Hey there!

I am two and a half months into my placement already! It is flying by. I have learnt so much, but the more I learn, the more I realize I still have to learn. It is not just the content, but how to work in large groups, how to speak with a variety of people at different corporate levels and different technical backgrounds, and how to productively get through the work.

I just had my first placement tutor visit. As a part of the placement year, a representative from the university will come to your office a few times a year for about an hour to check on your development with you and your supervisor. They will also help guide you through getting the most out of the next period on placement. It provides a soft landing into the industry.

I am absolutely loving my placement! I see why people have a hard time going back to university after placement. It is so much fun. It is not just the work that is rewarding, but the freedom that comes with. As all the work I have to do is done during work hours, I have lots of free time outside of those hours. This free time is quickly filled by meeting up with other friends doing placements in London and from Guildford. I have been to roof top movies that overlook St. Pauls Cathedral, on bar crawls, visited normally publicly closed off buildings during Open House London, and so much more. I am going to Germany on Friday for Oktoberfest!

Other fun news includes my sister moving to England! She is living and going to university in Kingston. She has been following my advice on how to get all set up. Words of advice from her:

Getting a bank account:

• Make sure your university sends you a proof of study letter so you can quickly get an account. The proof of study letter has to be an official letter saying you are a student from the university. This is required to get a student account.
• Research different international student accounts. The International Student Account at Santander charges £5 a month to have an account and the interest rate is not great. I have to look to see what other options I have. (If she finds one that is better, I will let you all know!)

Getting a SIM card:

• Be on top of getting a SIM card. You can order ones from Tesco Mobile online to be delivered to your address. I have international texting on my US Sim in the meantime, but would have a hard time without it.

Helpful apps:

• Downloading maps onto the memory of your phone is important and very helpful when trying to find your way around and don’t have service.
• Popular transportation apps are: Trainline, Tube Map and Buschecker.

Meeting new people:

• To meet people, I just joined a Facebook group called Girls Love Travel, 90k members. Yesterday, a girl posted she was moving to London to be a “fancy” nanny and wanted to meet people. I commented to be included in the meet up. Getting out of your comfort zone is good and will lead to having a really fulfilling experience.

Seeing new places:

• I like the idea of writing down all of the places I want to see, in my neighbourhood and in London, and challenging myself to do one new thing every week. For instance, looking up free exhibitions, even ones in public spaces like Covent Garden when they did the balloon exhibition.

It has been really nice to have her around. She has been out with my friends and come to my office after meeting up for some lunch. She is adapting really well. Meeting loads of friendly new people and getting involved. We have been out to drinks, seen a Steve Aoki show, gone to Open House London, toured Buckingham Palace, shopped in Oxford Circus, and is currently at her first class of the year! All just in this past week.

Thats all for now! Ill tell you about Oktoberfest next week 🙂

Holly