So this week has been informative and productive, yet additional gray areas have developed.
On a good note, I have been in additional contact with my internship coordinator (the UN Rep for WOW in Geneva) who has given me some clarity regarding my experience. She has sent me a few necessary documents which will help further define my experience abroad, including specifying some of the particular costs which will be helpful in raising the necessary funds. I will be living in-home with a couple who has worked at the UN and they live right off the tram line which is EXTREMELY convenient. I was given their contact information so I can introduce myself/ask any relevant questions. Additionally, my rent with them will be about half of what housing ordinarily costs in Geneva and I will have access to laundry facilities as well as internet. My general schedule will be Monday through Friday from 10 a.m- 5 p.m with some evening meetings/events... attending conferences, meetings, special events and doing special assignments. There is usually no weekend work required and we can be given weekend extensions (Mondays or Fridays) if we would like to travel (this will give me some good time to work on research). I am also working with WOW to set up an individualized grassroots experience in Europe based around my particular interests. WOW is also working to set up a mentor for me in my area of interest, which I would like to have beforehand to know what I will have access to and therefore be better prepared. I am really excited for the opportunities I will have, as Afton put it, "Lucky you...Jessica arriving in May .....because you will included in the delegate list for the World Health Assembly (WHA). Both participating at the Human Rights Council as well as the WHA is a rare opportunity. So some of your activities at first will be based on attending these two UN meetings AND preparing for the June Human Rights Council panels,written and oral statements usually related to your individual interests." She also sent me links to the upcoming Commission on the Status of Women and the launch of UN Women and suggested I follow the outcome, as it will be relevant to my future work with WOW (and my research). I am also planning to contact previous WOW interns to ask them about their experience and opportunities, and any relevant advice they might have. I think this will be really helpful.
To complicate things, I realized this week that my current internship with UWEP is only wanting me to gather existing statistics on the educational opportunities/attainment of European women. This is much less in-depth than I imagined, which could give me the opportunity to focus my thesis around something other than the effects of education. I am, for instance, extremely interested in what is being done an the international level to empower women generally (through education, access to healthcare, welfare etc.) all of which would greatly reduce the vulnerability/desperation of women and prevent poverty, abusive situations, and trafficking to name a few benefits. I need to think through my options considering the research I have already done and the surface research I will be doing for UWEP.
I met with one of my thesis advisors this week and decided to push my Capstone 2 course until the Fall which will allow me to do research in Geneva without the pressure of composing it in its entirety. This way, I will be able to do additional research in the Fall and get more detailed input from my advisors. He also offered to help me develop/refine the specific skill set I will need to do good research (e.g., interviewing, surveying). I will be able to plan out my exact methodology once I refocus my research topic. I also found out that I will be getting funding from the Gender Studies program, which is GREAT news! Seeing as WOW is a non-profit, any donations can be made out to them and are therefore tax deductible, which will be a draw for some organizations.
As Afton put it, "Geneva is such an action packed place.... full of International organizations, conferences and workshops so you will have many, many options!!" Basically, I am going to reevaluate my opportunities this weekend and try to narrow down my interests in the realm of women's issues.
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