Things I Fancy from my Office - Parts 1 & 2

1) "My bloody nose is bleeding!"

2) "When was that decided? Who died and made you Parliament?"

Is it Friday yet?

So this week, I am working a 5-day week (instead of my usual 4) so that I can have Monday off. On Monday I will be accompanying Katie to an FDF (Britain's version of the FDA) event at Parliament! So excited. Anyway, this week is crawling by rather slowly as a result. But my 3-day week next week will be well worth it!

Big News: This week, I am becoming a Workout Person. Yep, that's right. It's not easy to be a Workout Person. Especially if you work full time. I ran a 5k on Monday night (my biggest run EVER) - all credit goes to me being in Europe where treadmills are on the metric system, and 5 was the smallest kilometer distance that I can conceptualize with my American spacial reasoning abilities. I was going to give it another shot last night, but I bought sweet potatoes at the grocery store (thank you Tesco) and couldn't wait to make one for dinner! So food got priority. But then to make up for it, I woke up EARLY this morning and whipped out another 3k. What's gotten into me? I think it's because not having loved ones around gives me a lot more time to focus on, well, me. And "me" is saying "be more like Stephanie". So there you have it. Now all I need to do is find somewhere big enough to do yoga...

p.s. For all of you who are thinking, am I reading the right Lauren's blog? I reassure you, yes you are. Proof: I bought 2 different packs of chocolate chip cookies in the past 24 hours. All is right with the world.

In other news, Nargis and I have decided to go to Berlin! I'm very excited, I've never been beyond Frankfurt before. I spoke with cousin Ryan last night, and he said there's tons to do in Berlin. The only problem is, when we booked our flights something went wrong and now we have different flight itineraries. Different to the degree of leaving on different days. Uh oh. So we are frantically trying to figure that all out today, which is very stressful. I don't know how my mom planned all our trips throughout the years - it's quite the task, especially when everything is in a foreign country and in a different language. Good job, mommy!

Tonight, we are going to a seminar for our program and then to China Town for dinner. The weekend is also all planned out - be ready for LOTS of pictures on Monday!

Yep, I work for that company.

BBDO won Network of the Year for the 4th year in a row. Yep, that's the company I'm interning for!

http://www.canneslions.com/work/special/index.cfm?entry_type=104

My Building!

This is where I work!

AMV BBDO

A Weekend Review

Wow, lots of catching up to do!

Friday: On my day off, my friend Becky and I explored some of London's top sites! In the morning, we started with a tour of Westminster Abbey. It was gorgeous! I was surprised to see how many people are buried there - it's seriously more of a graveyard than a church. But the history is remarkable. Unfortunately, you can't take pictures inside the Abbey, but here's one outside it.

At Westminster Abbey

After Westminster, Becky and I headed to the City of London for lunch at a garden patio at a pub. Then we headed over to St. Paul's Cathedral for an afternoon tour. Here it is!

St. Paul's Cathedral - I climbed to the top!

Once again, no pics inside. But do you see the very, very top of the dome?? After the tour, Becky and I split ways and I climbed to the top of St. Paul's for a stunning view of London. Lots and lots of steps (and very, very small spaces) but it was a great sight! Would have been better if I could have shared it with someone, though :(

So then I climbed back down the 5 bazillion steps and got on a bus to Leicester Square for another ticket hunt. The girls and I decided to go to either We Will Rock You or Chicago, so I got ticket pricing for both, wandered the area, and headed back home.

Upon getting home, we started talking about which show to go see and we decided on We Will Rock You. Katie wanted to go too, which was awesome! So we had a quick turnaround and headed down to the theatre to get tickets.

We RUSHED through the tube and down the streets to make it to the theatre on time, only to hear that tickets would be DOUBLE what they told me earlier. Boo. So instead we decided to go to Chicago. Katie and her friend Melissa split off at that point because they saw Chicago last week.

We got tickets for Chicago, paying for balcony seats but somehow scoring 3rd row!! It was awesome! I guess they must have had a cancellation or something, but we were very lucky to get such close seats.

