Two Hats

I have two hats to wear at work. My terms of reference have two parts: one to work on gender programmes and other as a special assistant to the head of the agency. So, some meetings I am wearing the gender hat and other occasions I am wearing the other hat. This gets a bit confusing at times, and I try to make sure I am aware of what role I am supposed to play in each setting.

I still do not feel that I am “working working”. Off course I have been working, but I have not been given substantial tasks to manage by myself. For the gender part, I have been involved in making the work plan for this year. Our work is roughly divided into two parts: response to gender based violence (GBV) and participation of women in nation/ peace building after the conflict. We have come up with strategies as to how we allocate our resources in these two areas. I look forward to implementing the activities that we are planning in collaboration with government agencies and national NGOs. Gender is a new unit established last year. We presented our general work plan for this year in an internal meeting this week. We were applauded for our effort, and the team members (three including myself) were very happy. I feel that we are developing a team spirit, and I really like my manager and the colleague.   

As for my other responsibility, I am also feeling my way into the role. I have never worked as a special assistant before. Even though I have a set of responsibilities written on a piece of paper, I am still not very clear how this translates to actual work. So far, I have accompanied my boss to some courtesy visits, helped writing a speech/ remark for an external event, participated in important meetings, researched some issues and compiled relevant information. This role can be challenging as you need to understand systems, procedures and other overarching issues of the agency. At the same time, it is a great opportunity to learn and gain experience. I am very grateful to have this kind of exposure. I am just very anxious to get to the point where I can contribute substantially and produce “results” for my two positions. My past 1 month and a bit flew by so fast, so I really want to make best out of the two years, which is bound to go very quickly.          

Finally connected! Yeah!

やった〜！やっとお家にネットがつながった。嬉しい、これでリアルタイムでブログの更新や、メールの返信もスカイプコールもできる。お待たせいたしました。でも、いつまた使えなくなるのではとハラハラしながらです。

元気にしています。今月の目標は生活の基盤を作ること。毎週末、家財道具を揃えたり、色々な集まりに行ったりしている。今日は仕事で行った式典（ほとんど現地語）の後にカーテンもオーダーしたし、昨日新しいクッション等も購入。アパートメント生活がすごく快適になってきた。

土曜日はカナダ人のボランティアの人（知らない人だけど）に誕生日会に飛び入りで招待してもらい、参加してきた。夜は、同僚が主催のダンスパーティー。小さいパブかクラブみたいなところを貸し切りにしての集まりだった。サルサやメレンゲもちょっと踊れたし楽しかった。最近、この国は１１時以降はすべてのビジネスを閉めないといけないという決まりになっている。１１時に門を閉めて、プライベートパーティーということにするはずだったのが、警察が案の定やってきて１１時半でお開きになってしまった。

I am finally connected! I am so happy that now I can update this site, respond to e-mails and skype call. I am still doubtful that this connection always works, but for now I will take full advantage of it. 

I am still focusing on building the "base" of my life. My apartment is almost equipped now. I just ordered a set of curtains today. I am trying to go to all social gatherings when I am invited to meet people. 

This saturday, I went to a party organized by a colleague of mine (his football team). They rented a small pub/ club type place. I am totally not "clubbing" kind of person (I am too old for that...), but I really enjoyed this time. I met some nice people and also danced salsa. There has been an imposed curfew on business in this country that restaurants and clubs have to close at 11. The plan was to close the gate at 11 and pretend to have a private party. However, as expected, police came and they broke up the party around 11:30. I guess this is part of the experience of living here.   

As for work, I am learning tons everyday. We are still working on the work plan for this year, so I am hoping that once this is finalized, I will be more clear on my responsibilities.  

January 19, 2009

This weekend I celebrated the 1-month anniversary of my new life as well as the arrival of my shipped goods.

I was ecstatic to receive my shipment as you can imagine. I had a blast opening boxes on Saturday. It was like birthday and Christmas together. I was ripping all wrapping paper like a little kid being so excited what turns out from each packet. I was literally talking to my stuff saying “hey, it’s you”, “oh hello there” and “oh I missed you” and I even kissed and hugged some (my duvet, favorite plates and many other things..) I spent half a day decorating my living room with photos and decorative things, which made my place look homey and “filled”. I am fully equipped with kitchen stuff, so I invited a friend (I made a very nice Korean girl friend at work) over for lunch for simple sandwich and salad. I also bought a fridge and a few other house items. Slowly, my life is coming together.

I am trying to meet a new person every weekend. This weekend, I had a lunch with a Japanese lady who heads a NGO here. I had a great time chatting with her and walking around in the neighborhood. She showed me one fruit store where they make freshly squeezed juice (it’s actually everywhere but I just didn’t know). I tried pomegranate (Zakuro in Japanese) and orange mix juice, which was so fresh and delicious.
One more thing I was very happy was that I was able to see the Himalayas. On a clear blue sky, it almost looks like a cloud, floating in bright blue. It is un-describable but so pretty and feels “kokoro ga arawareru” (washes your spirit- Japanese expression). It’s impressive to the extent to almost bring tears to your eyes.

Off course, there are other frustrating things, such as internet doesn’t work after the installation, now 16 hours of power cut, got sinus infection last week, got a low degree frost bite (shimoyake) on my toes (this is since I was in the elementary school!) and no one gets my direction after explaining million times etc. But, I am quite happy, trying to focus on positive sides.

I wrote that there are three things in my life in the previous entry, but there is actually one more: staying touch with people back home. In this department I am slacking. I hope the Internet will be functioning at home soon, so I will be better at communicating soon. I miss you all very much.

I will write about work soon.

Namaste….

Jan 16th 2009

My life so far is juggling mainly three things, work, personal life (apt) and trying to meet new people.

More on the power-cut
The load shedding dictates your life here. You have to plan your day around it. For example, there are some days when the electricity goes off at 8 at night. When I come home, I have to jump into a shower immediately so that I can blow-dry my hair. You have to dress really warmly to go to work. When there is no power, essentials such as lights and computers can run on a generator but not a heater. I wear my winter jacket in the office and am now contemplating to bring a blanket as well as a hot water bag. The hour is now going to be extended to 16 hours a day, so I will see how this will even further affect my life. It’s amazing though how you quickly adapt to the new way of life.
No street names
Streets here do not have names. There are only loosely defined neighborhood names. This makes it really challenging to explain where you live. I had numerous attempts to explain the location of my apartment, but combined with the language barrier, people don’t understand my directions. It feels like such an accomplishment that I had water delivered to me this weekend!!
Work
There is so much to learn at work, and my brain is saturated with information. My new big boss has arrived last week. There have been a series of meetings on reviewing 08 projects and planning 09 activities. I was assigned more specific tasks now, so I will soon be “working working”.
Quality of life is expected to improve when my shipment is delivered. It has already arrived in the country but needs to be cleared in terms of custom etc. I badly need some sweaters (I didn’t bring enough warm clothes) and kitchen stuff. I will be so happy to be “re-united” with my things!

Happy New Year and I am still alive

Hello everyone, and belatedly wishing a happy new year!

I haven't had a chance to update the site, as I have been so busy plus no access to internet at home. I moved on the new year day into the apartment. 

There is so much to say, but I am well. I hope to find time to write about my work and life very sooon!

忙しくてメールもブログもする時間がなかなかありません。取りあえず元気にしていますので、御心配なく。