This summer, I decided to go way out of my comfort zone and take an internship four hours away from home. I'm now finishing up my third week of living on my own, and it's been a roller coaster of emotion. I know there are plenty of people out there that can identify with me on this first venture away from home, so I put together a small list of the many things you go through when you spend a summer away from home-- as told by Leslie Knope.
1. Independence: Woo!
Those first two days of being completely in charge of your life are glorious, but wait, there's more.
2. Wait, where's my mom?
The first time you catch yourself walking in after work and expecting to complain to your mom about your day. Or even the first morning you wake up, completely confused because where is my ceiling fan?!
3. Nonstop communication with your best friend back home.
It has set in that you will not see your friends for the next two months, and the only thing getting you through the summer is text messages, phone calls, and FaceTime.
4. Calling home just to "check in."
As much as you try to act cool, your mother knows you're falling apart, but she's always a phone call away.
5. FaceTiming mom just to see the dog.
Everything gets a little better when you see your dog's confusion after seeing you on a tiny screen.
6. Finding a new show to binge-watch because SO MUCH FREE TIME!
No friends to hangout with yet? Nothing 40 episodes of "Game of Thrones" won't fix!
7. Buying a calendar to mark off the days until you go home.
You've never wished for summer to end so badly in your life.
8. Finally finding some friends to make this whole thing worthwhile.
Friends really do make all the difference. As much as we sometimes cherish our alone time, we can't survive without friendship.
9. Settling into your routine and finding joy in your work.
It was a rough transition, but that's no reason to be ashamed. Most transitions are pretty difficult, and the best part is just beginning. You have unique talents to bring to your new community, and the joy that you will gain from pouring your all into your work is irreplaceable.
10. The bittersweet ending.
You can see the end in sight. You 100 percent want to go home, but you also 100 percent want to stay and continue your work. All these feelings are whirling around inside you like a tornado, and that's completely OK. You're going home, and you'll always have this experience to cherish.
Now you just have to decide if it was worth doing again.
