I'm not really allowed to talk about the work that I will be doing, so I'll probably just spend the next four months complaining about little idiosyncracies in this country and in the UN system that annoy me. Knowing myself, there will be quite a bit of that to go around to fill enough entries.
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I think I made a huge mistake on my application form. Under 'languages', I stupidly thought that it would be a good idea to list French as a language of which I have basic knowledge - which isn't a lie because I do have basic knowledge of it. The question, then, is how 'basic' we're talking here, and it's not really my fault that it doesn't quite come across on the application form that when I said basic, I really meant BASIC. I'm pretty sure I stated that I learned it informally as well.
This is a problem because one of the first things that my supervisor said to me and the other new intern is, 'You can read French, right?' Apparently there is a judgment that we have to decipher...and the said judgment is in French. I honestly couldn't believe it. I still can't. I didn't think my French 'skills' would be taken into account because I stated that I only have basic knowledge of it which I acquired through informal channels but it is apparently quite an important thing for them because the English version of the judgment won't be out for a while.
I have one volume of the judgment, in French, sitting on my desk, which I have to try to read to see if I can understand it. This should be interesting. Needless to say, I'm scared shitless. But we will see how it goes.
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The people seem quite nice. Hope it stays that way!
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So tired. I think I really don't like the office routine that much. Maybe I will do the PhD after all.
