I spent about 10 minutes in the bathroom fixing my tie and picking lint off my jacket, staring in the mirror and fussing about something every 2 minutes. I headed off with a colleague to the private office, the small elite antechamber of power. Nicer furniture, nicer carpet, its own guard, not exactly swanky but by NATO standards it’s the Ritz. I’m introduced to a couple PO staff, they’ll introduce me to the Secretary-General downstairs, the President is running late though so it will be 10 minutes. I’m standing around when the SG whizzes by, its time to go. We’re in the front hall, the NOS people are wearing formal uniforms I haven’t seen before, there’s cameramen and people buzzing about. Somebody takes me up to the SG, I can just catch the end sentence of one of his aides who says “no you just have to shake his hand…”, the SG turns around and I’m introduced, one his aides asks “Who are you?” , “I’m an intern”, “ohhhh, you look like an intern!” ouch!
A police motorcycle rolls by the door and then the stream of black cars for the President’s motorcade, he rides in a silver car though, I wonder if its wise to single himself out. The SG goes up and gives him a warm handshake and we start to walk down the corridor, the camera men are walking backwards ahead of us to take photos for every moment. We go up to the private office and into a small meeting room. A moment of panic hits me as I wonder where in God’s name do I sit? Well there’s 5 on their side and they take one side of the table, so I opposite 1 over from the SG. The President starts off his remarks by introducing his delegation, this is my Defence Minister, this is my Deputy PM, etc etc. It dawns on one of the SG’s aides that no one told him my name, the colleague next to me leans over and quietly but pressingly asks “what is your name?”, he writes it down and slips it over to the SG, a moment later he introduces me like I’ve been an office fixture for years, very smooth.
A police motorcycle rolls by the door and then the stream of black cars for the President’s motorcade, he rides in a silver car though, I wonder if its wise to single himself out. The SG goes up and gives him a warm handshake and we start to walk down the corridor, the camera men are walking backwards ahead of us to take photos for every moment. We go up to the private office and into a small meeting room. A moment of panic hits me as I wonder where in God’s name do I sit? Well there’s 5 on their side and they take one side of the table, so I opposite 1 over from the SG. The President starts off his remarks by introducing his delegation, this is my Defence Minister, this is my Deputy PM, etc etc. It dawns on one of the SG’s aides that no one told him my name, the colleague next to me leans over and quietly but pressingly asks “what is your name?”, he writes it down and slips it over to the SG, a moment later he introduces me like I’ve been an office fixture for years, very smooth.
No comments:
Post a Comment