working girl
well, i got through my first day at work. it was like most first days -- lots of new faces, names i instantly forgot, uncertainty over what i should be doing, lots and lots of questions. all in all i think i'm going to like it. this isnt my first time working in an embassy, but it is my first time running an office without a safety net. the work is completely different than what i do daily, which is a very refreshing change. it is definitely more intellectual stimulating and engaging than my regular work, and an interesting trial run to determine if this is what i want to do next in my life. the timing of this trip couldnt have been better (well, besides happening two months before the wedding). even if it is not what i want to do, it is exciting to see all of the options that are out there in international work. i have daydreamed about working for both voice of america and the bbc in the past two days!
i'm beginning to settle in to what will be my life for the next month. the house i'm staying in is big, but strangely laid out. it is set behind a wall, which is relatively common here. most of the furniture is standard embassy fare, which unfortunately looks exactly like what you think the federal government would choose. as with vpwa, there is another house on the property, giving the place a nice community feeling -- also typically ghanian. sarah, the nanny for the family who lives here, her husband and two brothers live in the house. i lucked out, since the person i am filling in for (and whose house i am living in) has a cook (sarah's cousin, incidentally) who she kept on through the summer. i wont lie -- i could get used to having delicious meals cooked for me every night! the food has been incredible -- tasty, interesting and fresh. i tend to eat like a bachelor when i am on these overseas work trips, so it is a healthy, delicious luxury. the yard is green and lush, but unfortunately the mosquitoes are a deterrent against spending too much time outside.
actually, working is also a deterrent against spending too much time outside. i'm planning to change this when the weekend comes.
i'm beginning to settle in to what will be my life for the next month. the house i'm staying in is big, but strangely laid out. it is set behind a wall, which is relatively common here. most of the furniture is standard embassy fare, which unfortunately looks exactly like what you think the federal government would choose. as with vpwa, there is another house on the property, giving the place a nice community feeling -- also typically ghanian. sarah, the nanny for the family who lives here, her husband and two brothers live in the house. i lucked out, since the person i am filling in for (and whose house i am living in) has a cook (sarah's cousin, incidentally) who she kept on through the summer. i wont lie -- i could get used to having delicious meals cooked for me every night! the food has been incredible -- tasty, interesting and fresh. i tend to eat like a bachelor when i am on these overseas work trips, so it is a healthy, delicious luxury. the yard is green and lush, but unfortunately the mosquitoes are a deterrent against spending too much time outside.
actually, working is also a deterrent against spending too much time outside. i'm planning to change this when the weekend comes.