Did I Tell You About The Time I Met Zach Braff?

Howdy! Two Thursdays ago, I decided to indulge myself in British theatre for the first time with my flatmates Klent and Luke.  All New People is a dark comedy which features the talent of four amazing actors, including Zach Braff, who is an American actor most well known for his role in the hit TV show Scrubs. Braff also wrote and produced the play.

To describe the general mood of the play, it would be best to talk about the opening scene. The curtain rises, and we see Charlie (Braff) standing on a chair on the right side of the stage, a living room with an attached kitchen. He is smoking a cigarette, and wearing a noose made with an extension cord around his neck. He looks over to the ashtray on the coffee table to the left and helplessly stretches his arm out to attempt to throw the cigarette away. Instead, he throws it away in a box of cereal on the close-by kitchen counter. Closing his eyes in determination, he lifts a foot from the chair, about to step forward. Then, a woman, Emma (), opens the front door and Charlie missteps and begins swinging around the kitchen, grabbing the noose around his neck.

Like the rest of the play, this scene contains light-hearted humor in dark situations. Although the storyline gradually becomes more serious, the play could never be described as a drama because of the comedy that constantly arises from even the most intense scenes. It was by far the best theatre production that I’ve ever seen.

The best part of the whole night, however, was meeting Zach Braff after the show. I could tell just by watching him interact with his fans that he is genuinely nice guy – Luke even called him a “sweetheart” and he laughed. I have been a Scrubs fan for years and I actually own all nine seasons on DVD. Getting to say that I have shaken the hand of one of my favorite actors is one of the many great experiences that I have had in London.

By Bradley Zemanek

Safety Inspections in the UK

         The internship with my commercial construction company is still going very well. For the past two weeks I have been with the regional safety manager. Every day we have been travelling to different jobsites and performing thorough safety inspections. I have noticed that construction in the United Kingdom has a higher level of safety on jobsites compared to ones in the United States.

       Most mornings I would take the London underground transportation system to meet with the safety manager. I would get picked up in a company vehicle and we would drive a few hours to the various jobsites. Most of the jobsites we inspected were a few hours outside of London, so it was very nice seeing the English countryside. The inspections usually take around four hours, and there is a concluding meeting with the senior project manager to cover the safety violations that were found.

 

       I have really enjoyed the internship to this point, and am excited about the remaining time I have in London. It is hard to believe that I will be coming back to the United States in almost a month. Time has really flown by since we arrived in January.

By Robert Shields 

My Typical Day

I had a preconceived idea of the kind of place I wanted to work when I got to London.  I had imagined a suit and tie environment perched at the top of a tall glass building.  I have to say that I have been extremely fortunate then because that is an accurate description of what my internship is like. 

Every day I go to work I catch a bus at the Waterloo Bridge.  As I sit on the top deck of the bus I look across the Thames River at Parliament and Big Ben on my left and St. Paul’s Cathedral on my right.  The bus ride usually takes ten minutes or less depending on traffic.  Once at my stop I walk the rest of the distance to work passing along streets packed full of fruit vendors and coffee shops. 

I typically pick up a black Americano and a Belgian chocolate brownie at some point along the way.  Once at work I take an elevator up to the fifth floor.  I walk around a large atrium, tell the receptionist good morning, and make my way to the left side of our offices where I work all day with my team. 

It has been a fantastic experience so far and I’ve learned a wealth of knowledge about industry sectors that I would never have imagined I’d have the opportunity to. 

By Bobby Pinkston 

Surveying All Day

Working life is a lot different than being a student. I am starting to enjoy my internship a lot. For the last two weeks I have been spending most of my time with the engineering team. We basically conduct various surveys everyday and produce survey reports. The reason for this is to make sure that everything that is being built is built as stated within the drawings and specifications. My role is to help with anything they ask for. The biggest benefit of this is that I am getting hands-on experience with learning how to use surveying equipment and how surveys are conducted.

All in all I cannot believe how fast time has been going. It’s been four  weeks already. I am happy with my placement here and could not have asked for more. With all the freedom that I have been given, I am able to do what interests me. I know that the experience that I am getting here will always be a great benefit to me in the future.

By Assad Raja

Creating a Business Plan

At the property management firm I currently work for, I have been given the task of co-writing a business plan, along with another intern, for a start-up company. I am not going to go into the details of the kind of work that the new business will perform, because it is a very original idea and they wish the information to remain confidential. However, I will talk about the role that I am playing to draft this business plan.

The purpose of the business plan itself is to convince investors to help finance our project. Therefore, the plan needs to be written in a manner in which anyone who does not know anything about the industry can understand it. In addition to being explained in this simple manner, the plan must also be explained thoroughly – I have had to describe every conceptual and detailed aspects of the company and what the company will initially require; including what services the business will provide, how the business’ services are going to be marketed, how the business will fit into its industry, what industries will be affected by the business’ presence, how the market research performed confirms the need for the business and what start-up expenses will be required.

