Sorry for the delay in posting. I have been out having the most marvellous time ever, since I got some wonderful news through! More on that in a second.. I need to give you some background before I can tell you it, and you won't think me crazy (it happens a lot believe me).
So to give you a bit of background about me, I never knew what I wanted to be at school, and subsequently bummed my way though school and college (literally the worst thing I could have done - yep, I know that now!). Any who, my love of the Tudor period came later, a lot later. I liked History but it was never something I thought of as a career or anything. So I stumbled my way through different jobs before settling on a position in HR, which I quite enjoy, and hey it pays the bills.
Through my many years re-enacting Henry VIII's immediate family though, I realised this was something I truly enjoyed, and I couldn't wait for my weekends to come so that I could run from the day job, and have a weekend of pure bliss.
From this I know now that my dream job would be working for Past Pleasures or Historic Royal Palaces as a Costumed Interpreter. Basically that meant I would go around in costume interacting with the public, and bringing the past closer to visitors by interpreting a historical site and it's objects, and telling it's story to them. However, making this leap wouldn't be easy, I'm running out of time in life, and I do not have a qualification in the relevant fields, besides having a bucket load of passion. Also the job market in Heritage is unbelievably tough, so a lot of people carry out volunteering in the relevant field to gain experience, alongside working for their degree's. I have volunteered for Sudeley Castle before and carried out work as a guide, so volunteering in a historical site was nothing unusual for me. Let me tell you it's a completely different world on the other side of the doors!
One day I was searching on the National Trust website, and decided to look at the Volunteering section instead of the jobs section, and low and behold they had a Costumed Interpreter role going - this was crazily rare! Then I thought knowing me it will be somewhere so far away that it would be unfeasible for me to do it, but I clicked on it anyway - seriously God/a higher power (whatever you choose to believe) was smiling on me this day. The position was at Chedworth Roman Villa just 25 minutes up the road from where I lived! So I applied... and then I waited.. and waited..
A couple of weeks later, I received an email from a lady at the National Trust. The references I gave came back satisfactory and could I come in for a Trial day. Here was the tricky part, I have so much going on at work at the moment so I said I could, but I would only be able to at the weekend, and I couldn't do this one as I was taking part in a Relay for Life for Cancer Research (everyone raised £80k + what an achievement!). She replied that she was taking part too, and that we could meet up there. Which was amazing - don't you just love life when it plans out! So here was the funny bit, it was a fancy dressed event, which meant she had to look for me and I was wearing a massive yellow anorak (Singing in the Rain) and I had to look for her, and she was dressed as a Nun (Sister Act)! You literally can't make that up!
That's just some of my team below, just so you understand how lovely I looked..
So, I met her, and agreed with her to go in the following Saturday to meet with a long serving Costumed Interpreter there to have a look around. I came away pinching myself, not quite believing this was real. Yes, it's Roman (which I don't know very well - I am happy to learn of course), but it's a direct foot in the door to something I would love to do, with a phenomenal and well known company. I can't stop smiling!
Until next time...
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