First off, let me apologize to all for how little I have updated my blog in the past month. In all honesty, not at all. The past 5 weeks have been an absolute whirlwind, from finals to my four week internship, leaving London, arriving in Ireland, and, finally, my journey home.
I was fortunate enough to be able to intern with Carlton Publishing Group for my final month in London. A smaller publishing company, with a staff consisting of a mere 65 people, Carlton makes the most beautiful book that I have ever seen. Focusing on non-fiction, I was amazed by the works that they put out.
Being a part of such a small office meant that I had the opportunity to gain some invaluable hands-on experience. The very first week I was even able to attend the London Book Fair, which was an absolutely incredible experience. Working in Marketing and Public Relations, I was able to perform a variety of tasks and touch upon various aspects of the publishing industry. One task that I found particularly rewarding was being in charge of updating Amazon and other various online merchant websites with our stock for our upcoming year. It not only made me feel important, but was one of the few tasks undertook which resulted in tangible results.
This brief but educational foray into the publishing world was simultaneously eye-opening and educational. Carlton was nothing like what I had expected, having first been put up for an internship at Penguin. It was so small and family-like, but at the same time incredibly efficient. What really struck me was the amount of “busy work” that went into constantly putting out new books. From the marketing side, it was a lot of uploading pictures, creating spreadsheets, and sending out lists of titles and descriptions. PR involved constant e-mails and social media breakdowns. Basically, it was a lot of computer time. Although I really enjoyed my time at Carlton, I was taken aback by how much time was spent simply sitting in front of a computer.
After leaving my Carlton family, I had to say goodbye to the city that had been my home for the past 5 months. It was heartbreaking to leave both my host family and London itself, for both have had a profound impact on not only my semester, but the course of my life. I never dreamed that I could feel so at home somewhere entirely different from where I had grown up, but I found leaving near impossible.
Luckily, I did not travel straight home. Instead, I spent a week in Ireland, relaxing in the beautiful greenery of Galway and exploring the dynamic city of Dublin. I was able to cross seeing the Book of Kells, located at Trinity College, off of my list, as well as the Guinness factory. Both were great experiences that I would highly recommend if one is in Dublin, although very different. I also had the privilege of taking part in a literary pub crawl, which involved walking around the city, learning about the literary history of Dublin and stopping at some historic pubs along the way. To make it even more interesting, there was a quiz at the end, naturally bringing out my competitive side. I wear my prize T-shirt to bed every night with pride.
Nothing I can say here can truly describe my time in London. You, who have read through and seen a glimpse of my experiences, have only skimmed the surface. For I cannot truly begin to decipher and explain all that this city has taught me during my short time here. It may seem cliché to say that this experience has changed me, and it is, but it is nonetheless true. I have become a Londoner in every sense of the word, and getting on that plane to return home was much more than a complicated myriad of emotions. Yet I know that I have left a piece of my heart in London, and I hope to return there sometime in the near future, to once again frequent my old haunts and re-explore the city I once knew.
If you are a student reading this, I apologize for this long-winded final entry. I just cannot find an adequate way to properly illustrate my experience. My only advice for you would be this: go abroad. It will open your eyes in ways that you never dreamed to be possible. You will make new friends, have new experiences. You will laugh, you will cry. You will be overwhelmed and homesick and at times think that it is too much. But you will also grow. And it will be the most incredible few short months of your college career. Go. And make the most out of every minute. Because I would give anything to be able to go again.
