The House of Lords

Today, I woke up at 6:30 am and went to Westminster for a conference and managed registration for “The National Information Security in the Public Sector Annual Conference." I organized & produced name badges, greeted people, registered people/changed information for substitutes, packed delegate folders etc. I then headed back to the office and updated master attendance list for the Second Annual Parliamentary Awards/Champagne Reception. I was originally given the wrong spreadsheet to update so I had to redo my changes from last Thursday. I then completed changes/updates from today, packed the necessary materials for the Annual Parliamentary Awards for set up etc, complied the name badges and put them in their holders for 366 delegates. At the Second Annual Parliamentary Awards at the House of Lords, I was in charge of registration and had a staff under me that I oversaw. I was also able to mingle with various delegates and meet some important Lords, Baronesses and MPs. I also helped to break down the event and clean up. I took the Inside Government banner home because I am responsible for bringing it to the event tomorrow.

For lunch I went to Pizza Hut and met a few Americans who were traveling there too.

I then returned home after a 15 hour day and steamed a few pants for tomorrow and headed off to bed.

Another Busy Day

Today, I had a very busy day at my internship. I updated events board for Inside Government. I deleted many events that took place last week and rearranged the events board to take into consideration new events that were added. I also updated the total number of paid delegates, the event manager/program manager, number of exhibitors, total number of delegates etc.
Then, I converted all of the presenters’ PowerPoint presentations from the events last week into PDF files so that they would be ready to be sent out to all of the delegates that attended the event. Next, I created surveys for events last week via surveymethod.com for feedback on speakers, presenters and overall event. I also created signage for GovNet events that are coming up this week – signs for registration by surname etc. I then created badges/nametags for GovNet events this week. Finally, I updated spreadsheet for the Parliamentary Awards and proofread the badges and created badges for people who confirmed today.

During lunch, I mailed all of my postcards to the States / Canada!

After work, I headed to get some tokens for the dryer, however, they only had 2 left, and I had one at home, so when I came back to do laundry, most of my clothes were still wet after the 3 tokens - therefore, I have many clothes around my room drying.

This evening, I just uploaded my pictures on my computer from Ireland and am getting ready to go to bed early since I do have an event tomorrow along with the Parliamentary Awards in the evening.

Cheers!

Heading to Dublin, Ireland

This weekend, I traveled to Dublin with some EUSA friends. It was beautiful and just an enjoyable evening.

On Friday, June 26, 2009, we had our Professional Development Seminar and I also paid my last housing payment. During the seminar, we had a fire drill too! After the seminar, we took the tube to King's Cross and from there took a train to Luton Airport. The flight was very smooth and we got to Dublin around 5:00 pm. We then checked into our hostel - Browns Hostel. It was quite a nice place - however, we did notice many older people there too. We then walked around Dublin and into the Temple Bar area. We then went to a great restaurant. I had a steak and then we all shared two desserts - it was delicious. We then went back to our hostel, and went back out to the night life. We got back to our hostel and we were lucky that we were the only people staying in our room.

On Saturday, June 27, 2009, we ate breakfast next door at the Browns Hotel - just toast and coffee/tea - but very cheap. We then headed toward the Guinness Factory, ate chicken fingers at a local pub, went to Trinity College, St. Patrick's Cathedral, and saw the Dublin Castle. It was a fun day and we ran into some other students from EUSA and traveled around that evening with them.

On Sunday, June 28, 2009, we took a bus tour to the south of Dublin/Ireland and into the mountains. It was beautiful and saw many sights where various movies were filmed.

We then headed back to Luton for our plane - although it was delayed - I was able to get back to my flat by 2:00 am.

It was a great time!

A Night of Cartoons... Well At Least The Music To The Cartoons

Today, I woke up and headed to my internship. I updated attendance sheet for the Alternative Parliamentary Awards. I finally reached the goal of at least 300 guests who confirmed. I called all of the unconfirmed members once more, and sent many emails to delegates to provide them with more information regarding the event.

The office was very empty today since there was a GovNet Event today and most of the staff had to attend.

For lunch, I got a lunch on the go and just walked around since it was such a beautiful day.

I then went to South Kensington to pick up a package and then headed toward London Bridge to see the Unexpected Opera - The Barber of Seville (the songs from many cartoons) located at The Scoop, an outdoor theatre - similar to the Shakespeare's Globe but on a much smaller scale. The opera was great and very funny too. I enjoyed it alot, especially since it was free too! It was located right on the Thames river and across the way was the Tower Bridge, Tower of London, and Gherkin. Right next to the theatre was the London City Hall (a big spherical building). It was a beautiful, warm night and just very enjoyable.

I ate a hamburger at the theatre, which was actually grilled (or BBQ'ed) over an open flame!! It was delicious!

