It has been a busy and tiring past few days. I finally feel as though I am getting used to work and the commute, but am still trying to figure out where I fit with my little staff. It was already a big enough accomplishment that I figured out what I was doing -- especially because I feel like I got thrown into my job. I didn't really have a prior interview with my boss or the company, and we had zero communication up until my first day. Cedar Communications is commisioned by outside companies, such as British Airways and Tesco, to produce publications to fit their needs, which is why within the large office, I work with a small group on Up to Speed. And I do really like my small staff, because my editor lets me look in on different parts of the process. I got to see how the layout is done and how the words I wrote for one feature get placed on the page stylistically. Right now, I'm working on a travel feature that my editor assigned me about Stockholm, so I sent our contact from Stockholm an email asking questions for the article. It's cool to be given that sort of responsibility, especially with my minimal experience.
Thursday and Friday of work both went off seamlessly -- although, I was still early both days. On Thursday, I went to Cafe Nerro this time (instead of Topshop...see, I am capable of choosing breakfast over shopping) and had a croissant to avoid the rain and avoid being in the office a half an hour early. I knew that the rest of my co-workers were already going to be coming in late anyway for their own reasons, so even if I went in early, I'd be alone. I worked on a few projects throughout the day, and then went back to the Nido, arriving there at 6PM and then eating, lounging and going to bed. I haven't yet mustered up the energy after work to venture more around Covent Garden, but I think that will be my plan for the upcoming weeks.
Friday was a similar day, except I made the mistake of telling a somewhat embarrassing and shameless story to my co-worker, which the rest of our little staff had to know and now I've been branded "that girl who spits." I think this deserves an explanation... So, my co-worker went and got some Skittles from the kitchen (? maybe the kitchen, I don't actually know where the Skittles came from now that I think of it) and asked me if I wanted some. I took a few and explained how I never eat the green and purple Skittles because I think that they're gross. With that information shared, I also went on to tell him about when I would go to the movies and buy Skittles, if I came across a purple or green one and ate it unknowingly, due to the fact that the movies are dark and not conducive to sorting out Skittles by color, I would just spit it out on the floor. Now, let me also add a disclaimer, because I want to assure you that I do not do this... anymore. I have since then realized that if I'm going to pay an arm and a leg for movie candy, then I don't want to be spitting half of it out on the floor. Also, for those of you who now think I am disgusting and do not want to sit next to me at the movies due to my former habit, I would like to just compare that my Skittle spitting might be gross, but there are lots of other gross and unsightly things that probably happen at the movies so I think you should really not hold it against me. With all of that said, I told my co-worker that story, and he found it hilarious --- so hilarious, in fact, that for the rest of the day, whenever he would ask if I wanted water, or a snack, or anything at all, he would say, "Oh, nevermind, you'll probably just spit it out on the floor." Yes, I was the running joke for the whole day. But! There is a silver living because apparently when they make fun of you, that means that they like you... At least, that's what my program coordinators told me, but they might just be saying that so I don't feel bad. Either way, the British love to tease each other and be sarcastic, so I figure if I'm in on the joke, even part of it, at least I'm fitting into the dynamic somehow. And I assured all of my co-workers that I will find something to make fun of all of them for too. Ah, the office and its inter-relationships.
After work on Friday and the Skittle spitting debacle, all of us interns planned on going out (of course.) Our on-site supervisor/support, Brian, from Intrax told us that he would pay for our first round of drinks, so obviously we were all game for going wherever he would be buying the drinks. I've learned that drinking after the work day, no matter which day it is (weekdays included), is a normal part of British culture. Going to the pubs and having a pint is not as stigmatized as it necessarily is in the United States. Many of my friends in the intern program have actually gone out for drinks with their coworkers either during the work day or after work.
So in the spirit of the culture in which we have been immersed, we too had to go out for after-work drinks together. Brian said that we could all meet at this bar called the Electricity Room in Shoreditch for drinks. I told my co-worker about this, and he said that Shoreditch would have a lot of "blokes in really tight jeans and hair shaped like a shark-fin," which I came to translate as what I would classify as a "hipster." I didn't think there were many hipsters at the Electricity Room, but it certainly was a cool bar. There was a giant peacock light on one of the walls, and downstairs was a dance floor that lit up in different colors -- my kind of dance floor. Of course, our walk to the Electricity Room was not without its snafus. It was pouring (big surprise there -- the rain seems to follow me)
and the group I was with got lost. It took us forever to get there and when it's raining, any journey outside seems to double in its length and complications. With what little sense of direction we had, we finally made it there, and I'm pretty sure my shoes were filled with water. So much for that half hour of going-out preparation.
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| Me, my roommate Jessie, Eliza, Jane and Mimosa at the Electricity Room in Shoreditch. |
The bar was fun though, and we certainly enjoyed our first round of drinks (everything is better when it's free!). We even ventured downstairs to check out the dance floor. But in true British (and restless 20-something) fashion, we wanted to go to another bar, so our giant group (there's about 28 of us) tried to figure out what we were doing next. Making decisions with a group of that size, especially with alcohol and the promise of more alcohol involved, is no easy task whatsoever. Needless to say, the group split up, and I found myself with the group that was looking for a new place to go.
