The First Week of My Internship: A New Adventure

Hello again!

I have completed my first week interning in London! Working as a Volunteer Officer for The Conservation Volunteers has been such an adventure. Walking to work the first day, I got slightly turned around, but (with the help of Google Maps) I made it to the correct office on time! All my first day nerves vanished when I was greeted by incredibly kind colleagues. In fact, one lady offered to make me tea! With a cuppa tea in hand and lovely colleagues by my side, I was starting to really like my new internship.

Take a moment to imagine a typical office job. Got it? Okay, now completely wipe that image from your mind because my internship is not quite like that. It's definitely not your usual office job, as I rarely spend any time in the office. For instance, on my first day I arrived at the office only to leave a few minutes later. My supervisor and I took a bus to a Camden Volunteer Fair at a local community center. I jumped right into the swing of things, telling local community members about TCV and encouraging them to volunteer at a Green Gym.

You may be thinking- what is a Green Gym? A weight room in the woods? No, despite the name, it's not literally a gym placed outside. Green Gyms are community lead practical conservation projects to help you get active and improve local green spaces. For the majority of this week, my time has been spent outside in the sunlight, caring for the environment and engaging with local community members. The volunteers that I worked with were of all different cultures, ages, and backgrounds, and everyone was very friendly. Whether it's pulling unruly horsetail plants at Ingestre Woods, or building a tool storage box at Regent's Park, these conservation projects helped me connect with other people while also making a difference in the community.

The first week at my internship has been full of friendly people, refreshing sunlight, and fun adventures. I can't wait to go back to work next week- we are doing an exciting project dealing with hedgehog habitats!