Last Days-Sophie Henssler

I am sad to leave London. It has been an amazing experience. I had so much fun with my 26 GLS colleagues and I look forward to what UT has in store for us this Fall.

Cherry Blossoms at Portobello Market

Portobello Market

On my last day of internships my supervisor and I had lunch at the Parlour at Fortnum & Mason.

Ice cream at the Parlour in Fortnum & Mason

Travel Channel Reboot -- Ashton Banta

As this Monday passed, it felt so foreign to not to hop on the bus to Victoria and scan into the Travel Channel building!  I have seriously had the most amazing internship experience I could ever have hoped for.  

I may have jumped around my flat shouting for joy when I found out that I was working for the Travel Channel ('may have' being the operative phrase) because, frankly, I'm addicted to its shows back home.  I soon learned that this Travel Channel is actually a different channel entirely, but has recently been bought out by the same parent company that owns the US version.  

Over the course of my six weeks with the Travel Channel, I was given the opportunity to research information for some short-form programs, write the scripts for those programs, and then assist in the production and editing process.  It was an incredibly unique experience and I was so thrilled that my bosses liked my work enough to use it in a real program!  I got to leave a real mark on the UK, in the form of some Travel Channel programming.  

My job, my coworkers, my entire internship experience was so amazing that I'm incredibly sad to be leaving.  I've learned so much in such a short time and I truly could not have asked for anything better!  So long, Travel Channel...you have, if possible, made me even a bigger fan than before!

Last day in the original Travel Channel office!

New office in Victoria!

 

Only 2 More Weeks- Sarah Bishop

Can’t believe we have exactly two weeks remaining on this once in a lifetime adventure. I remember everyone telling me that it would be over before I knew it, but I didn't believe them until now! I have been cherishing every moment here, but since it’s so close to being over I am doing anything and everything to enjoy these last few weeks. This past weekend, a bunch of us went sightseeing in Cardiff, Wales. The weather was beautiful, so it was the perfect day out. We saw the Cardiff Castle and even rode a water taxi to Cardiff Bay. Cardiff was a super cute little town, and made me miss my little town back home! On Sunday, a few of us decided to go to Speaker’s Corner at Hyde Park. This is a famous area where people gather to discuss and debate anything they want. It was pretty funny how crazy some of the speakers were. We then rented bikes and rode around Hyde Park. Best decision ever! It was another gorgeous day, and perfect for a bike stroll through the beautiful Hyde Park.

Work is staying very very busy! I am now working on a portfolio analysis for the project I have been helping with. I am taking the top clients that make up the top 80% of revenue and compiling this into an analysis to present to the head of the trade department. There are 6 different clusters which are broken down into 40 countries, so I am working with a lot of my colleagues to get all the information needed. I talked with a guy in Dublin today that said my analysis I did yesterday for Western Europe was “beautiful”, which was a huge confidence booster! I never would have thought I’d be doing everything I am as an intern, but I love every minute of it. With only one week of internships left, I am learning all I can about the workplace with this amazing first-hand experience.  

Georgia, Me, Caitlin, and Jillian in Cardiff

Cardiff Castle 

Bike riding through Hyde Park

Tate Museum and the 159th Annual Boat Race - Amanda Prevost

Cheerio!! I hope my classmates have been informing everyone on all of our adventures. There sure have been a lot of them, and I can hardly believe we only have a few weeks left in this amazing part of the world. Like my peers, I took advantage of the four day weekend we had for Easter! The Brits call it "bank holiday" simply because the bank is closed... Of course, none of us minded getting off work!

Friday, I went out to Brighton with a few friends. We saw the beach for the first time in what seems like forever. Even if it had small rocks instead of sand granules, still counts as a beach!! We had a nice lunch and roamed the city a bit. It may not sound eventful, but honestly it was just nice to explore the UK more and see an area outside the crowded city streets of London. It still amazes me that essentially any city is just a train ride away. Saturday, Sydney and I decided to explore and went over the bridge to the Tate Museum of Modern Art. Like with all modern art, we couldn't help but question some pieces. But that's the fun of it, isn't it?

A simple mirror. While very reflective, this piece is still questionable.