Excited to see Chicago!

Yes, actually, thanks for asking. (An ad in the tube station)

So after the show, we were exhausted after a long work week and headed back to Nido, because we had an early morning ahead of us!

Saturday: Waking up early wasn't my favorite thing to do, but we were off early with a program-sponsored trip to Stonehenge and Bath.

Yep, it was the aliens.

Stonehenge is really cool. We all got audio guides and listened about the history of Stonehenge. Pretty fascinating! Although the whole mystery thing really bugged me - I just want to KNOW why they are there!! All the hype is just killing me.

After Stonehenge, we hopped back on the bus and headed to the city of Bath. Bath is gorgeous! What a beautiful European town. We ate lunch at a pub and explored the city. It reminded me a lot of small towns in Italy that I visited with the family.

After lunch, we got to go see the Roman Baths that give Bath its name and first purpose. A city built by the Romans, it was home to natural hot springs, around which this huge bath house was built. Very cool!

Bath is pretty.

Nargis and me on the bridge in Bath

Exploring the Roman Baths

Finishing the trip with an ice cream :) Katelyn and I with our friend Ann

Nargis and Me

We did lots of driving through the beautiful English countryside! Look closely.

All green and pretty...

...and then there's a castle in the distance. No big deal.

Sunday: So this morning I woke up and went on a spur-of-the-moment day trip to Oxford. It was an hour and a half bus ride from London - not bad at all. Another pretty town to explore! The best part was seeing some places where Harry Potter was filmed. Check it out!

Pretty Oxford

Just makes you want to study deep things, doesn't it?


Cathedral

Look familiar, anyone???

Harry Potter steps!! Outside the "great hall" where the sorting hat was!

The Oxford Girls: Ann, Sam, Morgan, Becca, Me, and Allison

Tomorrow begins my 3rd work week. I'm looking forward to it! Then next weekend... big things!! Stay tuned :)

Weekend craziness.

Okay I PROMISE I will update tomorrow. With lots and lots of pictures. If you are that anxious and curious as to what I have been up to that makes me too exhausted to sit down and write a long blog post, preview pics here: http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=248160408115%3A121014813&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=eMail-_-Share-_-Photos-_-Sharee

Wake Up, Work, Sleep, Repeat

The past few days have felt like routine. It's starting to feel more and more normal, to wake up every morning way earlier than my body wants me to, stumble into the shower, walk to the station with Katelyn, get on train and stare at feet, go to work and sit on the computer for hours, walk to sandwich shop, sit at computer for more hours, back on train staring at feet, home. But since I am a creature of habit (credit: Mom), I am fine with routine.

Last night after work, I watched an episode of Gilmore Girls (haha some things I will never change), ate pizza, and then we went to this place called The Big Chill House. It was quite busy with football [soccer] match spectators, always fun. We enjoyed some fresh, fruit-packed sangria on a warm evening. This place apparently has its own music festival in August, it seems like quite the scene. Oh speaking of the world cup, yesterday at work they turned the ground floor cafe into a party - I swear Imogen (the other intern) and I were the only people who weren't down there watching. The cafe also had - get this - a free open bar.

What?!? Free alcohol at work? At 2:45pm??

Ooohhh British work ethic. Much healthier than the American approach. So anyway, we also got to leave a half hour early, which helped us beat the rush hour train craziness. Imogen works across from me. It's been really nice to have someone to chat with this week. She takes a train home from my station by Nido, so we rode the tube together yesterday. She's really nice. She's familiar with parts of Michigan too, so I got to talk about home with her.

Mom and Melanie - I'm trying the dress-and-leggings look today. I feel totally British. Maybe shorts over tights tomorrow?? My favorite thing about London so far is that there's always someone you pass who is having a worse hair day than you because everyone here lives in the world of Crazyhair. Eccentric was the perfect word to describe British style!

Tonight the girls and I are going down to Picadilly to find something to do (Katie, come with us!!). Tomorrow is my free day; I am looking forward to visiting Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's Cathedral. We also want to go back to the theatre tomorrow, hopefully to see We Will Rock You. Check back soon for photos!

