7:45am My two alarms go off simultaneously. Before I only used one, my alarm clock, but after oversleeping one day I decided to also set my phone alarm. There is no way I can sleep through the combination of annoying clock beeps and the painfully loud classic iOS “Alarm” sound effect.
8:20am I am most likely done getting ready (I like to take my time in the morning). I make myself one of two breakfasts depending on the day. This whole trip I’ve alternated between scrambled eggs with spinach, a peanut butter chia seed sandwich, and fruit one day and Icelandic yogurt and a peanut butter chia seed sandwich the next. Recently I’ve been substituting yogurt with overnight oats, which are SO good.
8:50am Saagar says “See you dude” after downing his protein shake and leaves the apartment with a banana in his hand. I noticed that he has left progressively later over the course of the summer; in the beginning it was 8:35 and it gradually turned into 8:50.
9:00-9:05am I grab my lunch for the day from the fridge, say goodbye to John (Arjun is still sleeping), and take the elevator down to the lobby. Siyi and I say our meeting time is 9:05 but we have a mutual understanding that one of us will be a few minutes late each day. It’s ok though because there’s usually a shuttle waiting for us in front of the parking garage next to the apartment. As much as I love using MoGo, I’m just too lazy to bike to work.
9:15am By now the shuttle has left the Anthony Wayne apartments and we ride off to Downtown. I like to take this time to listen to music and think about what I need to do for the day.
9:25am The shuttle drops us off at the corner of Michigan and Griswold. We thank the driver and walk over to One Campus Martius, our beautiful work building. Every time I walk in I always raise my head to admire the colorful glass sculpture and waterfall in the lobby; it never gets old. After tapping our badges at the turnstile, we take the elevator up to the third floor and walk over to Suite 380, home of the Downtown Detroit Partnership and of course, MoGo.
9:30am Right as we enter the office we exchange a “Good morning!” with Patricia, the friendly receptionist at the front desk. I put my lunch in the fridge and fill up my water bottle, then head to my desk. After I put down my things, I usually chat with Rory- Director of Programming and Operations at MoGo, one of our supervisors, and our good friend- about what I did the previous day.
9:35am I first check my email and calendar to remind myself of upcoming events and meetings. Then I proceed to continue working on our projects. In the beginning it was mainly developing our Daily Pass user and Member surveys. Then it was creating featured rides for MoGo’s planned expansion area and finding candidates for rider profiles. Now it is primarily analyzing the survey data and drafting out the impact report.
12:30pm Siyi and I heat up our lunches at the microwave. Occasionally while I am waiting I strike up a conversation with a fellow MoGo team member or one of the many friendly DDP employees.
1:10pm By now we are usually finished with lunch and go outside for an adventure. Siyi and I have enjoyed exploring different parts of Downtown during our lunch break. We both agree that it’s awesome working in such a vibrant part of the city. Whether it’s strolling around Campus Martius, biking along the Riverwalk, or chilling at Hart Plaza, there’s always something fun to do. Over these past few weeks, I feel that I’ve gotten to know Downtown really well. I remember when we first walked around the area during the scavenger hunt in the very beginning of the program, Downtown seemed so large and unfamiliar; now it truly feels like a second home. While we explore, Siyi and I talk about random things like what to do this weekend, how slow the Q-Line is, or our lives at Duke and back home. Siyi always has cool perspectives and stories to tell; I learn a lot from her and really enjoy our conversations.
2:00pm We’re back at the office and resume our work. Still hungry, I usually munch on some fruit and nuts to last me until dinner.
5:00pm We pack up our things, say goodbye to Rory, Lisa, and Adriel, and walk back over to the shuttle.
5:10pm On the shuttle ride back, I usually strike up a conversation with some other interns who are living at Anthony Wayne. The shuttle has been the source of some great friendships this summer.
5:25pm I arrive back at the apartment to the smell of John cooking his dinner and see Arjun and/or Saagar chilling on the couch. I wash my lunch container and prepare to go to the gym.
5:45pm I make my daily trek to the gym while passing by the old apartment building across the street that’s in the process of being torn down. Every few days or so I notice that another chunk of the building has been reduced to rubble.