View crossing the Millenium Bridge

After an incredibly contemporary Easter Sunday church service (complete with breakdancers and a music video), a group of us headed out to a new part of town for one of the UK's oldest traditions. The 159th Annual Cambridge Oxford Boat Race has been bringing students and spectators to the Thames for, well, 159 years now. It was a very lively scene, very community-oriented. It reminded me a bit of the parades and festivals I used to attend with my family back at home. Vendors lined the sidewalks and event swag was being given out every 20 feet or so. The event's theme was "Which Blue are You?," so we all chose a flag in one of the two shades. I chose Cambridge, partially because it was a beautiful blue, and partially because it was Cambridge. Oxford won in the end, but it was nice to be a part of the excitement and an event that isn't necessarily touristy, but can only happen in London.

My Cambridge support flag!! And a nice photobomb delivery from Sam

Cambridge and Oxford rowing!

Monday, I toured Warner Bros Studios with Sydney, Andrew, and Ryan! Probably one of the most amazing experiences I've had yet. My inner (and outer, really) Harry Potter nerd was in full force, and my camera's memory card nearly filled up.

Again I say: I can hardly believe we only have a few weeks left here. Time to get exploring!! I know I've already made my list... Cheers!

Long Weekend-Sophie Henssler

Instead of heading out of the city for a day trip, I went to the more residential parts of London. After getting away from the main transport routes of the tube, I was mostly alone in the station.

Alone on the station at 2 pm on Sunday

After exploring the different architecture. I went to Holland Park, it has a Kyoto garden, while walking to the garden a squirrel really wanted to be photographed and to eat more nuts. 

The squirrel

Feeding a squirrel

 In the Kyoto garden I was welcomed with an amazing sight. The Peacock was walking around and showing itself off to all the people who were taking a walk.

Peacock

The famous regatta between Oxford and Cambridge took place on Sunday. It was an amazing experience.

Oxford vs. Cambridge, Photo credit goes to Rickey Dandridge

Easter Weekend- Sarah Bishop

I am interning at Citigroup in the Trade Services Department. Citi definitely puts the global aspect in Global Leadership Scholars. My boss is from India, and many of my co-workers are from different places around the world (including me!). I am working with my boss on a major migration project from the loans department to trade. One of my first days at work, my boss told me that I would be working on a 20 million dollar project across 40 different countries. Talk about diving into this internship experience head first. I am really enjoying the work atmosphere, and am learning a lot about how the workplace functions. I actually taught my boss how to use something in Excel today, so that was exciting! Who would have thought that this small town girl would be working in one of the biggest cities in the world, let alone one of the biggest banks in the world!

My desk at work

View from the 13th floor

My official Citi pass

This weekend was an extended 4 day weekend because of Easter. We took advantage of these days off work and visited the cities of Dover and Hampton Court. Dover is known for its white cliffs that are made of chalk. While there, we visited Dover Castle and toured a secret underground tunnel that was used during WWII. On Monday, we went to Hampton Court Palace, where King Henry VIII lived. This was very interesting and told a lot about the history of the king and his many wives. We also had a great day on Sunday celebrating Easter. Our flat went to St. Paul's Cathedral for Easter worship service. It was definitely a cultural experience and a beautiful way to celebrate Easter Sunday. After church, we spent the afternoon dying eggs, watching Duck Dynasty, and cooking for our all-American  Easter dinner. I must say that the dinner was a huge success! I cannot believe that we only have three more weeks in this incredible city. The time has flown by and I don't want this experience to end. It is starting to hit us that we are approaching the end, so we will be taking advantage of every moment these next three weeks.

Jillian, Me, Caitlin, and Georgia at Dover Castle

Our delicious Easter Dinner

Girls in front of Hampton Court Palace

Four Day Weekend Adventures- Liza Reineri

For the four day weekend, many of us spent the time off work exploring the different parts of London, relaxing, and catching up with everyone else on their internships.

On Friday, a group of us spent the day in Brighton, a little beach town on the English coast. It was surprisingly sunny and a nice getaway from London's hustle and bustle. We had a great lunch at a local cafe, walked along the beach, and saw the city's main attractions.