However, the plan has to also be persuasive in its rhetoric, and not just explanatory. The writing must explain every feature of the company, but must also be convincing and put a spotlight on the most appealing features of the business. I have spent extra time explaining such attractive sections of the plan as the several potential revenue streams that will be generated and the uniqueness of what the business will provide to several industries.

Co-writing this plan is humbling, exciting and frightening, all at the same time. It is a huge responsibility for me – I have had to conduct interviews with the partners of the business to gather information, perform market research, sort through information to find the relevant pieces of data, and write the plan in a simple, sensible manner – all while performing other tasks that I was also assigned. The work is pretty stressful, but it will be worth it when I get to hand the business plan to my supervisors and hopefully impress them.

By Bradley Zemanek

Almost Half-way

The routine of working 40+ hours a week has set in for most of us and I think for the most part we enjoy our internships.  I, personally, enjoy all the people in the office and the atmosphere.  Everyone is helpful when I do not understand things or need clarification.  The first two weeks consisted of typical “intern” tasks like filing and running office errands.  This week the other intern, Brad, and I were sent to Newcastle on a business trip.  Responsibilities have definitely been growing with each week.  On our business trip, we visited 14 care homes in a portfolio owned by our company.  Our job was to write up a summary of the care homes to present to the investors of the portfolio to give an update of the assets.  Other than some train delays, the trip and assignment went well.

On the leisure side of the study abroad, we have been staying closer to our flat more than usual because of the time.  We all work a fair amount but we have been able to visit the local markets and events around town.  Within the past two weeks, we have gained two more guitar players.  Jordan and Klent have both picked it quickly.  Brad and I each bought a mandolin this weekend and learned to play.  It’s not often that one can say they bought a mandolin in London, England. 

By Ian Stephenson

A Trip to Sweden

Last week was Easter and just like in America, you get off for Good Friday and the Monday after Easter. My sister was coming to town and we planned a trip to Sweden to spend the Easter holiday with some friends. On Good Friday we left for Stockholm, Sweden. After the plane landed we realized that it had been snowing. Snow this time of year is even uncommon for Stockholm. All our friends from Sweden were unhappy about the snow but I was ecstatic. It looked exactly how I would picture Sweden.

I do not know exactly how to describe Stockholm. The buildings are very old, and traditional. This is because none of their buildings were damaged during the Second World War. Stockholm was just a beautiful place with a lot of polite people. I learned that Sweden is also very Americanized. Every one there speaks English very well and almost every menu has English underneath its Swedish writing. Most of the television is in English and much of the music on the radio is English. I was surprised to see the American influence on a country so much older than us.

It was a great couple of days. I got to spend great quality time with my sister, catch up with some old friends, and just get out of the country for a nice vacation. I spent more time relaxing than exploring. I think I needed that. It was a nice get away before I went back to work. I am thankful for my great friends in Sweden and my sister who came out to visit me. I am blessed to have the amazing people in my life that I do.

By Klent Hardin 

Stay True to You

Well we are halfway through April the reality that this study abroad experience is beginning to wrap up. When we are in the midst of things we never realize how quickly time flies by. However at the end of the day life is so much shorter than we could ever imagine. Being away from home and everything you know for five months sounds like an eternity.  Now that the days until we return home are being counted, we finally realize how quick five months really is.

A full month has now passed since we started our first journey out into the real world. The daily routine that we find our parents following each day is now a reality for us. It has prepared us for what the real work world is like after college. All throughout school we are taught how to handle troubling situations like a professional, however you never really know how you are going to react until actually in that position.  One of the best qualities that an employee can bring to an internship, job, or any other employment is professionalism.  Possessing this quality in all situations is a key piece in success where ever you may go. Throughout your career you will be faced with situations that will put you to the test and how you react is the key factor. A professional never lets a situation get the best of them.

Being in the real world has definitely presented more opportunities to show my professionalism. Our internships give us practice each day to work on this trait along with many others, when dealing with clients. I will face numerous situations that will put these traits to the test and how I respond will be what defines me.

By Jordan Hollis

"The Texan"

It’s been 4 weeks of work now and I think we all consider ourselves full time employees. All of us are way less proactive these days, in that there is no more museums or traveling, because that has been substituted with full time jobs. Just as fulfilling as museums and traveling though, my job is constantly showing me new things and giving me an experience that I would never be able to get any where else. I am constantly testing my abilities and knowledge at work, and a lot of the times its incredibly stressful. I enjoy the stress for the most part though because its helps me get the task at hand accomplished, and when it is accomplished I find a great sense of satisfaction.  I enjoy the people that I am working with very much, and they seem to enjoy me as well. I have also started being referred to as “the Texan” at work, which makes me really happy for some reason.