Just Another [not so] Manic Monday

Well, nothing fun to report today. But there's nothing bad to report - work went well, no public transportation delays, had fruit with lunch (score), and ate dinner with my friends.

The most exciting part of the day - giving in to a mcflurry craving after work and doing laundry! I'm excited to crawl into a bed of fresh sheets and use a clean towel in the morning. It's the little things, after all.

And as a final note to go to bed on, wishing for the simple happiness of this once again:

Shopping Day

Today was our first of many shopping days!

We started off at Spitalfields Market. There were a lot of unique treasures to be found! I got a dress, tank, and necklace. Katelyn and I had fun diving through piles of 1 pound scarves. And Nargis found a beautiful vintage 1920s camera! It was awesome, we will definitely be back.

After the market, we traveled to Oxford Street to go to Primark, a cheap clothing store. It was insanely busy!! It takes at least an hour to get through the store with the fitting room and checkout queues alone. I found a cute polka-dot trench coat and a lace dress there, 2 great pieces I can wear to work.

It was an exhausting day. 6 hours of traveling, walking, standing, and shopping. We did take a lunch break at a delicious creperie - soooo good. Tomorrow, it's back to the office for another work week. I'm happy to admit, I'm looking forward to it.

A City Overview

My first full Saturday in the city was spent on a bus tour. We were picked up at Nido at around 10:45. It was one of those open-top busses - I was sure it was going to tip over. Apart from the fact that it was really chilly, it was awesome to see the city cohesively and all at once. We saw all the major landmarks. We didn't go in, but it helped me see where things are and what I have to go back to! On our way, we had lunch at the original Hard Rock Cafe.

Katelyn, Nargis, and me with Big Ben

Big Ben

Westminster Abbey

After we got back, I had a lovely late afternoon catching up with Ryan and Stephanie for hours :) I don't know if it makes it easier or harder to see everyone's faces, but I'll take as much as I can get.

Katelyn, Nargis and I grabbed a pizza in the cafe before heading out to a pub at night. It wasn't an overwhelming one, and it was pretty cheap. It may just end up being one of our new hang-out spots. And when they start playing American top-40 dance songs, it didn't feel that foreign anymore.

Today we are hitting the streets for a shopping day! I'm really excited. Herrods, here we come!

Sights and Sounds

What a day in London town!

I woke up an hour later than I meant to (whoops...) and started my day of flying solo. I started taking the Picadilly line back to Leicester square to pick up tickets for Wicked. 3 tickets at 24.50 a piece? Check! With that mission accomplished, I was on my way to Trafalgar Square.

The National Gallery

The National Portrait Gallery

The National Gallery is impossible to miss. It is a beautiful, white building that just screams

Europe. I wandered in, got an audio guide, and set off on a self-led tour of art through the centuries. I particularly enjoyed the Van Gogh collections, including this famous piece Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers. I also enjoyed a great variety from the 15th century to Monet.

After perusing the Gallery, I took a pit-stop in the cafe at the museum to grab a lunch. I made a good choice with a chicken, bacon, and avocado sandwich. Simple, uncomplicated, and delicious!

The National Portrait Gallery, the National Gallery's next door neighbor, was my second stop. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it! The Portrait Gallery is a very eclectic mix of works from the Tudor period through modern day photography. The display itself is set up in a way that takes visitors through British history,

making for a cohesive visit. I really enjoyed looking for historical figures I recognized, but I wasn't too comfortable with a bust that was made of the artist's frozen blood - ew.

I greatly overestimated myself and initially planned on going to the British Museum in the afternoon, but I forgot how long I actually take in galleries! After spending a solid 5 hours between the 2 galleries, I had to take the tube back home for a rest before our night out!

I was lucky to be able to talk with my mom for a while when I got back. I hope you had fun at the wedding, Mommy!

