It isn’t in many professions that Tuesday is the first day
of the working week.

But I guess that’s just one of the differences between a Sunday
paper and a regular weekly.

Today signalled my first day of my second internship,
practically making me an expert in the interning field.

So why did I have to walk past the office three times before
I plucked up the courage to walk in?

Thankfully, when I eventually walked through the revolving door,
everything was fine.

For the first half hour I was suitably impressed by the
Advertiser’s office. My tour guide, the extremely bright Head of Human Resources,
showed me the five levels of offices, the gym and a rooftop function room
complete with an undercover barbecue.

Time for a quick workout then home time?

I think not!

After joining the morning news conference, I was set up on a
desk with a computer and a pile of regional papers.

A warning from a fellow Jschooler flashed before me – “I had
to sit in the corner and read old papers all week.”

Oh please no, I thought. Please don’t tell me I’ll be doing
this for the next two weeks.

But never fear! I was simply directed to find possible follow
ups.

The rest of the day passed smoothly.

I even managed to muster the courage to ring a few sources
(though I was never able to forget my every word could be heard by the office).

The day also included an emotional interview with a girl
running the City to Bay for some very inspiring reasons, some (hopefully) good
story ideas and a yogurt lunch.

And now to answer my mother’s question – what did you learn
today?

• My suspicions that journalists are inherently helpful and
  kind were confirmed.
• It pays to be confident and to ask questions.
• During interviews it important to be professional – but the
  need to connect with a subject is even more important.
• I still love working as a journalist.

Let’s keep our fingers crossed that all these points (particularly the last one!) stay true!