My Private Life With A Private Guide
By Kelli Wilson
(9/11/09)

When did 8a m become so early? When we’re younger (secondary school, high school) we have no trouble being up and ready to go by 6 am. It seems however that the years I have spent in college have turned 8 am into the early morning hours and 10 am into sleeping in.

Over the last few weeks I have had to train myself to be at work by 8 am. Not so hard right? Well a little hard when that work day goes along with a full day of classes, homework and “me time”! I have never imagined I would be doing so much by having an internship, but A Private Guide Inc. is always going, going, going in order to get the job done!

I have been lucky enough to be able to have attended a few client meetings with Daphne Marrable. This is wonderful for me because I get to not only see what someone who works for A Private Guide Inc. does on a day to day basis, but the networking opportunities are fantastic! However, here we are back again to why 8 am is so early.

The first meeting I was able to attend began at 9 am. Daphne and I met at 7:20 am so this meant I had to wake up around 6 am. That’s kind of like waking the dead in my case. Forgetting the importance of the meeting I was about to attend, I just pulled on a pair of black slacks and a red sweater. While running out the door and trying not to forget my coffee I grabbed a comfortable pair of shoes and threw them on. The bad part is that the shoes happened to be flip-flops. I didn’t even realize the (near) fatal business-fashion mistake I had made until Daphne looked at my attire and asked if I had brought spare shoes. Oops. I went business clothing shopping three days later.

This, however, is what is fun and exciting about an internship. You live and you learn right? Over the last few weeks I have learned so much more aside from “what not to wear”. I was able to type up a tour description on my own, research many interesting companies that I only knew basic information about, and even see how a formal proposal would be made. Who knew that Red Rocks Amphitheater offers so much if they haven’t been there in a few years? With the recent addition of the Visitor’s Center, I found out that there is a Rock Hall of Fame and that as long as no band is scheduled to play you are able to go on stage and sing into the mike for a mini show of your own! And as many times as I have been to Idaho Springs in my lifetime, one would think I had been all over the town. However, I never knew that the Phoenix Mine actually takes you into the mines and then lets you pan the river for gold! I also found out that if a group goes to go to Elitches Amusement Park with A Private Guide Inc., they are not only able to go to the park for a good chunk of the day but they can also receive a meal voucher.

With the way A Private Guide Inc. operates, I have been able to be more than just the intern who gets the coffee and bagels for the paid employees. The next three months will open more than windows for a new worker like myself. I feel as though A Private Guide Inc. has already been able to open up some doors for me. Join me next week to hear more about my fun, sometimes embarrassing, all-around extraordinary experiences as I keep working with A Private Guide Inc.

Kelli Wilson, Intern
A Private Guide, Inc.