It finally happened… we graduated. And it seemed like everybody had a plan except me. Some people were off to vet school, med school and grad school. Others were doing City Year or had begun the job hunt. I had just quit mine a month earlier and the farthest I could see into the future was mid-June when I would embark on a journey across Europe. Before I left, I had restarted my VMCAS and ordered some of my GRE scores to be sent. I had some options in the mix, but I wasn’t exactly sure how they would all pan out.
I tried to forget about everything else for the two unforgettable weeks I spent in Europe. There was so little downtime that I actually succeeded.
When I got back home, reality set in again. I needed to find something relevant that I wanted to do. It seemed like I had found the perfect opportunity – there was a pasture-based farm out in Tennessee that was looking for fall interns. I was very excited about the opportunity until I went out for my working interview. I could have done the job, and the experience would have undoubtedly been invaluable, but I really wanted to make this year count for me. The hours were a bit unreasonable, and the area was so secluded that I worried about my mental health without any other interns to keep me grounded. I thought I would go stir crazy before the winter holidays.
I am still working asserting myself and learning how to say no, so I apprehensively turned down the offer that they gave me, and I started the search again. I went on an uninspiring interview in Jersey and decided that I needed to keep looking when it happened – I received an email from a woman I had all but forgotten about. Earlier in the summer, I had emailed Laughing Goat Fiber Farm to inquire about fall and winter internships. They were available, so I found a place to stay and sent my application on its way. She replied back telling me it was the perfect job for me, and I hope to prove her right.
Now I am embarking on this journey to Interlaken, NY, the place I will call home for the next four months. The Finger Lakes region of New York is known for its beauty, and I plan to explore as much of it as possible. Here’s to the hikes, hidden finds, and adventures I’m bound to experience this season. May I find a work-life balance and inner peace in acceptance that not everybody takes the exact same path to get to the same place.
I’m so happy for you that you have landed in a place where you can learn and experience the unknown and thrive. I never doubt that you will land in the right place. I have faith in your intelligence, strong values about what’s really important, and innate good sense. I love the Finger Lakes area; it’s just gorgeous. Enjoy this experience; this is what life is made of. Send us your new address! Love you, Sam.
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