Printer Girl
Summary:
The internship ends in a week. It's been fun and I've learned a lot,
but I look forward to returning home and figuring out the next stage of
my life.
For Detail-Lovers Only:
At
11:30 today, I had a meeting with the DCM (Deputy Chief of Mission), to
"express my views on the intern program in Lima." This is it: The
beginning of the end. I have seven more days left at the Embassy after
today, and am trying hard to decipher my feelings about that fact.
I
wrote to a friend that it's almost like graduating was, two and a half
months ago. Once again, I find myself reluctant to leave just when the
friendships I've begun to develop are taking root. We've established a
sort of rhythm and routine in our little group of interns and have
definitely made our presence known at the Embassy. Woe to the
individuals that get stuck riding the elevator with our chattering group
during the lunch hour!
We've started spending more time with the
Marines and the Army MIST (a special unit of Army), making the evenings
after work and the weekends pass much more quickly than when we first
arrived! And let's not forget the Peruvians! Brianna and I often reflect
on the relationships we've built in our short time here, and how much
effort it's becoming to try to plan activities and schedule our lives
around all these people when we have a very short amount of time left
and still so much to do! While I was happy to leave technology behind
and take a break from the social chaos (albeit happy chaos) that was my
college life, it's taken less than three months to establish the same
pattern, and boy do I miss my cute little pink cell phone!!!
I
enjoy my job a lot, although I'm looking forward to having a more
specific job description wherever I end up. There wasn't a whole lot of
actual work for me to do here, which I would have preferred if this were
a permanent (and paid) position. I did get some of the practical
HR experience that I was hoping for, though. My favorite part was
sitting in on interviews and sorting résumés. I found it fascinating
that the résumés here break every rule I was ever taught about including
potentially discriminatory information. Almost everyone had a picture
and included a brief bio stating age, marital status, and other such
personal information! Talk about having to turn a blind eye! As for the
interviews, hopefully that experience will come in handy when I start my
own job search in a few weeks! I have to say that I'm very excited
about the field I chose, too! If there's one thing I learned from this
experience, it's that working in an office full of women is never a bad
thing. Between the baby showers and the birthdays, there was cake galore
all summer! Since HR is a female-dominated profession, I forsee
definite sweet-tooth development.
In
the end, my Microsoft Access project was the big thing: I learned how
to use the program and created a database that will hopefully help the
Financial Management Office organize and report financial information
more efficiently. I was told that it's something they've been wanting to
develop for almost ten years, and while my database is far from
sophisticated and will probably need to be changed and adapted for their
purposes, it's a very appreciated start. That makes the hours of
battling Access and willing it to obey my commands worthwhile. In fact, I
think I'll probably take a Microsoft Access class at some point, just
for kicks. I'm hooked on the program and want to know more!
And
if there was a lack of physical tasks to be assigned to me, there was
definitely not a lack of things to do, places to go, and, most of all,
people to meet! Whether it's viewed as just general friendliness, or the
more professional "networking", I did it! One punny slogan that
somebody suggested to me was "Printer girl makes a lasting impression,"
(get it?? hehe) and it definitely applied to me, and vice versa. While
there are some offices and people that I visit on a daily basis (usually
as a excuse to get up and walk around a bit), I don't have to go far
for some personal interaction.
My little spot between the printers is
perfectly positioned in one of the high-traffic areas of the building
and people often stop and talk to me on their way to take care of other
business. Ongoing office humor and chats have become standard, and help
pass the time at work. In fact, they are my favorite part of working
here. I really like the overall "office" atmosphere, as opposed to the
academic environment I've been in so long. Call me crazy, but having a
structured 8:00 - 5:00 schedule has been everything I ever imagined
during those late-night library study sessions this past year. Maybe it
will get old, but for now I love cubicle living.
Clearly,
I'm going to miss this place. But I'm also very eager to get home. As
mentioned, once I get back to the States, I plan on starting the real
job search. I don't know for sure where I'll end up, but my top choice
is the Twin Cities, in MN. This is a change from just a few months ago,
when I had more of an inclination to leave the Midwest and head to a
completely unfamiliar location where I didn't know anybody, and see how I
did. I guess I did that with Perú, and I'd say it was a successful
venture! But now I'm leaning more toward a happy medium. I've spent much
of my time here mulling over my plans for when I return, and the Twin
Cities have been at the forefront of my thoughts, so I think that's
where I'll be focusing on looking for a job.
However, I'm far from
limiting myself. I'll see where the opportunities come up and go from
there. I'm also considering taking the Foreign Service Officer exam in
April, which could start the process of turning me into a real/permanent
government girl! My experience here has been positive enough that I
could see myself having a career with the State Department. Why not?
I've learned the acronyms already! Time will tell.
In
the mean time, I'm looking forward to getting back home, having a
belated graduation party with friends from home, attending a couple of
weddings, and basking in the summer warmth! As much as I enjoy my alpaca
scarves, I'm anxious to pack them up for a couple months before the real winter comes, with blizzards to boot! Mi vida Peruana has been excellent. Let the countdown begin till I'm an Americana again!
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