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I’ve always been a homebody. I remember my senior year of high school people were looking at colleges halfway across the country and my comments were always the same, “What’s wrong with Cincinnati, Ohio?” My friends, my car, my family, my belongings, my beloved bed, they were all in Ohio, why would you want to change that?
Don’t get me wrong, I wanted out of my house. I was getting pretty tired of constantly lying to my parents about being at the movies when I was actually at a boy’s house (GASP!). So I decided on a school that was just far enough away to where I felt like I was on my own, but also close enough to have my mom do my laundry when I didn’t feel like it (so like every time I had laundry…). As the years went by, I found myself dreading the trips home during long school breaks more and more.
So this past year, when I looked into summer internships, I decided I would apply for anything that got me out of Ohio. When I got offered a position in Los Angeles, I pulled every cliché in the book. Jumped on my bed, threw everything I could find in the air, my friends actually gave me a champagne shower the next time I saw them. Basically, I was ecstatic. Getting out of the Queen City was looking like an impossible feat, but I had accomplished it.
After finally finding a place to sleep that was close to my dream job, the reality of the situation set in. All the excitement very quickly flipped to nerves. I started to panic. What if I can’t make any friends, what if I end up hating my job, what if my roommates are super weird and try to kill me in my sleep? I knew no one where I was going, and I was terrified. My poor boyfriend spent night after night talking me off a ledge. “It’s going to be fine. You’re going to love it.” He was trying his best to be supportive, but I don’t think any combination of words would have helped me.
I think my parents began to sense my pending breakdown and decided to take a little vacation to LA with me for my first week. I will never admit to them that this helped a ton, because they will never let me live it down, but thank you mom and dad.
As the wheels went up and the plane soared towards the clouds, suddenly all my nerves went out the window. I don’t know if it was thanks to the 3 glasses of wine I had drank prior to my 8:30 flight, (I told you I was scared!) or the soothing sound of the man snoring next to me, but all the sudden it just felt right.
Now, a week into my time in Los Angeles, I could not be happier. I seriously beat myself up for even considering not coming out here. Everyone is so welcoming, the food is amazing, the drinks are even better, and it makes the traffic almost worth it. But in all seriousness, taking this job was exactly what I needed.
So back to the main question, why did I take an internship across the country? I could say that I did it to build my resume (which is what my parents think), I could say I did it to get far far away from my mom and dad (which is what my friends think), but in all honesty, I did it for me. I knew it was time to challenge myself and to step outside of the box, and it was the greatest decision I ever made. I’ve learned that sometimes its okay to be a little selfish. So if you are on the fence about hoping on a plane and leaving everything you know behind, I’m here to tell you to stop sitting on fences because you’re going to be late for your flight! You can always go back home if it doesn’t work out, but you might not ever get an opportunity to leave. Pack your bags and accept the unknown.
