Intrax Intern Abroad Blogs

The Devil Wears Henry Winston

danalondon — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:34:20 +0000

My pride and joy!

Although my supervisor has a Meryl Streep finesse to her, my experience at the magazine has been far from what anyone who’s familiar with Miranda Priestly would expect. I met the coolest people, attended some exciting events and learned a ton about publishing (not to mention jewellery, spelled the British way of course). My supervisors all provided great guidance and support–especially my deskmate Rachael who was both mentor and friend during my stay. Now to get her to visit SF!

The latest issue of the magazine came out during my last internship week, which was perfect timing. It’s so rewarding to see my work published and my name listed as a contributor. I have officially added a glossy to my portfolio. Too bad I couldn’t stay one more week–my supervisor invited me on an expense paid trip to Brighton for a photoshoot but it took place the day before I flew back to SF so I couldn’t make it.

In addition to international internship wrap-up, our class paid a visit to the Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising to take a look at how marketing has changed throughout the years. The museum had an extensive collection of products, advertisements and posters dating from 1890. Below are some pictures from the trip.

About to head in through the "time tunnel"

Wartime marketing

In the cafe/souvenir shop

Additionally, me and some of the girls hiked around Hampstead Heath which boasts one of the highest points in all of London. It was truly picturesque.

Enjoying the view from Hampstead Heath

Later we roamed around Canary Wharf, London’s financial district, where we enjoyed wine and tapas.

At Canary Wharf

“i got a feelin’ that tonight’s gonna be a good good night…”

danalondon — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 17:07:29 +0000

London nightlife is world class and one of a kind. Between the famed London theatre productions, dozens of posh clubs, pub crawling and concerts, we’re never short of something to do. Below are snapshots from some memorable nights during this trip.

This leads to.......

THIS! Karaoke time

One of the best nights ever, even though the restaurant’s collection of songs and equipment hadn’t been updated since the ’70s. Good thing we’re all familiar with Grease and Tina Turner.

I was a little too into it

It must also be established that our group loves to dance. A lot. We’ve been to some outstanding clubs and I constantly have Black Eyed Peas or Lady Gaga stuck in my head as a result.

This is just the beginning

On our way to the Ministry of Sound, a famous dance club. You’d think our behavior would alarm random passersby, but this is actually mild relative to the spirit of the streets on a weekend night in London.

Dancing until the early hours. It was Ruchi's birthday!

The streets of London are also riddled with street performers at night. My favorite so far has been the random tranny band at the Kings Cross tube station. Felicia, Ruchi and I had just returned from a night of fancy cocktails and Argentinian ice cream only to discover this….

They were actually quite good!

This was almost as entertaining as the night we all went to see a production of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens. The nightlife will definitely be one of the things I miss the most when I get home.

Aerial view

And in case you were wondering about the cliff hanger from my last post…Scotland was AMAZING. Edinburgh was beautiful, and Scottish people are so friendly, albeit difficult to understand. There was a giant parade where hundreds of people marched in their respective clans wearing kilts. There were marching bands and bag pipes galore!

Posing with a kind native

In front of Edinburgh Castle

Realisations during this Intrax programme

danalondon — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 16:16:08 +0000

I’ve seen, done and learned so much during this trip that I think I will pitch my experiences to some film executives as a real-life, coming-of-age story. Natalie Portman can play me. The protagonist goes abroad where she is thrown into a new environment, surrounded by new people. She works as a journalist and must cope with spelling words the british way like “colour” and “programme,” and inputting an ‘s’ where Americans put ‘zeds’ like in “realisation.” The climax will be when said protagonist takes a fall down a flight of stairs in a tube tunnel and just rolls with it (literally). She now knows she can handle anything life hands her. Seriously, you try falling down stairs in a crowded tube station.

Global Skills Training at the Nido

I feel so much more prepared to confidently enter the work world when I get back to San Fran. I’ve learned to never underestimate the power of taking initiative at work. Global Skills Training with Terry, Jim and Paul has also been helpful in making sense of the awkward transition between student and young professional. We discuss the things no one really emphasizes at university, such as the power of networking and building your own brand, and considering both industry and function when choosing a career path.

In other news, we all visited Cambridge on an Intrax-sponsored excursion recently and toured around the different colleges that make up the university. I kinda fell in love.

In front of Emmanuel College, Cambridge

Several of us also spent the past weekend in Dublin, where I definitely fell in love. The best part were the merry Irish people. In the evenings people flock to the pubs where both tourists and locals sing jovially to the music. There are about thirty shades of green, and everything is small and cute.

At the Guinness Factory

Rena: What is Ireland famous for?

