Bedouk

Ok, theres a lot to relay concerning this subject and since some of you readers have proved to get a teensy weensy bit snippy when I'm not producing regularly, I'll make tiny installments. I must also preface this by saying its going to get a little stream of consciousy here. There's a lot to tell and I'm no pro writer, so I hope you'll take what you can get. I prepped for my first day at the internship by allowing ample time and leaving early. I left at 9:25. I begin work at 9:30. Now I know how long it REALLY takes, I'm not forced to be so absurdly cautious and I leave at 9:28. Have I mentioned that I don't have to cross the road to get to work, cause I don't. Bedouk has been bought out by InfoPro, who does, lots of things, I guess. Luckily, working as an intern means I'm not expected to know anything or do anything correctly. It's like being a baby. Or a dog. My manager is from L.A. She married a frenchman, which is how she has managed to infiltrate the Fort Knox that is the European employment systems. On my first day, I was placed under the kind and gentle supervision of Casey, an intern from Illinois who has been at Bedouk since November. She was at IFE, so she knows all the pertinent info I need regarding the paperwork, relationship, and expectations between Bedouk and IFE. It seems that Bedouk couldn't function without interns. I am one of four. I guess I should back up. Bedouk plays the role of a business travel agent. Companies use Bedouk's free venue finding service to locate convention halls, meeting spaces and event centers all over the world. Bedouk connects large companies with these venues and hotels, who then pay for their finders fee. Its a valuable tool for companies with enough money in this economy to continue holding international conferences and no time to do the venue hunting themselves. Assuming, however, they let me finish my pitch and not just hang up on me like the "proper" English tossers that they sometimes have a tendency to reduce themselves to, at least when I get fustrated and start calling them names (see above). My job is to call these clients, meeting planners and enterprises that hold international events and offer to help, free of charge and without taking anything off their commission if they receive one. If this sounds difficult, its because it is. I floundered a bit the first few days, but by Friday I actually caught myself leaning back and swivelling in my desk chair, one foot on the windowsill, one hand twirling a pen in the air while schmoozing with John Doe of Boring Industries in Rainy, England. K, that's all I got in me today, more on the myriad of co-workers later. Hi ho, hi ho......