The First Week in Review: London – Robin Lis

 

Well, I’ve officially been in the UK for 7 days now. Here’s a glimpse at what I’ve been up to! 

The first day I had about 30 minutes of sleep over 36 hours so we all stayed in Camden, which if you read my last post you’ll know is the neighborhood I am living in. Close to our apartment is the Camden Market which is an incredible shopping and food market about 5 minutes away. We also explored this more again over the weekend.

After exploring Camden Market, we decided to visit Westminster and see The London Eye, Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey. All of which were incredible! After visiting these popular locations we also explored SoHo and the City of London.

My internship began on Monday, and it is located on Baker Street. Which was extremely exciting for me because of – wait, take a guess! Yep, Sherlock Holmes! We saw the Sherlock Holmes Statue and I also walked past his home on Baker Street on my way to Regent Park for lunch Monday afternoon. My internship is at a company called WorldWork (a consulting firm), and I am excited to see where this experience leads me. (And, I’m excited to explore the surrounding area!)

So far, as a student studying German and interested in working internationally, visiting London has been the opportunity of a life-time. I’ve always been interested in working internationally and already I’ve noticed cultural differences in both the work environment and everyday life. I think these things are important to learn and are very eye opening to accepting the world around you.

My internship primary works to consult businesses who work on an international scale and help them make work go smoother by helping everyone communicate efficiently between multiple countries. Already my office is made up of a diverse group of people from around the world, and now I get to join this mix. Hopefully, I can also bring a fresh perspective to the table in terms of both personal ideas and marketing ideas.

Something else I’ve noticed about London, is many people living in London are not from the UK. Oddly enough, this has made me feel like I fit in even more than I would’ve thought I would. Walking down the streets you notice they are lined with Indian, Thai, French, British, and American cuisine all on the same block. Which is just one small example of the vibrant and diverse culture.

London truly is an incredible place, and I hope I can bring a fresh perspective to my colleagues at work, my supervisors, and other students just as all of them are bringing to me.