Hi there,
Let me introduce myself real quick 😊. My name is Rilke Gryspeerdt, I’m a 23-year-old Communication student at AP Hogeschool in Antwerp. My friends describe me as a positive, driven, funny, and caring soul. I’m passionate about photography 📸 , traveling ✈️ and I’m a sucker for adventures.
Every Friday, for the next 8 weeks I’ll be updating you about my experiences as a Be Bold Digital Marketing Intern. This week I’m mostly writing about my first day and the nerves that came along with it. In the following weeks, I’ll be writing about different topics, like the kind of projects I’m working on, the amazing team that I’m getting to know, the workshops that I’m following, and so on. So, every week will be something completely different.
First two weeks: DONE! ✅
Let’s be honest here for a second, I was super nervous to start my first day. First day jitters is something we’ve all experienced, right? So many questions roaming through your head like: Am I going to fit in? Will my work be significant enough? Am I going to mess up? (You probably will, because you’re only human 😜). All these questions go through your mind a thousand times and I’d be lying if I didn’t say I had them myself.
I must say, it didn’t quite feel like two weeks. The past couple of weeks literally flew by 🌪️. It feels like I only just started yesterday. Starting an internship during corona times is something else, that’s for sure.
HOI
You’re expecting to meet so many new people on your first day and to be ‘sucked’ into the work-vibe atmosphere. Although, my first day was a bit different. A place that could fit 80 people was occupied by only 3, including myself. Nonetheless, I felt at home straight away when I entered the office. Emphasis on the word ‘home’ because that’s really the intention of HOI a.k.a. House of Innovation a.k.a. (and most commonly referred to as) The Office.
The way the office is designed is so clever. It feels like you’re in a huge apartment with your big family. There are several meeting rooms where you can write on the walls to let your creative mind run wild. There’s a living room where you can take breaks with your colleagues and even a bar which they use for various occasions. Not to mention we have a spacious terrace where you can enjoy the sun (if it’s shining – we’re still in Belgium ☔☔) that’s often used for lunch breaks, post-work chill outs 😎 , or maybe even a happy hour🍸—again, weather permitted.
Very first day
Now that I’ve described where I’ll be working, let me tell you a bit more about the warm welcome I got from everybody. After the tour of the office, I received a fun goodie tote bag with Be Bold branded stuff. I got a reusable water bottle — which I’m using every day (we’ve got to stay hydrated💦), a notebook which I’m using as my agenda, a pen, and other fun stuff!
Good vibes
The main communication tool Be Bold uses – especially right now, is Slack. It’s a tool that they use to talk to their colleagues. I introduced myself to the whole team, they responded super friendly and welcomed me with open arms. After settling down, getting everything ready on my computer, I got my first social media task (I’ll tell you a bit more about that in one of my next blogs).
Soon it was lunchtime. Emily, my mentor, took me to her favorite lunch place in Antwerp, where we ordered an amazing sandwich 🥙. The sun was shining ☀️, so we sat on a bench in a little park where we had a super fun talk & got to know each other better. Afterwards I went to my intern home office (corona times) and started working on my first assignment.
All I can say is, my negative thoughts and worries from the first day disappeared instantly. I already can’t wait for it to be Monday again 🤩.
Talk to you later 🐊!
– Rilke Gryspeerdt a.k.a. Digital Marketing Intern @ Be Bold