I then returned home and wrote my weekly journal for school and am getting ready for Dublin, Ireland this weekend (hopefully looking up some McFeely's). Tomorrow, I am going to pay my rent, tell them my departure date, buy some more laundry coins and then off to Professional Development.

Today, I also got my flight confirmation that it is fine to swith until a departure on Tuesday, instead of on Saturday back to the States. I am going to Rome/Vatican City for sure!!

Cheers!

Another Event

Today, I woke up at 6:30 am to get ready for my internship because I had to attend an event. After taking the tube to Westminster, I arrived at One Birdcage Walk for the Meeting the Manufacturing Challenge Through Investment in Innovation, Skills and Green Technologies. I was in charge of registration, logistics: working with the caterer to make sure the coffee/tea breaks and working lunch was set up in a timely manner and to make sure that there were enough utensils etc., the question/answer session (passed the microphone around the room to delegates who had questions), and also for set up and clean up for the event (ensured there were enough chairs, set up the room with pads of paper and pens, set up the computer and made sure all of the microphones and technological aspects were functional). I had to make some executive decisions in terms of catering and therefore, GovNet/Inside Government was very trusting of my abilities.

For lunch, I was able to have a few sandwiches from the working lunch - mainly roasted chicken with a lemon mayonnaise and fruit kabobs. They were delicious. We then took a tour of the conference building, which was beautiful too. The room we had was a bit small, but it was a great atmosphere for the conference. I realize that I am quickly being assigned big projects and programs to work on or be in charge of. It is a great experience.

I then returned back to the office and updated the attendance sheet for the Alternative Parliamentary Awards and send the final copy to be printed for the name badges.

I returned home and ordered Papa Johns to dinner (Potato Wedges and Chicken Dippers) and in the process of completing my mid-term paper.

Cheers!

Heading Toward Parliament

Today was a great day - very busy, but it flew by. I got a great nights sleep and headed toward my internship. I updated the master attendance list for the Second Annual Parliamentary Awards/Champagne Reception. After finding parliamentary (MPs’ and Lords’/Baronesses’) contacts, I began to telephone each parliamentary to confirm their attendance. After the list was completed, I went back and re-called people that I could not get through to, or who I left messages for last week to see if they plan to attend. I also converted all of the presenters’ PowerPoint presentations from the events last week into PDF files so that they would be ready to be sent out to all of the delegates that attended the event.

For lunch, I went to Nando's again - delicious!!

I was also told today that on top of being able to go for the reception at the House of Lords, I am going to be able to take a tour of Parliament during my workday - so I am quite excited about that.

I then went back home and wrote the addresses on my postcards - slowly I am getting them done.

I am going to go to bed early tonight, hopefully write the two papers for school tomorrow. Also, I need to wake up early tomorrow for an event - Meeting the Manufacturing Challenge Through Investment in Innovation, Skills and Green Technologies at One Birdcage Walk - right near Parliament again. On Thursday, I am going to see an Opera about the Barber of Seville. On Friday, I will pay my last rent, give them my date of departure (hopefully I will have Rome/Vatican figured out by then), attend the Professional Development Seminar, then off to Ireland!

Cheers!

Week 5 Beginning

Today, surprisingly I was not tired for work. At Inside Government, I updated the events board for Inside Government. I deleted many events that took place last week and rearranged the events board to take into consideration new events that were added. I also updated the total number of paid delegates, the event manager/program manager, number of exhibitors, total number of delegates etc. I then updated master attendance list for the Second Annual Parliamentary Awards/Champagne Reception that is held at the House of Lords. I received emails from various GovNet staff and other delegates confirming the attendance of specific people to the event. I also telephoned other delegates to confirm their attendance to this event.

For lunch, we walked around Embankment and I bought a few postcards to send back to the States & Canada.

After work, I returned home and uploaded my pictures from Venice on my computer and relaxed.

Cheers!

Ciao! - Adventures to Venice, Italy

Venice, Italy, or as they call it Venizia, was absolutely beautiful and amazing. (There I go again with the Londoner expressions - "absolutely"). I had the time of my life, and was able to see Venice before it sank.

On Friday, June 19, 2009, I headed over to South Kensington at 11:30 pm on Thursday and was able to get a few hours of sleep before waking up at 3:00 am to take a cab to the Victoria bus station. We arrived super early to the bus station and had to wait an hour. Finally though, our bus arrived and we were able to take another hour nap to Stansted airport. At the airport, we went through customs and got on our flight to Venice. The flight was a Ryanair flight - very cheap, but nothing is free - you have to purchase your drinks, your snacks etc. They are constantly selling foods, drinks, accessories, perfumes etc throughout the flight with all of the lights on. Although it was sometimes difficult to sleep because there were constant ads playing over the loudspeaker, I was able to get two hours of sleep. Venice is an hour ahead of London (so 6 hours ahead of Buffalo, NY) and we did loose an hour of sleep. Once we arrived to Venice, we got a bus and after waiting for our transfer bus, made it to our Hotel - Hotel Palladio. At first our room was not ready, but in a matter of a half an hour, we were able to go into our room. We all took an hour nap and then were ready to go. Our room was quite nice (with a badé and everything) however, the key was very heavy and we needed it plugged into the wall in order to have the air conditioning and electricity to work. We put most of our valuables in a safe and then headed toward Venice.

