The Intern.

This is not the job I signed up for. 

Then again, there wasn’t much in the job description, so I guess I can’t complain all that much.  There are things about the start up of a project that no body really thinks about, or that I don’t think about anyway. I heard about the opportunity to help start up an abused women’s shelter and my mind jumped right to the abused women part, moving them in, getting them (and their kids) away from their situation, helping them through the transition away from their abuser, even perhaps setting up a peer to peer counseling group if there was interest.  And all that will happen eventually; unfortunately my mind (as it usually does) was thinking 10 steps ahead of the game.  The organization was not joking when they said “start up”  I’m here moving furniture around, putting pictures on the wall, and staring at a kitchen that has no sink or stove wondering how in the world I’m supposed to help make this house livable so women can move in. 

Frustration?  Doesn’t even begin to cover it.  

But, there are good things about this job too—I’m going to get some experience with grant writing sometime within these 8 weeks and learn how to fill out a 501-C3.  I wanted to know more about how non-profit businesses work, and it looks like I’m going to get that chance and then some. Plus, living as close as I do to the border I’m getting a first-hand look at the way policy and politics work down here and with my interest in international policy, living right on the border between two countries (especially these two countries), is a priceless experience.  I'm getting to meet some of the "VIPs" around town--commissioners, consulate, even the mayor of Piedras! Politics around here… are different, to say the least.  Things depend a lot more on who you know than on what you’re doing, which is unfortunate, but it’s the truth.  but considering that i've been here less than a week, perhaps, frustrations and all--everything is going just fine.