When my friends ask me “How’s work?,” my response would be “It’s law school all over again” to describe the overwhelming amount of literature and corresponding assignments that have to be completed in a short span of time. Late nights of intermittently reaching into bags of junk food for bursts of energy are all too familiar, not to mention being baffled at the official jargon. I would never have guessed that reproductive health care and reproductive health services differ mainly in that the latter is pro-choice language that provides abortion-related services. It is all absolutely sneaky and stimulating.
My weekly experience at the WYA International Internship can be summed up by major project and assignment deadlines. The first week’s feature task was completing Track A training. What would typically take at least three weeks to finish, I had crammed into one week. Track A is a collection of documents that lays the foundation of the work of WYA. The second week was spent in snowy Ottawa, attending “Emerging Leaders Conference: Human Dignity as the Basis for Canadian Policy” organized by Shannon Joseph, Director of North America. I seized the four days in Ottawa as an educational tour of Canadian history, politics, and culture. Check out the personal accounts of Kate and Elise.
The highlight of week number three was a fundraising event dubbed “The George Weigel Dinner,” to honor the eponymous writer and scholar. Headed by Maria Grizzetti, Director of Development, WYA staff and interns assumed responsibility for every possible component of the event. It was the first time I had been part of preparations that did not involve coordinating with caterers, maintenance staff and other job orders. We did everything before, during and after the event. Visit Cathy’s blog for memories of the affair. Now, at the end of the fourth week, I find myself attempting to produce a reviewer that would meet the standards of my supervisor and equip the rest of the interns with accurate knowledge for advocacy in the upcoming 52nd Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).