In Venice, we walked around for a bit. It was very hot - however the forecast said it would rain all weekend (but it only rained on Friday night when we were heading home). We had a delicious lunch - I had gnocchi. We then decided to head to Lido and the beach. We originally bought passes for the water taxi and buses, however, no one checked our tickets, so we did not pay for the rest of our time in Venice. The bus system and taxi system however were very poor - not giving exact times when each departs and arrives, does not say when the last bus departs etc. However, we made it to Lido and were able to do some shopping. The taxi ride toward Lido was beautiful and I took many pictures. In Lido, I bought some Murano (Venetian glass) glass - the best glass in the world. I got some great deals and the lady selling us the glass was a typical Italian. We then headed toward the beach (I had to buy a bathing suit). The beach was quite nice, however there were some people naked. We went swimming for a bit in the ocean and then headed toward the showers (which we had to pay for) and got the salt water off. We then headed back to Venice.

In Venice, we had some gelato and then attempted to get back to our hotel - however, we did get on the wrong bus, and took us a few hours to get back to our hotel, when it would have originally took us 30 minutes.

We all hit the beds right when we got to the hotel.

The next day, Saturday, June 20, 2009, we woke up and had breakfast at the hotel. The breakfast was not the best, but it was food. We then headed toward Venice again. The weather was a little cooler, so we walked around Venice and went shopping to various stores and stands. Venice is known for their masks, so we looked at many masks too. The language barrier was not that difficult - most times, everyone spoke English, but I was also able to understand much of the Italian and read most of it. However, speaking it for me was quite difficult. As we walked, we picked up some pizza and some Italian desserts. We finally made it to the Guggenheim Art Museum and were able to see some great art and gardens. We then headed toward St. Mark's Square, the largest square in Venice. We then headed toward Rialto Bridge - the famous bridge in Venice. On the way back to the bus station via the Water Taxi, we passed a station called Giglio. I took a few pictures of it. We then walked around Venice some more, had some gelato and headed home and got some pizza. We were going to go for a gondola ride, but it was quite expensive.

The last day, Sunday, June 21, 2009, we headed toward Venice again and just took a nice easy day. We had a great meal, two courses, spaghetti and chicken, and just walked around and headed back to St. Mark's Square. We saw many people feeding pigeons too. We then took a bus back to Treviso airport. Our flight was delayed for a half hour, and then it took an hour and a half to go through the immigration line. We missed our first bus, but was able to take a second bus back to London. At the Victoria station, I took a cab back to my flat and went to bed.

Venice was great! I took many pictures (1,036 pictures to be exact) so I have some great memories.

Ciao!

Week 4 Finished!!

Today, I attended the Inside Government Event: ICT in Education: Shaping a New Generation in Learning. I arrived at One Great George Street at 7:45 am to help with set up. For set up, we had to insert nametags into the plastic holders that enable the delegate to wear them on their clothing, stuff pamphlets and agendas in folders and organize the nametags in alphabetical order. One of my tasks was to help with registration. When a delegate arrived, I handed them their delegate pack, told them where coffee and tea were held and where the conference was held. If a delegate was not registered or switched with another delegate who was suppose to attend, I had the responsibility to register the delegate or fill out a delegate switch form, and then print out a new nametag. I was also a point person for delegates to approach regarding information about the conference. During the conference, I listened to the insightful discussions and during question and answer sessions, I handed out the microphone to the delegates who asked questions. I also took notes of some presentations for Mr. Chaudhry who was unable to attend, but wanted to have some information about recent news of ICT in Education since this is a yearly event. During the breaks, I was able to mingle with delegates and also was one of the people that invited the guests to return to the conference room. I also helped various exhibitions set up, helped speakers and presenters organize their presentations and answered many questions regarding GovNet and the event itself. Afterwards, I helped clean/pack up. I returned back to GovNet with the supplies from the event and emailed Mr. Chaudhry my notes from the conference.

At the conference itself, I also met Berry Sheerman MP and Chairman, House of Commons Select Committee for Children, Schools and Families. This is equivalent to a chairman of one of the big committees in the House of Representatives or Senate. It was a great opportunity to actually attend an event and was a great learning experience. I was able to mingle with many delegates and see the logistics behind the event, from the catering, to the layout, to the floor plan, to registration etc. It was a great experience and I am excited to attend more events in the future.

