decided that this blog post should include all of the awesome, new experiences I’ve gained during this summer externship.

This is the first externship I’ve ever done. I had heard of the externship program before, but as an English teacher, I assumed that an externship through the STEM Action Center wasn’t for me. I decided to apply to the externship program on a whim this past spring, and I figured, “I can apply, and let others decide if I am qualified or not.” And I am so glad that I did. This externship has been a profoundly positive experience.

At this externship, I have gained new skills and experienced new things. As an English teacher, I love adjectives. Descriptive words are my jam. One word I would never use to describe myself is “outdoorsy.” This externship has pushed me out(doors) of my comfort zone, and as a result, I now have a fun new repertoire of outdoorsy party tricks as a result.

I was out on a walk with a good friend the other day, and out of context, I spotted a carrot growing in a rocky area of her neighborhood. Prior to this externship, I would have just assumed it was a weed, but when I tell you I saw that little leafy patch of goodness, I knew in my bones that it was a carrot. I pulled it up to show off this new party trick, and voilà – carrot! I can also do this with inedible flowers, like the Milkweed in the photo, but this is less amusing to my nieces, so I stick to the edible flowers for my party tricks.

I can now identify all sorts of edible flowers – my nieces think this is an incredibly fun party trick! Nothing quite like the cool aunt who will walk up to a seemingly random plant, name it, rip off a flower, and start eating said flower. Some of the flowers I have used to show off this party trick are Snapdragons, Pansies, and even the weed Purslane.

At this externship, I have tried all sorts of new-to-me foods. In addition to not being outdoorsy, I am also not a culinary queen. I can cook well enough to survive but making a meal sparks little to no joy for me. In addition to running garden camps in the summer, BUGS also has amazing culinary summer camps (as well as culinary classes for adults, teens, and families throughout the year – highly recommend checking those out). The culinary campers harvest garden-fresh produce and then provide lunch for all the campers and staff at BUGS, which means I get lunch every, single day. It’s literally the best! Here are some of the new-to-me foods I have gotten to try this summer as a result of this externship:

• Veggie burgers made with oats
• Watermelon mint agua fresca
• Falafel
• Crispy Tofu Katsu
• Samosas
• Mint Chutney
• Lemon Curd Pavlova

This summer externship has been an important reminder for me to take risks and try new things. While I do enjoy a good summer rot, this summer of trying new things has been a much richer, restorative experience that sitting on my couch and watching videos until my vision goes blurry. I feel energized for the school year ahead, and I can’t wait to find opportunities to share all of the knowledge I’ve gained with my students.

If you’ve been on the fence about wanting to try the summer externship program for any reason, I hope that this well help sway you to take a risk for next summer and see what cool new experiences you can find for yourself!