Just a Workin' Girl!

This week was my first experience of a full week of work!

Holy cow am I tired! It was a huge week!

First of all, last weekend I went to China Town and witnessed New Year celebrations! It was awesome! We hung out at some friend's house in China Town for a while and then at 12:00 we all went outside an saw a bunch of people dressed up as dragons and they were moving from Chinese restaurant to Chinese restaurant doing a dance around the firecrackers that were being set off! It was really exciting and there were tons of people in the streets. People were standing on the snow mounds along the streets. Below are a few pictures.

On Sunday I went to a church nearby and after there was dinner for the homeless and anyone who attended. It was neat because we were able to meet a lot of new people. AND Sunday was Valentines day so in honor I will add the below picture.

Just the typical Philly picture;)

Monday felt long because of my classes, then Tuesday through Friday I was at work from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM. This week, I did various different tasks at work. Some include..

-Attending 2 sales tours of the hotel for representatives of competing hotels.

-Attended the business meeting every morning that included all the sales women.

-Attended the "stand-up" meeting every morning which included managers in charge of events, The Coffee Bar (the cafe in the hotel), Tavern 17 (the restaurant in the hotel), housekeeping, maintenance, sales, reservations and front desk.

-Went through a computer training program for Delphi which creates BEOs which are Banquet Event Orders. This program is used by all departments in the office I work in.

-Attended a sales meeting with a bride and her wedding planner.

-Designed the screen shots that appear on the TVs outside event space.

-Created labels for brochures and stapled sales packets.

-Set up and preformed a Site Inspection.

Tonight one of my roommates and I went to a really delicious Crepe restaurant a block away! We split a berry crepe with vanilla ice cream! It was so tasty! After dessert we went to a friend's house to hang out with other people from the Center.

Tomorrow I need to go and buy some more vegetables at the Italian Market and finish up my homework. Then Monday starts another week:)

First Day on the Job!

Today was my first day at the Radisson Warwick Hotel.

I started my day at 8:30 AM. I attended a morning meeting with my supervisor and other hotel staff. After that I was given a tour of the hotel. The top 8 floors are condominiums and I work on the 3rd floor. The middle 12 floors are for hotel guests. I was able to see all of the conference rooms and large spaces that are rented out for events. The decorations are beautiful and all look very beautiful. On my tour I was introduced to many of the hotel staff. It is nice to start meeting everyone and learning their names! I have my own desk and computer, which once my email is set up I will be able to log onto.

After lunch I worked on a Valentine's Day chocolate gifts to be given out to hotel guests. After that I filled some papers and sat in on a meeting between the weddings coordinator and the hotel chef. Next week I was told that there is a lunch meeting that a couple of the women in the office are going to with an event planner! I am really excited!

This weekend is the Chinese New Year and a few girls from the Center live in China Town so I think some friends and I are going to join in the festivities! Next week I will have a real schedule to follow! Class on Monday and work Tuesday thru Friday:)

Happy Valentine's Day!

The Internship Search is Over!

So...the search is over!

I had an interview yesterday at the Radisson Plaza Warwick Hotel and after being given an offer, I decided I wanted to intern there! I will be able to help and learn about all the steps that go into planning the events that occur at the hotel. The hotel hosts conferences, social events and weddings. The hotel is gorgeous!

I am most excited to intern at the Radisson because I have been told and was told during my interview that they do an amazing job targeting your internship experience towards what your interests are. They told me that if I am doing something and I feel that I would like to work more hands on or try something different that they will move me onto another project or area within the office.

I start working on Friday at 8:30 AM! I am so excited to start having a regular schedule and gaining working experience. It has been difficult waiting around trying to figure out my placement.

Currently we are in the middle of a record setting snow storm....it's kind of a big deal. We are basically stuck in our apartment unless we want to walk against wind and snow. They are even saying that we may get more snow on Monday too! I wouldn't mind a snow day in a few weeks when I am exhausted from working but right now I am eager to start my internship!

I hope everyone in Michigan is enjoying the snow:)

Philly vs. Mother Nature

This was such a busy week!

Some of the highlights include;

Classes on Monday! I really enjoy my classes:)

I had an interview at the Independence Hall Visitor's Center for event planning but it sounds like it will involve more sales than actual event planning so I have a few more interviews next week.

The Center put on an activity on Identity on Thursday night. A group of actors came in and we ran through some activities and discussed different cultures and our identities. It was fun and they gave us some delicious soft pretzels.

