Week One, Day One!

I can't believe that the first week of my internship is already over. It was an emotional roller coaster every day and I am going to start to rehash it with you. So much happened that rather than write one long update, I'm going to break it down day by day.

So, let's start with Monday, shall we?

My counterpart (let's call her Cork) and I got to the Parliament around 5PM. I had been a teeny bit nervous about this other girl. I had never met her before, and I thought she was going to be quite competitive and ruthless. I couldn't have been more wrong. Cork is lovely, and I don't think I would've made it through the week without her.

Our MEP arrived shortly after us, which was good because neither Cork nor I had the credentials to get inside the building. It was quite a process to get our badges that involved pictures, passports and a lot of standing around. Very worth it in the end, however, because we basically got access to everywhere in the building. The only place we were not allowed with our temporary badges was the floor (main area) of the Hemicycle (plenary room), which is fine. We don't need to be there. (as an aside, I may need to create an entry to jot down all the terms you'll get used to seeing!)

Our first assignment, well, "assignment", was to walk around and get a feel for the building. You would think the fact that it's a circular shape would make it easy to get to know. It's not. The Parliament building is massive, and (as you'll find out in coming entries), very easy to get lost in. Cork and I walked around for a fair bit, sat in on some speeches in the Hemicycle, had a quick lunch/dinner - a very good idea on our part.

We were sent to go sit in on a hearing. The hearing was a sort of interview for Baroness Ashton who is looking to take the spot of Mr. Mandelson. Mandelson left the position quite abruptly, leaving the EU in a bit of a lurch. You can read a bit about the hearing here. It is so strange to look at the picture in that article and know I was there. Unfortunately, I didn't think that she gave the best interview. Her answers tended to remain repetitive, vague, and a bit open ended (some MEP's did try to goad her into saying something unfavourable about her predecessor and she was brilliant at avoiding their trap). Ultimately, she was endorsed by the EU and on Wednesday, was voted into the position. Hopefully, though the Baroness does not have a ton of experience, she will be able to steer the EU in the right direction in the throes of the current economic crisis.

After the Baroness, Cork and I were sent to the Committee for Climate Change. It was not nearly as exciting as the hearing of Ashton, but it was interesting nonetheless. One MEP was presenting a report, and in this session, amendments from other MEP's were being made. I would have loved to be able to get my hands on a copy of the report, so I might just have to hunt around a bit during next month's plenary.

It was a long day, very busy, always running and the theme of the week was not getting home before midnight.

What I can say, right now, is that not going to the Parliament today is sad. I quite miss being there: the hustle, the work, the constant movement. It's depressing, in a way, to not have it. There were a couple of times throughout the week when we were given a task but no information or no room number to a committee we needed to sit in on, that it was frustrating. I even considered the fact that I'd give up the spot next semester (because I do feel guilty about skipping on a week of classes every month). But how I feel today, and ultimately, how happy I was all week. I definitely can't not do this. It's amazing.