working girl

I have officially finished my first full week as a working girl in the big city. Having to wake up at 7:30 every morning and ride the tube into central London makes me feel like such a grown up. The tube is packed with people in suits, reading their newspapers in silence. In unison a group gets off at my stop and we all trudge up the stairs and make our way to our respective offices. And this goes on Monday-Thursday. (I have Fridays off work because I have class - Contemporary British Literature.)

Yesterday on my ride home I sat next to a very loud Italian couple. They were the only people speaking in our car. The man kept gesturing with his hands and bumping into my shoulder. I was silently telling them to shut up, when I caught the eye of an old British man sitting across from the loud Italians. He would peer over his newspaper at the noise-makers, probably wishing the same thing I was. And then I realized: I'm becoming British! I don't appreciate loud people on the tube who invade my personal space! I've learned the social code of conduct that is: do not speak on the tube and if you must, speak quietly.

I think I'll pick up a newspaper on Monday so I fit in like a proper Londoner.

Work has been a lesson in 1. forcing myself to wake up in the morning and 2. reminding myself to look out the window every once in a while to save my eyes from the strain of staring at a computer screen all day. I get to work at 9, write and publish a news story online, then upload content from the printed magazine to the website until just before lunchtime when I write and publish a second news story. I get lunch 1 to 2, and then I come back, upload more magazine content, then finish the day by writing and publishing a third news story before I get off at 5:30.

I'm becoming a pro at formating photos, laying out an online blogpost, linking to other news stories and websites in text, and formatting a webpage. All of these computer skills are things I was severely lacking and I'm glad I get the opportunity to learn them. I just haven't had the opportunity to do much original reporting and writing ... maybe an intern isn't granted that right?

Yesterday I did get to research alternative events on Guy Fawkes' Night (or Bonfire Night) on November 5th. Guy Fawkes tried to blow up Parliament some time ago, and failed, and now every year the whole country celebrates with fireworks and bonfires where an effigy of Fawkes is burned. Gruesome and weird? A bit. But then again we celebrate decimating a native population every year by eating an extravagant feast.

I can say this about working a real job: I have never been so happy to have the weekend.