Dear Blake,
I’m 22 and I recently left my job and flew halfway across the country for an internship on a small farm in West Virginia to learn about sustainable farming. I have been here a week. I have met some awesome people and have been having some fun with them in my free time. However, I’m now having second thoughts. This is hard, physical labor, and my living conditions are a lot more rustic and communal than I was led to believe. There is no electricity in our quarters, and we cook our meals outside on a propane stove. Also, the internship is unpaid, and I’ll have to pay to take a summer class. While I feel I am benefiting from this experience, I miss my old job (which I can get back) and the more comfortable lifestyle. Do you think I need to give this internship more time?
Signed, Allison
From Chicago, Illinois
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Dear Allison,
You are understandably traumatized by the culture shock from leaving city life for a farm. And by leaving the Windy City, you dramatically reduced the odds of you getting carjacked, assaulted, pistol-whipped, or all three simultaneously in certain neighborhoods. In my opinion, here are some of the pros and cons of living on a small farm in West Virginia. If you live out there long enough, you will discover that most farmers are snaggletooth, because they are so busy, they simply don’t have time to brush and floss their few their teeth. None of them own mirrors either, to insure that they are not reminded on a daily basis how bad they look. On the positive side, there is very little violence out there, and the only time you may hear about someone getting shot, is when they are caught red handed stealing a neighbor’s moonshine. Also keep in mind that employers prefer to hire someone who looks mature and experienced. So this is the other positive thing. Farming accelerates the aging process, so if you stay out there a couple of years, you can return to Chicago looking like a mature experienced old hag. I hope this helps.
Blake