What a Year!

My last few weeks in Boston were a whirlwind of excitement and emotions. We welcomed the next cycle of interns to Kinross Road, wrapped up projects at work and explored some new cities.  I said my goodbyes to my colleagues in the office who I have became so friendly with over the last year. I have learned so very much while working with such knowledgeable individuals at NU.

I can fully claim to have immersed myself in true American life. America is an absolutely amazing Country. The people, the culture and the passionate 'American spirit' are inspiring and I was privileged enough to be a part of it over the past twelve months, meeting so many talented people on my travels.

To my fabulous Scottish roommates - It has been a pleasure! Here's to the next chapter and to our next adventures wherever it may be around the world.

Last day at Northeastern. Academic Support Assistant 2013/14.

Since returning from America I have been busy getting back into university, beginning my fourth and final honors year of study at GCU. Rekindling my life in Scotland has been fun catching up with friends and family and sharing my wondrous stories of Boston over and over (and over!).


My experience in America truly was 'super awesome'! An experience I will never forget. I have grown personally and professionally over the last year. Thank you to everyone who was a part of this journey.

My super team at NU! GPAC.

Cheers, Boston!
(I'll be back one day)

Start of a New Term

The past few weeks we have been busy wrapping up spring semester and preparing for the summer. Our spring End of Term Reception took place last week. We congratulated 150 successful students who will now move on to their degree programs at Northeastern. A great day was had by all!

Yesterday we hosted our arrival program where we welcomed our new students who will be joining us for one term before matriculating into their chosen degree program in the fall. The event was a great success and the students are excited to begin their academic career at Northeastern University.

Feeling Like Spring, Finally!

I have neglected my blog for a while... partly because I dropped my laptop and smashed it foolishly and have just recently received it back from the repair shop.

I have been super busy at work with a hectic spring semester at the NU Global offices. I feel as though I have been living in an arctic cave for the past few months. Boston's winter has been extremely harsh, apparently the coldest winter Boston has seen in years. Of course it had to be the year I am living here! However, with the freezing weather and the January blues now out of sight, spring is finally in the air! We decided to welcome this pleasant change by heading to the Capital, Washington DC. for Easter weekend. I am very much looking forward to admiring the cherry blossom trees, exploring a new city and having a break from Boston.

Northeastern University's International Student and Scholar Institute (ISSI) department has recently finished a two month long diverse cultural celebration called Carnevale. The event aims to highlight the rich diversity found on campus through the promotion of intercultural awareness and exploration. We attended the International Ball at The Colonnade Boston Hotel. This was an elegant night of dancing and mingling with other international students and colleagues of Northeastern. A fun night was had by all!

ISSI International Ball

We celebrated St Patrick's Day in style this year. We headed to Boston's South End to soak up the atmosphere on parade day and took part in the street celebrations. As someone who has never really celebrated St Patrick's day at home, it was fun to see how people in Boston embrace this holiday.

St Patrick's Day Celebrations.

In early February we decided to escape Boston's cold climate by heading to Montreal, PQ in Canada to even colder weather... this seemed like a good idea at the time. We took an over night bus from Boston and spent the weekend sight seeing around the city. It was funny to be in Canada surrounded by French speakers. Despite the weather, we had a fantastic weekend in Canada!

Montreal

My twin sister and my good friend, Lauren came to visit me in Boston. This was so exciting for me as i was able to play tour guide again and show them around the city I have been living in for the past eight months. We visited Boston together back on 2008 for a school trip, so it was nice to take a trip down memory lane and revisit all the places we went with our classmates.

Bells in Boston

Time is flying by! I only have 8 more weeks left in the States...

Go Global!

http://business.time.com/2014/02/04/global-internships-the-new-key-to-getting-a-job/#ixzz2sOTMMYyc

I came across this article whilst scrolling through Business Time on my lunch break. An interesting read that's title had grabbed my attention. As an international student here in Boston, interning with Northeastern, I definitely agree with the message of this article. Why stay in your comfort zone when you can go global and explore the world? When I was applying for placements I had every intention of moving away from home. It was the perfect opportunity for me to experience living and working in an entirely different culture. Now, seven months into my year in the USA I have adapted well to American life and don't want this adventure to end!

The City that Never Sleeps... NEW YORK, NEW YORK!

NYC - View from the top of the Empire State Building.

Shopping on 5th Avenue

Before I flew home to spend the holidays with my family and friends in Glasgow, I traveled out of Boston and spent a magical weekend in New York City. From the moment I stepped off the bus I was instantly hooked on the enchanting buzz of this exciting city. I felt like I was in a movie as we walked through 5th Avenue under the spectacular Christmas lights and decorations while stopping to explore a the wondrous shops and attractions along the way. There was a particularly special moment that sticks out from this trip that will stay with me forever. The night before we headed back to Boston we took a wander through a very peaceful and calm Central Park. The snow began to fall around us, our path lit up by sparkling bright Christmas lights and the hustle and bustle of the streets could be heard quietly in the distance. It was incredible. It didn't feel real. I felt so relaxed and blissfully content as we strolled through the snow. It was a perfect way to end our trip in NYC.

Insane Christmas decorations!

Three days in the big apple proved to be not nearly enough time to see everything in New York, but we definitely packed as much as we possibly could into these precious hours.





Times Square


New York is my favourite place! We had such an enjoyable festive weekend.

Event Planning. "A goal without a plan is just a wish" - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

I took lead role in an exciting project over the past 3 months organising every last detail of our End of Term Reception which takes place at the end of every semester. Last semester, despite having little guidance or experience with organising such an event, I was praised highly for my efforts. This time round I was keen to make it even better!

The reception required huge amounts of organisation and became a main focus in my daily tasks over the last month in particular. Over the past few months I have discovered a great passion for event planning. There is great satisfaction and sense of accomplishment in watching an event come together after weeks of preparation and organisation. The 200 guest reception was a tremendous success and I was extremely chuffed with the way it turned out. Bring on the next!!

I have always been so excited and intrigued by huge-scale events; The Olympics, concerts, television award shows, designer fashions shows, to name a few. I always feel a sense of awe when I watch an event like these unfold or even take part in one and I often find myself wondering about the intense preparation involved in making these events such a success. Music festivals, for example, are extremely complex events and every last part of the event will be organised with meticulous detail. As a keen festival-goer myself, I love immersing myself into the magical atmosphere of music festivals and feeling a part of an incredible and unforgettable story. To be able to create and execute an event that stirs up this kind of emotion among those who attend is definitely inspiring. I am hopeful that one day I will be part of planning such a prestigious and memorable event.

Snowed Under... Literally

I arrived back in Boston early evening last night, Jan. 2nd. I was met by a massive snow storm which hit the east cost of America hard yesterday morning during my travels. Having read several weather warnings on the internet while waiting in Dublin airport I was rather nervous about flying into Boston and was really surprised there were no delays. Landing in Boston was quite scary with the howling winds and heaps of snow on the ground, but apart from that the plane journey wasn't as bad as I had anticipated. Result!

I arrived back in the apartment to the news that Northeastern would be shut all day Friday due to these extreme weather conditions. This was going to cause a great deal of disruption within our programs. However, due to the wonders of technology I am able to work from home today and we were able to reschedule the academic orientations for the students. This has definitely gave me great experience working to a very tight deadline and learning how to deal with sudden unforeseen circumstances that may change plans last minute. Communicating effectively via email is essential when these types of events happen that prevent everyone entering the office.

Of course, I made sure there was time to enjoy some of the snow today as well!