It has been 4 weeks of intense work, and I am looking forward to the remaining 5 weeks of experience that I still have left.

By Luke Wardell

Almost Halfway There

Four weeks of my internship have already passed and time has been flowing faster than ever. I’m not sure if it’s the saying “time fly’s as you’re having fun” or if time just passes fast when you’re busy, could be a bit of each. My supervisors just commented today on the same subject. I have been playing a major role in the business, ordering over $15,000 of materials for the builds and ghosting my owners. When I visit the sites, which is almost every day I must deal with the international aspect of London. All of the laborers on site are Polish. This is because the head foreman is Polish himself and blood comes first. Somehow, I have still not picked up any of the language but I’m sure this will happen soon.

After a week of hard work, the weekends are more enjoyable too. I have a greater respect for the free time that I have. And no, I do not consider sleeping in until noon as a waste of time, but a well-deserved treat. The days are getting longer and the weather is becoming nicer, I feel home approaching. At this point I have realized London is a nice place to visit for a few months but I would never live here. The homesickness is setting in and I will not be as sad to leave as I once thought. But I’m sure once I get back to Texas I will miss the historical aspects of London as well as it’s never ending nightlife.

By Colin Spencer

Company Trip to Whitehaven

On behalf of my company this last Friday, I had the privilege of attending a luxurious social dinner in Whitehaven.  The evening started with a “meet and greet” at a local pub and subsequently moved to a civic center for dinner.  The dinner included a three course meal and speeches by the dinner host, a comedian, and a retired rugby league player as well as a raffle and bingo.

I thoroughly enjoyed the events that evening but what I was surprised and also appreciated was the beautiful car ride to get there.  My supervisor and I travelled by train from London to Derby and then from Derby to Whitehaven by car.  The English countryside along the way was simply amazing.

The actual car ride was quite long because of the route we took to get to Whitehaven.  Derby is approximately in the middle of Great Britain and Whitehaven is northwest of it on the coast and just borders Scotland.  The trip consisted of flying down stretches of motorway (highway) in my supervisors BMW and watching the tall mountains and rolling plains zip by. 

At what point in the trip we even had Royal Air Force jets fly low over us.  When the roar of the jet engines had faded I couldn’t help but feel nostalgic.  It had reminded me of countless days spent standing in Kyle Field and made me realize how much I miss home.  

By Bobby Pinkston

Intimidating, To Say The Least

So two months back I was given the opportunity to go interview for a intern position at a company. I blogged about this interview after it happened, so to sum it up quickly-it was one of the most intense things I have ever had to do. With that being said, I got the internship, which started two weeks ago. I knew it was going to be an awesome experience, but keeping the interview in the back of my mind I wasn’t sure what to expect my first day.

I arrived early and was greeted very nicely by those already in the office. Right away I was shown my desk that was already set up with a computer and all the necessary equipment I was going to need. As soon as my direct manager Adi shows up nobody was chit chatting any more and went straight to work.

Adi wasted no time and took me into a meeting to brief me on what was expected of me for the duration I was with the company. He explained that I was going to be seen as an asset to the company and didn’t want his or my time to be wasted while I was there. He then walked me back into the office and slapped a set of plans and specs for a project on my desk. He said I was meeting with the architects for the project the next afternoon so I should become familiar with the plans. So that’s exactly what I did.

After a solid 4 hours of nothing but reading plans and documents, the owner of Stardboard came over to my desk and said he would be taking me to lunch. What he didn’t say is we would be going with a potential client. I was already incredibly nerve racked by this time, and sitting with those two men at lunch is something I will never forget. We talked business, sports, then more business and 90% of the time I was pretending as if I knew what we were talking about.

Once back to the office, I was given another set of plans and told to familiarize myself with them because I would be spending a lot of time on the project. On top of this, I was given reports over a defect that has occurred in one of our hotel roofs and told to come up with three solutions for the problem. I am to present these to the group this coming week with what I feel is the best solution for the problem is. So all of this about took my whole afternoon to even just get a hold of what I was about to be doing.

Its been two weeks now and I couldn’t even tell you all of the stuff I have done in the past 10 days at work. I have come up with my three solutions and am ready to present to the company, I have read more plans and documents than I have ever read anything in my entire life, and I have made so many phone calls I thought I was going to lose my voice at one point. Just the life of an intern I guess.

By Luke Wardell

Major Success

Working in London is definitely a once in a lifetime experience. The weather has been absolutely perfect to start off my first two weeks of the internship. The company I work for specializes in commercial construction. The project I was placed on for the first two weeks of my internship will consist of 674 individual student studios, as well as commercial space on the ground floor. Every day of the internship I have been placed with a different project manager who supervises various floors of the building. I have really been able to get an understanding of how large construction projects are carried out.

