Plant Community

5 Life Lessons

1. Safety, Safety, Safety - "It is when you begin to rush that you become unsafe."
2. Heat builds character.
3. Being here is like being in a 24/7 job interview. There is always someone watching, evaluating, and reporting your performance both at work and on The Row.
4. Lyme disease is prevalent in Pennsylvania so don't be shy about checking each other for ticks.
5. You get out of each day what you put into it. If you put nothing, you receive nothing. If you are engaging and willing to learn, you receive everything.

2 days of orientation here at Longwood is too much and not enough all at the same time. We met so many people, shook so many hands, and learned so much information in that short period of time.  I've never said, "Hi, my name is Beth, I'm from Knoxville, I'm interning in indoor display, and I will be here until the end of August," so many times in all my life. Everyone was super nice, however, and seemed genuinely interested in getting to know all the new interns. Even the group that got here 3 weeks before the rest of us couldn't wait to include us all in the community. Living on "The Row" is a whole new experience. It gives the term 'plant community' a whole new meaning. In this case, I live in a community of 40 other plant lovers who want to learn as much as possible about plants. How they grow, where they grow, how we can use them to benefit ourselves and others, and even how to kill them (although that's saved mostly for Poison Ivy). We've also got a wide range of people from around the world. I've met people from Alabama, Indiana, New Hampshire, South Africa, Vermont, Spain, and New Mexico. And that isn't even all of them!

1st time away from home, and I admit I called my mom sobbing within 3 hours of moving in. Pity Party party of 1? She helped me realize that it's okay to be sad and miss home as long as I remember that being here is an incredible opportunity. Out of hundreds of applications, they chose my 17 fellow interns and me to experience all that Longwood has to offer. Things like this don't come around every day. So here I am, sitting on my front porch, enjoying the student gardens in front of me and the sounds of nature all around me, thanking God (and the wonderful people at Longwood) for offering me this opportunity. Scar from the Lion King said it best: "Even you can't be caught unawares so prepare for a chance of a lifetime."

Longwood Website