scomay

Below is a short paper I wrote for my course in "exploring my host culture." In England, tea is a way of life. Even in the heat of 30 degrees Celsius, Brits will be drinking hot tea. Although I had previously heard this, I did not expect it to be as prevalent as it truly is. Many of my co-workers will always drink tea over coffee and continue during all hours of the day; however, tea time is technically only between 2:00-5:00PM. To celebrate this British phenomenon, I decided to see what all the hype was and spend tea time actually drinking afternoon tea. Honestly, I had not expected that much from the experience, but once I tried the afternoon tea tradition the first time, I had to go back! In short, afternoon tea is a ... read more

I cannot say enough how much I have grown through my internship over the last 6 weeks. I started out incredibly eager, nervous, and excited – as many students are on the first day of a new job – and even with the ups and downs from the first day to my last, I have begun to realize that accounting is for me. Anticipation: I was both nervous and excited to start because I was working in the field I want doing what I want. What could be better? I had read article after article about the do’s and don’ts of the first day of an internship, and I had learned about my company forward and backward. Disillusionment: In my case, the disillusionment phase presented itself during my first week. My first week of work was ... read more

This weekend has been jam-packed with crossing off my bucket list and overall European-ness. On Friday, my roommate Kayleigh and I went on quite the adventure. We started off "sleeping in" until 8:00, and quickly setting off to do our laundry. It costs about $5 to wash and $3.50 to dry, and since the driers do not work, we decided to save ourselves some money. When the washers were done (after about an hour!), we brought our clothes back up to the room to hang them up to air dry during the day. Here's just a glimpse of what the room looked like: After that mess, we were on our way to explore London. First stop: shopping. I did not end up buying anything, but we navigated the busy streets and looked at expensive and beautiful ... read more

This week at work, I moved into what my office calls “The Accounting Suite.” I have my own computer and work right next to my manager, the full-time accountant. She is giving me more projects and responsibilities, and I feel like I am truly becoming a valued member of the company. I am not only learning the ropes of organizing budgets, receipts, and payment schedules, but their application and how to communicate them to others, as well. On Wednesday, when I began answering the phone and taking messages for my manager and Paul, the part-time accountant, I received an unpleasant phone call from a woman named Sonya. Here is how the conversation played out: “Is Paul there?” “I am afraid he will not be in the office until tomorrow. Can I take a message?” “Maybe you ... read more

I have had such a busy week that I haven't had time to write a blog, but here goes nothing. I hope this post will bring you all up to speed on what I have been up to. :) Also, I am exhausted, so I am sorry if some of the following is a little incoherent. This past weekend was the best yet (it was only the second, but still!)! It started off with a trip to the London Eye, which was a 30 minute ferris wheel ride where you could see most of London. Of course it rained, so most of my pictures did not turn out that well, but it was still nice to see everything at night. Below is my favourite picture I took whilst on the London the Eye. It is not ... read more

Do not talk on the tube unless you want to be pinned as a tourist. Although this is not a law, it is an unspoken rule universally understood by London’s residents. The program’s staff members, who imparted this knowledge upon me, are self-proclaimed London experts. I trust them on this rule because even if they are not all actuallyfrom London, I have observed this phenomenon time and time again. These silent tube rides have given me a chance to observe the differences between adverts, the abbreviation for ‘advertisement’ here, in the UK and the U.S. In London, I have noticed that advertisements are much more risqué and ‘punchy,’ and while I am trying to remain open, adverts still often startle me in London. Let me give you a little background. The advertisements on the tube are ... read more

I have been in London for a week and a half already! Bloody Hell! Oddly, it feels like I have been here longer ... maybe it's because I almost know how to get around the area (I hope I didn't just jinx myself by saying that). Or because I have been asked TWICE now for directions by people who think I know what I'm talking about. I mustbe on my way to becoming a true Brit, right? Work has been going well. Although I have been doing a lot of inputing data into excel spreadsheets, which I actually secretly enjoy, I have also been asked to write the news updates for the Dance segment of the company's website. I have published one already, and I am in the process of writing 7 more for tomorrow. I ... read more

While in London this summer, I am working at International Collective, which is, in its simplest form, an artist management and event planning firm in the Covent Garden of London. My title at work is the Accounts Intern, but based on my work so far and looking forward to the weeks to come, I see myself being an intern of many jobs – like a dog of many tricks. My first day at work was a bit of a shock. Everything about the office was different than I thought it would be (I guess that is to be expected at any new job or internship, though). When I first walked into the building, the décor struck me. Much of the building is very modern – dimly lit with hard, white furniture and shades of pink and ... read more

I started my internship here just a couple days ago, and it is moving along. I am working at a company in the arts entertainment industry (yay!), which includes dance, singing, musical theatre, etc. I am technically the Accounts Intern, but I have been assigned to do some marketing, as well. Everyone in the office is really great, but the first day was still incredibly awkward. I had a hard time reaching out to my accounts manager because, at least this is what I think, we are both introverts and did not know how to start conversations with one another. On the first day, I also got a tour of the building, which is very modern and "posh" (I am pretty sure this is the word they used to describe it...). The office itself consists of ... read more

I made it, and I'm all moved in! Today, it's raining quite a bit, but that's London for you, right? One of the presenters during our orientation the other day told us that Londoners talk about the weather a lotbecause they can have all four seasons in one day. Since I have been here, I have gotten lost twice, which led to a lot of exploration. First, my roommate and I went to find a cafe for breakfast. We definitely got lost for almost an hour but found a Farmer's Market and bought bread from a bakery over there. Later, I took the Tube, which is basically the subway system in London, to my workplace, and made a wrong turn to end up in some construction areas. I did make it there eventually, but I am ... read more