First Day on the Job

Today was my first day working at EuroNews. I left the dorm this morning with plenty of time to get to the office. Too much, in fact. Even though the tube station was INSANE this morning and I had to wait for the next train because the first one was jam-packed, I arrived at the office shortly before nine, and I was the first one there. About ten minutes later, Fred (who works there) arrived with the keys. I introduced myself to him and he showed me around the office. He also took me across the street to a little cafe and told me a little bit about the history of EuroNews. We had a great discussion about publicly and privately owned news stations. Publicly-funded news stations are much more prevalent in Europe. There are some noticeable differences in public news. It's more straightforward and neutral, because the stations receive their money from the government rather than from advertising. There's less pressure to "sell" the news, so to speak, so there's less focus on entertainment value. He contrasted EuroNews with Fox news, which is probably about the biggest contrast you could draw. Just reading the headlines on their websites reveals how much hype we Americans put into our news. It's interesting to compare the two.

After Fred and I got back to the office, I met the other interns that I'll be working with. And I got my first responsibility: laminating. Yes, I am an intern, and as such, I do have to complete menial tasks. Menial tasks that take as much as two hours to complete. I'm not complaining, though. I was working together with Jessica, another intern, so we talked and got to know each other. It was good. And, after ruining a few pages in the experimental phases, I now feel very confident in my ability to operate a laminating machine.

My boss was in France today on business, and this afternoon, the other two paid staff members left to join him. Meaning the office was left in the hands of the interns. There are four interns in the office: myself and Tim and Jessica, all from the States, and Charlotte, from France. We all went out to lunch. One thing I love about London: there are so many great places to eat. There are little pubs and cafes on practically every street corner.

When we finished lunch I received a crash course in all my internship responsibilities, courtesy of Tim. And soon after that, I left for the day.


I think I'm going to love working there. The people are great, the work is interesting, and the location is awesome. After work I walked for two minutes down to Trafalgar Square. And yes, I had my camera with me this time. It was amazing. And there was a great view of Big Ben. I also wandered into the National Gallery and lost myself in the incredible collection of artwork. I could spend all day in there. And it's free! Except for the special exhibits; you have to pay to see those. But I can go and see the work of Manet, Seurat, Titian, Goya, Monet, etc. without paying a dime. I love London.