5 weeks into work already. Insane! Freaking me out how fast time is going since I'm here - I know it's gona be painful returning home...

So far, work has been quite diverse. At the moment, I'm finishing off some charts and data collecting for a presentation that my boss will be giving at the G20. I've definitely come a long way  in excel, and will be taking 2 courses to further my skills in it but it made me realise that Thornhill & Una's classes could really have been a teensy bit more comprehensive. Otherwise, my days are filled with travelling to and fro the Headquarters (which has a frickin chateau in its back yard where OECD staff can get married) attending meetings and trying to keep up with what everyone's talking about. I also have bits of writing to do, like terms of references, and a shit load of reading. Oh and survey stuff for member countries.

My boss is really incredible. I'm thrilled to have him as a supervisor. He's ridiculously patient with me and despite having a consistent flow of people in his office demanding his attention, he always makes time for me. He's also quite laid back, which made it much easier for me to relax in my new role. I've a huge amount of respect for him and there's no doubt that I'm gona learn a shit load from him, never mind the rest of the experience. Work's supposed to start at 9 but most people meander in between 9-10 which is pretty sweet, but then from what I can see not many people make it out of here by 6 either. Except me. Most of the time.

There are a million different nationalities and backrounds which makes for really interesting lunches and nights out too. Venezuelan/Finnish is one of the coolest mixes I've seen so far. Oh and my Chinese colleague is married to an Iranian dude. Their babies are gona be deadly. Generally, people are great, friendly, helpful and fun (although there is a fair share of seriousness too).

I'm content and feeling a bit less like I'm wading through water every day, with the help of other staff who used to be interns reminding me that it's normal to feel like this. In fact, they've been really great and boosted my confidence by telling me their own stories. I have made some "faux pas" so far, however...

There was a lunch time meeting the 2nd week I was here, with a presentation from FAO peeps. It was really sunny out so I decided to have my lunch in the park with the girls and return in time for the meeting. Oops, by the time I got back the meeting had started but only for about 4 minutes. It was held in a room covered in frosted glass but with slits so you can kinda see what's going on. I didn't see any free chairs though and then Terecita, working in gender, crossed my path. I had a 5 minute debate with her outside this meeting as to whether I should interrupt and go in or not be rude and leave it off. I decided I'd be too embarassed to interrupt all these managers and whatnot so left it off. 10 minutes later, my boss' assitant came to find me to say that my boss was expecting me there. Shite. Now I was 15 minutes late. Joined the meeting, and 5 minutes later realised that they could hear my debate with Terecita from earlier on. Awkward...
On a side note, those dudes from FAO got pretty lambased on their presentation.

Another awkard moment... My boss told me to join a meeting last week that all the directors were going to, with the agenda being Food Security and what next from the DCD side of things. Interns wouldn't necessarily be invited to these usually so I was delighted that he thought to ask me. I thought it was at 4.30 because the agenda bloody said so (for all these  meetings there are at least 8-10 pages of backround). Anyway turns out it was 4pm, as my boss had originally stated. So, AGAIN, an assitant had to come get me at 4.10 on the request of my boss. Already mortified at being late, I walk into the meeting and the only bloody chair left is the one at the bloody head of the table. Funny thing is, I went to see my boss after to apologise for being late and somehow he ended up apologising to me. He's great.

Otherwise, the politics of the organisation are very interesting to watch. It certainly isn't rosy for the younger people working here, nor necessarily for the older people. Contracts are usually very short term and their renewal can be done on the very last day. It's also a bit mental to see the interactions between the countries at the meetings, and to hear the issues raised. It can be a little furstrating. In fact,  frustration seems to be a common emotion around here.

Overall, I'm learning a shit load on so many different levels and loving it! It's weird hearing about you guys being out in the field, but it's even weirder to hear for example, that James and I had very similar feelings about the work itself despite being in such different situations. Feeling out of my depth, a little in awe of my boss, feeling more like a burden than anything else. Now though, I realise that I'm actually the only one here working on specifically on food security so hopefully whatever I do should be of some use. I also felt when I first got here that I had missed a step. That being able to be in a developing country, out in the field, would have definitely been benificial. Hearing from you guys through email or blog is odd, cause it does sound so different. Funnily enough, not many people here had field experience before starting work. It's really such an incredible experience we all get to have...!

Anyway, that's me and my waffly update done. Can't wait to hear the details of what you guys are doing work wise and how life is  treating ye in the various parts of the world! Before we know, we're gona be back in Cork for 4th year...puke.

S

xx