The Day I've Been Dreading (Warning: Long)

Today, was my very last, final, day at the coolest job on the planet. Never again will I say "Hi" to the security guard walking onto the Warner Brothers lot wearing my coveted Ellen badge. Never again will I tackle Erin at 9am in the Intern Office as a substitute for the coffee wake-up. Never again will the interns ambush Megan and Gabi with a dance party in their office. My summer of fun and frivolity has come to a tragic end. And I do mean tragic, because I am never going to have another experience quite like this one and I am so lucky that everything from the job to the people fell into place perfectly. For our last day, they didn't expect us to work too hard, so in typical Summer Interns '09 style, we tackled and finished 2 projects for HI and Website. Everyone was shocked which is even better because we left on a really high note. We also went to the fancier restaurant on lot, the Grill, for lunch to celebrate. But the highlight of the day wasn't the work or the meal, it was giving out our intern gifts. For the whole office, we bought 2 cookie cakes that read "Thank You! Love, The Interns" that everyone seemed to really appreciate. Most people's hearts are easily won by food so that was a good call. For Jeannie, the receptionist whom we have come to know very well and love tremendously, we made a picture frame that we all wrote messages on that contained a picture of all of us with her. She already has is hung up at the front desk for her, and everyone else to see every day. (See, we were strategic in our gifts...we picked ones that would keep people constantly reminded of our faces.) She loved it and was very grateful. But by far the coolest gift was the DVD we gave Megan and Gabi. It contained 2 music videos we secretly filmed and edited during off hours. One was to an original song (rap) that we wrote for them as an inside joke and the other was to "I Will Remember You" by Sara Mclaughlin. They LOVED it! Absolutely, LOVED it. No other interns had ever given them gifts before. There were tears and laughs (they were both super corny and hilarious) and they felt so special that we took the time to do this for them. It was totally worth the effort. We even made DVD case covers with pictures of us and burned copies for several of our closest friends around the office. Everyone thought we were hilarious which just confirms our summer-long reputation. :)
The rest of the afternoon we spent saying goodbye to everyone around the office. There was one common theme that they all separately reiterated...they loved us. Over and over again we heard how great we were and how they've never had interns that worked so hard or that they cared to actually get to know. So many people said they'd been working there years and never seen a better group or even bothered to learn the interns names. I don't know what's wrong with past interns but one thing's for certain...we made a really great impression. Even the big-wigs like Derek, Ed, Ross, Nicole, etc all took extra time out of their days to call us into their offices and tell us how much they appreciate what we've done all summer, how much we exceeded their expectations, how much better we were than past interns, how much they are going to miss us, and most importantly, how much they are looking forward to seeing us again when we graduate and get hired there. And they were so sincere and serious about that. Every single person we talked to practically assured us we were shoo-ins for any open position. They couldn't stress enough how great they thought we were. All along we thought we were just doing our best but we had no idea what an impact we'd made. We kept trying to thank them for the opportunity and teaching us and being so welcoming but they brushed that off to thank us for what we did. It seemed like a normal amount of work and effort to us but apparently we're unique in that respect. But unique is good...I know they will remember us in a very positive light. Basically, that means we did what we came to do. We made a good impression that equates to one giant Michael Jordan-sized foot in the door. When I hear the highest ranking staff members tell me they better get e-mail updates on my life once a month until I'm ready to get hired, I think one thing...mission accomplished.
After work (which involved some teary-eyed hugs and goodbyes) the interns, plus Blair and Melanie who had gone to Muscle Beach in Venice for the day, went to Menchie's one last time. Luckily, my favorite employees who know me were there so I got to bid them farewell. We hung out, reminisced about the summer, the laughs, the people at the office and the good times we had together. It was quite sweet and the perfect reflection session to end my internship. Unfortunately though, we had to eventually say our goodbyes. When I left Erin and Austin, the real depression set in. Erin says it's not "goodbye", it's "see you later", but I feel like that's just something you say to make yourself feel better. I still hope she's right. We've had too much silly, fun bonding time to not stay friends.
This whole experience has been the most incredible, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I can't imagine no longer waking up to the people and job I love. I have had more fun than I ever dreamed possible and I will never forget the memories from my summer spent in LA. Even if I move back here and work at Ellen permanently, it won't be the same without the people who have become like family to me. I won't have the carefree attitude of an intern or the freedom to roam around the lot in golf carts, pick what department I want to work in, take days off to go to Disneyland, or take breaks to stalk celebs. This is an experience I can never relive and will never forget and I am going to miss it, and my Ellen family, terribly. That being said, I am certainly excited for a fantastic senior year at school. I'm living with my 3 best friends, I have a chair position in Cicerones, I'm an entertainment reporter for the TV station, I have my entertainment radio show, and I have very few difficult classes left which leaves room for easy electives and free time. It's going to be a blast and I really am looking forward to it. It's just hard to think that far ahead and not be sad right now. I feel like I'm leaving behind something I'll never get back, and in a way I am. I will never have this exact experience again, but I'm sure that when it's not so late at night with me deliriously tired and sentimental (as you can tell by my emotional, dramatic writing), I will be able to enjoy the memories I have and get ready to make new ones back at the best university in the country. I have one final day in Los Angeles, California then it's homeward bound. Gators...here I come!!
P.S. I will post the links to the intern videos once they are uploaded to Youtube so you can all enjoy our corniness. :)