After showering and getting ready, I met up with Katelyn and Nargis. We headed out in the London rain to find the theatre! We took the Victoria line for 5 stops and got off at the Victoria station, where we instantly saw the huge Wicked sign above the theatre entrance. It showed at the Apollo Victoria Theatre, which is right by Buckingham Palace.

Wicked was awesome! It was my third time seeing the show, and it never fails to amaze me. I was really entertained by the mix of accents - Elphaba had a purely American singing voice, but her speaking voice had a British flair. Same with Glinda, who I think is originally American. Fiero, however, had a hard core British accent while singing "DAHHHncing through Life" - it really threw me off!

Katelyn and Nargis really enjoyed the show too. We are definitely going to have more West End nights in the near future!

Tomorrow is a bus tour of the city and then probably shopping. Keep staying tuned :)

Outside the Apollo Victoria Theatre excited to see Wicked!

The stage before the show

Ode to Thursday

It's the end of my very first work week! What a week it's been. I have already learned a TON about marketing and about London, which is exactly what I came here to do!

So here's what happened the past day. Last night, the program held a seminar from the leader of a team of international women who skiied to the south pole, and most of them were the first from their country to do so. It was really cool to hear about her experience.

After the speaker, Katelyn, Nargis, and I went for a stroll around

King's Cross looking for a nice pub to settle in for a drink and a nice chat. We peered down an ally and ended up at this place called Smithy's. It was really classy, nice, and low-key - perfect for after a long day of work! We enjoyed a few hours there over a drink and a nice long chat, English-style. I'm still having trouble sleeping at night a bit, but I was lucky enough to have a nice long chat with Ryan last night; always a day highlight!

Today was my last day of work for the week. I am very fortunate that I get Fridays off, which means I have time to explore the city. My last day of my first work week was probably my most interesting. As I walk into the office feeling adventurous and opting for slingback heels today, my manager Harriet informs me that she has a very important RFI, or request for information, to work on. An RFI, I learned, is the beginning of the pitch process to win a new client. I helped her throughout the day by compiling information from various agencies around Europe that the potential client is interested in working with on a pan-European campaign. Harriet was gracious enough to take the time out of her hectic schedule to explain to me what happens in the RFI process and beyond. Pitching is a very intense process! Agencies go all out, stopping at nothing to convey the campaign they are proposing. BBDO has even turned the elevators into a can of baked beans to win Heinz's business and repainted the entire ground floor for a paint company! It must be a huge bummer when this effort doesn't m

anifest into new clientele. I really feel that I'm learning a ton every day from my internship at BBDO and Proximity Worldwide, and I'm super lucky to be able to have the opportunity

.

It was a beautiful clear, sunny day in London today, so I took advantage of my hour-long lunch break to grab my favorite baguette sandwich (roast ham, brie cheese, and cranberry) and walk to the nearby Regent's Park (that's it to the right). I found a bench overlooking a pond and had a nice long chat with my Mum! It was the loveliest lunch I've had in London yet :)

After refueling, I ventured back to the office for a final afternoon of hard work before catching the tube back east to King's Cross. I grabbed dinner at the cafe here at Nido with Katelyn, Katie, and Nargis before going back to the tube for an evening adventure!

We hopped on the Picadilly line for a trip downtown to grab drinks and dessert at a pub. It also served as my first time in central London! I was so excited to finally see Trafalgar Square. We walked around the area and snapped a few pics (see below) before pub hunting. We found a table at the very back of a small pub named Salisbury. With glasses of wine in hand, we had another lovely British conversation about work, life, and London in good company. I am loving this group of girls!

Tomorrow I am spending my first free Friday up early scouting for cheap tickets for Wicked tomorrow night! I also plan to visit the National Portrait Gallery in the morning and the British Museum in the afternoon. What a great day ahead!

One last note about today, though: Two weeks down! I do love Thursdays, because every one brings me closer to being back where I belong.

Nargis, me, Katie, and Katelyn at Trafalgar Square

4 friends enjoying the London lifestyle

Perils from a Working Girl

I'm starting to feel the effects of sitting at a computer ALL day long. My head hurts, my back hurts, my legs are tired... No fun. I don't get home till about 6:15, and it seems like it's bedtime before I know it. Working a full-time job is definitely not the way to maximize one's day. This is making me appreciate college a lot more. I never realized how much value the simple act of changing classes had.

