The Internship

This week I finally began the internship that I have been talking about for months. Unfortunately this will be an unpaid internship, however, it will be great experience and should be a great addition to my application for graduate schools. So what do I do for this internship you might be asking yourself? Here's the info.

I work in the office of a member of the SNP, or Scottish National Party. I am an assistant to the head researcher within the office. There are only two of us, as in me and the researcher, but we get along well and it should be a fun few months. I get to attend meetings that my MSP, Member of Scottish Parliament, goes to and take notes so the researcher knows more about what goes on in the meeting. I am currently researching a project that would put wind farms off the coast of Scotland. I like to think of it as a glorified version of the GMAT. I have been given an argument and understand both sides of the coin. Now my responsibility is to find all the holes in each side and present them to my MSP so she knows what she's up against. It immediately brought home the fact that national government can be the glue that holds business and local governments together. It is really exciting to think that what I have to say actually matters.

I get to attend debates in the parliamentary chamber and see politicians answers all sorts of strange questions. Sometimes the matter being discussed appears rather uncontroversial, but then they always manage to tweak things so a simply matter becomes a huge parliamentary debate, funny how government works. I also have access to the cafeteria. This reminds me of being in elementary school again, although this time I actually purchase food from the cafeteria instead of bringing a lunch from home.

Along with the internship comes the opportunity to show friends and family around the Scottish Parliament. I can take people on tours and give them the in's and out's of the building. I just learned that the window decorations on the side of the building are not glue guns, but apparently representative of a window curtain being pulled back. There are lots of other interesting symbols within the building itself, so you just might have to journey over here so I can give you the grand tour.

All being said, and I know I haven't said much, I think this will be a great experience. I am working eight hour days, four days a week. I keep Saturday and Monday open so I can work at Sports Direct when they need me (this is the place I sell shoes). Being busy has helped me to manage my time more effectively and get back into a steady routine.