Lisa's First Day at a New Job

Lisa woke up before her alarm. It was Monday, and it was her first day as a marketing assistant at a small design studio in the city centre.

She had chosen her clothes the night before: dark trousers, a simple white shirt and her favourite green jacket.

On the train, she practised her introduction quietly. "Hi, I'm Lisa. I'm the new marketing assistant. Nice to meet you." She said it three times in her head. It sounded fine. Her stomach did not agree.

She arrived twenty minutes early. The office was on the third floor of an old building, with big windows and plants everywhere. A young man at the front desk looked up and smiled.

"Good morning! Can I help you?"

"Hi, I'm Lisa," she said. "It's my first day. I'm the new marketing assistant."

"Oh, welcome! I'm Tom. I look after the office. Helen will be here in a few minutes. Would you like a coffee while you wait?"

"Yes, please. That would be great."

Helen was her new manager. Lisa had met her once, at the interview. She arrived at nine, carrying a laptop and a large bag of oranges.

"Lisa! You're here. Welcome," Helen said. "The oranges are for the kitchen, by the way. Help yourself. Let me show you around."

Helen showed her the desks, the meeting room, the kitchen and the small balcony where people ate lunch when the weather was nice. Then she gave Lisa a laptop and a desk next to the window.

"We have a team meeting at ten," Helen said. "Nothing serious. I'll just ask you to say a few words about yourself."

Lisa smiled, but her hands felt cold.

At ten, eight people sat around the big table. Helen introduced her, and everyone turned to look.

"Hi, everyone. I'm Lisa," she began. Her voice was a little quiet, so she started again. "Hi, I'm Lisa. I'm the new marketing assistant. Before this, I worked in a bookshop for three years, so I know a lot about books and not so much about design yet. But I learn fast, and I'm really happy to be here."

A few people laughed in a friendly way. A woman with red glasses said, "Don't worry. Nobody here knew anything about design at the start either."

After the meeting, Lisa went to the kitchen to get some water. The woman with the red glasses was there, cutting an orange.

"Did you have a good weekend?" the woman asked.

"Yes, thanks. Quiet. I was a bit nervous about today, so I just read and went for a long walk. How about you?"

"My sister visited with her two kids, so it was the opposite of quiet," the woman laughed.

"What do you do here?" Lisa asked.

"I'm one of the designers. I make logos and websites, mostly."

"How long have you worked here?"

"Almost five years. It's a good place. People help each other."

They talked for a few more minutes about books, about the city and about the best place nearby for lunch. Then the woman went back to her desk, and Lisa realised something terrible. She had forgotten her name.

For the rest of the morning, Lisa tried to remember it. Was it Emma? Hannah? Maria? She listened carefully to every conversation, hoping someone would say it. Nobody did.

At lunch, the woman stopped by Lisa's desk. "A few of us are going to the soup place around the corner. Do you want to come?"

Lisa took a breath. "I'd love to. And I'm really sorry, but could you remind me of your name? I met so many people this morning."

The woman smiled. "Don't worry, it happens to everyone. I'm Mia."

"Mia," Lisa repeated. "I won't forget it again."

"You will," Mia said. "And that's fine. Just ask again."

Lunch was warm and noisy and easy. By the afternoon, Lisa had a list of small tasks, a new email address and three new names that she was almost sure about.

On the train home, she thought about the day. Nothing big had happened. But she had introduced herself, asked questions, and laughed with new people. For a first day, that felt like a lot.

That's all for today. See you next time on Study Brew.