The Mini Apple

So, since I'm too lazy to actually start a separate blog, and since I highly doubt I'll be able to keep up with daily updates on Minneapolis, I figured I'd continue this one to occasionally post about life in Minneapolis, or the Mini Apple as I call it (well, they do claim to have the second highest number of theaters per capita here behind NYC, so I guess that warrants the name).
Today, I officially returned to the work world after two years of being a full time student (or a "professional student" as my family likes to say). I had mixed feelings. On the good side, I was reminded about why I love the industry (fashion and retail), and why I love the company, in particular. It's a really exciting company to work for. Fashion excites me (although after listening to a conversation with the girls designers and buyers about what the celebrities in Teen Vogue are wearing, clearly there are things like celebrities, and television that I also need to be excited about as much as fashion). On the other hand, as a former intern, I've been through a lot of the hoopla already, so today was very repetitive in many respects. We spent the morning in orientation getting an overview and welcome to the company. There was only one problem: I sat through the exact same three and a half hour presentation last summer. Seriously, I don't think they changed anything. Different faces, same content. I sat at a table with two other females, and a guy who all seemed nice enough. I was the only one who was not from Minneapolis. And I was the only one working in merchandising. After our second "ice-breaker" of the morning, I quickly realized that those of us in the room were at all different levels. There were some who had just graduated from undergrad, and others who had been working in the company for years. Most of all, the majority of the room was from Minneapolis, which makes me think my group of 10-12 buyers is about to become my new group of best friends. If we have nothing else in common, at the very least, none of us are from here.
I met my mentor around noon and she is a sweetheart - well, at least that's my first impression. I thought my old manager at Accenture was a sweetheart too when I first met her...I won't say what she really turned out to be, lol. Anyway, my new mentor made my return to the company very interesting by informing me during our lunch together that I am something like an internal celebrity, lol. I wanted to bust out laughing. Me? She asked me to explain what I did last summer and after I did so, she proceeded to tell me that the company is in the process of implementing many of my recommendations, some of which are launching in the very near future. Who knew?! I was blown away. As an intern, you rarely think your work will be taken seriously much less become a major initiative within the company. The crazy thing, is in the midst of it all, the executive sponsor for the project (who I met for the first time when she sat in on my final presentation last summer) has credited me as laying the groundwork. Ha! (she insisted that my mentor bring me by to say hi to her once I got settled today - she was so nice!) And to think when I started out as an intern, I was worried that I'd be given some insignificant, "busywork" project that wouldn't have any impact. Well, it is definitely a good feeling to know that my work is impactful, especially since I still feel so low on the totem pole in the executive world. The reality though, is that my job as a Buyer is very different, and requires a completely different set of skills, so I hope and pray that I can be just as impactful in this position.
My afternoon today involved setting up my computer (I still don't have a phone, although I've been informed that I have a phone number - don't ask me what it is b/c I don't know) and taking care of logistical stuff. I spent two hours going to meetings with my mentor who is a girls sportswear buyer, and again, it gave me flashbacks of last summer. I remember sitting in similar meetings last summer with my internship mentor (who recently had a baby - along with a good 30% of the females at headquarters according to my estimates - and is currently on maternity leave). One was a design meeting, and I love sitting in on those b/c I get to give my input on what I like and don't like, although it really hasn't sunk in yet that in a few months, I'll not only be required to give my input, but also make tough design decisions. I don't know if I'm ready. I also got to see a different work style since my new mentor operates differently than my old mentor and seems to have different dynamics in her relationship with her design team.
The great part about today was the warm welcome back that I received from the people I met and worked with last summer. A woman that I had reached out to randomly to have a coffee with last summer came up to me in the cafeteria and said she remembered me from my internship and she was so happy that I had decided to return. I was surprised she remembered me (I don't know why - of course I stand out as one of about 10 black people there, lol). I remember chatting with her last summer and she was genuinely a sweetheart - I believe she works in marketing. She told me to set up another get together with her soon which, believe me, I will do. She's been in the company a long time so I'd love to get more of her insight. There was also a divisional announcement which I attended and I ran into some of the infant/toddler girls team members from last summer as well as the divisional who used to work alongside my old divisional from last summer (I found out my old divisional was promoted to a hardlines division). They both remembered me and gave me warm welcomes. One of the first things I did once I got settled was to stop by my old manager's desk in infant/toddler girls to say hi. She just returned recently from maternity leave and you would never know it - not a stomach showing anywhere. I promised I'd set up a get together with her soon as well (notice this list is growing). I emailed my other manager from last summer to let her know that I had returned to the company (she is now a buyer in Jewelry), as well as a handful of other folks I met between last summer and the visitation weekend in December. I also managed to get on the invite list to a diversity event this week hosted by the African American Business Council, so I'm looking forward to reconnecting with folks I met in the AA community. I signed up for a buddy through the council so hopefully that happens soon. I still have a handful of other people to reach out to, but hey, I could only accomplish but so much in a day.
After work, I came home, changed clothes, and drove my rental car to the airport to return it. I was two seconds from having a fit over the weekend b/c I hadn't heard anything about when my car would arrive and my contact at the shipping company was not returning my emails. I managed to get in touch with someone today who told me my car would arrive tomorrow and that the driver would call me tonight to schedule a delivery time. Well, surprise, surprise, I haven't heard from anyone. I knew that would happen. This shipping company is horrible. But since the scheduled delivery time is tomorrow I was not allowed to extend my rental reservation so I had to take it back tonight (technically it wasn't due back until tomorrow at 10am but I was not about to be trekking out to the airport in the morning before going to work). The good part is I got to ride the train system here - the light rail - from the airport back to downtown. It's pretty convenient. It only costs $1.50 off peak (beats the $2 subway in NYC) and runs from around 4am until 12:30am usually every 15 minutes (more frequent during peak times). Not bad. Unfortunately though, it's only one line and doesn't go very many places. It's primarily good for travel downtown, to the Twins stadium, to the airport, and to Mall of America.
Tomorrow, I have to be at work nice and early (8am) to take a picture with all the other new hires (boo). I have training most of the day with maybe an hour or so in the afternoon with my mentor. I'm hoping I have more energy than I did today, b/c I felt like I was going to conk out at several points today. Signs that I have a major adjustment ahead in terms of transitioning back to the work world. Later y'all...