For lunch, we had chicken in a leak cream sauce, vegetables and salad. It was actually pretty tasty.

After my internship, I headed toward the National Portrait Gallery just to sign in for the EUSA Cultural Activity. I then headed home to pack and take a nap before Venice.

Tonight, I am going to take a quick nap, and head over to South Kensington where we will leave at 3:00 am to catch our plane at 6:30 pm. We will be staying at the Hotel Palladio - http://www.hotelpalladio.it/en/index.htm. Anyways, I hope my Italian is quite good - I only know like ten words!

Have a great weekend!

Ciao!

The Fastest Day At My Internship

The So today was a great day. I woke up and headed toward my internship. Today, I was charged with the responsibility to keep track of attendance for the Awards Summer Reception. Invitees confirmed that they would attend two months ago, and my task is to re-confirm that they will still be attending. On Monday, I will call those who have not emailed me back to see if they are still planning to attend. This is a two week project, and at the end, I am able to attend the Reception too. I then finished work on data requisition forms for the events in July 2009 to obtain records of individuals to invite them to specific events. I aloso organized event box and took inventory of materials that travel to each event/conference that GovNet or Inside Government hosts. Next, I created PowerPoint presentations for GovNet Events that outline the speakers, title of the session, and agenda for the day. I also met with the event manager to discuss my tasks and duties at the Inside Government event tomorrow.

For lunch, I went to Nando's again - delicious!

I came back home and put some pictures on facebook and got ready for Venice this weekend.

I am going to bed early tonight since I have to be at the event location at 7:45 am to help set up.

Cheers!

All You Need Is Love

Today, as normal, I woke up and went to Embankment for my internship. I started the day by calling various prisons in the UK for Green ICT to find out contacts so that GovNet can send information to them regarding a Green ICT Conference in September for all of those in the technology field with the focus on going green. Instead of asking for the person responsible for Green ICT, we were told to re-call the prisons and ask for an IT Manager, Head of IT, Procurement Manager or Head of Estates.

My supervisor was very understanding with my frustrations with the calls (since we were asked to call everyone again) and only assigned this task in the beginning of the day. I then worked on data requisition forms for the events in July 2009 to obtain records of individuals to invite them to various events. However, since the server and internet was down for a few hours, I was unable to complete this task. During the time the internet/server was down, I looked at various magazines that GovNet publishes and talked to the director of GovNet Events about GovNet and their mission etc.

For lunch I went to McDonald's quickly and ate a quick bite since it was such a beautiful day outside. Then I walked around Trafalgar Square and around town too.

After work, I went to Nottinghill Gate to go shopping for a bit with some co-workers / fellow interns. We then went to Baker Street up to St. John's Wood to Abbey Road. It was quite and experience. Then we returned to Baker Street and went and ate at Pizza Hut.

Tonight, I am just uploading more photos and doing laundry.

Cheers!

Billy Elliot

So today, I went to work again (on the tube this time) and just had a nice easy going day. I updated events board for Inside Government events to take into consideration new delegates and the total number of paid delegates. I also wrote opening and second emails for events in September and October 2009. I then added updated information to emails that were already written but not sent to potential delegates. I completed data requisition forms for events in July 2009 to obtain records of individuals to invite them to various events. I was tasked with finding job titles, organizations and writing descriptions in order to help concentrate the search of delegates. Tomorrow, I am assigned to work on the Green ICT database and complete more telephone calls.

I had lunch at Nando's again - delicious!!

Next, I went to Victoria Station to see Billy Elliot. It was the show of the year and it definitely held its title. The dancing, songs and choreography were terrific. The music is all written by Elton John and it is just amazing. They all had English accents because it is a musical based in the UK. My favorite song was The Letter and The Letter (Reprise). I loved it - even better than Wicked!!

Cheers!

Weekend Trip to Paris, France

So I know that I haven't been on this blog for a while. So this post will include all of my adventures this weekend.

----

On Friday, I went to pay my rent, top up my cell phone, and then went to the EUSA Professional Development Seminar. The topic for the seminar was Inter-Cultural Skills.

After the seminar, I headed toward St. Pancras International (King's Cross Station) to head on the Eurostar to Paris. We got there a bit early and headed to a crepe restaurant and I had a delicious strawberry and Nutella crepe. Then we went shopping and I bought some delicious corn chips for the train.

The train was quite nice, and it went really fast. My ears popped many times, since we went up and down many hills and through tunnels. On the train, there was a lady who was a little intoxicated and was quite funny. She was sitting next to this guy and kept on asking people if they thought he was attractive and then asked them to guess her age. We had a few laughs from this lady - but most of the ride there, we looked at the lands of France and slept.

