"It's Danielle, not Daniel"

You may ask what the first thing I did when I arrived in London... slept, and slept, and slept. Jet lag is truly one of the most annoying and miserable things. After sleeping a measly three hours, I went out for pints and sandwiches with my fellow interns. The wonderful thing about being in college is we have all been through the awkward freshman year getting to know you period, so instead of being coy, we put differences aside and dove straight into our two-month friendship. My anticipation to put my head on my pillow was overwhelming, but I fought the urge and went out with my new friends.

Downtown London reeks of cider, and is overly populated with people in scarves with flowing locks of hair. Needless to say, my night was beyond amazing, but the wake-up call was not. Day two consisted of more "family" meals. We spent this day buying to-go phones, exploring the tube, and finding our host companies. The tube is like a band-aid. It scares you during the anticipation, a bit painful during, but after you realize it wasn't THAT bad. Jet lag still overcame our lives.

Monday was orientation which was a breakdown of the UK culture and intern expectations. Over and over we are told Brits aren't as warm and friendly as Americans, but I have not found this to be true. Everyone has been overly accommodating to my apparent lack of British knowledge. The bistro at Starbucks even gave me a free chi tea late because I was so confused trying to decipher between the British coins. Everything is a bit harder here, but everyone has been very helpful.

My favorite thing I learned Monday was the platinum rule. We have all learned about the golden rule, "treat others the way you would want to be treated." The platinum rule is, "Treat others the way THEY would want to be treated." This shows the importance of cultural intelligence and being sensitive of others beliefs and ways of life.

Now, for the reason I am writing you from London, my internship. My first day at my new company started out with me nervously waking up extremely too early. Dressed in my navy and white tailored suit, I hobbled to the second-floor cafe to grab a Cafe Americano, and I was on my journey to Oxford Circus. Naturally, I arrived 30 minutes early and awkwardly stood around for 15 minutes in hopes to make it an acceptable arrival time.

My work is full of wonderful people who are beyond competent in the world of PR. The banter in the office is light-hearted and entertaining. On my first day, I was invited to see the play version of The Woman in Black with a co-worker. My day consisted of learning the players of the England football team, trying to figure out what these crazy Brits were saying in slang.

Now, for some fun... random UK things I have learned.

Cheers = Thank you
Bonkers = my favorite English word
Knackered = tired
Smart = posh = fashionable
Knickers = underwear
One Direction is the BEST band ever
and never under any circumstance smile while riding public transportation.