Overdue Scotland

Well, a lot of time and posts have passed since this trip, but I thought I would post some photos anyway!! The weekend before internships began, our entire class and advisors made a trip to Edinburgh and St. Andrews, Scotland. The program has done this trip every year since they started studying in London and has therefore built up a relationship with our fabulous tour guide. The guide was a short witty Scottish man with lots of historical commentary and inappropriate jokes. (The company was called "Wild 'n Sexy" tours, if that tells you anything). It was really fun and entertaining!

The train ride to Edinburgh was about 5 hours from London King's Cross Station (where Platform 9 3/4 is. No surprise I have a few photos with THAT!) and we were all pretty tired from getting up so early for departure. Somehow, though, we played cards the whole way there and I don't think I slept a wink. In Edinburgh, we had a lot of free time to roam and see the town over a couple days. Our only obligation was seeing the castle all together one morning, so the rest of the time was spent picking and choosing our landmarks of interest. For me, that included The Elephant House, where J.K. Rowling spent a lot of her time and of course literary success. It was really cool to see "the birthplace of Harry Potter"and enjoy a cafe that was famous, yet not touristy. The food was fantastic and while the interior was full of elephant decor, the bathroom walls displayed messages from fans. Quotes, photos, and Deathly Hallows symbols from years past and cultures foreign adorned the walls, doors, etc. It was amazing.

We saw the main castle, other random castles, the crown jewels, local markets, and climbed one of the hills (not Arthur's seat...too cold, ya'll) to see a spectacular view. I even tried a deep-fried Mars Bar because apparently the Scottish are notorious for battering and deep-frying everything. Even pizza... It was really cool just seeing all the history and architecture of the beautiful city. I have to say, though, that my favorite parts were definitely when we were all just hanging out. I went with Liza, Heidi, Andrew, Sydney, and Carly to a cafe we'd been eyeing called "Lovecrumbs." It was absolutely adorable; more coffee shops should have cushions and lamps in a display window. There was also a diner/bar in our hostel, so evenings were mainly spent there playing pool and such. It's rare we all 27 get to hang out together, so that was nice. Our advisors joined us as well and we all played games and just had a nice time.

Before arriving in St. Andrews, we spent most of the day in the Scottish Highlands via bus tour (Wild 'n Sexy). It was nice because they literally just delivered us to each scenic stop, told us the history of the spot, "get off and take pictures," and then take us to the next one. It was relaxing, informative, and of course I still enjoyed just hanging out with everyone without a strict schedule or timetable. Cold and windy as it was, the Highlands were absolutely beautiful. The views were breathtaking and I probably fangirled a little too much over the mountains and rolling hills. Natural wonders like that just baffle me. Even the photos now give me chills... You all should definitely go :)

St. Andrews was really cute! Prince William and Kate met there, so obviously I (and the rest of the girls) had a fabulous impression of the area before even arriving. We couldn't wait to meet our mysterious British prince charming. It was definitely a college town; kind of like Oxford and Cambridge. We didn't spend a lot of time there, but I did visit the famous golf course with the boys early in the morning. It is the oldest in the world. All those times going to courses with my dad and the fact that my sister used to work at the Golf Channel really gave me a greater appreciation for the area. Somehow. I don't know, it was really scenic (on the beach, ya'll..) and really enjoyable, despite the cold. I picked up some souvenirs at the golf shop and grabbed some Starbucks for the long rides back to Edinburgh and London.

The trip overall was exhausting, yet amazing. I'd say it was the closest to liberation this whole UK adventure has brought me to. I love GLS, traveling, mountains, golf, deep-fried things, and Scotland. And probably more.

Roomie lovin'

Rose cake from Lovecrumbs

Carly and I having tea in the window at Lovecrumbs 

Clabo's sleepy bus time

Riding up the ice-cold ski lift with Sam

And I still decided to attempt sledding...

Skyfall spot 

Chapel inside the St. Andrews Old Course Hotel

Bridge at St. Andrews (not supposed to walk over it)

View inside the bus

St. Andrews cliffs. Windy goofy sleep-deprived mess...

Lastly, I present: 

Things You Didn't Know You Needed to Know When Visiting Scotland

• Everyone is really, really nice
• You should probably train 4-5 weeks in advance. I recommend the elliptical, stair-stepper, and lost of hops. You will want strong thighs.
• Bring a pair of gloves. Or 3.
• Live it upppppp <3

I'm delirious. Only 3 more weeks/weekends to see ALL of London... Pictures from the London Eye are soon to come! xoxo

Oxford Street Playlist

The music chosen for my ~25 minute commute down Oxford Street every morning is crucial. It's a time when I know I'm going to be at a desk all day, but I need to get pumped about it. Meep meep. The street is a hustle and bustle of businessmen, school groups, housewives out to shop, vendors opening for the day, and of course those big red buses. I have to use this time to get in the zone for the day and wake up a little.