Also... how disturbing is this ad??

It's kinda freaking me out. I thought I'd share it. It's from a campaign from Germany. Today I have been working on print ads, which isn't nearly as fun as TV ads. Print ads can't tell a story in the same way, no matter how hard they may try. Unfortunately, I have a TON of print ads to work on, so maybe they'll grow on me over the next few days. I am also starting to work on revising some case studies, which will give me a taste of strategic planning. Hooray for work experience.

I started feeling lonely at work today. No one talks like me, and my own voice is starting to sound funny. It so blatantly marks me as an outsider. And since I'm the only one who has an accent, I feel like a foreigner. I mean, I clearly am a foreigner, but in an office setting, I feel like a "What are you doing here?" foreigner. No one is treating me badly or anything, but the fact that I work alone gives me a lot of space to think.

I think I started to feel lonely today around lunchtime. I have no one to eat lunch with, so I ended up just staying at my desk (there's no designated lunch room here, and I felt weird bringing food to the ground floor cafe and sitting at a table by myself). But a new intern starts next week; I hope we get along so I have a lunch buddy. I also hope she has an accent - ANY accent - to relieve some of the potency of mine a bit.

One and a half hours left, and over 50 case studies to get to. I'm also only on the "Ds" for print ads. Back to it for now, more later. Send me some love.

Leftie-Tightie, Rightie-Loosie

The faucets here at work are backwards . Also odd - I have to scan a card to get OUT of both the underground and my residence building. It's the little things that frustrate me...

Anyway, today has been another good day at work. This morning I definitely felt like an unpaid intern, burning cds and compiling packets and namecards for a corporate university program next week that my boss runs. She noted that I wouldn't be doing tasks like this all the time, which I honestly wasn't worried about since it was extremely reminiscent of my old IVC days. The day got more interesting, though, when I got a huge folder on my computer of BBDO ads to encode and upload to the network. So basically, while I was uploading all this stuff, I was watching ads from around the world! Some of them I even recognized, like this one from Snickers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1Sv_z9jm8A I was really amazed by the fact that I'm working behind-the-scenes of commercials I see on TV everyday in the US. Tomorrow, I move on to print ads and rewriting case studies.

I did speak with a woman about working a bit in the strategic planning department, which is what I think I might want to do. I am going to talk with her more about it and see if I can get some experience in there as well!

Culturally, I am trying to avoid working myself into a frenzy about the littlest embarrassing thing (a thing Ryan will probably appreciate when I get back). I walk back and forth down the same street looking for something? Whatever, I'm not frustrated, I'm simply going for a stroll. I have to ask the receptionist where to scan my card to enter the building? Everyone has brain farts.

A couple friends and I spent the evening discussing travel options. Istanbul, Moscow, and Barcelona were some of the main contenders for a big weekend trip - exciting! We will also be going to Edinburgh for a weekend as well as a day trip to Brighton :)

Waking up this morning was super hard, so I think I need to start getting to bed earlier. But that is challenging because my body still feels like going to bed at 11 is too early. Hopefully the jet lag wears off soon!

Missing everyone's hugs a lot today.

P.S. Thanks for commenting! Comments make me happy =)

Ready, set... Intern!

Today was my first day at my new internship. I am interning at Proximity Worldwide and BBDO. Proximity is closely aligned with BBDO and from what I understand, their work often overlaps. I work at the Proximity Worldwide office, which is the headquarters for the EMEA region (Europe, Middle East, Africa). It is also the BBDO London building, so for most of the day I couldn't tell which company I was working for! I am so excited to be part of such a large, influential network. I am already learning a ton about advertising. I don't know all of what I'll be doing yet, but my boss mentioned quite a few projects I will be helping with, so hopefully I will get some variety! And I work next to what seemed like a graphic designer, so I think I'll be exposed to a lot of the creative side.

