Maxus Global - Adam Miller

I just started my fourth week here at Maxus Global UK. The time has flown by while working on several projects. The fast pace of work in the agency keeps things exciting. I work on the Fiat Digital team which deals with advertising for Fiat, Jeep, and Maserati. My co-workers have kept me very involved in their work with Fiat. My team helps clients get their advertisements, specifically digital ones, online for the consumer to see. From there, the team creates reports on who’s clicking on them and whether they are actually in the market for a car through data analysis. I have mainly been working on these reports (using Excel more than I thought was possible) and analysing the results.

 

The agency does a good job of making sure employees are enjoying their work while still working hard. This week is ‘Battle of the sides’-a week long competition to see which half of the building is better at small games such as chubby bunny, eating contests, or putting competitions. The blue team consists of all the GLS interns and we are winning by a landslide. Shout out to Elizabeth for her winning cookies today!

 

Overall, I have learned a great deal in just four weeks of working at Maxus. One big thing I have learned about is cultural differences. On my team there are over nine countries represented including Australia, New Zealand, Greece, South Africa, France, and the UK. Working with these people everyday is a great opportunity to ask about their stories and hear how they ended up working in London. I have also had my BA242 (Excel) skills tested daily through many reports and cost records. While I’ve found it hard to sit down for eight hours a day, I couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity to learn about international business.

 

 

We are Hobbits of the [York]shire

This weekend I discovered that the best weekends don’t necessarily come from incredible adventures in exotic places, but also from short trips home with close friends.

Flamborough Head

For anyone reading this that doesn’t know, my family is from Yorkshire, a region in the northeast of England in a small seaside town called Bridlington. Yorkshire has always held a special place in my heart, with its striking coastline running parallel to expansive country fields and the moors made famous by Wuthering Heights; so I decided it was high time to share my home with some of my GLS family. 

We took a train up to York from Kings Cross early Saturday morning and were greeted with open arms and warm smiles by the most incredible woman to exist, Elaine. After exploring a little bit of the old town, we headed back to my grandmother’s house for fish and chips, where we ate so much I couldn't breathe.

A wild Eric Alley in his natural habitat

Next stop was the harbor and beach, where Eric decided the water was going to be graced by his presence. He ran full speed, in swimming trunks, into freezing water and promptly ran back out. I don’t think I have ever seen anyone as happy as Eric was as he ran back to us laughing at him on the beach. I love that kid. Then we did one of the things that I hate most in this world: bumper cars. With that said, this was one of the highlights of not just my time in Brid, but this whole semester. I have not laughed that hard in a very long time and watching Eric get out of the car with the donut that he had just bought completely squashed was the cherry on top.

Robes on fleek. Doritos on fleek. 

Regardless of the fact that we had eaten enough food to last us until Christmas, of course I was still hungry. I somehow coerced Eric into thinking going to the grocery store was a good idea, but even more so that he should push me there in my grandmother’s wheelchair. A close encounter with death and half an hour later we came back with cheese and then never even used it, typical. Instead Troy heated up some garlic bread that Elaine had made for us, but really I think he was just trying to burn the house down. One fire alarm later we sat in the in my grandparents robes, watching the parent trap in front of the fire, and I have never been happier.  If you thought that was the end of the attempts to burn down my grandparent’s home by Troy, you’re wrong. The next morning I was woken up by the smell of burning bacon and Troy whispering in my ear that he couldn’t find a skillet. So there he was, using a saucepan to fry bacon. Love him. Needless to say, that didn’t end well and “professional smoke fanner” should be a new skill on my resume.

GLS dads being dads, skipping some rocks

After an eventful day of exploring the Yorkshire coastline, skipping rocks, flying kites and (unsuccessfully) looking for puffins, we walked back to Elaine’s house for a typical English Sunday roast dinner. She made us roast beef, roast potatoes and parsnips, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, stuffing, Yorkshire puddings and enough gravy for Eric Alley to swim in. That woman is incredible.