Pooja: Guinness and leprachans.

Spotted the U.S. flag and got homesick for a second

Just as there are “Irish pub” themed establishments in the states, there are “American bar” themed places in Ireland. Ha!

On the estate of an Irish castle we toured

You can see how much TJ and Pooja love each other

Only two more weeks here and I already miss it! Scotland this weekend for another Intrax Intern Abroad excursion, can’t wait!

Beware the food baby

danalondon — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 18:32:29 +0000

The food in London is so delectible that our group routinely uses the phrase ”I have a food baby.” That is, to eat so much your stomach looks pregnant. Not the most delicate of phrases, but that’s what happens when surrounded by such great cuisine.

Bangers and mash is by far my favorite dish and a staple at English restaurants. Sausages, creamy mashed potatoes, and onion gravy. Sooo delish!

Ordered this at a local pub and savored every bite

I also can’t stop ordering fish ‘n chips. Always served with the staple chips and “mushy peas” but the caliber of batter and fish vary from restaurant to restaurant.

Ordered this in Cambridge--the best I've had so far

Meat pies and plates of cheeses, bread and pickles are also popular here.

Matt with an ale and meat pie

Cheese, bread & some very good yet unidentifiable spreads

And of course, there is an unlimited variety of tasty beers and ciders. Don’t forget, the pub is key to the English lifestyle!

Dozens of flavors, colors and sizes

My personal fav: STRAWBERRY BEER

Having Guinness with Terry

But one of the best cuisines of all in London is actually the indian food. You can find an Indian restaurant on every street and the food is mouth-watering good. I love to order thali, which comes with a little bit of everything and usually involves some sort of curry, daal, rice, vegetables and pickles.

I’d also like to give a shout-out to Pret a Manger, found on every corner here in London. They offer a variety of freshly made sandwiches and salads for 2-4 pounds each. Great when rushing to work or for lunch breaks.

Healthy food on the go--beats Mickey D's

The sweets are also plentiful. I personally can’t stop eating turkish delights. Quite good indeed.

Taken at Burroughs market

Just another day at the office

danalondon — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:17:22 +0000

I’ve learned the best thing about working for a magazine is what you lack in fiscal compensation (read: journalists are poor) you make up for in press perks. Invitations to lavish parties, complimentary vouchers to fancy restaurants, and fun little gifts included in press kits. Last week alone I got to attend to two exclusive parties for the launching of new jewelry lines.

One was an upscale champagne reception where I pretended to be fascinated by a new 45,000 GBP watch but was really only fascinated by the complicated hors d’oeuvres coming at me from white gloved servers every five minutes. The other was a posh party at Somerset House with an open bar and a special performance by Roisin Murphy, my new favorite singer. She’s like the indie version of Lady Gaga and pretty big here in the UK.

Party at Somerset House

My daily activities include writing content for the website, chasing up a couple stories for the upcoming issue and calling various jewelers in the UK for market research. Click the links below to see what kind of stuff I’m writing for the website.

http://tiny.cc/x6Npe, http://tiny.cc/klBOn

Additionally, I decided to consider it my rite of passage when my co worker invited me to the pub with her and several others after work one day. The pub lies at the heart of English socializing. 7 hours later we had ended up on a boat on the Thames river watching the London Eye light up in rainbow colors with our n’th bottle of wine for the evening.

At the Temper Trap show

I’m not the only one who gets an internship with cool perks. The other night Kori’s company sponsored an intimate concert with up and coming band, Temper Trap. Me, Felicia and Ruchi accompanied. There was unlimited free wine, ale and energy drinks. Lots of english hipsters too–we decided the hipster look is universal.

Felicia & Ruchi at Temper Trap

The group in front of LSE

The Intrax Intern Abroad group also visited the London School of Economics this past week to see what grad school over here is like. A lot of us are interested in getting advanced degrees so it was pretty informative. Highlights included the view from the roof of an LSE academic building and the gelato we ate beforehand. mmm.

On the roof at LSE

Cheers, dahling

danalondon — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 16:24:33 +0000

I’m starting to think in an English accent. I think that means my cultural adaptation to London is nearing completion.

This is where I work

I started work this past Monday and decided I could definitely get used to working at a magazine. The employees dress in everything from suits to chuck taylors to strapless dresses and sky high heels. My desk is right in the middle of the editorial room so I’m surrounded by noise and action all day long, which keeps things interesting. After organizing several boxes of press kits, I was given some test-run pess releases to write up. My supervisor was impressed and immediatley published them to the website, then gave me a story to chase up for the fall issue of the magazine. I was also sent on an errand to do a mystery shop at a jewellery store so I can write up a review about them for the mag’s next issue. Not bad after three days’ work.

