Internship an unexpected lesson

I'm the kind of person that relies on the company of others. Though I'm capable of going to the bathroom on my own, I rarely do anything else by myself. My philosophy is it's always more fun with two.\nBut this summer, I learned the true meaning of independence when I decided to accept a newspaper internship in Angola, Ind. for 10 weeks, knowing I'd have to move three hours away from home (Cleveland, Ohio) to a town a fifth the size of IU's student body with not a single soul to call a friend, let alone an acquaintance.\nI was 100 percent on my own for the first time in my entire life.\nAnd I was terrified.\nI realize establishing a group of friends takes time, but I couldn't help wanting that to happen instantaneously -- expectations that I quickly realized were unfair to the community and to myself. But after four days void of human contact outside of the office, I was convinced moving to Angola had been a terrible mistake. With trembling hands, I dialed home and in between sobs admitted to my mom my defeat: I wanted to come home. \nShe calmly told me to give myself more time and reassured me things would fall into place soon enough. After promising she'd call me everyday, we hung up.\nNot only had I never moved to a new place without knowing anyone before, I also had very little exposure to small town life. I was surprised to see how early in the evening stores and restaurants closed; I was shocked to see only six stoplights on their main street; I was astonished at the lack of diversity. \nAnd now, after completing my internship, I'm truly amazed at how wrong my first assumptions were.\nAs a reporter, I was immediately forced to get out into the community to dig for stories and sources, which gradually resulted in several new friendships. Everyone I encountered was so genuinely nice, wanting to do anything they could to help me feel comfortable in the town. I can honestly say I've never met so many nice people in such a small place and in such a short time in my entire life. \nAnd when it was time to leave, I was sad to say goodbye to what had become a familiar and comfortable place -- a drastic contrast to my initial feelings.\nAlthough the goal of this internship was, of course, to teach me about journalism, I learned so many other lessons as a result of taking a risk and moving to a new place.\nI learned about myself. I learned about love and life and how to be daring and spontaneous. I attended my first 4H Fair and my first car race. I pierced my nose. And the beauty of it all: I did it all on my own. \nAlthough I don't have any desire to move back to Angola any time soon, I have absolutely no regrets; rather, I have gained an entirely new sense of independence and a fresh outlook on life. And I'm now confident that I can establish a new world for myself anywhere and anytime I'm struck with the urge to explore.\nThe world really is my oyster.