Another week has gone by in London and I can’t ever imagine leaving this place. I feel so at home here with my weekly schedule of classes, work, and exploring the city on the weekends. I wanted to give an update on my internship first and how it has been going.
Over the first week or two I was definitely having a hard time understanding what was being said, so I struggled to talk with my coworkers. The longer I have been here, the simpler it has become to keep up with the sarcasm and questions with an underlying meaning. During conversations I no longer sit there with a blank expression trying to understand what is going on; rather, I am able to participate and I feel I am actually becoming friends with some of my coworkers.
For this past week I was moved out of the receiving office and into the accounts office to be exposed to the accounts payable process. I was sitting in a different office with the other half of the finance team and again the work environment was very similar. Everyone was doing work but having fun and talking throughout the day. They even made a soda run one day and an ice cream run another day because the office was hot and we have no A/C. It is little things like this that brighten the office mood and make it a more enjoyable environment to work in.
Being moved to this office was great as I got to see another part of the accounting process, but I did begin to miss my coworkers downstairs. For three weeks now I have been in an office of four people, so we have gotten to know each other pretty well and I am comfortable with them. It took me a little while to step outside of my comfort zone because it made me feel awkward, but I am so glad I did. This internship has taught me that I need to be willing to lean into discomfort and not become shy in new situations.
After I was able to open up and talk to my coworkers I have come to like my internship even more. While we are of course still working, I am able to participate in the side conversations and jokes that help keep the day moving.
Trafalgar Square.
In addition to my internship I went to the musical “Come from Away” this week and it was incredible. It is a true story about a small town in Newfoundland, Canada. The town of Gander is where about 200 planes were diverted on 9/11. The musical is about the community coming together and the bonds that formed between the airplane people and the locals. It was an incredible musical and I was amazed by this whole event that I never knew happened. Everyone knows the tragedies that happened on 9/11, but I was unaware of this small town that doubled in population to house and feed people who were in the air at the time. It is an incredible story and I can’t believe I didn’t know it before.
What was really interesting was talking about this musical and 9/11 in general. This tragedy shocked our nation, but it also shocked the world and changed air travel drastically. I guess living in a bubble of sorts in the US I thought we were the most affected, but in reality, everything changed. A tragedy like this felt in one country is felt worldwide which has been proven time and time again with other attacks and threats.
It was really interesting to sit in a theater and hear American accents, British accents, and others all coming together to watch a musical about a community that supported people in a time of tragedy. The musical was inspiring and emotional and definitely something everyone should see.
This week I have had the time to reflect on my internship and see an inspiring musical. I feel like London has given me the opportunity to experience new things, but also reflect on my past thoughts and experiences in a new way.
Tower Bridge.