What about the new job?

I should say a bit about what it’s been like starting at a new position here in Brussels. It’s my first real new job in 18 years, which tells you something right away. I did switch around what I did at CDC within those 18 years, of course, and I had to learn a lot of new things when I went from epidemiologist to policy analyst—and then a whole bunch more new things when I became deputy for the clinical research group. But I was always around the same people, more or less, under the same big subject area, and always at the same institution. This is not that! This is a new sector (nonprofit!) in an entirely new area…in a new country. I am not an expert anymore. I’m on the other side too—more like being the lobbyist instead of the lobbied, or maybe the advocator instead of the advocatee (not sure that’s a word but you get what I mean). There’s some data talk but much less science. There’s government work but the government is not structured the same and the players are different. I can find lots of parallels between the EU member states and the states in the US, but they operate very differently and have different leverages, depending on which organization you are dealing with. I have this taped to my wall. The partners are very different too, and our relationship to them is far more equal. I have more work travel for sure! I am heading to Slovenia, then Dublin, then Strasbourg, all before end of the year. It sounds like the winter holidays and summers are pretty quiet, with many people working from abroad or taking extended leave, which works well for visits back home for sure. 

The work itself is great but difficult because of the newness. I really like being part of the fight for fundamental democracy and human rights at this moment in time. My colleagues are kind and generous with their knowledge and very patient with me. They’re funny and sincere and committed to their work. They are well read and intelligent and from an enormous variety of countries: Portugal, Romania, Brazil, Russia, Italy, UK, Ireland, Slovenia, Germany, Hungary, Spain, Uzbekistan, US (just me!), and I know I’m forgetting a couple places. No one is from Belgium! They all speak at least two or three languages and they are taking other language classes in their spare time, and art classes, and music classes too. I find them energizing and inspiring.

My daily routine looks a little different too: Miles and I walk together to the corner by his school and say goodbye there; he goes up the block and I across the street to the tram platform. Often there’s tons of kids, like a raging river of teens, all coming from the tram stop to get to the two schools that are right there so I have gotten ruthless in pushing through them to catch my tram, elbows if necessary. It drops me at my nearest metro which is fortunately the end of the line so I can always nab a seat and read my book. I have a nice walk to the office from the other end, just a few blocks, past some embassies and loads of other people, probably going to their EU-related functions too, since my office is in the European Quarter.

They’re on their bikes or walking, or blocking the road in their cars (some things stay the same).

There are four elevators and they are all slightly different (small) sizes. I always get here first so I have to shut off the alarm. I was in the early bird crowd at CDC too but here it’s really early because most of my colleagues don’t get here until 9 or usually more like 10. I like having the office for a bit though; I have a ritual of sitting in the window to look out at the commuters on the street, and I can play the radio without bothering anyone for a little while.

Then folks get here, we have meetings, there’s always lunch together, if you want, in the break area. Sometimes people want to go for coffee and pastries but now we have all chipped in to buy a new fancy coffee maker so we don’t spend so much money out. I walk back to the metro then usually walk home from the end of the line, but I’ll jump on the tram again if it happens to arrive right when I come out of the station. If we need something from the shop, I can pick it up on my walk home (usually that thing is chocolate). My metro stop happens to have a famously enormous TinTin mural inside.

Overall, right now, the feel of work is a combination of very relaxed (because it is Europe) and very intense (because I’m on such a steep learning curve). I’ll check back in after a few months and we'll see what has changed.