Londone

How was London? It's a simple question really. Now that the program's over, and I'm back in the "real world" of car insurance, rent, and training for my new job (!), the first question people ask me is a fairly predictable one. A simple question doesn't necessarily equal a simple answer. It's an issue of summing up 2 months in a 10 second sound bite that people actually have time to listen to. "It was great" obviously leaves a lot to be desired. So below is my answer to that little question... just so that you can read what you want, skip what you don't... I aim to please.

1. The internship

Head London had an amazing atmosphere and personality that I haven't worked in ever before. Essentially one long room, the office was an incredibly collaborative group who were always so helpful and welcoming to work with. I got to see how a marketing agency worked with a client from start to... well mid-way through the process. I was only there for 8 weeks! I saw an incredible amount of work and coordination needed to build a whole website, redesigning logos, expanding the brand identity, what have you. 

Of course, each job has its hang ups. Working at an agency means long hours (thankfully not for the intern), testing and retesting the websites and ALL of its links, and an incredible level of patience in dealing with clients. On my last day, I presented to the entire office my thoughts on my time in London, an extra bonus presentation of possibly my favorite story on earth. (Credit of the latter goes to my friend Jenna, but ask me and I'll tell it to you as if it were my own.) Instead of a normal boring presentation, I used the Pecha Kucha method/style of 20 slides/20seconds each. It sounds simple enough, but timing it right can be tricky. You're only allowed images, so no boring bullet points to doze over. A good example... pecha-kucha.org/presentations/201

Since it was my last day, after the presentations we all went out for ... well, what else but a pint at the Wheatsheaf pub down the street.

(Above: Me with my supervisors, Colette and Rebecca, in front of the Head offices.)

2. The other interns

Not only did I spend the summer working in London, but I got to spend it with 20 other people interning and living in London with me. I'll admit that 20 people sounds like a huge number of people to have in one group, but surprisingly it never seemed that way. I will admit that finding a place to have our group dinners together wasn't the easiest task though. 

(Our last night, all back at the Nido.)

Still, because of our size the group managed to work well all together or broken up in smaller groups, depending on the activity. Days like the 4th of July meant that all the interns got together at an American themed party for some barbecue, but by the end of the day, the "older" (I mean the 22-23 year olds versus the 19-21s) went home early to rest after the day, while the "younger" continued to celebrate America's birthday. The size of the group meant you could find the quieter people to visit a museum with you and the in-the-know intern to party late into the night with you.

3. London

I've probably mentioned in each and every entry how much I've loved being here in London. Yet every time an English person asks me my opinion of London, they're visibly shocked to hear how much I love it. It's not that they themselves hate the city. In fact, most Londoners aren't even from the capital themselves but have moved here. Still don't really understand why that is. 

(British Library, St. Pancras train station in the background. Just down the road from the Nido housing.)

Now I'll admit that a part of my love may have to do my luck with the English weather. A summer of 75F/25C weather is pretty hard to beat around here, even if the normally green parks have become brown and scratchy without their normal summer rains. Besides the unusual warmth, London is just a great city. Not too crowded or claustrophobic but you're never in want of things to do day or night. 

Plus, I mean come on... everyone has an accent. ;)

Last tourist tips:

1. John Sloane Museum: Just go and see what it's all about. Reading about John Sloane, the architect of the Bank of England, makes it sound dull and not worth a trip. But if you're near Holburn station on the first Tuesday of the month at 530pm, get in the queue before it winds around the block. It's worth it. On Tuesday night, they light candles and makes the whole house/museum eerily calm.

 (The fairly boring looking entry to the John Sloane Museum.)

2. The parks! For a city, London is incredibly green. There are the key gardens for residents only (the ones with the keys), small squares open to everyone, and then the royal parks. Hyde Park is the well-known one, but there are plenty of others that are just as massive and beautiful. On our last weekend, a group of interns and I ventured out to Hampstead Heath for a picnic by the lake. It was a relaxing and beautiful way to sum up our trip. Of course, later on we went out to the pubs, but I'm sure that was assumed anyways.

(Below: Taylor and Jill relaxing in Hyde Park.)