I'm coming up on my one month mark in Jamaica, which doubles as my half way mark for the internship placement overall. Three months in, and three more to go. I had to submit a mid-point review to Dalhousie last week, with questions not only about how my work is progressing, but also about how I've been settling in. Typically interns filling out this form have been in the same place for three months straight, so my answers were a bit weak in that regards. I'm only just starting to settle in here. It took me several weeks to get permission from UN Security to stay in my apartment, which they originally approved. But then they called me the next day while I was moving my bags in and told me they had changed their mind, I could only stay temporarily. I'm sure it wouldn't take much to imagine how thrilled I was about that, having already agreed I would take the place for four months. Luckily the girl I'm renting from, Rachel, has been absolutely amazing and accommodating. She's a friend of a former intern, otherwise I wouldn't have found the place. Classified adds didn't pan out for me here, and realtors told me I was below their price range. Considering I arrived during the peak of hurricane season and I wasn't traveling around but had to go into work everyday, I wasn't liking the idea of living out of my bags. So I was thrilled when after multiple attempts I was able to convince UN Security to let me stay. But what fun would it be if everything started falling into place?
At the same time I finally had a place to live, I found out I didn't have an office to work in. I had entered Jamaica as a tourist, which I had confirmed with Dalhousie back in May. It turned out, however, that I'm not allowed to work in a UNESCO office without a temporary work permit. They let it slide in Colombia since they have an understanding with the government that interns can work until their permits are processed (Don and Katie didn't get theirs processed until after I'd left). However, that's not a deal they've been able to strike with the Jamaican government. There was a bit of implication that this was my fault, but I had asked Dalhousie and I'm also aware that you can't apply for a temporary work permit without endorsement from your potential employer (no blame being placed on Dalhousie - I'm the first intern to set up in Jamaica for them, and it was never an issue with the Colombia interns). So calls were made, rejection was had, and at one point I was told I'd need a criminal record check done. Which, when you're out of country you have to apply to the RCMP - and that can take up to 6 months. Not exactly in line with my time frame. Ideas were thrown around including sending me back to Canada to sort it out, or having me work from home for the duration of my stay. Luckily it didn't come down to either of those, and they were able to do away with the criminal record check component. Fingers are crossed at the moment that it will be official by the end of the month - until then, I work from home. Currently with "borrowed" internet, although I have high hopes that we'll be able to upgrade that to "legitimate" internet in the near future.
Main room of my apartment, all kinds of colourful. To the left is the door to my tiny balcony (complete with random plants), as well as a table and chairs for my dining pleasure. To the right is a bathroom and a closet that also houses my washing machine.
The front door is through the kitchen, and up the stairs is the loft portion of my apartment, with my bedroom and a second bathroom. Why a small apartment needs a second bathroom is beyond me, but the upstairs bathroom comes with a walk-in closet.
I've had some questions about what it is that I'm doing for work these days, so I'll hit a couple of the highlights on that one. As with any organization, funding is always an issue. One of my first tasks after I arrived in Jamaica was going through annual reports to determine who our major donors were, what they gave for and whether their contributions were increasing or decreasing. I made some lovely charts to illustrate those changes over the years. I also started looking at different government agencies as current or potential donors, and one of my tasks now is to figure out what branch of the government gives out funding, what their priority countries and themes are, and what their policies are. Basically, looking for how the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission fits into their plans and what angle we would take to ask for funding. As well, IOC is also doing an evaluation of their subsidiary bodies (of which, IOCARIBE, who I technically work with, is one of) to determine if they're operating effectively, if they're addressing the needs of their Member States and whether they need increased support or possibly if they're no longer needed. Not that I'll be involved in any of the decision making processes, but I've been helping with the surveys we're sending to the Member State representatives and to the subsidiary bodies as well. Not exactly thrilling work to write home about, but if I'm going to be sitting at a computer all day, at least I've got the Blue Mountains as my backdrop out the window.
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