When we got back from spring break the second half of our semester began, and along with it our internships. I'm now working Tuesday through Friday at the Dalí Universe in County Hall Gallery. I'm in their events planning office, so it's not a normal PR internship, but it is exactly what asked for (almost). Ideally I wanted to work for a non-profit in the arts, but the gallery is very cool. The Dalí Universe houses the largest collection of Slavador Dali's sculpture. It is a very cool place to work, but there has been a lot of turnover in the staff lately, so only one person in the events office has worked there for more than 2 months.
My co-workers have been very welcoming-- they even invited me along to drinks with them at the end of the first week. The first few days, as with most internships, were pretty much a test to see what I could do, and also piling me up with all of the extra little projects that hadn't been attended too. Okay, I still have to do some menial tasks, but once they found out that I am a good writer they let me do lots of other things. I've gotten to help re-write our press kit (exciting stuff in the PR world) as well as helping re-write/edit our events brochure.
One of the coolest things about my job is the wide range of people that I get to work with. Denise, one of the events managers and the person who has been in the office the longest, is from the Netherlands. Rob, our Head of Events, is from New Zealand. Derek, the food and beverage manager, is from England, but lived in Brazil for a long time. Also in other offices there are people from Italy, Scotland, Ireland, and lots of other places. Friday in our office I heard four different languages. Sarah one of the Fine Arts staff is from Italy, but grew up in Switzerland, so she is fluent in French as well.
Work is definitely more relaxed here than at home. Although I work in a small, and at the moment, fairly busy office, it's perfectly acceptable for staffers to leave early or come in late. Our 9:30 start time is pretty much a be there before ten start time (although I'm early every day mom, so don't worry). I have to say that this experience is especially unique for me because I have never worked for free. So it's strange to put in thirty hours a week and get no compensation... I know that I'm getting credits, but I'm working in a real-world setting for nothing.
Overall my internship has been a lot of fun so far, and I'm interested to see how much I learn over the rest of the semester. Also I work in one of the liveliest areas in London. We're right next to the London Eye on the Thames, and I get to walk across Westminster Bridge everyday on my way to and from work. It's so strange that I will only be in London for another five weeks-- I've really grown to feel at home here.
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