the end of an internship

As we all began our last week at our internships, my friends were starting to talk about bringing cookies and ice creams and other goodies in to work on their last day. This confused me. We were the ones who had been working at our jobs for free. We were the ones who were leaving. We should be gifted upon, not be the gift-givers.

Thus said I had no plans to bring any gifts to work on my last day. Nor did I expect anything but a heartfelt  thanks and goodbye.

Frankie, the web editor who I have been working closely with since we launched our new website a few weeks ago, had been saying for a week how she was going to miss me, and just how were they going to do it all without me? Which was sweet and made me feel very appreciated.

The night before my last day in the office, I was given a bar review - to visit the bar, then write about it to be printed in the magazine. I got a plus one, so I took Lauryn and we headed out to Islington on a Wednesday night. The bar ended up being great - energetic bartenders trying to impress us (I was reviewing them after all!), all of the free drinks we wanted (and the drinks were good!) and an upbeat but community atmosphere. Needless to say they got a good review. And I had a hangover the next morning.

I went down to the fish & chips place around the corner from my office building for lunch. I have been walking by it for weeks, and not once had I stopped in. When the smells of chips wafted through our office window just as the lunch hour started, I took it as a sign, and went down for a small bag - which ended up being huge, and so I shared with my colleagues.

As the workday was coming to end I found myself not wanting it to be over. I had finally felt comfortable and relaxed and knowledgeable in my position. Half an hour before I was due to leave, my supervisor Rebecca and Frankie came in with two cakes and a card the office had all signed for me. They told me what great work I had done and how everyone would miss me. I also got a bag of freebies companies send to the magazine - free nail polish and Christmas ornaments?! Yes please!

It was all very bittersweet. I think I mumbled something like "This is weird .... I'm going to miss you guys!" as I walked out of the doors. And in some melodramatic twist of fate, it rained on my walk to the Tube station (which hadn't happened before).

A quirky summary of the internship in a few quick bullet-points:

- I do not like waking up early in the morning. But I can do it when forced.
- The tube is WAY too crowded at 8:30 in the morning. By 8:40 it is much less crowded.
- I loved the cobblestone street lined with fruit and flower vendors I walked through to get to my office building.
- You can see Westminster Abbey, the London Eye and Parliament from the street in front of my building.
- The elevators in the building were much too small.
- I had at least one cup of (free!) coffee everyday at work.
- I got to write news stories, research upcoming events in London, lay-out magazine pages and write bar reviews.
- My name was printed in the magazine.
- I wasn't subjected to the busy-work/ coffee-runs that interns are notoriously subjected to.
- At the end I felt I was valued and appreciated and "one of the team."
- I ended up loving TNT.

what i've been doing at work

I thought I would take some pictures of our printed magazine, to show you all what I've been doing at work. (The stuff I've been writing for the magazine isn't transferred to the website.)

I chose the category 'Margaritas,' chose what bars to feature, wrote the
blurbs and laid out the section.

I chose which 'Top Treatment' we would feature that particular week, and
researched and wrote up about ear candling.

(Okay so I was interviewed for this and didn't actually write or lay it out...
but I'm in the magazine!)

My first full review! With a by-line!

(Here's the byline if you didn't catch it in the other picture)

I laid out this entire page, and chose what items to feature
 and wrote every word on it!  (It was edited though, to make
sure my British slang was up to date - fyi they don't say 'frock')

I laid out this page too! And wrote the content (but not
the interview...)

I got to choose what items to showcase in 'Home Style'

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.

interview for an internship

Today I went for an interview at the magazine that has offered me an internship placement. Only four tube stops from where I'm living, the office is right in the heart of Westminster, just a few blocks from Buckingham Palace! I'll be working at TNT Magazine, beginning in October, writing news briefs, travel and entertainment pieces, and bits about London's happenings. The office is young and very chill - I think I'm going to love it!

(What I won't love is showing up at 9 a.m. every morning - hopefully I'll get used to regularly waking up earlier than I have in years!)

placement meeting

This is what I looked like at 8:30 Tuesday morning as I was anxiously awaiting my Skype interview with the intern-placement company in London:

And then I got a phone call, and proceeded to do the interview over the phone. Not on Skype. My make-up and careful cleaning of the spots of my room that would be visible from the computer's camera were all for nothing.
All in all the interview went well, and this is what Kate (she's a self proclaimed London-er with a British accent, she will place me in my internship position, she has a great laugh) and I came up with:

CAREER GOALS: 
I hope to be able to integrate my Anthropology background and my love of
writing into a journalism career, preferably for a print magazine where I
will be able to write feature pieces. I would love the opportunity to travel
for my work, and would appreciate extended time in collecting information
and understanding the individuals behind a story before producing a written
piece. This internship will allow me to see what working for an established
news institution looks and feels like and will help to narrow my scope of
preference when looking for a career in journalism after graduation.

POSSIBLE PLACEMENT FIELDS:
Journalism
PR
Film/TV Pre Production

DETAILED INTERESTS:
Genre wise likes entertainment, culture, fashion, beauty, travel, news,
hobby based
Writing very important but less so than genre.
Prefers magazine setting but open to newspapers

SKILLS TO DEVELOP:
gaining confidence in a professional setting
contextualizing academic experience
general exposure to a new field
Networking

I have no idea what kind of company I'm going to end up working for in September. Hopefully my placement meeting helped give both Kate and I an idea of what I'm looking for!
Now we just wait and see.