At Last

Happy December,

It’s odd how we seem to soak things in better when we know it is our last opportunity to do. We savor feelings that our senses had always previously deemed mediocre, and in doing so, we discover details that we had never noticed before. For example, during the last week of high school, I remember getting hugs from people who last spoke to me during a middle school dance (in case you were wondering, their answer was “no”). On a more serious note, we also experience this when a loved one is one their last days, and so we seem to appreciate their very presence more than ever. And surely, if you are the one counting down then every extra minute is increasingly precious. However, we are all aware of our own mortality, and also that we may not be able to countdown at all. Therefore, should we not try to draw the honey out of life in every passing moment?

Even knowing this, I still found myself guilty of “last-time” syndrome during this final week of my 10-week internship here in Rome. And in the process of soaking in the details, I discovered three new storage spaces above my desk filled with an assortment of office supplies that would have been very useful during my time there. Quite possibly, my longing to stay was aptly prompted by the compliments of my USUN colleagues, who made it clear that they were sorry to see me go.

It started on Tuesday, which was my last staff meeting. The Ambassador started the meeting by thanking me for my service and all eyes and smiling faces turned to me as he spoke. I knew it was rude to avert my eyes from his, so I did not, but the flushing in my cheeks made me want to crawl under the table. When he finished I thanked him for his words, at which point he nodded, indicating that it was my turn to say something to the staff. I froze for a second; why did I not think of that before? “Ummm…,” I began, “I actually have prepared a very dramatic monologue for the good-bye lunch tomorrow. So for now I will just say ‘thanks again’ and encourage everyone to come tomorrow.” People warmly laughed at my excuse, and then the Ambassador moved on to the meeting. It had not hit me that I had signed myself up for some sort of speech until well after the meeting. After a few people mentioned my upcoming monologue in passing, I knew I should prepare something.
The luncheon was preceded by my intern evaluation because the Ambassador and my supervisor were leaving for a media tour in Mozambique early Thursday. Therefore, Wednesday morning was the only time to squeeze it in. If a comment was not complimentary, it was constructive, and it went very well overall. It was good to hear from my supervisor and written comments from the rest of the staff that I was a “valued member of the embassy team” and that I was considered an “invaluable help,” especially with the work I did regarding the FAO Conference.

The luncheon was very nice as well, and literally everyone in the office came (except the secretaries who had to stay behind to take calls). It was at a vegetarian restaurant nearby. The food was great, but since it was all-you-can-eat I piled up too much and ironically wasted a lot of food, for which I was deservingly teased. At the end of our desert, I gave my little monologue, thanking everyone for treating me with respect, above all. The fact that even the Ambassador and Deputy Chief of Mission made time to come to a good-bye lunch for me was proof that I was appreciated there. I have been very blessed indeed.

Thursday was my last day of substantive work. Since the FAO Conference had ended, the work load of the entire office has receded to tasks of decreased priority. For me, that was finishing up a facts database for the Mission along with checking the press for relevant news articles, of course. Going back through all the news articles I had printed and collected over ten-weeks, I scanned for numerical stats of interest and placed them into a categorized archive, sourcing everything at the bottom.

I had just finished around 4pm, when I was reminded that former Ambassador Tony Hall was coming in to visit the Mission. I had known this, but somehow had entirely forgotten. If the name does not ring a bell, Tony Hall was long-time congressman to Dayton, Ohio, who is well-known for his work on ending hunger. He chaired Congress’ Select Committee on Hunger, started the Congressional Hunger Center (after fasting for a month), and has traveled extensively around the world as a hunger diplomat, including to North Korea over six times. In case you not tell, I admire his work, and so it was great to meet him before I left. Along with whoever was in the office, we just sat in the conference room and talked to him about current events and issues relating to the Mission’s work.

This briefing went longer than expected, and as soon as it finished, I zipped out to make it to my Bible study. I made it time to set-up and then lead our worship again. My favorite part of the service was when we all prayed for the crises in the world (Bangladesh, Philippines, Sudan, Somalia…etc.), which was so awesome because we truly represented the world. I would have been very sad to leave, except that I am going to return with Joye, my lovely girlfriend, who will be visiting in a few weeks.

Friday was my last day of work, and it was not even a full day. After spending the morning and half of the afternoon, cleaning out and organizing my desk, drawers and computer, I left. Not because I was anxious to leave, but everyone left to go to the Christmas tree lighting ceremony at the main embassy. I will admit that I was not quite ready to leave insomuch that I would have liked to just sit there for a while, but perhaps rushing my departure was better in the long run. Besides, I am going to return next week, so I knew that I would be able to say goodbye to everyone later.

Even after leaving early, I actually missed the lighting because my office buddy (we share the same office) Tanaz took me out to a late lunch. I really did not bother me though, and it was nice of her to do so. She could not make it to the Wednesday luncheon and so felt determined to make it up to me. The tree at the embassy was spectacular when we finally arrived, and a nearby Christmas bazaar made it a great holiday event. I ducked out early though since I did not have much money. Instead I went home, warmed up some Cream of Potato soup, and enjoyed watching 300 while laying in my bed.
I also spent much of the evening, and today as well, reflecting on the week, surprised that it ended so quickly, despite the fact that my farewell festivities began as early as Tuesday. It just all went by in such a blur, the whole internship did. Thankfully I have this blog to refer to when I need to sharpen the details. I also reflected on the fact that while I know I will miss working there, I can not say that I am sad to leave either. Primarily, I think this is because my family is coming in tomorrow, and if I was to choose between working at the Mission or traveling through Italy with them, my family wins without question.

The date of their arrival has also been fast approaching, and today has been a scramble to make my room presentable. Well, not just presentable because I will be leaving my beloved room come this Tuesday. So, in fact, I have started packing. But packing is always messy, hence why I need to make it look presentable as well. It is really quite challenging.

And now to answer the question that I know has been scratching at your mind: does this mean that this is the last blog post? To be honest, I do not know. Though my blog only is titled to cover both internships, I may write a little bit about my travels with my family and Joye, though I do not when. As for continuing this blog back at Alma, I have considered it, but it would be much less eventful and visually pleasing as these posts have been. Be assured that I will continue to post during my next adventure though, but I do not know when/where that will be. If you would be so kind, let me know what you think.

So, if this is my last post for a good while, I want to thank you all for reading. Especially, for those of you have been following me diligently, thank you for your continued support. You have become part of these two exciting chapters of my life, and I will not forget it.

God bless!