The project managers are much younger than I originally thought. Most of them are in their mid to late twenties and have a construction management degree. I was a little shy during the first few days of the internship, but have really formed a solid friendship with all of the managers. Every Friday it is their tradition to get a full English breakfast in the morning, which is always something to look forward to throughout the week. A few of the guys even took me for a few pints after work to relieve some tension.

Next week I will be placed in the main headquarters. I will be shadowing the head safety inspector as well as getting a general understanding of the company’s safety standards and implementation on construction sites. The amount of knowledge and experience I will gain during the internship will make a huge difference in my construction management career.

By Robert Shields

First Two Weeks of Working in London

The first two weeks of the internship has exposed me to the real-estate business and I have dived right in.  My employers have given me daunting tasks but none of them have been impossibly difficult.  It has been mostly sink or swim at this point at work.  Some of the tasks involve researching housing prices in areas where they own property.  Knowing what houses have sold for in the past and what they are currently selling for helps give us an idea of what our property is worth.  That has been the main duty on my plate for the past two weeks among other things.  I am learning a lot about the housing market and the corporate world in the process.  I have enjoyed the internship so far; I have a good group to work with and recommend working in London at some point. 

By Ian Stephenson

Moving Around

                  I have had a unique experience with my internship so for. This is due to the fact I’m working for a smaller company. My company is owned by two brothers that buy flats and then make additions or combine them for a resale. Because of this I hold a lot of responsibility.

On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I usually go around the sites and examine the work. On the other two days I reside in the office at Knightsbridge. I’ve spent most of this time receiving quotes for various items that need to be ordered for the sites. By doing this I am getting a good insight on how to run my own company and what the process is like. There’s been a lot of work to get done these past few weeks so the time has really flown by.

By Colin Spencer

The REAL Workplace

This year spring break meant more to me than just a time away from school where we could go and have fun and be kids again. This year it was completely different, it was a transition period for us. This was the point where we transitioned from normal college students into grown adults going into the REAL workplace. Many of us, including myself, had jobs prior to moving to London however now we were in the real world.

                  After returning from spring break it was time for us to start our internships. This was the point we actually enter the real world. Each one of us was placed at a different company with a completely new and fresh environment that we had never experienced before. Just when we had made a new comfort zone in London, we were removed from it and thrown into another environment where we had to learn and adjust. But this is part of the growing up and maturing process. Our schedules consisted of nine to ten hour work days, heading to bed early, and waking up to do it again the next day. This was our preparation for the next 40 to 50 years of our life. We were ready!

                  During the first two weeks of my internship I learned so much more than I could have ever imagined. I’ve always personally struggled with my communication skills especially in front of complete strangers. This has been the biggest improvement that I’ve had since beginning the internship. I had to market our company to possible clients all across the world. A month ago I wouldn’t be caught dead calling someone in Asia or Europe to market a company. However now it’s a daily occurrence which will help me in so many ways in the future. When its bid day and I’m leading my team trying to win the bid for a construction job, these skills that I’m developing during this internship will be of great importance.

                  It has only been two weeks and I’ve learned so much to this point. I’m excited to see what the next six weeks have in store for me. Success here is at the upmost importance because this is where my career begins. There will be so many life lessons and experiences that I will take away from this internship and I’m ecstatic to be a part of this. 

By Jordan Hollis

Starting to Work

We all stared our internships two weeks ago. I work for a Project Management Consultant. I do not know about everyone else, but I had built up an idea of how I expected it to go. It was nerve racking to walk into the office for the first time not knowing exactly what they will expect out of you. You just hope that you can perform and deliver to the level of their expectations. On my first day I walked in and met with the three owners of the company. They were very nice and helpful. They informed me of the two projects that I would be working on and to spend my first day getting familiar with the sites. I read more in that day then I have in my entire life. I felt like I was reading through a mountain of white papers stacked on my desk. This turned out to be helpful because towards the end of the day I attended a meeting about one of these projects. 

As the weeks progress I am getting more and more responsibility within the company. I have been the main contact with our demolition contractor. Everything he submits has to be reviewed and approved by me. I have set up a meeting with him to show him the layout of a new hotel that we are building. I am excited about the meeting because it is going to be inside the building that hasn’t been accessed for thirty years. There is no telling what we are going to see in there.

As my first two weeks of working come to a close, I have realized how much I enjoy it. I have heard horror stories of people who choose their major and work towards it just to find out on their internship that they made a huge mistake. I am proud to say that I did not make that mistake. I am actually excited to go to work in the mornings. I leave the office at the end of the day feeling accomplished. I learn something new every single day and there is no feeling more rewarding than that. 

By Klent Hardin