On Friday a group of friends and I visited art galleries in Old City. Every first Friday of the month there are free activities going on in the city. So on Friday all the galleries were open for people to walk in. It was interesting because each art gallery had different types of art; sculpture, paintings, and art made out of random objects. The most interesting gallery we went to was the our last stop. It was Jewish and had art made out of pressed flowers! They were absolutely beautiful flowers. We stayed there for a bit and they announced that they would be having a dinner for anyone who wanted to attend. We decided to stay and they taught us how to wash our hands and say their prayer before dinner. We ate some delicious bread, salad, and chicken while listening to loud songs and pounding on the tables. It was all very amusing and eye opening to learn about another religion and culture.

Friday night was when the snow started to fall...and it didn't stop. Our walk back to our apartment from Old City had us walking through at least a foot of snow!!
We woke up on Saturday morning to over two feet of snow. The news referred to the snow as a war that Philly was up against. The city has no real way to remove the snow because of the number of streets and how close they are to each other. The city isn't the best at snow removal but they sure know how to salt the sidewalks!! We were hit by some salt a few times when walking the streets!

Saturday night Lisa and I went to visit some friends from the Center and the walk involved sliding on slushy, icy sidewalks, climbing mounds of snow and walking through a few streets due to the lack of a path on the sidewalks. It was a real adventure but somehow snow here in the city is a whole lot more fun than snow at home!

Tomorrow we are meeting up with a large group of people from the Center to visit the Art Museum because the first Sunday of every month the art museum is pay what you want. Then in the evening we are going to watch the Super Bowl at a house of friends that live in Old City.

Next week I have two interviews, one on Monday and one on Tuesday! I am hoping to have my internship all figured out very soon!

I hope everyone is doing well:)

STEP 1: Get out the door!

South Street with a layer of snow!

My roommate Lisa

Whole Foods is Closed!

Another view of South Street

CITY HALL!

I've Only Been Here TWO Weeks??

WEEK 2!!

It seems incredibly hard to believe that only a short two weeks ago I got out of the Taxi in front of the Holiday Inn Express. Now I have been living in my apartment IN THE CITY for a whole week. Two weeks doesn't seem like a very long time and yet so much has happened! This past week I spent a lot of time walking to and from The Philadelphia Center.

Monday I had my Power and Authority class that met at 30th Street Station. It was POURING outside. My roommate and I trudged our way through the rain to the closest subway station and took the subway to 30th Street Station. It was beautiful and the architecture was impressive. We did an activity at the station and then finished class back at the Center. Later that night I had my first marketing class.

Tuesday I was able to sleep in until I made a trip to the Center to turn in my internship preferences. Before heading to the Center, my friend and I checked out this really neat thrift shop behind our apartment.

Wednesday was the first day of what they call "Caucus". The instructors at the Center meet to discuss our internship preferences and start to set up interviews. In the morning my roommate Gretchen and few of our friends from the Center walked to the Italian Market a few blocks away to pick up some tasty and fresh fruits and vegetables. We also went into a cheese shop and tasted some of the most delicious cheese I have ever tasted. Later that day, we all met at the Center at 2:30 to check and see if any of us had interviews. I called to set one up at the Independence Hall Visitor's Center and was told to wait for more information on my other choices. Later that day I found out that I had an interview set up for Thursday morning. This interview was at Domus Inc., a small advertising and PR firm right next door to the Center. I spent the night preparing for my interview and reading up on Domus Inc.

Thursday I had my interview at 10:30 am. I rode the elevator to the 19th floor and waited for my interview. It went very well! The people I interviewed with made me feel very comfortable and it helped me to feel more confident about future interviews. I spent the rest of the day at the Center waiting to check the caucus list again at 2:30 and sat around until 5:00 when the Homelessness Colloquium was to begin. The Center ordered us pizza and invited in a man who works with the homeless in the city to speak. He spoke to us about why people are homeless, how to help the homeless and some of the efforts being made to assist the homeless in Philadelphia. It was helpful to have his perspective and he was a great speaker.

Friday my roommates and I walked to the center twice to check the caucus list which would put our walking mileage at just about 5 miles for the day!! Later that night we made delicious spaghetti and watched a movie.

Saturday a large group of students from the Center visited some of the "touristy" spots in the city. We all visited the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. It was a lot of fun to hang out with different people and learn more about the historic landmarks that we have been walking past everyday.

