THE DEPTHS OF HADES—A Summer in Williamsburg

Alright, it may be a tad dramatic to compare a summer in the south to “the depths of Hades,” but I am not someone who handles heat well. I blame living in Canada for seven years and also having parents from the North East.

I started giving tours this past spring as part of my summer job in the admission office. At first I was pretty nervous, talking in front of a bunch of strangers with their parents—a little daunting to say the least. But I actually didn’t find it scary or nerve racking and with each tour I get more and more comfortable.

This morning I went onto weather.com to figure out what to wear for my two tours today. On the website it was posted “Dangerous heat index. Outdoor exposure should be limited.” My immediate reaction: do I push myself down the stairs or fake a concussion to get out of giving a tour. As I pondered which solution was the most realistic (I figured getting my housemate to push me down the stairs was unlikely and I don’t know how convincing my attempts of faking a concussion would be), I realized that I had to do my job. As we stepped outside for the tour I could feel the heat seep into my body. Trying to avoid passing out or heat stroke I trudged on. My tour group came back in one piece and the heat didn’t take any victims. The feeling of being in July heat in Williamsburg and then stepping into the cool, air-conditioned Admission Office is absolutely wonderful. On a tour I sort of forget about the heat and just get really excited about telling my group about William and Mary. I immediately remember what a sweaty hot mess I look like when my fellow summer interns say “Liz, what happened to you?” or “Yikes, looks like you just gave a tour.” Thanks guys. This summer is only going to get hotter and the groups are only going to get bigger, but honestly I doubt either of these factors is going to faze me or my coworkers.