GetAway from Wisconsin to London
Sam and Zack are our two interns from the University of Wisconsin study abroad program. They are currently spending a semester in London. We decided to interview them to get their thoughts on their experiences in London and with GoGetters so far.
What made you decide to come to London for a semester?
Sam: Studying abroad for a semester had always been in the back of my mind, but I didn’t really start to strongly consider it until this past summer. I had been having a rough time with a lot of different things in my life, work, relationships, and so on, so I felt I just needed to make a decision to change my life and take a leap of faith towards something that would be totally out of my comfort zone. I had always wanted to visit London, so why only “visit” it when you could live there? That was my train of thought, and having the chance to study and work here at the same time was too good of an opportunity to pass up.
Zack: I wanted to come to London because I have always wanted to travel and “see the world.” With my time in college quickly dwindling down, I felt that if not now, I may never have an opportunity like this again. Soon, I will have to figure out what I want to do with my life, where I want to be and who I want to be with. Those are tough decisions and they are made even tougher when you limit yourself to one campus, one area of study, and one friend group. I knew London would give me a chance to explore, continue my studies, and get a unique work experience. So, I decided to #GoForIt
What did you hope to get out of this experience?
Zack: A British accent.
Sam: (laughs)
Zack: No, in reality, I wanted to travel and figured I would meet some great people and try some great beer along the way. I knew it would provide me with a much-needed detour from the stress of my previous academic semesters, because — let’s face it — there’s really not much “studying” in “study abroad.” Coming on the trip was a “go-for-it” type of decision and I planned to spend my time abroad with that mentality. GoGetters has been an awesome fit because I can vouch for the company’s message and it is something I was striving for anyway.
Sam: I was feeling a little burnt out and wanted kind of a semester “off” while still being productive, so studying abroad seemed like the way to go for sure. Like Zack said, “study” is kind of a relative term. (Laughs). Coming to London was a chance to just reset everything and have a go at racking up a ton of new experiences. I always have wanted to travel, and being in London has made it really easy to get to a lot of places in Europe. Personally, even before meeting Josh and Harry and learning of GoGetters’ mission, I had hoped that living in a foreign country would make me adopt an attitude much similar to the “GoGetters” mentality. Being in such a new place forces you to just try new things and give a chance to stuff you normally maybe wouldn’t do.
How has it been so far?
Sam: It’s been awesome, these have definitely been some of the best months of my life.
Zack: Yeah, what Sam said. It has seriously been better than I even expected. Sometimes I feel like I am just on vacation. I have a great group of friends, there is always something to do or somewhere new to explore, and I really cannot even think of a moment where “homesickness” has crossed my mind. Yes, I’m doing some school work and I am working for GoGetters, but I am really enjoying myself. I still don’t know if it is the people, the place, or just my attitude that is making this experience so great, but it is certainly something I want emulate when the trip comes to an end — let’s not think about that though!
Sam: London has just been so much different than I imagined. It’s such a big city but really is not all that intimidating, which is the complete opposite of some large American cities, like Los Angeles. I’ve found the people here to be very accommodating and there’s so many different cultures everywhere that it really gives you a taste of the entire world.
What have been some of the highlights of your time here?
Zack: Hmm…let’s see. The fish & chips, the beer, oh how about when that waitress spilled afternoon tea all over me!? That was fantastic!
Sam: Oh by the way, how’s the burn coming along?
Zack: Yeah good mate. Anyway, I really do want to say that, even with my second-degree burns, I wouldn’t trade this London experience for anything. It’s hard to hit on all the highlights, but walking around Hyde Park, trying food from as many markets as possible, touring Parliament, visiting some of the most famous museums in the world, and even just taking the tube have all been great. Of course all the other weekend trips like Amsterdam, Barcelona and Dublin were awesome as well.
Sam: Like Zack said, there’s so many highlights that it’s hard to pinpoint just a few, but definitely the travel and all the different attractions throughout London stand out. St. Paul’s and the Museum of London were favorites of mine for sure, and all the food from Brick Lane and Borough Markets has been incredible. As far as traveling, I’ve been to Bergen, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Wales, Vienna, and Switzerland, with a couple more yet to come. The bank account is definitely hurting a little bit, but this whole experience has been priceless… especially the goulash in Vienna. WOW.
How has plugging into a new entrepreneurial space impacted you?
Sam: Being able to have an internship was definitely one of the big draws of coming to London, and its been everything I’ve hoped for so far. I was nervous about not fitting in or not being qualified for whatever role I was placed in, but working with GoGetters has been a seamless transition. I’ve found being in the startup environment to be a really rewarding experience, as you work on so many different aspects of the business, while in a traditional role you may be limited to one specific area. Meeting entrepreneurs and small business owners in the Camden Collective has taught me that even if people may have been in really successful professional positions, it didn’t always lead to them being personally fulfilled, which drove many of them to leave the stability of the traditional path and start something entirely different. Everyone here is chasing their dreams and passions. Being surrounded by that every day is a really cool feeling.
Zack: When I applied for an internship in London, I had literally no idea what to expect. Would I be in the financial district, having to wear a suit and make people tea all day? Would I have a good group of people to work with? Or would I stand out as the (negative connotation) “American”? When I learned that my placement was for a cool startup in Camden, I was thrilled. Working for GoGetters at the Camden Collective has really made me think about what type of work I want to do and what type of people I want to be around in the future. There’s an excitement about the coworking space and the Camden neighborhood that is unlike anywhere I have ever been in my life.
Sam: There definitely is a benefit for both of us from the cultural aspect of plugging into an entrepreneurial space in a foreign country, as well. Just as far as being able to bridge cultures through achieving a common goal. Definitely would recommend trying it.
How do you hope to carry forward what you’ve learned? How will this experience help you “go get it”?
Zack: I talked with Harry and Josh during my interview about how much I was loving London and how I had developed a “traveler’s mentality” to just do anything that sounded fun and go for it. I even made the mistake of saying “you know it’s great but when I go home, I’ll be sitting in the library or sitting on the couch.” That line of thinking has changed a lot for me since working for GoGetters. One part of the GoGetters mindset that I know will stick with me is that there is no reason I cannot turn my world into a playground. It has been easy to do in London because it is a new, exciting place for me, but if I set my mind to it, I know I can get so much more out of a typical day back home. It is important to me to feel like you are either doing something you enjoy or doing something meaningful and there is no reason my “traveler’s mentality” needs to go anywhere when I return from this incredible detour.
Sam: I guess I really hope to carry forward the curiosity that I’ve developed, and for lack of a better word, keep being a true “go getter”. Things like seeing something in the distance that looks cool, and being like, “hey, I want to go check out what that is”, and then doing it. Being in a new place forces you to try new things, because that’s all there is, so I hope to continue doing that even when I am back home in a place that is much more familiar. That’s what it seems “go getting it” is all about — taking advantage of every opportunity and not letting anything hold you back from changing your life.
Keep in touch with GoGetters and our interns by following our Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook accounts (@GoGettersGetIt), as well as checking out our website at https://www.gogetters.live/
