Some last words from Intern #4

I’ve officially been back in the homeland for a few days now. And, though I’m thrilled to be back with my family in New Jersey (and also to have finally made the transition from Greenwich time to Eastern Standard) I’ve been missing London terribly. I packed up my little flat and caught a cab to catch the airport rail on Thursday. As we drove past, I mentally waved goodbye to every charming piece of London, promising myself to return as soon as I could.

The summer really has flown by. Three months ago, the girl in the cab driving into the city was scared, somewhat panicked, and very unsure of what the summer would hold. I was on my way to a student hostel, clueless if I would find an affordable place to live, stressing about doing an impressive job at my internship, wondering if I would find a part-time job, or ever make friends in London. Now, here I was, leaving what has been the most perfect summer of my life—albeit, the one I've worked hardest during (but really, perfection never happens without hard work, does it?).

I met with my editor on Monday, as we planned, and the luncheon went exceptionally well. I had imagined it would be a quick bite—15 minutes tops—since he’s such a busy person. But, we sat at a sandwich shop chatting for over an hour. He was so willing to tell me how his career started, and gave me some very helpful advice on writing and looking for a job in the future. And he even thanked me several times for being such a help over the crazy summer. He urged me to stay in touch, especially after graduation, and if I ever came back to London, to let him know.

While I feel very fortunate to have learned a ton in terms of magazine editorial, I learned even more in terms of life. I survived three months in a foreign city, one that I had never even visited before (not to mention the most expensive city in the world). I was able to take a risk. And, even if I never land a magazine publishing job in London (although, it is my biggest dream) I’ll always have the confidence I gained from this experience to apply to my career.

I don’t know where I’ll be a year from now. My biggest focus at this point is to do a few local internships this last year in my college town and focus on graduating. And who knows, maybe I’ll be back in a cab to London in nine months or so. Then again, life has a crazy way of taking people in different directions.

I couldn’t write out a conclusion to this whole experience without thanking Ed, and everyone reading this blog over the summer. One of the best experiences of doing this was being able to write about it several times a week (ah, a sentence written by a loud, proud journalism dork, if I ever wrote one!). And, I sincerely hope some of my experiences helped you in yours (or were at least an entertaining lunch hour read!)

Whether you’re going for local internships, traveling across the pond, or seeking an entry-level job, good luck in whatever adventures you embark on!

Yours truly,
xxxx

--Ed’s Intern #4