27 Jun A unique experience in London
My Grandpa always used to say that you can never plan anything 5 years in advance. I’d like to amend that statement; you can never plan anything in advance because the present and future are absolutely sporadic. One minute I was on Facebook chatting about an essay, the next: pouring over the Absolute Internship website after seeing a pop-up on my sidebar. That pop-up changed all my summer plans and will, I suspect, change the greater course of my life.
Hi, my name is Jackie Irvine and I will be a publishing intern in London; I will be writing, editing, discussing and helping to pioneer the firm newest enterprise.
I have been writing for as long as I can remember; poorly drawn picture books when I was 5, poetry… since I could form reasonable sentences (because I always have something to say whether it be about pineapples or punch). Poetry evolved into fiction, blogs, web-write ups and was eventually used in essays. That is where I learned my skill for copywriting and copyediting. There is a real satisfaction I take from selecting words, collaging them together and creating something meaningful. Here in Toronto, I study English at the university of Toronto, St. George though most of my writing time is spent at a tiny café just outside of the downtown core: Mercury Espresso Bar. At Mercury, I have been able to really discuss writing with like-minded friends and make valuable business connections, which eventually lead to me working pro-bono on small copywriting and editing projects. Upon my arrival I will be smelling, tasting and chatting around London to find a café of equal caliber. When I find it, you can trust it will be highly spoken of in my future blogs.
The other thing I will be looking for is a gym. Here in Toronto, I am lucky enough to have access to a high performance gym equipped with weight-sleds (otherwise known as prowlers), kettlebells, 14 squat racks and 8 olympic lifting pads. The student residence is equipped with a nice gym but I am very passionate about my compound lifts which will require a couple barbells. Hopefully there will be a gym nearby the student complex or the head offices at Dennis. I am lucky enough to know several trainers who have connections in London so hopefully they can point me in the right direction.
I really intend to build a life in London, establishing roots somewhere else other than Toronto… I keep telling my friends that I’m flying away to be an adult. I am no child but as is, moving abroad with my own apartment and working as a writer… that feels more like adulthood than any other experience I’ve had. I’ve travelled a lot by myself and have enriched my life with athletic ambitions in dressage and weightlifting; academic ambitions at school and artistic ambitions with writing, but never have these given me a sense of establishment as an adult. Maybe this is my time as Sabrina , the girl who goes to Europe and comes back as a woman. There are many people I will miss, my sisters, my parents, my horse and dogs, my friends, the café and the gym… but this is a once in a lifetime chance at metamorphosis. Follow me and my journey, growing up, learning, laughing and writing in this amazing thing that is Absolute Internship.
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