We got to Paris Nord Train Station and took a cab to our hostel - Aloha. The hostel was quite nice and we had roommates from Portugal, India, and Ireland - however the people from Ireland were from other countries - Italy and Germany). After we checked into our hostel, we headed toward the Eiffel Tower. At first we got lost, however, we made it and it was beautiful. It is actually much bigger in person that we thought it would be and we took many many pictures and saw it sparkle two times. We then walked around Paris, took a few pictures of other monuments and headed the long way back to Aloha. To our surprise, many people were actually outside at night and were all socializing - having a small picnic. On the way home, one French person decided to jump out at us and scare us - however we just kept on walking. During that night, we ate some ice cream, and some mini doughnuts. We noticed that Paris is much dirtier than London is and that the people can be rude and mean at times. All of them speak English, but are very hesitant to speak it and just are rude.

Anyways, on Saturday, we woke up, took a quick shower, and headed to the Eiffel Tower with the people from India and Portugal. We started by eating a chocolate croissant, which was very delicious. We first saw the Statue of Liberty and then after that, headed toward the Eiffel Tower to climb it. It was a long line, but we finally made it and started our climb. It was very scary and since I am afraid of heights, took us a while to climb. We made it to the first floor and saw Paris from a bird's eye view. We then headed up the stairs to the second floor and then took the lift up to the top. At each level, there was a place to shop, and a small cafe too. After we got back down, we had some ice cream and then took a taxi to the Louvre Museum. We had a bit to eat before we went inside - I had a grilled chicken (although it was roasted). My French to my surprise was quite good and I was able to understand and be understood. We then headed to the Louvre and went inside. We saw many great artifacts, but had to cut our visit short because we did not have much time - we did see the Mona Lisa, and I yelled at someone for taking a picture of the Mona Lisa with a flash (when we were not suppose to) because she was ruining the portrait. She just talked back and that was it.

We then walked down through the park as we past the entire Louvre Museum. In the park, we had some ice cream and listened to some music - while we were listening, a bird decided to use me as a toilet - although it was not that messy, it was still disgusting.

We headed toward the Champs-Elysées and saw the Arch du Triomphe. We did alot of shopping and then had a great meal at this nice restaurant - I had pork with a honey glaze and a creme burlé. It was delicious. We then walked along the Seine River and watched the sunset and then shopped a little more at some small corner shops. We found some great deals for scarfs and I bought alot to give as gifts. We then took a cab back to the Louvre to get some night pictures of the Louvre and the Champs-Elysées - we then took a cab back home.

On Sunday, we woke up and headed toward the Cathedral of Notre Dame. We stopped and got some croissants, which were again delicious. We took a cab to the Cathedral and saw its beauty. After walking around for a bit, we had mass and although it was in French, it was just beautiful. We then took a walk down to a few shops and saw this great shopping district with small shops. We got a crepe and sat in a park and just enjoyed the nice weather. This entire weekend was beautiful - although it was humid. We then listened to some great music and took a cab back to the train station. In the train station, we had to wait a while because the X-Ray Machines were broken for a bit. However, we made our train and although it was delayed 30 minutes we were back in time and even gained an hour since Paris is an hour ahead of London.

Tomorrow, I am going to relax and head to see Billy Elliott at night. I will put up pictures as soon as I can from France - I even maxed out my memory card. It was a great time - but I am glad to be back in London.

Ciao!

Jack The Ripper

Today, I went into work early because of the tube strike and had a great time at work. I made a spreadsheet for contacts from business cards from an exposition for ModernGov (a division of GovNet Communications). I then wrote new email copies for events in June 2009 for the final email that would be sent to all delegates. Next, I created surveys for events next week via surveymethod.com. These surveys will be sent out to the participants of the events afterwards for their feedback and comments. I then amended times on website that did not match to the event agenda. Before I left, I received a list of events that I will be attending (at least one per week):
- Thursday, June 18, 2009 - ICT in Education: Shaping a New Generation in Learning
- Wednesday, June 24, 2009 - Preventing Violent Extremism and Building Cohesive Societies
- Tuesday, June 30, 2009 - The National Information Security in the Public Sector Annual Conference
- Wednesday, July 1, 2009 - The National Obesity Conference: Reversing the Tide of Obesity - Working Together to Create an Active, Healthy Nation
- Thursday, July 9, 2009 - National Curriculum Reform: Creating a Curriculum Fit for the 21st Century

I ate a light lunch at McDonalds where I learned that there are bussers that will take your garbage from your table - you do not have to clear your own garbage at the McDonald's in London.

I also realized that many people say "You Alright?" for "How Are You?" and I realized that quid is another word for the pound (like the buck for the dollar).

I then went toward Tower Hill for our walking tour of Jack the Ripper. Before the tour, I went to this awesome BBQ restaurant and had ribs and BBQ Chicken. It was absolutely delicious (the Britons also say "absolutely" alot). We then headed to our tour.