I was so nervous on the way to work this morning. And surprise - that building I showed you yesterday? The wrong one! That was a lesson I learned the hard way. The red building is the Proximity London building, and I work in the BBDO building where Proximity Worldwide is. No worries, though - the receptionist at the red building directed me to the right building that's a minute and a half away. I will post a new picture soon, it was raining when I left today so I didn't want to pull out the camera.

My boss Harriett is very nice, which is always an uplifting thing. She gave me a lot of information about the company for most of the morning. I sat in on a meeting with Harriett, her boss, and her boss's assistant. They run BBDO U, their corporate university program. It seems like I'll be working with that a lot. After the meeting, we went to lunch at a small but DELICIOUS pasta place called Mama's. It was so good! Afternoon brought time for me to get to know the company on my own by exploring the online network and going through some old publications and advertisements. I have a lot to learn, but it's all so interesting! Also - one of the best parts about working at an advertising firm? A ton of graphic designers work there, so everything is so cool! There are tons of neat pictures and designs on the walls, it's so fun to look at.

I felt frumpy today. I was very out of place in my khaki skirt and charcoal cardigan - everyone else seemed so trendy! I will work on it. I was also really nervous, which results in reservedness and quietness on my part. I also need to get over that and be a fun person.

As I left, I got to experience my first London drizzle. It has been grey up until darkness hit. I hope tomorrow is a good day at work, and I hope I get to do interesting things!

Stay tuned :)

I wish I had a trench coat.

Enough said.

Also - the keyboards here are different. I already made a fool of myself to my manager because I couldn't type my stupid password because the left shift bar is significantly smaller.

Full work updates to come soon!

First Full Day

Today was my first full day in London. We started with a morning orientation put on by the program, laying out logistical stuff, internship tips, ect. After that, I reconnceted with a girl I met briefly yesterday named Katelyn and her roommate Nardis. Katelyn and I spent the whole day together, we clicked really well which was awesome and a huge relief after being overwhelmed from a new city and all new people. Katelyn and I ran errands, getting her a phone, me an umbrella, and price-hunting for the cheapest groceries. We then found where our work places are as a test-run for tomorrow. Check it out!

Nice, huh? It definitely stands out from the surroundings. Which is what I would only expect of a marketing building :)

After our test runs, Katelyn and I met up with some other girls for dinner at a tiny but adorable Thai restaurant that was really good.

I am super nervous to start my internship tomorrow! I have no idea what to expect - wish me luck!!

It's the World Cup!

Everywhere, pubs such as this one fill to the brim with people to watch the matches of the world cup. Today's match of USA and England caused quite the excitement!

First Glance of London

Thanks for helping me adjust, London.

King's Cross - my neighborhood.

Oh hey there, station where platform 9 and 3/4 is as well as where the flying car scene of Harry Potter 2 was filmed. That's my station :)

Pretty London.

My Housing in London

Me outside of Nido, the student housing facility I am staying in.

My bathroom

The Kitchenette

Our Bedroom - my side is the left

As you walk in the door - the kitchenette is on the left, the bathroom is on the right, and the bedroom is straight through.

I'm Here!

Finally - I have arrived in London! After a smooth 8-hour flight and an easy navigation through the airport and to Nido, my housing, I am waiting in the lobby to be let into my room. It's a very modern building, and it seems quite nice - I'll post pictures of my room when I get in.

We drove in on the road where my work will be. I didn't spot it, but I am going to take a test-run before Monday morning arrives to make sure I know how to get there. I will be traveling via the Underground to work every day. Also, I plan to explore the area a bit and run some errands. But the only 2 things on my mind right now are unpacking and taking a shower!

I have already met some of the other participants in the program - there were 4 other girls on my flight alone. We took the shuttle from the airport together and started getting to know each other. Everyone seems really nice and has really interesting internships. It's also an internationally-minded group, so everyone has stories of previous travel. I met one girl who is really interested in theatre, so I already found a theatre buddy :).

Overall - a smooth start to a great experience! I miss everyone already.