What’s going on everyone! I’m here again to report that everything is going well so far and that I love my two new neighborhoods, Ealing (work) and Shoreditch/Whitechapel (home)! I currently live in an apartment with my three other roommates and it has been great. My new home neighborhood is great because it is so lively and there is so much energy and activity. Restaurants, pubs, shops, grocery stores, and more thrive in this lovely and welcoming area of Shoreditch. We just step outside and something is going on. I love it so much here! When asked how I’m adapting to my new living situation, I would say that I’m doing quite alright. I thought that I would have a bunch of problems trying to navigate London using the Tube, but so far, it all has been good. Once I got the transferring lines part down and better directional awareness down there, everything became all good for me. In terms of home life, it’s been so fun and great. My roommates and I are doing well and there isn’t ever a dull moment at home. We haven’t done too well with getting groceries but it’s been all good so far. Adjusting to street navigation was tough at first but the maps app on our phones helped big time! Some similarities between my host institution and Pitt are the academic environments and requirements. There are still papers due, and tests scheduled just like any other Pitt course as well as similar class scheduling styles. I’m also happy to report that the Cea Capa center is easy to get to via the Tube!
My internship so far has been great. The office is so nice and the people are amazing. Finding the office was a little tricky at first but I was able to find it and manage the super long commute. I work for a minor league football club that also operates as a school and a charity. I have so far looked at and analyzed some of my company’s financials and begun the early stages of balance sheet reconciliation and laid the groundwork for depreciation reporting for my company. When asked what key skills I will need when in this role, it would be easy to say that understanding the principles and foundations of each financial statement as well as having analytical skills are essential in this role. Balance sheet reconciliation, financial projections, and financial data estimating and analysis are also key skills to use in this role. It’s also cool to mention that I will be using the accounting system known as Xero when in this role. I will use Xero’s features and functionalities effectively to streamline financial processes while also enhancing efficiency at the same time. The most important part of my role is creating and establishing opportunities for process improvements, which I am incredibly excited to be a part of, as this skill would be great to talk about in future interviews (as it affects the company’s future in the aggregate).