5:50pm At the gym I continue embarking on my never-ending quest to get more fit. I alternate between strength training and cardio each day. On days I lift, my friend Jacob that I met on the shuttle sometimes joins me. We motivate each other and feel good about ourselves after our workout. On days I do cardio, I bang out to some fire Kpop songs while on the treadmill or stair machine. I’m glad that I was able to exercise consistently on this trip.
7:00pm I cook a massive amount of food, which serves as both the current day’s dinner and the next day’s lunch. My cooking skills, though by no means great, have definitely improved over the course of the trip; I guess that’s what happens when you’re put in an environment where you have to cook for yourself almost every day. Some of my meals I’ve been especially proud of include pork loin with apples, garlic chicken, and teriyaki salmon. I always just make sure there’s plenty of protein so I can get huge. Eating a ton after working out is always super satisfying.
8:00pm I usually finish cooking by now. I plate half the food and put the other half into a container for lunch the next day. Before I eat I take a picture of what I cooked and send it to my family.
9:00-9:20pm Depending on the day I either watch YouTube/read in my room or play Catan with a group of my fellow DukeEngagers in the sixth floor lounge. Catan is always a good time; Andrew and Becca are super competitive, Saagar is always focused, Andy is usually gaming on his phone or studying Latin while playing, and Arjun keeps on negotiating ridiculous trade deals.
11:00pm Catan is usually done by now, and I go back to the quad, send my streaks, and wash up. Arjun, Saagar, Bryn, Hannah, and Becca are watching Love Island while I’m getting ready. They‘re all pretty passionate about the show and get super invested while watching it.
11:30pm I wind down the day with some quality YouTube entertainment and an occasional video call with some Duke friends.
12:00am I go back to the kitchen to turn off the AC because it bothers me when I sleep and see Arjun making “dinner.” I take a look and it’s his classic meal- seasoned chicken or ground beef, Uncle Ben’s brown rice, and some corn or peas. I don’t think he’s cooked anything else this entire trip, but it looks good every single time.
12:15am I turn on my phone alarm, make sure my alarm clock is set, and drift off to sleep.
7:45am My two alarms go off. Here we go again!
8:20am I am most likely done getting ready (I like to take my time in the morning). I make myself one of two breakfasts depending on the day. This whole trip I’ve alternated between scrambled eggs with spinach, a peanut butter chia seed sandwich, and fruit one day and Icelandic yogurt and a peanut butter chia seed sandwich the next. Recently I’ve been substituting yogurt with overnight oats, which are SO good.
8:50am Saagar says “See you dude” after downing his protein shake and leaves the apartment with a banana in his hand. I noticed that he has left progressively later over the course of the summer; in the beginning it was 8:35 and it gradually turned into 8:50.
9:00-9:05am I grab my lunch for the day from the fridge, say goodbye to John (Arjun is still sleeping), and take the elevator down to the lobby. Siyi and I say our meeting time is 9:05 but we have a mutual understanding that one of us will be a few minutes late each day. It’s ok though because there’s usually a shuttle waiting for us in front of the parking garage next to the apartment. As much as I love using MoGo, I’m just too lazy to bike to work.
9:15am By now the shuttle has left the Anthony Wayne apartments and we ride off to Downtown. I like to take this time to listen to music and think about what I need to do for the day.
9:25am The shuttle drops us off at the corner of Michigan and Griswold. We thank the driver and walk over to One Campus Martius, our beautiful work building. Every time I walk in I always raise my head to admire the colorful glass sculpture and waterfall in the lobby; it never gets old. After tapping our badges at the turnstile, we take the elevator up to the third floor and walk over to Suite 380, home of the Downtown Detroit Partnership and of course, MoGo.
9:30am Right as we enter the office we exchange a “Good morning!” with Patricia, the friendly receptionist at the front desk. I put my lunch in the fridge and fill up my water bottle, then head to my desk. After I put down my things, I usually chat with Rory- Director of Programming and Operations at MoGo, one of our supervisors, and our good friend- about what I did the previous day.
