January 08, 2016

Musings at an Airport

January 08, 2016/ Leeann Sausser

Finally, we're getting ready to leave for our London and Paris adventure.

This is just the first leg of our trip, but I'm already excited. In less than 24 hours, I will be in London, a city I've dreamed of visiting since I saw The Parent Trap- the one with Lindsey Lohan, of course.

When one of the twins, Hallie, first arrives in London, "There She Goes" hums away in the background while the movie pans through shots of the city. Hallie is amazed by all that she sees and I knew I wanted to see all that for myself one day. I wanted to walk on the gray streets and look right instead of left, wave to a guard in front of Buckingham Palace.

And now, I'm about to do it. Complete another of my childhood dreams. Enter into the world of Parent Trap and see just what it's all about.

Cheers!

Leeann

January 01, 2016

A Life Update and Changes

January 01, 2016/ Leeann Sausser

Hello friends. Long time no write.

I didn't make a decision not to blog this semester. I even had posts planned out following my last one in August. Yet I quickly realized I needed a break, and so I silently took it.

I'm a senior now and unsure of what's coming next. I just finished my senior seminar, writing a roughly 100-paged collection of essays about my grandparents' farm in four months. And I just wanted to step away from the blog for a while and reevaluate.

A book blog has been fun, but it's not something I can keep up with in the long term. I love books, but I don't love to write about books. It's time to move on to something different.

So what's changing? At first, not much. The blog's name isn't going to change and for now the design is remaining until I figure out what I want it to look like. But the content will be different.

Short explanation: I'm writing what I want, when I want.

Long explanation: I'm going to use this space as more of a writing hub/exploratory place. A place for me to write about graduating, growing up, changing, and adventuring while also sharing snippets of my creative writing happening in the background. I don't know where I'll be in five months, but I'm sure I'll want to write about it. And so I will. Everything will be more personal, now. More about me (for those of you who have been with me since the beginning, this is Living as a Tiger 2.0.).

So coming up this month are my trips to London and Paris (!!) and any other thing that comes to me along the way.

I hope you'll stick around with me. I think we're going to have a lot of fun.

Leeann

August 17, 2015

How to Intern | Intern Diaries #3

August 17, 2015/ Leeann Sausser

Last Friday my Indianapolis Monthly internship came to an end. It was an amazing experience getting to work there! I'm also glad my other internship with Eco Partners is still hanging on for a few more days. The past three summers there have prepared me for the "real world" more than anything else (and my boss is really cool- hi Elizabeth!).

But being an intern can be a scary, terrifying thing if you don't know what you're getting into. It helps to have some advice going in so that coming out you feel like an expert on all things learning and working for free.

For all you interns out there, here are five tips for having an awesome internship:

Ask questions. I'm someone who won't start a task until I know exactly what's expected of me and what I need to accomplish it. While that can be a little extreme, don't feel like you can't ask your supervisor how to do something. She/he wants to help!
Don't be afraid of "why." "Why does the company do this?" "Why does Sally look at this?" "Why are we doing this?" When phrased correctly, asking "why" only shows that you're curious about the company and what they do. You're here to learn. Asking why is the best way to do that!
Get outside the office. No matter where you intern, there's more to it than sitting at a desk all day. Go out to lunch with fellow interns. Explore the nearby businesses and events. Ask to attend a conference or photo shoot. Take a staff member you want to talk to more out to coffee. These experiences can become the most valuable of your internship!
Take initiative. This is the hardest one for me: asking for something I want. At my internships, it was fairly simply to ask for a certain task. Both offered me countless opportunities. But even if that's not the case for you, don't be afraid of asking if you can take something on. Even if the answer is no, they'll be impressed that you weren't afraid to ask and they might turn to you when a project you can help with comes up.
And finally, breathe. This is an internship, and while it's important to take it serious and make a good impression, it is not a job. It's okay if you slip up once or twice or if you're totally lost on a project. You're still a student first, and no one expects you to be perfect. Just do your best and work hard and people will take notice.

Want to learn more? Check out these articles:

College Prepster's "How to be the Best Intern"
Levo, "8 Tips for Starting Your Internship Off Right"
Intern Queen, "Feeling Inadequate at Your Internship? Here's what to do about It!" (And other Intern Queen articles like this one I just used.)

Any of you have internships this fall or just completed summer ones? What are your internship tips?

Leeann

August 04, 2015

Best Planner for 2015-2016?

August 04, 2015/ Leeann Sausser

It's that time of year again... the time of year when I agonize over what planner to buy!

My issue this year is slightly different... do I keep using my Lilly Pulitzer agenda until it ends in December or get a new planner now? It's a great planner, but boy is it huge.

I'm very specific in my needs- calendar view followed by a horizontal weekly view divided on two pages. With enough room to write all my tasks for each day.

I'm demanding.

While thinking about that, I found a few options for this year's (senior year!) replacement I thought I would share with all of you. I'll probably also pursue the aisles of Target and Paper Source to see if anything catches my eye and to see some of these in person. I think the Lilly one is still winning...