Saturday I spent the day exploring the city on my own. I started the afternoon walking through Fitzrovia, a neighborhood nearby that is famous for its historical literature and artistic ties. I was able to see the flat in Fitzroy Square that George Bernard Shaw and Virginia Woolf once lived in, and also visit the Fitzroy Tavern, a local pub George Orwell used to frequent. Also in the neighborhood is the Adobe Europe office, Fashion Retail Academy, BBC Studio, and multiple other graphic design and arts headquarters. All the buildings had really neat architecture and seemed very out of place compared with the rest of the city. After a quick lunch break at a local cafe, I visited Primrose Hill (London's Lakeshore equivalent) and took some time to relax and read a book outdoors, just like I used to back at home.

For Easter Sunday, a group of us went exploring in Shoreditch, the "hippier" area of London. Since many businesses are closed for the holidays, we wandered through the streets and admired the local artwork and shops. We grabbed brunch at a restaurant/live music joint called The Book Club, and spent the rest of the afternoon people watching, catching up on our internship experiences, and looking forward to our summer plans.

All around, it was a really relaxing weekend that was greatly needed. Since internships have begun, we do not see our flatmates or neighbors as often, so it was nice to take a few days off and catch up with the group. It still hasn't hit me that its April and the end is near...

Day trip to Brighton and the coast

George Bernard Shaw and Virginia Woolf's home

George Orwell's favorite hang out

Streets of Shoreditch

Me, Andrew, and Alex at The Book Club

Ashton and Rob at The Book Club

Beachy Head- Rob Graham

I was online this Saturday and saw the above picture with the caption "Beachy Head, England". Ignoring the fact it had more photoshop done to it than Hollywood has plastic surgery, I was curious to see where this beautiful nature scene was located. It turned out to be on the southern coast of England; I checked to see if there were any trains that headed in that direction and found one going to the small coastal town of Eastbourne, only an hour and a half away.

So on a whim, Maxx, Tate, Heidi, Carly, and I took off on a train to Eastbourne. This was the first trip I planned, so naturally, it was almost a complete disaster.

I take the southern service train to work (about 30 minutes away) and use my oyster card (tube/subway pass that you can top up with money) for all of my trips. I assumed that the oyster card worked for all southern service train rides, and didn't even worry about it as we scanned in and got on board. When we got off and tried to scan out in Eastbourne, our cards weren't working. Apparently, you can use your Oyster card to get to a certain distance outside the city before it stops working. The people working the gate were friendly, laughed at our American misfortune, and gave us a break on the price for our tickets. 

After we made it out of the train station, it was time to figure out how to get to the cliffs. We asked around and got the general direction. The plan was walk to the coast and follow it until we got there, taking some pictures and enjoy the fact we were seeing sunlight for the first time in awhile. We finally asked an older gentleman how long to Beachy Head from the city center, he responded "Well, 12 miles and the average person walks 3 miles an hour so maybe about 4 hours," I swear it looked closer from google maps.

We laughed, grabbed some lunch in town, and decided to split a taxi to take us to the chalk cliffs of England. After walking around, enjoying the scenery, and realizing how lucky we were...

we made it with plenty of time and caught the beginning of the sunset. This day definitely gets chalked up as one of the best. Can't believe how lucky I am to be in this place and have the opportunities that are around me.  And the scenery is just as magnificent without the photoshop.  

Harry Potter! Andrew Currey

Sorry for not blogging in forever!  We have all been so busy since our internships have started.  Working 40+ hours a week is exhausting, so we know now what all of our parents are talking about when they complain about their jobs.  

Today Ryan, Amanda, Sydney, and I all went to the Warner Brothers Harry Potter studio.  This was one of my favorite things I have done in London so far.  Although it doesn't have anything to do with London or British culture, Harry Potter was a huge part of my childhood.  Many in our class grew up reading the books and watching the movies, so we have developed a deep connection to this story.  

Excited for the tour while waiting in line at the studio!

Ryan and I battling it out with our wands.  Obviously I won.

The model of Hogwarts that they used for filming.

Next weekend many of us are going to Cardiff, Wales, and we are excited about that!  6 hours total that day all on a Megabus together will definitely bring back memories of Edinburgh.  With only 23 days left in London, I am trying to take advantage of every last moment.  I cannot believe how fast this semester has flown by!