One Week In As a London CIEE Intern
By Leah Gabriella Cardenas
After at least 10 hours of travel and being in an airport, about 60 college students from across the United States arrived in London where for the next eight weeks they would be living and working. Some had been to the United Kingdom before while for many, this was their first time. Either way, it would be quite the adjustment with navigating the Tube to work everyday or simply learning how to start the washing machine.
Spread out across five different living accommodations in Central and South London, communicating on WhatsApp and using Citymapper to get around quickly became the norm for the interns. The CIEE center in Russell Square was then their home base for weekly classes and events.
Melissa Nowacki in Notting Hill.
After just a week of London living, interns’ experiences and expectations going forward varied. “I’ve never really left the United States, so I’m excited to see the different cultures and all the tourist parts,” said Melissa Nowacki, a business law major at Arizona State University.
Nowacki is working with The Death Penalty Project as their communications intern. “Even things like spelling, I’ve struggled with here,” said Nowacki. “I’m typing things and sending them out at work and I don’t even think about how there are differences in something like a ‘z’ to an ‘s’ or double letters.”
Though faced with challenges, many students felt welcomed. Jaymi Robinson, a strategic communications major at Howard University in Washington D.C., is interning with Cavendish Consulting. “Everyone in the office is very friendly and also just understanding of the position of an intern who comes from America. They know we might feel a little disoriented and they want to help you,” said Robinson.
Jaymi Robinson in Kensington Gardens.
In addition to making workplace and cultural adjustments, having all new flatmates and classmates was difficult in itself. “I’ve been doing a lot of introspection, like thinking about my personality and hoping that how I’m being perceived by all these new people is good,” said Robinson. “And I haven’t felt that way since freshman year of college.”
Still, the interns quickly formed close groups to get dinner together after work or do some sightseeing on the weekends. “The first week was probably the most social week of my life, we were just out every night either at a pub to watch a [World Cup] game or just exploring like when we went to Primrose Hill,” said Brayden Brafford, a computer science student at Purdue University.
Going forward, some have even greater plans for their time in London. “I want to go to Amsterdam, Edinburgh, Ireland. I also want to see shows like I’m seeing Phantom of the Opera and I want to see The Odyssey in IMAX 70mm,” said Brafford. “There’s just so much to do in the city.”
The CIEE building in Russel Square.
Though some interns are used to living thousands of miles away from home or others have visited London before, working in a different country posed an entirely new challenge. From having an hour and a half commute to handling a heatwave without AC, the next few weeks will test the CIEE interns as they navigate being abroad. Still, most expect their time in London to be a unique and influential experience.