9:35am I first check my email and calendar to remind myself of upcoming events and meetings. Then I proceed to continue working on our projects. In the beginning it was mainly developing our Daily Pass user and Member surveys. Then it was creating featured rides for MoGo’s planned expansion area and finding candidates for rider profiles. Now it is primarily analyzing the survey data and drafting out the impact report.
12:30pm Siyi and I heat up our lunches at the microwave. Occasionally while I am waiting I strike up a conversation with a fellow MoGo team member or one of the many friendly DDP employees.
1:10pm By now we are usually finished with lunch and go outside for an adventure. Siyi and I have enjoyed exploring different parts of Downtown during our lunch break. We both agree that it’s awesome working in such a vibrant part of the city. Whether it’s strolling around Campus Martius, biking along the Riverwalk, or chilling at Hart Plaza, there’s always something fun to do. Over these past few weeks, I feel that I’ve gotten to know Downtown really well. I remember when we first walked around the area during the scavenger hunt in the very beginning of the program, Downtown seemed so large and unfamiliar; now it truly feels like a second home. While we explore, Siyi and I talk about random things like what to do this weekend, how slow the Q-Line is, or our lives at Duke and back home. Siyi always has cool perspectives and stories to tell; I learn a lot from her and really enjoy our conversations.
2:00pm We’re back at the office and resume our work. Still hungry, I usually munch on some fruit and nuts to last me until dinner.
5:00pm We pack up our things, say goodbye to Rory, Lisa, and Adriel, and walk back over to the shuttle.
5:10pm On the shuttle ride back, I usually strike up a conversation with some other interns who are living at Anthony Wayne. The shuttle has been the source of some great friendships this summer.
5:25pm I arrive back at the apartment to the smell of John cooking his dinner and see Arjun and/or Saagar chilling on the couch. I wash my lunch container and prepare to go to the gym.
5:45pm I make my daily trek to the gym while passing by the old apartment building across the street that’s in the process of being torn down. Every few days or so I notice that another chunk of the building has been reduced to rubble.
5:50pm At the gym I continue embarking on my never-ending quest to get more fit. I alternate between strength training and cardio each day. On days I lift, my friend Jacob that I met on the shuttle sometimes joins me. We motivate each other and feel good about ourselves after our workout. On days I do cardio, I bang out to some fire Kpop songs while on the treadmill or stair machine. I’m glad that I was able to exercise consistently on this trip.
7:00pm I cook a massive amount of food, which serves as both the current day’s dinner and the next day’s lunch. My cooking skills, though by no means great, have definitely improved over the course of the trip; I guess that’s what happens when you’re put in an environment where you have to cook for yourself almost every day. Some of my meals I’ve been especially proud of include pork loin with apples, garlic chicken, and teriyaki salmon. I always just make sure there’s plenty of protein so I can get huge. Eating a ton after working out is always super satisfying.
8:00pm I usually finish cooking by now. I plate half the food and put the other half into a container for lunch the next day. Before I eat I take a picture of what I cooked and send it to my family.
9:00-9:20pm Depending on the day I either watch YouTube/read in my room or play Catan with a group of my fellow DukeEngagers in the sixth floor lounge. Catan is always a good time; Andrew and Becca are super competitive, Saagar is always focused, Andy is usually gaming on his phone or studying Latin while playing, and Arjun keeps on negotiating ridiculous trade deals.
11:00pm Catan is usually done by now, and I go back to the quad, send my streaks, and wash up. Arjun, Saagar, Bryn, Hannah, and Becca are watching Love Island while I’m getting ready. They‘re all pretty passionate about the show and get super invested while watching it.
11:30pm I wind down the day with some quality YouTube entertainment and an occasional video call with some Duke friends.
12:00am I go back to the kitchen to turn off the AC because it bothers me when I sleep and see Arjun making “dinner.” I take a look and it’s his classic meal- seasoned chicken or ground beef, Uncle Ben’s brown rice, and some corn or peas. I don’t think he’s cooked anything else this entire trip, but it looks good every single time.
12:15am I turn on my phone alarm, make sure my alarm clock is set, and drift off to sleep.
7:45am My two alarms go off. Here we go again!