A Day in the world of Life & Arts: Liggie Pelekani

Thursday, 18 June 2009

After a run in with an angry lady on a bicycle on the cobbled streets of Borough Market, I walked up the impressive steps of The FT building, the sun was shining and my nerves were jumping from my throat to my stomach. Once I was greeted by the welcoming editorial assistants my anxious stomach started to settle. We were given a whirlwind tour of the building before entering the Monday morning editorial meeting. Slowly people started to filter in to the impressive board room until it was filled with important, professional figures from the various FT departments including the editor himself, Lionel Barber. Hanging on to their every word, I was surprised to understand some elements of their discussion. I left feeling inspired and enthusiastic about my career ahead.

Following the meeting I was shown to the Life & Arts section to begin my month’s internship. I was pleased to be given some articles to research and fact check straight away. On my third day I was given my first writing opportunity, something I had never thought I would be doing so early on. I am eagerly looking forward to seeing my work in print in the next edition. I am also working on an exciting summer feature that will appear at the end of June, as well as having the chance to interview some extraordinary people. Everyone here makes really good use of you and it’s clear that they want you to get as much out of your time here as possible. I am in my second week and I have already learned so much. I am especially certain that I want to be in this industry for the rest of my career.

Everyone has been really friendly, there is a great atmosphere in the building and it is a fantastic place to work, especially due to the location. My daily walk to work from London Bridge via Borough Market is filled with food, drink, entertainment and plenty of energy and colour. A tip for the girls, try not to wear heels if you’re walking that way, it’s difficult to master, if a little dangerous on a wet day. Overall, I feel much better prepared and confident in my knowledge to go on and pursue my dream. I’m looking forward to finding out what lies ahead in my last two weeks.