A week in the life of an intern

29 januari 2010

The following is based upon the true happenings of one intern in Stockholm, Sweden.

Leaving America

I left America on Saturday 23 January bound for excitement and wonder. My first stop was Amsterdam. I wont go into extreme detail about the plane ride but I will take this chance to lecture on the importance of handbaggage etiquette.

One's carry-on may go in the overhead compartments or under the seat in front of YOU! Not below your own seat! It is highly annoying for others if you put your baggage under your seat especially if the others happen to be vikings of great stature (tall).

My lay over in Amsterdam was long and there is no free internet there:( I amused myself by playing the fun and entertaining game of guess the language. Then it was on to Stockholm.

Travel note... when traveling with a cold you should take some sort of anti-congestant. I didn't and I think I am still half deaf. My left ear played the fun game called "lets not pop and see how that feels." I thought I was going to die...

Arriving in Stockholm I was met by my boss who took me to my apartment and told me a lot of information which I hope I remember.

Then I unpacked my things and went to sleep. I set my alarm and hoped I wouldn't be too jetlegged.

My alarm went off and I was like wow I can't do this, this is too early. It was 8:30. So I got up and went to check the fate of the vikings... strangely they had not played... because I had not set my time to PM so I had been asleep for 1 hour.... needless to say I was glad to go back to sleep.

My next day was spent reading cables and background notes trying to get a feel for the major issues facing Sweden and waiting for internet access.

I was taken to lunch by one of my bosses which was very nice.

my projects for the week have been drafting a letter, making a calendar on a white board, updating statistics and researching and then making a memo on Iran sanctions.

Its good because I am never bored and always have something to do which is sometimes reading the news.

Every day is better than the last and I am starting to get an idea of how things go. Pretty soon I will really be into it.

I met the ambassador and the DCM (second in command).

I went to a cocktail party and that was pretty sweet.

And now it is a weekend. Which is really cool. I think I am going to go to Gamla stan and see the castle again. It should be swede..er sweet.

Laters-