I’ve written about all that we did, but words can’t explain how happy this weekend trip made me. Going home was great, but really it was the people that came with me that made the trip so incredible. This entire semester has gone by so quickly and I have loved all the opportunities I have been given while over here, but the part that will stick with me the most are the friendships I have made and strengthened whilst here. These people have given new meaning to word family for me, and I can’t wait to see what the next 2 years have in store for us all.

Peace up, A-town down.
-Jennaaaaay

RSG Consulting- Eric Peters

As a part of the GLS curriculum, we are given the opportunity to work an internship while in London. For me, I was placed at small legal research firm RSG Consulting. At first, I was unsure how to feel about my placement considering I had never given serious consideration to research or the legal industry. As I now work at RSG though, I have developed an interest and appreciation for the complexities of the global legal market in ways that I otherwise would not have.

                RSG Consulting conducts research to determine the most innovative law firms in different regions around the world. Innovation is defined as anything new and significant being performed or tried by a law firm. This can range from a deal structure to a philanthropy program.

The results of our findings at RSG are published worldwide in Financial Times magazine. Currently, the firm is investigating innovation in Asia and the Pacific region. It is a very prestigious honor to be ranked highly in our rankings so many firms submit applications to our office. So, in a day to day context, I could be reading over a range of subjects, from mergers and acquisitions in Hong Kong to project finance in Burma. Occasionally, when not enough information is provided, we have to make phone calls to the submitting law firms, to ask more questions. This can lead to some very interesting conversations, especially when the person on the other end of the line speaks Mandarin or Japanese as their first language. Lot of awkwardness. Lots of fun. Ultimately though, we all communicate what we need to and it is all good.

It feels good to be a part of firm that does research in order to recognize law firms who are truly making a difference in a corner of the world. Greatness and creativity deserve to be honored, and that is what I get the opportunity to do in my internship. I could not ask for more. Go Vols.

BONUS: Pictures from this past weekend, when I went hiking in Scotland.

Hiking up to Arthur's Seat.

Arthur's Seat Panoramas.

It was windy.

SCOTLAND THE BRAVE.

I got kicked out of the GroupMe…

This semester in London has been a whirlwind of experiences. The different cultures, languages and people I have encountered, either here in London or traveling for Mini-break and Spring Break, have impacted me as a person as a whole. But the best experience in London has been getting to know my fellow GLSers. Being able to immerse myself in these different cultures has been even better because I have been given the opportunity to do it with people that I now see as friends not just “People I am in London with”. Between traveling with others for Spring Break to living in the “Frat House” every new experience is a chance to get to know another person in GLS on a different level. I have loved traveling all over Europe (and even Africa!!!!) but what I have really loved is to see how much a friendship can grow in a few short months, and how much being a part of the Global Leadership Scholars Program has already changed how I define family.

Here’s to another blog post in 3 months…. Just kidding!

Cheers,

TTATE8

(Tayler Tate)

The Internship - Caitlin Boone

1st Week of Internship at FareShare, which is a nonprofit organization that collects surplus food from local grocery stores and food service places and redistributes it out to a variety of charities in the UK. They have 20 regional centers, where the collection and redistribution occurs. 

     The first day of my internship was overwhelming. I honestly had no idea what to expect. So for the control freak inside, day one was tough. When I first got there, I was 30 minutes early so I just hung out. Then, the London regional director, took two other volunteers and myself through an orientation. Following which, the other volunteers and I started working in the warehouse. For the rest of the week, we completed an assortment of tasks: 

Task 1-pick food to complete orders

Task 2-load orders into vans

Task 3-deliver orders to recipient by van transportation

Task 4-sort surplus food drop offs and donations

Task 5-clean up warehouse 

Task 6-reorganize and evaluate in house stock

Task 7-allocate food to recipients, call to confirm orders

Task 8-Depot Manager

A couple stories from the week: 

a) After packing up my things and signing out, I walked to the bus station, just like I do every other day after work. Then this man, who I had just seen in the break room, turns and says to me, "Sorry that I haven't come down and introduced myself. It has been a busy week. I'm Lindsay. I wasn't sure who the new American intern was, but then the other day, I heard your accent in the warehouse as I was walking through." I was thinking to myself... Okay cool. Jeredine told me that people would be coming down and introducing themselves to me, so at this point, this encounter was normal. Next I inquired how long he had worked at FareShare, "5 or 6 years." I responded, "Oh that's nice, what do you do for FareShare?" He replied, nonchalantly, "I'm the CEO." At that moment, I had no idea how to respond. I felt like a little child who was getting in trouble for not knowing an answer to what a teacher asked, but Lindsay did not care.

