An Intern's Diary

I was always really excited about coming to Mumbai. And somehow, I landed at the best place to start my internship: Lumière. From the moment I stepped into the office, I thought I belonged here. There was no need to adjust or familiarize myself, it already felt like my routine. I have no idea how to describe the feeling, but I know it's real: the people at Lumiere are mine, and the city is mine. 

It definitely is a lot different from Ahmedabad. Ahmedabad sleeps at 11 pm. Here, the streets are alive at 2:30 am. And yet, even though the city is so huge, it feels like it's all one, all the areas, all connected. Maybe it’s just the excitement of experiencing it for the first time.. 

I've had so many firsts here: my first time in a crowded local train, getting pushed out right at my station whether I was ready or not; attending my first standup comedy show; my first day coming to an office for work; my first walk in the Mumbai rains; my first time living alone. And yet, there's nothing I've hated. As I write this, the sound of heavy rain is banging against the roof, filling my ears, and I know there's no other place I want to be right now. 

The city changes you

I have become so much more independent in these past couple of weeks. Sitting in Ahmedabad, scrolling through reels of crowded Mumbai locals, I never would have imagined that today I could navigate my way around this city with ease. It took (a lot of) convincing to get my parents to trust me travelling by train. The first few times, my Thane buddy Manasi (a fellow intern) helped me find my way and settle in. She made the whole process so smooth for me. 

Manasi's internship ended in June, along with Riya and Miti's (my other fellow interns). We spent only a month together, but I know I've built friendships that go beyond the internship. I'm still adjusting to work life without them around, but it's not so bad. I still have the Lumière team with me. And just like I miss them, I know I'm going to miss this city when I eventually go back. 

It's not just the big firsts, it's the small things that have made this month feel full. An intern sleepover, staying up talking and laughing over nothing in particular. Slowly picking up Marathi phrases, one conversation at a time. Some or the other event always happening, somewhere in the city. I don't think I've had a single moment here where I felt bored, or alone.

Growing in Parallel

Looking back, I don't think I can separate what the city taught me from what the internship taught me. They happened together, feeding into each other. Learning to navigate a new city on my own built the same muscle I now use at work: figuring things out, adjusting quickly, not waiting to be told what to do next. Being trusted with real responsibility at Lumière, including client calls, interviews, and actual ownership of a project gave me the same confidence that helped me stop being intimidated by a new, unexplored city. Independence, once it starts showing up in one part of your life, seems to show up everywhere else too.

Not Ready to Leave Yet

Of course, it wasn't all sunshine. There were days the Thane–Nerul commute felt endless. Days I felt like I had no time left for anything else. Sometimes the rain got in the way more than it charmed me. But, I always found a way around it. Waking up earlier to make it to karate before work, signing up for a class, or just finding little things to occupy myself in transit.

A friend from Andheri once told me: keep romanticizing the city, and you'll find actual reasons to love it. That's exactly what I've been doing. Sometimes the way you choose to see a place shapes the experience you end up having. The more I looked for reasons to love the city, the more it gave me. Mumbai still has so much to offer. If you're ever here, just soak it all in.

-Diya Tated, Intern (May-July, 2026)