Internships and Cambridge

Well this week began our internships and I have to say that I am overjoyed with my placement. Digitas is an international advertising agency working with big name clients such as Head and Shoulders, Herbal Essences, Snickers, Tampax and Lacoste just to name a few. So we are talking big time money going into this agency and it was very exciting to work with people with so much power. It was a little overwhelming at first just because I did not know a lot about these products before hand and therefore had to be quickly updated on their desires of the ad agency and the projects they were working on for months all in one day. So I was thrown right into the midst of things and essentially just had to figure things out for myself through exposure. Unfortunately for you guys I cannot talk about these exciting projects too much as they are highly confidential (I actually had to sign a contract of confidentiality and I have to shred all of my papers after I use them just in case). So things are pretty serious at Digitas, but the opportunity is incredible and I am loving the experience thus far. I really feel like I am getting a great feel for the industry and understand how complicated it really is. I also had them contact the CT agency branch that I applied for a summer internship through, so hopefully that will help me get that job for the summer! Keep your fingers crossed for me as that would be an incredible opportunity. Before I get into to many details and get sued by big name companies for breaching their confidentiality I need to stop. Moving onward...

This weekend I got to go up to Cambridge to visit my very good friend from the wonderful Camp Greylock, the one and only Darren Xu. I was so excited to visit this incredible educational institution and I have to say I was not let down. The campus is a dream, literally castles, courtyards, fountains, bridges and gates with secret doors and epic architecture. It was incredible and I was almost immediately jealous of Darren's attendence to this institution that has educated some of the greatest minds of history. Over the course of the weekend Darren showed me this great institution and I got to meet some amazing people from all over the place (i.e. the great converstation I had with a guy from Lithuania about the economy). On Saturday the weather was truly gorgeous and we walked around the campus and snuk into many schools that he normally wouldn't have access too. It was great. But easily the greatest part of the day was when we went punting. Possibly the most fun thing ever, punting is when you use a long pole to push a relatively flat boat in which you stand on a platform on the back,  off the bottom of the river and push the boat forward. Then you must use the pole to steer after you have gotten some momentum. All the while you need to maintain your balance while ducking under willow tree branches, bridges and by other boats that bump into you. It was so much fun and I could have done it all day, but unfortunately we only had an hour. After this I got to go for a run around the Cambridge area and go exploring which was really fun. I got to go to a more residential region and see the beautiful houses of what I assumed were professors. The second greatest part of my stay in Cambridge would be the formal dinner that Darren took me too that evening. We wore these intense academic robes they call gowns, and sat in this incredible dining hall that was very similar to the Hogwarts dining hall. We were served by waiters in suits and sat under candle lights. The students have made this tradition of a game that is played at formals that is quite silly but really fun. You are supposed to bring pennies and 5 pence pieces to the meal. When someone sitting next to you isn't looking you put a penny in their glass of wine if they do not have their hands on the glass, and this means they have to down the drink as fast as they can, plus immediately refill their glass. So you can imagine the trouble this can get some light-weights can get into in this situation. Then for dessert if you do not pick up your utensils when the food is placed in front of you then your neighbors can stick a 5 pence piece in your dessert which means you must eat it with no utensils and no hands. This one is quite comical. While I was pennied once I made sure that I was not 5'd and therefore got to laugh at the expense of some of the less fortunate people around me. It was really funny and made me feel like I was really getting an authentic feel to what it is like to attend Cambridge. The next morning we went to brunch with a bunch of Darren's friends back in the amazing dining hall where they have free toast and drinks for the students which is nice. Also the food in the kitchen, the hot food, is priced way down for the students so breakfast only costs them about 2 or 3 pounds. Plus it was good food so Cambridge takes care of their students well. Unfortunately by the afternoon it was time for me to go but I got some amazing pictures and had an unforgetable experience. And for that I thank Darren from the bottom of my heart.

Today we went on a field trip to the Globe Theater (or at least the recreation of what we assume was the Globe Theater) and learned all about Shakespeare and such figures. It would have been a great trip if our tour guide wouldn't have been performing every word he was speaking. Seriously he was over dramaticizing everything he was saying and performing these facts about history, it got quite annoying even though I'm sure it was supposed to be funny. After this we had to rush to our new internship course that we are taking that FIE requires. It seems like it is going to be a pain but we don't have a choice so I'm going to try to keep a positive disposition about it. Also this afternoon I got to run with my favorite running buddy here Meghan from UC Santa Clara who informed me that she is leaving and going back to school next thursday. So sad. Her school follows the quarter system so she was only here for one quarter. So this makes me very sad as we have had some great runs and laughs together. So we are going to try and run as much together as we can now, even though my internship makes things difficult. But I'm sure we will find a way.

What is on schedule for me? This week is some great work at Digitas including a video shoot I get to attend. Also very exciting is my much anticipated Ireland trip that I am taking this weekend. I am really pumped for this and to reconnect with my roots if you may! Go back to the homeland! Plus the weather is supposed to be great so everything is falling into place for a great weekend. Amazing. So I am really looking forward to this week. But here are some pictures of my adventures in Cambridge for all of you back at home so you can see how amazing this school really is. Hope everything is great back at home with everyone wherever they may be and that all of my friends on spring break are having an amazing and safe time! Take care everyone!