b) On Friday, we got in a shipment of individually packaged, organic brownies. As I was leaving, a volunteer asked if I wanted to take some home. Gladly, I grabbed a handful. Then she said, "No, take more." She proceeded to put 3 large handfuls of brownies in my bag plus a loaf of lemon poppyseed bread. I told the woman, my flatmates are going to like me today! 

Favorite parts of the week:

a) Afternoon tea: Up until this point, I have never liked hot tea, yet this past week I watched one of my fellow volunteers make it and I had to try it . . . I'm in England for goodness sake. I must say, I was surprised that I enjoyed it! I can finally say, after 2 months of living in England and 20 years of life, I like tea.

b) Bridging cultural gaps: eating lunch, volunteering, and having a break with my coworkers is the BEST way to learn British culture and to perfect the British accent. I have learned even more about British history and some major differences between London and home. I love having those discussions because my coworkers are more than willing to share their opinion and information with me.

c) Learning Supply Chain-unbeknownst to me, I was experiencing supply chain from day one. Picking, calling, warehouse, depot manager, sorting, allocating-that is all supply chain jargon. It excites me to learn about something that I believe to have a passion for, especially when I didn't even know I was learning.

That's a wrap for week 1. It's already hump day in week 3; I can't believe it.

Here's a picture from Mini-Break . . . in Venice . . . that keeps me working for the weekend:

Much love and many thanks for this experience! 

Cheers,

Caitlin

Conquering Three Continents in Three Weeks - Troy Galyon

Hello world,

It has been quite some time since I last spoke to you all. A lot has happened since I last wrote. I'll give a brief but hopefully good post of my adventures over the past two months!

First.

I traveled to Lisbon, Portugal and then Spain (Sevilla and Barcelona) with Frat 15 and Petey and Sara. So much fun. We saw the streets of Lisbon, La Sagrada Familia, a bull ring in Sevilla, and most importantly THE SUN! It was an incredible spring break, and it only got better the longer it went on. The weekend before we had to return to London we took the crew to Marrakech, Morocco! It was by far my most amazing place I have ever been. Everyone was so friendly, and I felt like everyone loved seeing me. It is hard to describe, but everybody has their place, and I feel like Morocco is mine! I have to go back at some point!

Jen and Tuck with our friends Jawad and Abdoule

Second.

After that we came back to London and had our management class for two weeks. Such a great class, and Daves is a wonderful teacher. We learned so much, and I'm going to be a manager now probably. 

Third.

Although management was fun, my trip to Greece and Turkey with Harris was a tad more exciting and interesting.  I spent my birthday (March 1) in Athens and Corfu. It was amazing to see all of the history. 

The Parthenon (not in Nashville)

After Greece we went to the home of the Ottoman Empire and the crossroads of Western modernization and Easter influence. Istanbul, Turkey. I had a lot of firsts here. First time I stepped foot in Asia. First time I stepped foot inside a mosque. First time I have ever been questioned and frisked by a police officer. Very very interesting and eventful. 

Harris and I decided to go to the Asian side of Istanbul the first evening we arrived in Istanbul. As we were walking along and about to cross a street, we got stopped by Turkish police and questioned as to why we decided to visit the Asian side at such a strange time and what we were planning to do with our time in Turkey. Slightly freaked out, Harris and I got told to leave and walked back to the metro and took the train back to Europe. After our encounter, it was amazing to see the different cultures mixing and the food was so good. 

Our First Meal in Istanbul

Last.