Our search seemed to not be yielding many results, so me and a few of the other interns went back to the Electricity Room to see if that would just be a better fit for the rest of the night. We didn't really seem to be feeling it, so me and two of the other guys decided that we would probably just have more fun if we got some fried chicken and champagne and went back to the Nido. Perfect.
With that plan now mapped out, we had to figure out what bus to take home, how to get out of Shoreditch, and most importantly, how to get our fried chicken. I let the boys figure out the navigating part, since I was just focusing on how great it would be to eat the fried chicken, but I did chime in when I saw a bus quickly approaching that said "via Kings Cross," the boys then confirming that we could take that bus. I was proud of my accidental useful contribution.
Back closer to Kings Cross, we stopped off at the Chicken Spot and ordered ourselves some fried chicken, the perfect complement to champagne. However, our mission was thwarted when we found that the convenient store where we had planned on getting our champagne was closed. Luckily, as we have had to learn being in a new country, we were able to adapt. One of the guys, Parker, said that he had plenty of beer, so now it was fried chicken and beer!
Slighty less classy, but just as tasty.
When we got back to the Nido, we got in our PJs, grabbed the beer and ate our chicken in our communal kitchen (each floor has its own kitchen, and since most of the interns take over the 6th and 7th floor, it's pretty much our own). Then we decided to watch Mean Girls. This does not sound as random as you might think. When we were on the bus home, prior to getting our chicken, Matt (one of the other guys I was with) and I were making various Mean Girls references, only to find that Parker had never seen the movie and had no idea what we were talking about. Because we found that to be a travesty for several reasons (Mean Girls is a classic, the movie is back from when Lindsay Lohan wasn't a crackhead, it's hilarious AND it is always quoted), we decided that Mean Girls would just have to get thrown into our fried chicken and beer mix.
We watched Mean Girls and as some of the other interns started to head back, they too came and joined our Mean Girls screening. It was a great end to a great night. And the fried chicken was great.
Saturday was a really fun day. At 9AM, we left the Nido for Cambridge to see the university and the town. The day was fun, despite the tour guide being a bit boring and the dark clouds and wind that would ever so often remind us that they were there with a sprinkle of rain and a gust of wind. For the most part, we had sunny skies the entire day. We toured the town, had lunch, and then were set free for a while -- time that me, my friends Kathryn and Jane, decided to spend looking into some of the shops, checking out the market and walking along the river.
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One of the cool things about Cambridge is that they do this thing called "punting." No, it is not a football reference. It actually refers to the way that they direct the boats on the river -- similar to a gondola. You sit in the boat and this guy at the back balances and pushes a long stick into the river, which is very shallow, and pushes at the bottom to make the boat go wherever he wants it to go. Some of the interns did that, but I stayed on dry land for the afternoon.
After our day at Cambridge, we were all ready for another night out. Hoping that I wouldn't look like the group's chaperone again, seeing as though I did not really pack any sort of bar-hopping/chasing clothes and last time wore a cardigan out, my roommate Jessie and I went to H&M to pick up a few things. Once we had our outfits for the night, we made some dinner in the kitchen, and a group gathered there, getting ready for the night with some drinks and music.
Around 11PM, we finally went out. We decided to go to Soho and check out the scene there. We didn't really know where we were going, so the first bar we tried to get into turned out to be a gay bar, as chosen by one of the guys in the group who was very embarrassed at his mistake. Soho definitely is the place to go for the LGBT scene though, and they had a ton of really cool clubs and bars there. We did find a place called the O bar, which was pretty cool. As soon as we walked in, the shot girl came up to me and my friends Jessie and Kathryn, asking us if we wanted a shot. Trying to take in all that the city has to offer, we had to say yes. You don't turn down new experiences when you're abroad in a new city! We got some little glow bracelets, got some drinks and then went upstairs to more of a lounge type area where we sat on couches and just relaxed and talked. It was very fun and very laid-back.
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| Us at the O Bar: (left to right) Matt, me, Will, Jessie, Kathryn, Dan |
In the mood for dancing after a few drinks, we wanted to see if we could find somewhere else in Soho to go. Unfortunately, the lines to get into the bars were getting pretty long and we couldn't decide on a place to go since none of us could agree on it (despite us only being a group of about seven at this point) so we walked around aimlessly for a while before agreeing to just head back closer to the Nido.
We ended up at Camino, the Spanish joint we had been to on one of our first night's, and grabbed a pitcher of sangria to seal off the night. We didn't spend too long there because that bar also closed pretty early and figured we'd finish the night out at Nido. We went back there, hung out in the kitchen, then went to bed. Another eventful evening.
So for today, I'm thinking Jessie and I are probably going to venture off around London for a while. I am in desperate need of doing laundry, especially because I took the whole "packing lightly" thing way too seriously so I'm already running out of clothes. Hopefully we can avoid some rain today and run some errands without getting poured on!
Remember to comment on posts if you have any questions or if there's anything you want to know about my trip, OR if you just want to hear more about something (i.e. what it's like living at the Nido, how do I feel about the tube, etc.)! I know I write a lot, but I want to write about stuff that you want to know about too!
Also, if you want to check out the Brit version of the Jersey Shore, a fellow intern shared this link:
http://www.robintabari.com/watch-tv-shows-online/watch-tv-shows-online/geordie-shore-tv-shows/
I haven't watched it yet... I wonder if they fist pump too?
