This week, I broke in 2011 with a new, intern-appropriate wardrobe (lots of sweaters and low heels), a commuter rail pass, a fresh-off-the-printers diploma and a brand spanking new internship at a public relations firm in downtown Seattle!
One week of 6 a.m. alarms and 9 to 5 work shifts later, I'm still reeling from culture shock!
While in college, I would wake up at various times between 7:30 and 10 a.m., throw on a pair of jeans and the least-wrinkled sweater I could find and walk the scenic trails of the Bellingham arboretum to go to class...nowadays it's a much different story...
I'm up at 6 a.m. every single day, my outfits are stiff and unyielding-ly "workplace appropriate," and instead of walking through gorgeous woodland scenery, my daily commute is full of battling other drivers for prime parking garage spaces, running for trains, running for buses, running for crosswalk lights and running for coffee. Overall, it's a lot of unexpected running.
The strangest part of the whole commuting experience is being a part of the crowd. The special group of nine-to-fivers all traveling together at the same time from our small Seattle suburb into the big city in the morning and back again in the evening.
Everyday I'm reminded of that scene in Edward Scissorhands when all the fathers leave the neighborhood at the same time (in one pastel-colored line of cars) and file back to their homes, in the same uniform, just in time for dinner. It's a very surreal experience.
As for the internship itself, I am enjoying it immensely and will post more soon!