Aside from work here is the past week in highlights: sang

: At the Absolut Ice Bar

karaoke while eating bad sushi, freaked out en masse over Michael Jackson’s death, wore a parka in a bar made of ice, laughed until I teared up with Prajakta while paying for a delicious Italian dinner, elegantly sipped champagne in a glamorous Soho champagne bar, finally ate AMAZING Indian food, choked on masala Coke, and got Pooja’d. Seriously, it’s been quite a week.

Riding in style to Stonehenge/Bath

We went on our first excursion to Stonehenge and Bath. It was moving to see Stonehenge in person and wonder about its origins. (My theory of a giant’s assistance was not seconded by the rest of the group.) Bath was absolutely gorgeous and totally took me back to the times of Jane Austen novels. The ride through the famed English countryside was also enjoyable–dozens of shades of green, flowing flower patches, cows, sheep, pigs, cottages and the like!

IIA at Stonehenge

A few things I’ve continued to discover about London:

“Are you alrigh’?” is another form of saying how are you, even though at first I thought I must have looked like something was wrong.
It is not uncommon for the tube to be delayed “due to a person stuck under the train” as tube operators so subtley announce over the intercom.
One cannot access Hulu, select YouTube videos, or tv shows on American websites from the UK due to copyright regulations. Major buzz kill but I think I’ll survive.

IIA has touched down in London town

danalondon — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:24:02 +0000

At the airport

I was too excited to sleep on the flight from San Francisco to London. 3 movies, 2 cds and a magazine later I had arrived. The tube dropped me five minutes from my new home at the Nido. I’m extremely satisfied with my room—complete with kitchenette, closet space, cozy bathroom and a convenient work station. The building looks brand new and everything is super polished.

My room at the Nido

London is fabulous! It’s been nice to have a week to settle in and explore the city before work starts. The other Intrax interns here in the UK are a super fun group with dynamic personalities—we’ve all been sightseeing everyday and hitting the pubs and clubs every night. We figure we should get the latter part out of our systems before buckling down when our international internships start.

It’s amazing how much we’ve taken in this first week: Big Ben and the Parliament building, the London tower, Trifalgar Square, Picadilly Circus, and the National Gallery, to name a few. Some of my personal favorites have been my frenzied visits to TopShop and Harrods, as well as a picnic in Hyde Park.

The IIA gang in front of Big Ben

We had our first two International Business classes on Thursday and Friday at the FSU campus here in London. Our professor is a friendly guy with thought provoking insights on adapting across cultures. He’s worked on an international level for years-most recently he was doing consulting in India.

Some initial impressions of London:

If one is not careful they can easily get lost in the Tube for an entire day
Surprisingly affordable! You can find a decent meal for under 5 pounds and some grocery items are cheaper than in the States
The fish’n’chips are overrated (read: English food is bland!)
There are pubs on every corner…the Brits know how to work hard and play hard
The architecture and winding streets are gorgeous

: Had to try the Fish’n Chips

Our international internships start tomorrow and everyone is slightly nervous. But this is what we came here for, so mostly we just want to dive right in to London professional life. More soon!

: The IIA gang at a pub in Soho

Departure Day is Almost Here!

intraxinternabroad — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 17:12:14 +0000

The excitement has hit me in full force. I leave for London in 2 days and the past week has been a flurry of packing and saying my goodbyes to envious friends and family. Curious to see firsthand if all of the rumors are true: do they really drink their beverages at room temperature and if so can I insulate my purse enough to store ice cubes? Is it possible to make a guard at the Buckingham Palace smile? And will I come back with a quasi English accent, e.g. Madonna?

Not only will I get to do what I love (editorial work) at a respected company (Emap), but I’ll be doing it in one of the most alluring and esteemed major cities in the world. I can’t wait to gain the competitive edge of work experience in an international internship.

Me at graduation

Having just graduated from U.C. Berkeley with a B.A. during a recession, this is a great experience to set me apart from other job seekers.

I expect there will be many nuances in the way people conduct themselves in London, both personally and professionally, and it will be up to me to adapt and prove myself in the workplace. But one of the most important things about this adventure will be to bring what I’ve learned back with me as a tool for how I asses my goals, handle situations and market myself to future employers. One of the best ways to learn about yourself and your surroundings is to step outside of what you’re used to.

Also super excited to meet all of my fellow London interns! It’ll be fun to get to know other students from around the States who are also career-minded and up for a challenge. I’m sure we’ll all be great friends by the time August rolls around.

See you in London!