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With London as a backdrop, co-workers create memories
June 28, 2008Lindsey Alexander
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| Courtesy photo |
| Lindsey Alexander says she’ll miss her co-workers at Northwest London Newspapers. And London as a backdrop for her intern experience hasn’t been too bad, either. |
As corny as that sounds, I didn’t realize how much I would miss L-Town until I went out with my co-workers for a final hurrah at a pub on the South Bank.
Watching the river and listening to my boss explain how he traveled from Austin, Texas, to Akron, Ohio, in 26 hours straight, I realized that no matter how far away you are from your home, you can develop connections that make anywhere feel like a home.
My two bosses gave me advice on what they call “the greatest city in the world”: what tubes to take and what tubes not to take, what museums to see at all costs, where to sit outside when it’s actually sunny. We discussed American cuisine, and I think I have at least one proper Englishman convinced of the merits of the chili cheese dog.
From office discussions about what movies qualify as chick flicks (i.e. The Breakfast at Tiffany’s Controversy of 2008) to the creation of a fake currency using the face of a photographer, everyday at Northwest London Newspapers was surprising in its own way. It’s not every work environment that allows your supervisors to teach you football by setting up a mini-match in the office, using double doors as a goal. But somehow, each week, we produced five newspapers full of local stories that really mattered to the readers.
Working and playing together seems to define the English work culture; other bloggers have already said how work is much more relaxed, so I won’t repeat them.
But I will say that when I leave a place, I usually make empty promises to keep in touch and see each other again, saying I’ve got an empty couch that is calling said person’s name. I hope I can keep that promise this time around.