29 June
As I stand in front of a big white building, the Cape Town wind blows through my self-ironed, still-crinkly jacket and my knees start to shake a little from excitement, nerves and fear. When I open the door to the seventeen offices, I can already feel the fresh vibe pulsing through the air. The staff are very much like the mag – fresh, hip and easy to relate to. Khwezi’s smile is real and not some pageant party trick. My mentors are Lisel and Leanne who are in the PR and Marketing department, but their jobs include many other duties like event planning, negotiating, packaging etc. They helped me understand the exciting stuff marketing is made of! This space is my mind (often empty or travelling somewhere far from my maths book) and it’s now filled with the hum of meetings around the white table, Google homepages, make-up, magazines and clothes. Read on as the fun and madness continues…
First day with Leanne - showing us the ropes!30 June
I'm only a toddler in this big media world and although I find myself stumbling and feeling a bit of teething pain, every day gets more exciting. I was able to experience “admin”… cue the dum dum daaaa (and gain new-found respect for our school receptionist!). At lunch time I went for a walk with four other interns – my new heels were killing me but that’s punishment for having one too many pairs of shoes. We walked down the side pavement and like a South African version of Sex & The City our hair blew in the wind, taxis hooted at each other and we walked and chatted about boys and swapped intern stories. In the seventeen office, they have separate bins for glass, plastic, paper and other – I thought this was a really great idea. If we all went a little greener it would really make a difference, simple things like having separate bins, not leaving your cell charger plugged in and planting your own veggies. So the thought for the day is: GO GREEN GIRLIES!!
1 July
What a day! We were very busy today getting ready for the Tyger Valley Matric Dance Expo that happened on 2-5 July – we packed loads of goodie bags. I’m getting quite computer savvy too, daring even to open two Internet pages at the same time! After sitting at the computer for nearly five hours, I needed some fresh air so Estea (my marketing intern buddy) and I went for a walk in the sunshine. I came back fresh and ready to get down to work again. Thought for today: when you’ve been studying or working for hours, go outside and do something active. It really helps!
Going cross eyed!2 July
Style does come at a price! Today we worked at the Tyger Valley Expo selling seventeen subscriptions and after four and a half hours of standing, my feet were aching! Those beautiful black ankle boots that my daddy dearest had been completely manipulated into buying were now getting the best of me. Although I had so much fun laughing, joking, making friends and selling subscriptions that I only realised how sore my feet were afterwards. After our promo work, we were allowed to have a break so I committed a huge girl crime… instead of shopping I snuck into a change room with two tops and a pair of jeans and just flopped down to relax! Those boring but super comfy pumps back in my room were now looking like fluffy pillows. Thought for today: style does not have to come at a price, you can be funky and fresh and still be able to walk on two feet.
The gorgeous seventeen stand at the Tyger Valley Matric Dance Expo3 July
Today was a wow busy day. We packed boxes and phoned half our little (HUGE) black book! He he! We had so much to do in the marketing department and things were just buzzing. Estea and I did not know how we were going to finish it all… Yes, we love you UrbanScouts but you made us pack 636 pairs of sunnies for all of you who’ve scored points. Scary movie music began to play in my mind as we began unwrapping glasses, repacking them in cases and doing the admin for 636 envelopes! Boxes began piling up and we hadn’t even hit a hundred yet. Chloe and Demi-Sue (fashion interns) and Lauren (editorial intern) came to help us so in the end we had loads of fun laughing and sorting out all these sunnies. Our new friends really did help us out and kept the upbeat atmosphere alive. If you're interested in becoming an UrbanScout and getting access to all sorts of events plus getting cool goodies (like sunnies!), then hit www.seventeen.co.za and apply today. Thought for today: many hands make light work!
6 & 7 July
These two days have been a blur – I’ve never seen so many sunnies since the Mr Price Pro! Yes, we're still busy with the sunnies but we also had to make sure other events were running smoothly. I got to phone the lucky ladies who won the Diesel watches from the Tyger Valley Expo – it was awesome to hear girls jumping with excitement. Memories of my amazing weekend were being pushed away with each new envelope for sunglasses. I was slowly running out of steam. Demi and Chloe came back later to help and Demi was so full of energy that she motivated the thought for today… things do get a little tough, a little tedious and a little long but sometimes you need to just get down, get focused and get going!
8 July
I was up at 5am packing my bags and thinking about what to wear for my last day as a seventeen intern. A bit of black to mourn no more intern friends, no more awesome mentors Lisel and Leanne, no more seventeen email address, no more personal desk and computer A bit of white to complement the office, some yellow for the jewels of wisdom I’d learnt and would be taking with me and pink… for seventeen, the hope of the future, the experience of the past and the joy of the present. My last day was bitter sweet – I loved spending time with my intern friends and enjoyed my KFC Avalanche and chips (not together) but I’ll miss everyone so much! Thank you seventeen.
Estea and I - marketing buddies!
Our lovely mentors - Leanne (left) and Lisel (second left)
All my amazing intern friends!
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