Day one at the office today and day two in Switzerland.
It feels at once overwhelmingly exciting and completely natural to be here. I can't frikkin' believe it and yet it feels exactly right.
The onboarding process involved wandering the halls of the Palais de Nations (my spatial reasoning capacity + French signage = exercise) looking for a little HR office, which was pretty excellent - it's a very exciting building.
My office is in a decidedly less exciting building up the road, but the work that happens there is incredibly exciting.
I had a lovely lunch with my supervisor, who told me about our work and described the use of the document I contributed to last year in the ongoing work of human rights based approaches to data and statistics. He told me about really exciting outcomes like national statistics offices being included in key governance mechanisms related to the SDGs as a result of their work. It warmed my heart so much I thought I might weep. It has been VERY difficult to appear cool and not too excited about all of this.
It feels at once overwhelmingly exciting and completely natural to be here. I can't frikkin' believe it and yet it feels exactly right.
The onboarding process involved wandering the halls of the Palais de Nations (my spatial reasoning capacity + French signage = exercise) looking for a little HR office, which was pretty excellent - it's a very exciting building.
My office is in a decidedly less exciting building up the road, but the work that happens there is incredibly exciting.
I had a lovely lunch with my supervisor, who told me about our work and described the use of the document I contributed to last year in the ongoing work of human rights based approaches to data and statistics. He told me about really exciting outcomes like national statistics offices being included in key governance mechanisms related to the SDGs as a result of their work. It warmed my heart so much I thought I might weep. It has been VERY difficult to appear cool and not too excited about all of this.
A few reflections from today:
- there seems to be an alarming reliance on coffee that comes out of machines. Obviously, this is completely unacceptable.
- I share an office with only one other person - they are a very civilized people, the UN. My office buddy is friendly but not chatty, has a pleasing british accent and prefers to keep the door partially shut. He is a dream.
- downside: there are no kitchens in the building
- upside: I can have a frikkin kettle at my desk to make tea whenever I want, whaaaaat??
- a departing colleague brought (incredibly beautiful, 1982) port (from her family's vineyard in Portugal, further cementing my view that the Portuguese are the fucking KINGS/QUEENS of port) to the section meeting this afternoon and we all drank some at the end of the meeting. Fucking 10 points, UN OHCHR.
(Yes, I'm trying not to drink, but 1982 port.)
- at the same section meeting I noticed not one of the women (n≈8) was wearing make-up, which made me slightly embarrassed that I spend about 0.2 of a second thinking 'I wonder if it will be weird that I don't wear make-up in this context'. winning.
- at the same section meeting I noticed not one of the women (n≈8) was wearing make-up, which made me slightly embarrassed that I spend about 0.2 of a second thinking 'I wonder if it will be weird that I don't wear make-up in this context'. winning.
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