We saw part of the wall that use to encompass central London. We also saw 3 of the 5 sites where Jack the Ripper killed and removed the organs of his victims. We also saw various places where they knew he was there too as well as some olden bathrooms where you have to go in underground to use. We also saw some great views of the Gherkin (which I found out is called that because it looks like a gherkin - like a cucumber/pickle or zucchini). Jack the Ripper killed 5 people within 10 weeks (2 in one night) and still is unknown who he really is - there are some stipulations and assumptions - even one linking toward the Royal Family, but he is not known.

I am off to France tomorrow (after attending the Professional Development Seminar and paying my rent).

Cheers & Bonsoir!

Finally A Londoner - I Experienced A Tube Strike

So today, I had to wake up at 6:45 am and leave my flat by 7:30 am to catch the bus from Hammersmith Road (the road off of Auriol where I live) to Trafalgar Square. The traffic was terrible. It took me an hour and a half each way when it would normally take 20 minutes on the Tube. Even though some lines on the tube were open, they were delayed with many stations closed, and it was really pointless to travel on it. I never saw traffic like this - they ran 100 extra buses, had routes marked for bikers and had more taxi cabs. All you could see was bus after bus and car and car and bike after bike touching each other for miles. It took a few minutes just to move an inch. Many people had to wait hours in order to just get on a bus because they were so packed.

However, I got to work and things were good. We talked about the strike a little bit. One thing that I noticed is that alot of people like in their 20s do not know how to drive and do not have their license. It is because they have no need to drive at all. There is actually a congestion charge for certain parts of London where you are charged a fee for driving in that part of London. There is no toll but rather many cameras who scan various license plates to make sure that they paid.

Anyways, today I proofread and amended three events and descriptions/agendas that were going to be live on the website the next day. I used Adobe Contribute to update the website with my appropriate changes. I then wrote opening emails to prospective delegates for the events that I completed the marketing piece for (September and October 2009). I also wrote second emails to prospective delegates for events that outline the agenda and encourage delegates to attend. These emails will be sent out next week.

I had lunch at a place called Nando's. It was absolutely amazing - it is like a Swiss Chalet but better. The chicken is amazing and they have various sauces you can choose from - lemon & herb, mango & lime, hot, medium etc. I choose the lemon & herb and got chips (french fries) and garlic bread with it. It was absolutely delicious!

I returned home, after a long bus ride, and went shopping quickly at Tesco's (grocery store) and then headed home to relax and watch some TV for the first time. I was asked by another person for directions - so I feel like I am truly a Londoner (even more now because I experienced a tube strike and was able to find my way around London).

Tomorrow, off to work again and then for a Jack the Ripper Tour!

Cheers!

Finally Some Work!

So today, my internship was great. I was doing work that actually pertained to my interests too. Today, I updated and reformatted the event (dry erase) board for all of the Inside Government events. My task was to include events that were not listed on the board, to update the attendance/delegates paid, and to put the events in chronological order. I then completed work on a marketing piece for more events that were scheduled in September and October 2009. The task was to research recent articles and latest news and then write a paragraph describing the event while tying the news to the specific conference. This will be used as the opening text for email readers sent to all potential delegates. This time, I was asked specifically to tie the event in with recent news articles. I then spoke to Mr. Chaudhry about the tube strike and he said that it would be fine if I showed up late. I also organized Purchase Orders for GovNet Events for 2008 by specific event. Finally, I wrote emails to prospective delegates for the events that I completed the marketing piece for (September and October 2009).

For lunch today, I went to Pizza Hut for their lunch buffet. It was good, but not the exact same as in the States. However, I must say that they are very timely with the pizzas on the buffet - once one is gone, they replace it immediately.

I then returned home and watched a movie.

I also booked the hostel for France and hopefully will book the hostel for Venice soon. I am going to bed early because the tube stations did go on strike and I need to take a bus to work tomorrow.

Cheers!

Finally... Weekends Planned (For The Most Part)

So today, I woke up and headed to my internship. We made calls all day, with the promise that we will be doing work with events the rest of the week. I finished my calls for the Policing system and then helped a fellow intern with her calls with the Court System. Then I revised all database spreadsheets by contacting each organization/office again to gain the contact information for the Head of IT, Director/Manager of IT, Estates Director/Manger, Head of Procurement. This was done because some of the organizations were unaware of the appropriate contact who was responsible for Green ICT, and therefore had no contact for that organization. It was suggested that we start from the beginning and approach each call by asking the contact for the Head of IT etc. and therefore, we have a contact at each organization.

After my internship, I headed back to Baron's Court and just relaxed for an hour or so. Then, I went to South Kensington and met up with some EUSA friends and went over to Metro Gate (the computer center) and book flights for Paris (June 12 - 14), Venice (June 19-21) and Dublin (June 26-28). We also booked a hostel for Dublin too. We plan on booking hostels for Venice and Paris tomorrow. Hopefully, I will still be able to go to Rome/Vatican City too.

