The inevitability of change is quite a scary truth that I often ponder. As someone who is accustomed to a specific routine as a student, exploring outside my comfort zone is a thought that I usually don’t think about. However, I was quite surprised by the experiences I gained from doing so. Who would’ve thought that 160 internship hours were not as dreadful as I thought they would be?
My morning routine now includes checking my phone for the Discord notification from the bee-sy Happy Hive server. Not hearing the notification in the morning is the same as skipping breakfast! Kidding aside, Happy Hive’s work setup is a breath of fresh air for someone like me who was previously exposed to a traditional 8 AM–5 PM office setup. I love slow mornings, and Happy Hive’s flexible work hours allow me to take delight in them.
Monday means it’s another busy week for all the bees. I started my day with newly assigned tasks (plus a cup of my mandatory iced coffee!). As a new consultancy intern, I need to be given a rundown on what the department usually does. On Mondays, we have “Coord Meetings,” as Happy Hive calls them, with the division we are assigned to as well as the entire organization to discuss the respective deliverables of each department. Was it a fun experience? Definitely, as it was full of laughter and smiles! With all of our recitations, online meetings have grown pretty nerve-wracking for me as a Legal Management student. However, having my first coord meeting together with the entirety of Happy Hive was an enjoyable deviation from the silent and nervous atmosphere of our class sessions.
Though convenient, technology comes with imminent disadvantages. Tuesday was one of those frustrating days when your recurring internet disruption hampers your great morning. The unending loading screen that displays the spinning circle is not a sight that you would want to see every day. But that didn’t stop me from buzzing into the Happy Hive Discord server. I had another online meeting with Ms. Iris, who was very kind and understanding with my internet fiasco, in which she discussed the ins and outs of the Happy Hive Client Masterlist. Additionally, she asked me to manage the spreadsheet for the onboarding of new projects. It was indeed another roller coaster ride for me as someone who gets quite overwhelmed with the numerous rows and columns filled with texts and numbers in the spreadsheet. With Ms. Iris’ help, however, I was able to understand the task at hand.
Wednesday—my favorite day of the week, not only because we’re halfway near the weekends but also because I get to work onsite at Happy Hive’s office. Instead of continuously checking my Discord notifications, I immediately got ready and booked a ride. Though I had already started my internship, I still felt the infamous first-day jitters. The whole ride had me feeling tense, but upon entering the office, it was not what I had expected! The homey ambiance, the welcoming atmosphere, and the adorable office pets were just some of the things I observed. I was able to complete a few administrative tasks that day as I organized the employee records for a client. I also got to meet Ms. Iris for the first time before my shift was over. We took the opportunity to discuss a few matters pertaining to the tasks I was given, and I appreciated that she took the time to go into detail with me. Indeed, Happy Hive promotes a welcoming culture and environment.
Song of the Day: Raining in Manila! The mood at Happy Hive remained the same despite the rather gloomy weather on Thursday. I got the opportunity to co-work with my co-intern Sophie (the nth!) and Sir Jake. Happy Hive loves Sophia’s, I guess! In all seriousness, it was indeed a productive and sociable day for us because we got to do tasks under two departments in a single day. For the first time, we were able to carefully write, scan, and upload Official Receipts of clients on their website. Also, we had the chance to engage in entertaining and spooky conversations with the Admin department for more upcoming Happy Hive content. Teamwork makes the dream work, as they say, so we decided to strategize our way to finishing the assigned tasks. To end our long day, we treated ourselves by playing with the lovely office pets!
TGIF! For me, Friday is another Discord day. The Happy Hive workplace was humming with excitement on this day since most of the bees were there for an important errand. How I wish I could have been there to experience the lively atmosphere at work, especially upon seeing the pictures being sent on our Discord server. (Sana all!) Despite that, I still have to continue my tasks under the Marketing Department. I transcribed the interview we conducted with the Admin Department. I also contacted the Finance Department for an interview. Listening to and reading the interview we did was fun because I was able to learn a lot of things from them, particularly regarding how they carried out their duties. Now that I’ve been thinking about it, signing out of work is not complete without playing with the office pets. Fast forward to my office day, please!
As a student intern, I am inevitably overloaded with school work, which generally leaves me feeling exhausted. However, having a week full of accomplishments and fulfillment in my internship makes up for it. There are days when one may feel scared of what the future holds, but believe me when I say that taking risks and experiencing a completely different world somewhere out there will bring you valuable learnings and provide you with a lot of possibilities. With this, I strongly believe that Happy Hive absolutely lives up to its name.
Take a peek at what usually happens inside the Hive!
