A summer gig in another state is a great clean slate
A summer gig in another state is a great clean slate
Taking a summer internship in a distant state has become near-ritual for middle-class American college students. After stuffing your compact car with essentials and bidding a tearful farewell to your family, you set out for L.A. or D.C. with no knowledge of the path ahead of you beyond where Siri has told you to turn next.
This summer I have finally taken my own shot at this rite of passage, and while I have only been gone for a couple of weeks, I can already feel a significant change within myself.
Apparently I am not immune to the aforementioned tropes. Chasing an internship offer from Youth Villages, I excitedly crammed the interior of my Jetta with an outrageous amount of (debatably) necessary things and set my sights on Nashville, Tenn.
After my super-hero parents had graciously helped to move me in, and we said our goodbyes, I still was feeling bold and ready to take on the work ahead of me. I was proud of myself for my lack of self-doubt, as well as my general absence of fears concerning moving to a new city.
This confidence continued until moments before I set foot into Youth Villages’ headquarters for my first day of training. It suddenly hit me that I was about to meet all of the people with whom I would be spending my summer — as well as the people upon which I needed to make a positive impression.
I think it’s in our nature to speculate. We’re always sharing our thoughts on what we would do in a particular situation and how we would respond in a better manner than those before us. However, no matter how determined our planned reactions may be, the reality is that sometimes our nerves get the best of us.
When my nerves strike, I tend to do and say things I seriously hope everyone will immediately forget. When I plan on going into a situation and portraying myself as strong, interesting or funny, I typically end up coming across as awkward, strange or meek; in other words, a complete crash and burn.
This masquerade of self-portrayal was out in full force as I entered the training room. As I looked about, I told myself to appear friendly and approachable while simultaneously feeling like running away.
As I began to interact with the staff and other interns beyond the fakeness of small talk, I had a revelation. I was truly being myself, and these new people seemed to actually be taking it well.
