Last week, I began my internship in the UK Parliament. As part of the Hansard program, all scholars are placed with an MP or Lord, local business or relevant lobbying firm. Scholars are able to provide preferences when applying for the program.
I was placed with two MPs for the Scottish National Party, and began work last week. So far, I am in awe of how well the Hansard Society matched scholars with placements; every scholar on my program feels that theirs is a good fit.
On this program, students work three days a week. In my case, I am in the office Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays every week. So far in my internship, I have been given substantial responsibility and ample opportunities to interact directly with my MPs. One of my favorite things so far has been joining the MPs in escorting guests through the houses of Parliament. As a tour guide back home at Northeastern, I have been greatly enjoying learning all the ‘fun facts’ to be shared when showing someone around. Doing this has also brought on a certain feeling of disbelief that I am actually here in London and working at such a revered, historical institution.
Public tours are available as well. While not as personalized, they are still wonderful and I would definitely recommend them, especially for students of history or politics. On tour, you can see the chambers for the House of Lords and the House of Commons as well as the Queen’s robing room and Westminster Hall, among other stops. A personal favorite of mine is Central Lobby which has a gold mosaic ceiling often missed by visitors as they pass through.
I am in awe of the majesty that these building command and have to pinch myself to make sure that I actually do have the privilege of calling the Palace of Westminster my office. I have also been impressed with the amount of real work afforded to Hansard scholars in their internship placements: we are typically treated as normal staffers and entrusted with significant responsibilities right off the bat.
In my last post, I discussed some of the cultural differences I had been warned to expect in a professional environment. The first was British humor: I am proud to say that my own personal sarcasm competes well with the locals in my office, though theirs is certainly more aggressive than mine.
The next, and perhaps the one I was most concerned about, is the “British reserve” or the concept that Brits may be more reserved in social situations than Americans would be used to. Given that my office is staffed by Scots I’m not sure how much this would apply, but I have yet to feel uncomfortable. In fact, my supervisor treated me as a proper colleague from the start– as though we had been working together for months.
The “tea culture” I was warned about 100% exists, though interns are asked to make tea just as often as anyone else offers to provide it. Fun fact: there are a number of restaurants, cafes and such within parliament only open to passholders. Some of these are only open to members and lords.
After a successful first week of work, I handed in my first written of the assignment which also happens to be my first academic assignment since this time last year as I was on co-op during this past spring semester. In the UK, courses and assignments are significantly less structured, but the Hansard professors have been wonderful about providing feedback on drafts.
After my classes for the week, I hopped on a flight to Cologne, Germany to visit a childhood friend of mine. While I love the students I am abroad in London with, it was a nice change of pace to see a face from home and to meet a new, much calmer city.
For perspective, Cologne is equal to roughly two Bostons in terms of size and population, but feels a lot like Belgrade (where I did my first co-op) in terms of community and functionality.
As an industrial city with a notable university population, it brings together an interesting mix of people.The friend I stayed with is was born and raised in the United States, but moved to Germany to attend university and has since become fluent in German. While in Cologne, we spent time with many of her German friends with whom she communicated primarily in German. For this reason, I finally felt, for the first time since starting this study abroad, that I was in a foreign country.
Now, I have loved traveling around the United Kingdom and living in London, and enjoyed my weekend trip to France, but since I know the language or have been able to get by with minimal difficulty it has been hard to remember that I am, in fact, not at home. After living in Serbia for six months and traveling to so many places where I couldn’t always communicate easily, the comfort of being able to do so, while it has taken some of the anxiety out of traveling, has also taken some of the excitement out of it as well.
Being in Germany felt like I was really traveling again- pushing myself out of my comfort zone.
While Cologne is likely not at the top of my lost lists of German destinations, I can vouch that it is an absolutely lovely city. On my first day there we went for a quick lunch (pro tip: most restaurants have tons of fresh, healthy options that are very affordable) and then payed a visit to the Chocolate Museum (thus negating my very healthy lunch). The museum is owned by Lindt, and gives a brief history of Chocolate from its beginnings to now. The tour includes free samples and a viewing of a sample factory line that produces some of the chocolates sold in the shop.
I would also recommend a visit to the Cologne Cathedral. My friend and I climbed up all 509 steps to the top, which is the highest point in the city and lets you see for miles on all sides.
As I settle back into London after a quick weekend away I am excited to get more involved in my internship office and can’t wait to see what else is to come. Cheers!
