A Day in the Life of a New York City Intern

We wonder if samisnotalonejk is still interning here. For her sake, we hope not. It's VERY hot and stinky today. —Sparkitors

I’m jealous of all my friends. I’m jealous that they can wake up whenever they want while I wake up the same time as my dad. I’m jealous that they can relax and smell the fresh summer breeze, while I commute to work and get my pores clogged by city pollution. I’m jealous that they have endless time to do summer homework, while I try to muster enough energy to do it in the limited time I have. I’m jealous that all they have to concentrate on is varsity tryouts, SAT classes, and tanning, while I stay pale and worried about my job.

6:35 a.m.: My mom shakes me awake. During the school year I usually wake up at 7:15, so this time is pretty early for me, especially since it’s summer. As I slide off my bed, I stare into my closet. I usually pride myself on having pretty good taste, but when the dress code doesn’t allow shorts of any kind, it’s a million degrees, and the thought of wearing another skirt makes me want to gag, it’s hard for me to pick something to wear. Eventually I cave in, yank out a skirt, and go downstairs.

6:45 a.m.: I eat breakfast while I watch my mom make my lunch.

7:10 a.m.: I run out the door with my bag and my lunch box, which is really a cosmetic bag with pictures of fruit on it.

7:15 a.m.: Along with a whole crowd of other commuters, I stand waiting for the train to pick me up and bring me to Penn Station.

7:24 a.m.: As usual, the train’s late. I struggle to find an empty seat and settle into a four seater area and hope that no creepers sit next to me. Depending on the day, my friend accompanies me because she works at her dad’s office in the city. But that's only two days a week.

7:24-8:22 a.m.: Usually I fall asleep on the train after watching a little bit of A Very Potter Sequel on my iPhone, and staring at old women haphazardly applying makeup. My body somehow always wakes up at the exact same time every day—when we’re going through the Lincoln tunnel.

8:22-8:45 a.m.: As I leave the station, I walk past the screaming people advertising free newspapers, and finally reach 5^th Avenue, where my building is. I won’t say the name of the company, but all of you should be familiar with it. It’s a nonprofit organization that brings girls together and sells cookies. I work at the headquarters.

8:45 a.m.-4:30 p.m.: The first thing I do when I get into my cubicle is check my email for any updates or meeting requests. I work on projects that include researching, reading, inputting information, and writing. I do a lot of the things that are mundane and no one wants to do, but not right now. I'm currently working on a project that requires me to come up with questions for girls to answer to educate themselves more about other countries. This one’s hard, requires lots of creativity, and has a firm due date.

Throughout the day I check my regular email, check store websites, read my fashion blogs, and obsessively check SparkLife to see if Auntie’s posted yet. I also continuously text my friends. A lot of the time, it’s really quiet and there’s not much for me to do, but when they give me work, they sure pile it all on at once. My stress lives goes from zero to 100 in a matter of seconds.

I’ll eat my lunch in my cubicle or meet up with my friend depending on the day, and sometimes venture out to window shop along the streets. Generally, the atmosphere’s relaxed and people are so nice. New people are always so shocked that I’m still in high school.

4:30 p.m.: I say bye to my supervisor and speed walk back to Penn Station. I usually get there with about 4 minutes to spare.

4:50 p.m. - 5:34 p.m.: I usually fall asleep if my friend isn’t there. Or I try to entertain myself with my phone. My body always wakes up exactly two stations before my stop.

5:40 p.m. - 5:55 p.m.: I take a run to stay in shape for tennis season.

5:55 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.: I shower, scarf down dinner, and talk with my sister.

7:30 p.m.- 11 p.m.: My mom yells at me to work on my SAT books, which I usually ignore. I relax and watch TV. Then I think of the the pile of summer homework on my desk, the saxophone waiting to be practiced, and the tennis racket sitting in my garage. I usually grab one of the books I have to read for English or AP Environmental so I won’t have to strain my brain.

11 p.m. - 11:30 p.m.: I get ready for bed, pack my bag for the next day and think of laying out clothes. I shrug and think, “I’ll deal with it tomorrow.”

And the next day I go through it all over again.

My day is 25% doing nothing, 15% travel, 30% doing some type of work, 5% shopping, 5% meetings, 5% guilt, and 15% exhaustion.

Even though I complain to anyone who will listen, I’m glad for the experience—being in the real world of commuting and cubicles. If I could start this summer over again, I would still have applied for this internship. Plus, it won’t hurt my resume.

Have you ever had an internship? What do you think of them?

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