Well, my first week as an intern was amazing- to say the least. I had no idea what to expect going into my internship and was definitely intimidated and nervous that first day. Luckily, I had made a test-run into the city from Jersey the week before so I knew my route for the most part. Once I finally got into NYC, walking into the Hearst Tower was both exciting and nerve-wracking. I had one of those "little fish, big sea" moments as I stared up the 3-floor tall wall of water and wondered what I had gotten myself into.
I have to admit I was expecting a little "The Devil Wears Prada" as I rode up to the 32nd floor, but I was pleasantly surprised. Immediately Marina, the photo assistant, greeted me and introduced me to all the editors and the staff of Country Living. She gave me a tour, and set me right to work. The first day I worked on printing photos from the archive so that we could printed versions in binders for easier reference. The rest of the week I had many different tasks. Some included researching pictures online for upcoming articles, researching events alongside the editorial interns for the upcoming October issue (a giant pumpkin regatta race, anyone?), going through past issues of CL and marking when the logo has changed (it is changing again in our upcoming issue), mailing previous issues out to people, and other office duties like bringing items down to be photographed.
It was a whirlwind week, but I truly enjoyed every minute. The atmosphere is so cooperative and friendly, and it is so exciting to see all of the work and minute details that go into the production of a magazine. It also helps that Country Living is a magazine that is familiar to me, not only because my mom had a subscription for many years, but because in many ways it is almost a picture perfect representation of my home in Virginia. It is a great feeling to be doing something "real" for the first time, even if it is just an internship, and there is an unexplainable happiness that comes with doing something you honestly enjoy.