I then went home and tried to extent my credit limit on my credit card. However, I have to do it again tomorrow in the morning - hopefully everything works out! I am getting a little worried about finances, but I am optimistic for the future.

Tomorrow, I am heading off to work again. The tube station (the entire tube system) will be going on strike starting Tuesday (tomorrow) at 7:00 pm until Thursday at 6:59 pm. I know that many people (including me) will have to find alternative ways to work - I am hoping buses. I know though that they plan to have excess buses working on the days of the strike as well.

Well.... Cheers!

Meeting The Famous Stars...

So today, I slept in because I had an exhausting two weeks. I woke up and traveled to South Kensington where I was meeting Meghan, Carissa, Yanique and Shea to go to Madame Tussand's and the London Eye. Of course we got off to a late start, but we made it to Madame Tussand's at Baker Street and went inside. We saw people from Johnny Depp, to Drew Barrymore to David Beckham, to President Obama, to the Queen, to various princes, to Ghandi etc. Most of them were great, some of them were really bad impressions of them, and some of them you could tell that they were made out of wax. Overall though, it was super super fun. There was also a mini haunted house and scary section of wax figures. This was not my favorite, but it was fun for the others (I chickened out on the Haunted House). There was also a mini ride inside of the History of London (very much like Disney). We also took some group pictures too including some group shots of pictures of us by Andy Worhol.

Then we had a bit to eat and headed to the London Eye.

At the London Eye, we got our tickets and headed in the que, which did not take much time. There was only about 10 people total in the capsule and we were able to see a bird eye's view of London. It was great and we got some great shots!

Afterwards, we got a waffle with whip cream and headed back to South Kensington.

We finally decided that we are going to Paris this weekend too! We will book tomorrow!

Cheers!

Visit to Oxford (aka Hogworts)

So today, I woke up and my wrist hurt - I must have slept on it in a wrong position. Anyways, I headed toward the Victoria tube station so I can catch the bus with some EUSA students to Oxford. I grabbed a fast croissant and then headed toward the bus and had a nice hour and a half nap. Once we arrived at Oxford, we first walked around town - grabbing a bit to eat at KFC. We walked around the main college of Oxford, Christ Church College. Oxford is broken up into many colleges, rather than one main campus. It is beautiful and that is where most of the Harry Potter Movies were filmed.


We then shopped a little around town at the Oxford store, we saw the Oxford University Press and just strolled around this great college town. We then decided to go inside of Christ Church College and see the Great Hall, where the Hogwarts' Dining Hall was filmed. Although it was closed due to a prior function, we did manage to get some postcards etc.

We also saw the steps where Professor McGonigal first welcomed the students, the steps that led into the dining hall. We also saw some great areas where the movie was filmed too. We learned that the directors had to cover the windows with black cloth to make it look like it was night in the movie.

We then headed toward the Christ Church Cathedral too and then headed to the Bodleian Library - one of the oldest libraries on earth. However, we got there too late and all of the tours were full - we couldn't wander the library ourselves. Instead, we decided to head to the river and take a boat ride and punt (even though it was drizzling the entire day).


We went to the river and went punting - similar to what they do in Venice with the gondolas. It was an experience and fun too.

Afterwards, we went out to a great restaurant, Quod, and then headed home to London.

It was a great day to see Oxford and I just might be back there in the future for a longer period of time - who knows!

Tomorrow, I am off to the London Eye and Wax Museum too. Should be a fun day with planning for our trips in the evening.

Cheers!

Going Down....

So today I had my professional development seminar for EUSA - the topic was communication. For our break, we went down to the cafe and I had a delicious croissant. Mmmmm...

Then, we went to Manson Place and just looked up some info for flights to Paris and Italy. We have a change a plans: I am going to Oxford tomorrow, hopefully Paris the weekend after, then we got some great deals for the weekend after Paris to Venice or Florence, and then Dublin - and finally I am going to Rome. I know it is busy, but I am excited. This Sunday, we are going to the wax museum and the London Eye too.

Anyways, after Manson Place, we went to Waterloo to get tickets for the girls to go to Straford - Shakespeare's house. Instead, I am going to Oxford tomorrow with some other EUSA people. We then walked to Westminster where we saw a great market - had some free samples of some chocolate. We then walked toward the Aquarium and saw some great views of Parliament from the other side of the Thames River, a close up of the London Eye and some great street performers. Some of them looked exactly like statues. Today, was a normal London day (for once) and it rained a bit - so we hurried into the aquarium.

The London Aquarium was great. We saw some great sea creatures. However, the elevators in London are quite odd - instead of having positive floor numbers, they have negative numbers for the number below the main floor.

We saw sharks, Chinese Blow Fish (most deadly fish in the ocean), fish from Finding Nemo etc.

