Confessions of an Ex-OC Weekly Intern

Javier Cabral

Mi Tran and I during our last intern lunch at Au Lac

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Well, folks, looks like this is the end, unless...(*cough) they gimme a staff writer job at OC Weekly!!! Haha. No but seriously, like the great Zacatecano paisano Antonio Aguilar originally sang "[Nada] es eterno en el mundo,". Yup, just like that, my semester is over this week, or what's left of it (will explain after the jump)--thus the end of this magical, demanding and witty-as-hell Orange County publishing ride.

I came in to the OC offices of Village Voice Media in Costa Mesa, CA as an eager, positive and ambitious blogger and I leave now as a....

weathered, ripened, prepared, even more-ambitious reporter ready to go out into the unrelenting world of paid (hopefully) journalism.

An internship is defined as "an official or formal program to provide practical experience for beginners in an occupation or profession." Well, that is true. And yes, I wouldn't trade the experience I have gathered since the beginning of the internship for anything in the world!!! But we must also be rational and real, especially in times like these--it is also a costly self-investment that must be entered into with abandon or not at all...hey, just like cooking and love!

Javier Cabral

Intern friendly dining at Mitsuwa Market

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Future eager interns: I ask that you consider this post like you would an online menu or a shoddy Yelp review before deciding to go to a restaurant or not. You will never know until you find out for yourself! So do it! Take my word for it: I'm not trying to scare any of you off. Hell, ask any other ex-intern and I'm sure they share the same feelings that I do. That is...would I/we do this all over again? Hell, yeah! In a heartbeat. Even now, if there was any way I could get more credit for school, you bet your ass I would continue to "stage" here for free!
 
I'm grateful for the opportunity. You'll get over the no-reimbursement part pretty quick [Gustavo butts in: I told you you could get reimbursed!!!], remembering that you are preparing yourself for the real-life situation of quality journalism. The bragging rights with my friends are a nice bonus, too. To be able to Google my name along with "author page" makes it all worth it and having one-on-one time with the jefe Arellano himself and learning the secrets of his intensely-productive ways is priceless.

Javier Cabral

Just another sweet find while on the job: Thach Che Hien Khanh

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I'm going to miss you, OC Weekly, thank you all for reading! Young guns: Gustavo is always looking for new interns, especially on the food front. As for me, see you all on the freelance side....really, really soon!

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