After our great break, Harris and I decided to come back to London to see Dad (Andrew) and start our internships with Parliament. I've campaigned for the Labour Party, I've met some MP's, and I've spent time with my coworkers watching rugby and football matches. It has been an amazing experience to work on a campaign, and it is even more amazing that I am working for an opposing party in the same district Hampstead and Kilburn as my boy Gass. We've decided that a friendly rivalry is in order to see who can win the election. Clearly we will have changed the outcome for each of our candidates. 

The Current MP Glenda Jackson and Me!

Well, that is a super brief summary of my time over the past couple months. We only have one month left. It's very sad that everyone is going to be leaving. The time has flown by, and I don't think I ever want to leave. Luckily I'm not even halfway through my time yet! Much more to come hopefully.

I'm sorry if I left anything out, and I will already apologize to my father because I know he will say this isn't as well written as it could be. Oh well. 

That's all for now,

Troy Galyon

Taylor King: 10 Countries Down, but Who's Counting?

Well folks, It's been an exciting last few months to say the least. I truly wake up every morning and ask myself if this is really my life, and when I decide it is indeed, I then ask myself why I deserve it. I don't have a good answer for the second one, but I am so so so grateful. 

Spring break? Munich, Prague, Krakow (Auschwitz), and Buddapest

Mini break? Spain and Morocco

Work? Jenny Packham

First three months? Perfection

My favorite parts in each country for spring break were as follows:

In Munich, we spent three to four hours at this restaurant called the "Hofbraeuhaus" where we ate awesome food, met fun people, and listened to a live Germanic folk band play quite boisterously. Prague was just magical all around. The tour of the city was wonderful, and my favorite part was walking down by the river with Mikhail, Elizabeth, and Matt, sitting on a barge, listening to the water, and talking about how blessed we are to be where we are. Krakow was interesting. The town wasn't super amazing, but I loved eating in the Pizza place Matt found, going to Auschwitz, and eating in a cute cafe with Eric. The final leg was spent in Budapest where I met a new friend named Sara who is from Colombia but studying abroad in Prague. I also liked exploring the city, seeing the shoe statues, and the riverboat cruise (that was sooooo cool). Truth be told, I couldn't have been happier to be back in my own bed and see the fam once I got back, but spring break was the trip of a lifetime. 

Mini break favorites:

Everything? The sun was shining, I never had to wear a coat (pretty sure I didn't even bring one), and the sights were to die for. Spain was a much needed break from wintry London (though I love it), and I think I enjoyed it so much because I was finally in a non-english speaking foreign country where I could speak the language! It was so much fun communicating with the locals, eating at LB's host family's restaurant (and meeting PAPULI!), eating everything actually, and laying down in the grass next to the beauty of Spain and my pals. Morocco was a different experience, but I loved it in a different way. It felt very primal hiking through the ATLAS MOUNTAINS to see the giant waterfalls (the biggest in Northern Africa), and it felt so perfect. I loved how nice and inviting the people were, and I would love to go back when I could explore the desert more! 

Now I'm back in London working for the amazing Jenny Packham (fashion designer known most notably for being a favorite{favourite as they spell it here} of Kate Middleton), and exploring the city everyday. For example, this weekend I went to Dover with two of my flatmates, Ross and Laura Beth, and then I went to the London Zoo with two more, Hannah and Maggie. The countdown is on, because I have literally one week left here from today, and I'm going to make it count! 

I'm currently stuck in this painful limbo between excitement about returning home to be with my family and friends, and never wanting to leave because a piece of me will now always claim British citizenship.  For now, I guess that means I'll eat my scones, drink my hot tea, and dream about the day when popcorn is salted AND buttered and Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo can once again be consumed. 

XX Taylor 

(For some reason everyone in my office signs their e-mails like this, I thought I would try it out)

Buddapest

Primrose Hill, London

Madrid, Spain

Morocco 

Brighton, England

Madrid, Spain

Eniskerry, Ireland

The gals at work (Jenny Packham)

The Grimm Tales, London

Dover, England