Sunday my roommate Kala and I visited the Central Library near Logan Square. We both signed up for library cards and took pictures with large game pieces in a park across from City Hall.

This next week I have two interviews, one on Wednesday and one on Friday. The Center hopes to have everyone placed by the end of the week so we can start working next Monday or even earlier.

Below are some pictures from the last few weeks!

Hope everyone is enjoying winter!! It is hard to believe it is FEBRUARY!

This is a picture from the Italian Market

This is a picture from the Subway after walking through the rain!

Me in front of City Hall!

Of course the famous Liberty Bell!!

Nothing is cooler than a GIANT Domino!

Home in Philadelphia!!!

Today my roommates and I are moving into our apartment!
Here are some details;

Our home for four months: South Street!!
We are living on South street. We live above a store. South street is about 6 blocks south of the center of the city. It is really a quick walk and we keep taking different paths so we can try and see more of the city! South street is a street full of restaurants, shops and apartments. It is a really fun place to live because there is a lot going on! We have walked around it at night and always felt comfortable and safe:) The picture above is of one of the many mosaics found on south street! The inside of our apartment is AMAZING. I will post pictures of the inside soon! We have exposed brick!! It is so cute!

I have three roommates. Lisa is a Senior at Alma and she is living with Kala who is a Junior at Alma. Then Gretchen who is a Junior at Hanover is sharing a room with me. We have all been having a great time being real adults!

This Week
This one week has felt like at least two weeks! The days have been very long because we have had class in the morning and then we have been spending our afternoons walking all over the city looking at apartments. A typical day this week involved headed to The Philadelphia Center in the morning and then grabbing lunch after they give us information and heading out to look for apartments. We would all be on the phone setting up appointments to see more apartments although the center had set many up for us already. Typically The Philadelphia Center would have events at night with more information about the city but if not we would wander the city with new friends or play cards! We felt lucky because we found our apartment on Wednesday which was such a weight off our shoulders. Since then we have bought wireless internet, called to have the gas and electric turned, rented furniture, shopped for kitchen and bathroom supplies and signed a lease!!! Today our rented furniture will arrive and then we need to do some grocery shopping. I also have to start my homework due on Monday!!

Class
This week we signed up for our two classes we will be taking this semester. My city seminar class that meets Mondays from 9 am to 1 pm is called Power and Authority. It was highly recommended by past Alma students that have come to Philly. Our first class was on Thursday and I am very excited for it! I have a lot of friends in it and the teacher is really cool. We are meeting for class at the 30th Street Station on Monday! But I already have a paper due...which is tough because I haven't done any homework in the longest time!

My other class is Marketing Management. I need to take this for my business major back at Alma. None the less, I am very excited for this class as well! We meet Mondays as well but at 6:00 pm. So Mondays will be my class days and then I will be working in my internship Tuesday through Friday.

I have fallen in love with the city of brotherly love!
To sum it all up...I love this city! It is so easy to get around and I feel so comfortable already! I feel like I really know the streets and that I could get myself around very easily! I am looking into some really neat internships which is hard because I want to do them all! The people at the Philadelphia Center are all incredibly nice and helpful! We have all felt a bit overwhelmed at some points during the week and they have been great at calming us down. Oh we have also been eating some amazing food this week! There is such a variety of different foods! Last night we had curry and rice it was delicious!

I hope everyone is doing well and I apologize for the length of the post!

Week One Plans!

Following is the plan for my orientation week. My next post will probably be after orientation ends at which point I will be living in my apartment:)

Orientation at a Glance

Sunday, January 17

3:00 PM - Check in to the Holiday Inn Express-Midtown, 1305 Walnut Street
4:00 PM - Orientation begins - 121 S. Broad Street, 7th Floor

Monday, January 18

Introduction and Discussion of Experiential Education
City Walk - bring comfortable walking shoes!
Housing Process Meeting & Housing Search Begins
International Supper

Tuesday, January 19

Personal Budgeting/Banking Meeting
Student Worker Applicant Meeting
Computer Workshops
Housing Search Continues
Faculty Open House

Wednesday, January 20

Introduction to the Placement Process
Course Registration
Computer Workshops
Housing Search Continues

Thursday, January 21

City Seminars Meet
Intake Interviews and Placement Research
Housing Search Continues
Philly 101 - an insider's view of the city

Friday, January 22

Intake Interviews and Placement Research
Computer Workshops
Housing Search Concludes

Saturday, January 23

Check out of the hotel and settle into apartments