We then headed toward Southwark and had a delicious meal at an awesome pub. We then went back to Manson Place at South Kensington and hung out and booked the wax museum and London Eye for Sunday. We plan to finish the booking for Ireland tomorrow, and book for our first time to Italy tomorrow too! So excited for Oxford tomorrow too!

Cheers!

National Portrait Gallery

So today was a great day. I headed off to my internship and of course made some phone calls again for Green ICT and gaining contact information for the person responsible for implementing Green ICT in their particular office. This is because we are having an event in September for the technology sector, with the focus on going green, and we just need to make sure that all rel event people receive information about this event. I called both police stations (from yesterday) and then I called prisons too. Also, my boss ensured me that next week, we will not be making calls. It was just a pressing issue and it needed to be completed quickly. However, my boss said that next week, we will be working more with events - maybe a day or two of phone calls, but that is it.

Then, I went to South Kensington and then from there, headed to Manson Place to meet some people to go to our Thursday cultural activity. We went to the National Portrait Gallery and walked around for a bit. We saw some great paintings - both comtemporary and paintings of various royal families etc. I got a meringue cookie - which was good, but too sweet. I had a funny moment here - I went in the elevator to go down to the first floor with some EUSA students. So we were on the second floor and tried to press the button for the first floor and it wouldn't press in. The doors closed (and this elevator was so small - they said it could fit 10 people, but the three of us took up all of the space.) The doors opened and we thought we were on the first floor, but we were actually on the second floor still because the first floor was closed.

We then headed back to Manson Place in South Kensington and watched the season premier of Big Brother for London. We then headed to the computer center and we booked a trip to Ireland - Dublin for July 26-28!

We have professional development seminars tomorrow and then off to maybe the zoo or aquarium (depending on the weather).

Cheers!

Finally ... PLANNED! (almost)

Today, again normal day in the office. I made more calls for Green ICT to both local governments and finally now police departments. The police departments are a little more demanding and sometimes mean on the phone - however, I get over it.

After I got home from work, I just relaxed and then went to South Kensington to try to plan some trips. The way it looks, we will be traveling to Ireland the last weekend of June (June 26-28) and hopefully France (if I can find people to go with) on June 20-21. I will also be going to Italy with a friend from high school on July 3-5. Very excited.

Tomorrow, we have our cultural experience and then booking Ireland!

Cheers!

530 Calls Later

So today, I woke up as any other day (thinking that I am late because of the early sunrise) and then went to work. Instead of eating a croissant, I had toast with strawberry jam! Delicious.

At my internship, I finished up my work and my calls to central government offices. After 530 calls, I finally finished and got all of the necessary contact information. I also finished up the opening headers for September and October 2009 events.

I then ate lunch with the other intern at Pizza Express and ordered garlic bread (since I am not too fond of their pizza). I then got some strawberry ice cream and walked around Trafalgar Square.

After work, I made a few calls to various travel agencies about France - hopefully I get some good deals.

I then went to South Kensington to eat dinner at Gourmet Burger Kitchen and then dessert at Dino's! I had crumble apple pie and ice cream - the ice cream was so much better.

We decided to meet tomorrow to do some planning for weekend trips. We might go to the wax museum, zoo, aquarium and eye this weekend. I also want to take a trip to Abby Lane too!

We might not do Scotland, but we hope to do Ireland for sure, and I hope to do France with some people and Italy.

Cheers!

Week 2 of Inside Government

Today, after an exhausting weekend, I headed to my internship. Today, another intern, Kayla, from EUSA, started. After finishing up a few calls from last week regarding obtaining contact information for those who were responsible for Green ICT for a particular company, I then was asked to revise the list and researching telephone numbers for companies with invalid numbers, contacts that were retired or no longer worked for the company, or people that were unavailable. Then I was asked to limit one contact per company. After I finished that task, I was asked to write a few more opening headers for emails for events in September and October.

It was finally time for lunch and I went to this Italian restaurant and ordered gnocchi.

After lunch, I was again on the phone, updating the database for Green ICT, but this time I was calling central government offices. Since the event is so specific, we must have the correct and appropriate delegates to receive information about this event. However, unlike before, I was not provided with a contact person, but instead had the office and phone number to start my calls.

One of my co-workers also suggested a website to get some great deals for trips.

I then headed home and took a brief nap and then headed to the store to buy a few things. I then emailed various companies (from the website that was provided) to see if any dates are available for various trips - hopefully I am lucky.

I noticed that since the UK is more north than the New York, the daylight hours are longer. Sometimes I wake up in the morning thinking that I am late to work when it is only 5:00 or 6:00 am. It gets dark around 10:30 / 11:00 pm.

I also feel that I am starting to fit into London society. People are asking me directions to various places, making sure that they are at the right tube station etc.

Cheers!