While breakfast time is quiet time (Mumford, Avett, Elton, etc.), walking time is much more upbeat. I've been listening to my iPod on shuffle for the most part these two weeks (hence the throwbacks) and found this little selection to be prime for the commute. It's oddly enough a lot like my workout playlist...

Gold On the Ceiling - The Black Keys

Figure 8 - Ellie Goulding

Supermassive Black Hole - MUSE

Radioactive - Imagine Dragons

Electric Feel - MGMT

Babel - Mumford & Sons

Take A Walk - Passion Pit

Sugar, We're Going Down - Fall Out Boy

Space Cowboy - N*Sync

Spectrum - Florence + The Machine

I Can Lift A Car - Walk the Moon

There we are, the top 11. I tried to make it 10, but N*Sync just really needed to be included. Go ahead, judge away. #noshame

The walk back is generally a bit calmer... Similar to breakfast tunes. I listen to music practically all day while I work, so it just depends on my mood or how much Phoenix I've already heard while at the desk.

I'll share more Oxford Street/lunch break/work adventure stories soon! xoxo

When the intern goes to lunch

She tends to explore. And somehow always ends up at Starbucks...

Having EAT. in Grosvenor Park near the office. Kind of like Panera, but prepackaged (sigh)

U.S. Embassy

Bentley dealership on an average street block. Also nearby was Porsche and Rolls Royce.

A  bit of reading to fill the rest of my lunch break

Work work work

Good morning all!!

I typed that with a British accent in my head, so I hope you read it like that. If not, try again. My inner monologue seems to have changed nationalities over the past month or so... And that's fine.

After a good wrap-up of Management 207 and a fabulous week/weekend in Scotland (which I'll post about later, for sure), my peers and I were all distributed to our various internship positions this past Monday. I am at BritishAmerican Business, a mediator and connector for transatlantic businesses. I'm working with the events team to essentially coordinate forums and conferences for businesses to come together, network, and discuss various issues and concerns of working across US/UK barriers. It's difficult to put my experience into words just yet considering I've only been here four days, but I will say that so far it's very similar to the jobs I've had back home. Very office-y. Very. Office-y.

The first day, I was shown around the office and introduced to everyone. There are about 8 employees total, all of whom are very nice and didn't make fun of my Americanisms at all! Though one man did ask me to play the guitar for him one day, which of course all Tennesseeans know how to do. That, and drink Jack. I was introduced to one other intern who's been here about two months. There are three of us interns, but only two will ever be here at the same time. 5 days a week for meeeeee, y'all. I learned the database system a bit more and practiced entering bookings and contacts. Tuesday was a little faster-paced, as we were getting ready for an event that night at Deloitte. I prepared badges and confirmation notes throughout the day, then passed them out at night. It was a Women's Forum with the editor in chief of MoneyWeek as our guest speaker. Her talk was very enlightening (even if it did go over my head a little) and it was nice to see all the petty tasks I'd been doing throughout the day come together for this event. Businesspeople buzzed about, networking and such. I got to speak with an older gentleman and two younger ladies towards the end and ended up exchanging business cards. (That's right, I have my own!) They had a lot of insight for me as a young businessperson and, well, their bubbly personalities and eagerness to talk to the intern were refreshing. I returned to the quiet office yesterday and all day today... I've done various tasks as emailed, but still hanging out at this desk, ya know. I'm typing from the reception desk right now, actually. As I have been all day. Aaaahhh, working in London...

Hearing about my peers work experiences this week has brought a lot of things to light. We all seem to be dealing with different issues in our positions, both good and bad. I'm hoping I can stay busy and keep learning more as time goes on, though! There's a CEO Roundtable next Tuesday morning which should be interesting and hopefully give this intern a chance to break out of her shell. We'll see.

Cheers!

No one mourns the WICKED

London fine and performing arts now have my heart. It was good to let my inner theatre nerd come out again! The stage set, lighting, costumes, blocking, and of course the incredible high notes I've only ever dreamt about.. Absolutely fabulous.

Now if only I can somehow obtain a ticket to Les Mis...

OMGOMGOMG

Alex and I under green lights of the lobby

Fantastic set and a nice view

Snazzy with my roomie!