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Summer took a turn for the less sunny when I realized I was going to have to leave my beloved Madison behind for three months and return to a land of reasonable rent prices (my childhood bedroom). To say that I was grumpy about the prospect of finding a job and settling down at home for three months was an understatement. I really am sorry to anyone who had to listen to my rant during that time.

However, returning to the Appleton area opened a new door for me: the chance to be an intern at the one and only FOX CITIES Magazine. When I found out that I had been accepted as a summer intern sometime in early April, my spirits lightened considerably.

FCM helped me see that Appleton is an intricate and captivating community. It helped me break out of my routine of the same five restaurants or coffee shops and helped motivate me to have the experiences that are unique to the area. I was able to blog about fun events like quests to music festivals, frozen yogurt runs, exploring Lake Michigan and an open mic night. Just getting into the mindset of “What can I do around here and share with others?” helped me break through the Negative Nancy mindset of being bored and unfulfilled.

I had a great summer, I’m happy to say. Having a job that I enjoyed helped immensely. The people at FCM are truly a delight (maybe it’s because most of us are the same personality type, right?) but between the laughter, life updates and generosity, I really had a hard time not smiling during my time in the office. Also, the food was good. Thank you to all people who actually bake and cook, because you know I don’t. I’m sorry I was “that” intern. I feel like I owe you muffins or something.

I’ll definitely use all the writing and interviewing techniques that I picked up along the way in the rest of my years in the journalism school at Madison, and I can’t thank FCM enough for this invaluable experience. The nervous intern who walked in on May 21 can now confidently pick up a phone and dial nearly anyone and be coherent. It’s a miracle of sorts. I’m excited to use this experience in my upcoming arts editor position at The Daily Cardinal in Madison.

Anyway, thank you to every single person at FCM for being so amazing, I really will miss you. The summer turned out unexpectedly wonderful and you all had a large part in it. I’ll come back next summer if I survive another Bonnaroo respiratory infection!

Best of luck, Marina! While you certainly don’t “owe” us muffins, we will never deny them. Maybe next summer?