The Blog

I gained two pounds last week. (And yes, I checked when I went back to the gym.)

Diane, one of the AP intern program coordinators, took very good care of us. Leading up to the trip I hadn’t eaten much of anything. And I’m a foodie. Sheesh! Difficult times. (I’ve mapped where we (I) ate. Check it out at the bottom of this post.)

More importantly, the intern’s week was a great experience and at times a little bittersweet. Going in, it was clear to most of the recent graduates in the intern class that jobs with the oldest news gathering service in the world were not plentiful. The week was almost like a dangling carrot.

Please don’t mistake my characterization for sarcasm or bitterness. I think I can speak for most every editorial intern to say we’d all chop off our baby toes for a gig with the AP. Pound for pound, it’s still…THE AP! And we 20-somethings are still not yet jaded by long years working in this profession.

Living this life is tough — the “I-just-graduated-from-college-with-a-journalism-degree-and-I-could-be-homeless-in-a-month” life. While I look for something to pay the bills, I won’t get too comfortable. I guess I’m waiting for someone (anyone) to tell me there’s a job in ‘Houlton, Maine‘ and that it’s Maine or … (*crickets)

That’s what you do when you love this profession, right? I mean, when you spend the last five years of your life studying and pursuing it …

What I’ve learn: Don’t put down any roots. Be okay with changing your mailing address at least three times in the next four years. Measure your decisions about long-term romantic relationships. No more Thanksgiving and Christmas with the family. Pick one.

I know I sound like I’m whining. I’m not, really. Just facing a reality — one that I admit is the least appealing part of this trade. Traveling is great. But feeling like a vagabond, not so much. I know many people would tell me I’m wrong, naive and unadventurous. And those traits are unappealing in this industry. So I’m training my brain to stop processing the following feelings: loneliness, nostalgia and a desire for real contentment. This way being in a place I didn’t choose will be easier to deal with.

I think my biggest fears are the lost connections or strained relationships: with family, with a significant other, or even with myself.

But, ‘tough it out’ is my new motto.

There’s a silver-lining somewhere. There always is, isn’t there? You show people you can withstand a little geographical hazing and they’ll appreciate you for it someday. And then you get opportunities in places where you’d like to be, right?

Thanks for reading. I rambled, I know. Had to get it out.

Here’s some pictures from the week:

The newsroom was really big. Not very many people at desks. But still a sight to see.

We ate at the Peking Duck House. The duck was pretty good. So was all the other food.

A talented group of people, the editorial interns were. This is just a few of us.

Map of where I ate all week:

View AP Intern’s Week Cuisine in a larger map