First Official Day

My first official day in London was a little overwhelming. Interns were having interviews this week and of course mine was first thing in the morning during orientation for all the students (summer interns as well as the London now kids who were taking courses). I left Thoresby an hour and a half before my interview at 10:30 a.m. because we had yet to use the tube or underground (subway system). I looked over my London map as well as the map for the underground and then double checked it...and again checked it. I picked out a route that could get me there, I didn't know if it was the fastest but I knew I had to change directions on the Northen line to get from Angel (my stop) to Goodge Street (still can't pronounce it right on the first try). My day pass would not work though, I kept trying to scan it through but the tube doors would not open. People were beginning to pile up behind me and I could feel their eyes burning in to the back of my head (FOREIGNER). I stepped out of the way of the morning traffic to recollect myself. I walked over to an underground worker and explained to him the trouble I was having. Well my punctuality got the best of me. It was 9:15 and day passes did not go in to effect till 9:30. I was flustered. Luckily the nice man could tell I was flustered and ushered me through the doors with his own pass. He then asked where I was headed and immediately gave me a much easier, and quicker, route to take to get there. All in all my first tube adventure was a success. Streets in London seem to enjoy changing names every few blocks so I got a little turned around finding the offices of NINETEEN74, the company that publishs Schön! magazine, where I'll be interning this summer. Schön means beautiful in German according to my editor, Raoul.
I opened the doors to the office which looked somewhat like the doors to the kitchen of a trendy restaurant, sweating and still sniffling. I felt much more relaxed however when the receptionist, a chic young Londoner, greeted me with a relaxed smile and asked me to take a seat - Raoul had not yet made it to the office, I was a little (punctually) early for my 10:30 appointment.
As I flipped through the pages of past issues girls came in and out of the office, dressed very fashionable and hip but never looking like they tried to. It reminded me of something Alexa Chung was quoted on in a magazine. Londoners don't try as hard as Americans do, they just roll out of bed and grab what they can reach. It seems true and the wonderful thing about it is, no matter what you are wearing whether a leather choker or a leopard jumper no one looks twice at you. In the states, and especially at home in Texas, people want to look good but they also want to fit in. If I walked around Houston in a leopard jumper I would get so many strange stares and quizzical brows I'd probably rip the thing off and replace it with a brown paper bag (several probably). My point is people in London seem to have such a free spirit and don't really seem to care to try and knock others down.
Anyway after a few minutes Raoul came in and took me across the hall of the reception to a meeting, lined on the walls were rows and rows of clothes. We talked for a bit, he explained I'd be writing for the next issue and what my hours would be like and that was that - simple. I asked about the office dress code seeing as I showed up in a rather tight wool pencil skirt and black heels, he said whatever I felt comfortable in - so maybe I'll give this effortlessly hip fashion sense that everyone seems to have here a try...should be a great summer :)