4 Days at the Embassy

I survived my first week of my new job at USAID. OK, so it was a short week because we had Monday off, but whatever. I still survived. So, my first impressions of the job are pretty mixed. Some of what I expected, some not. As I expected, it is a very different atmosphere than my old job. Some differences were inevitable because now I'm working in an embassy environment, (e.g. not allowed to use instant message or skype, cameras watching my every move, having to allow 5 extra minutes in the morning so my car can be checked for bombs every day before entering the parking lot, working in an office that's windows don't open, hearing "duck and cover" alarms being tested once a week, and getting my very own gas mask).
But in some ways it's not all that different. For example, I was worried that working in the embassy was going to ruin any chance I have of learning Greek. But actually, the office that I work in is full of Cypriots who are always speaking Greek. My office mate is an American who is married to a Cypriot so she speaks Greek. Same story with my boss. Then there are two other Americans and five Cypriots. Soon we'll also have a Turkish Cypriot, so there will be quite a mix here. As for the work…well, I guess I'm not sure yet. I'm still pretty unclear about what I'm actually going to be doing. I've been doing a lot of reading about the agency in general and about the projects that I'll be working on. I went to a meeting at the UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) Thursday morning. That might've been interesting if I hadn't been half asleep from getting only 3.5 hours of sleep. See, Paul Okenfold was in Cyprus Wednesday night, so I of course couldn't pass that up. It felt so good to go out and really dance to good music- something we haven't really done in Cyprus thus far. Anyway, back to the job. Basically, the whole existence of USAID in Cyprus is to promote peace, cooperation, and bicommunality between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots, so that will be at the root of all the projects that I'll be working on. So needless to say, it isn't going to be an easy job! Oh, and just in case I don't feel challenged enough by this job, I've also decided to continue at the Unit for Rehabilitation for Victims of Torture as a volunteer psychologist. So I'll be counseling torture victims in my "free" time! Hopefully it will at least keep me from getting too bored, or from missing my old office. I'm already missing my daily coffee talks with Anda, but we're managing to find times outside of work, like at the gym or at coffee shops.
I think I'll be taking a lunch time Pilates class with my boss and coworker three times a week. I went Friday for the first time and although its not yoga, I think I'll convince myself to like it. Plus it's right down the street from the embassy. And this way I can still go to the gym after work. Barb and I see a lot more of each other with me being at the embassy. We can have lunch together or visit each other's offices. Her office has a really good coffee maker (not fair - Barb doesn't even drink coffee!) so I go up there when I don't feel like Nescafe. Well, I guess this is enough of my boring update, considering I've only been there for four days. I'm sure I'll have more to say soon...