I do not think my first day of internship could have started out any worse. I was feeling all the emotions that come with anticipation; I was anxious, nervous and excited at the same time. All that caused me to panic when I realized I forgot my Oyster card, my pass for the Underground Tube Station. When I tried buying a Tube ticket, the machine did not take notes, and I did not have exact change in coins. I asked the couple next to me if they had any, but they did not either. I spotted the souvenir shop, ran to buy a postcard, and bought my ticket. On my way to the train, I tripped, landed with one leg tucked under, and slid down the rough metal steps for roughly 10 seconds before catching myself on the railing. People behind me offered help, but I laughed it off thinking I was alright. I felt more pain in my leg than I thought I would when I finally stood up. My tights ripped along my leg, and my knee bled from the scrapes. (I have a thing against tights because I can never seem to wear them more than once, so this was frustrating!) I waddled along with the current of rush hour and thought, “Could today get any worse?”
When I arrived at Canary Wharf station, I felt a little more confident because I have been in the area a few times and knew where my internship building was. I followed the signs to exit, but I turned in the wrong direction when I saw a crowd of people walking towards me because I thought I was going the wrong way. I got lost in the attached shopping center and could not find any exit doors or signs. After 10 minutes, I decided to turn back around. I realized I should have trusted my instincts and followed the “way out” signs. I struggled to put my ticket into the reader, so a gentleman who worked at the station assisted me. He commented, “You look so sad.” I just shrugged and pointed to my knee, so he sympathetically wished me a better day. I appreciated his kindness, and I ended up crying on the escalator.
The rest of the day got better after I took a deep breath and calmed down. I met some of my colleagues, and they even invited me to lunch. I spoke with a lady from Barcelona and a gentleman from Lithuania along with British people. I thought about how amazing London is because of its multiculturalism. The company had a pumpkin carving contest for those who signed up, so it was fun to watch people get into the Halloween spirit. Some even dressed up in costumes. My colleagues were more upbeat and sociable than I assumed they would be. One of them offered to make tea for everyone around us even though we had not met yet. When he noticed my unfamiliar face, he walked right over to my desk to introduce himself. I was taken aback by the kindness from my colleagues, but they brightened up my day. I remained positive and did not let my awful morning spoil my attitude towards my colleagues. They turned my messy morning into an enjoyable first day of internship, which I am thankful for.
