My First Day On Staff

My first day at the UN is here. I needed to report at 10:00, so made my way there. I started walking, but it ended up being a little farther than I realized, so I caught a cab for the rest of the trip. I was to enter through the visitor’s entrance, where they have the security scanners as I did not yet have my grounds pass. However, with my letter of appointment I was actually allowed to enter through the employee line there, where my items were still scanned, but I didn’t have to wait for the visitors. I then had to check in and receive a temporary grounds pass and made my way to the 24^th floor for orientation. There was one other NCE (National Competitive Exam) candidate starting Monday so we went through orientation together. I was also informed that my office was right next door to the lady we were meeting with. We had a short orientation and then were given a tour of the Secretariat building (the building with the flags out front). The UN is really like its own little city. There is a post office in the basement, with mail slots on every floor. There are several cafeterias in the building, and several others in other buildings of the UN Plaza. There is also a newsstand where you can buy magazines, candy and even Subway metro cards. There is also a Medical Center where you can get medical care like flu shots and things like that. It seems they’ve thought of just about everything!

After the tour, I made my way back upstairs to fill out LOTS of paperwork, as is usually the case on the first day of the job. There is a bit of additional paperwork at the UN it seems. However, it really didn’t take too long. Then I went back up to my office where I then realized how great an office I really have! I have an awesome view of Manhattan and can directly see the Chrysler building from my office. What an amazing view!! Take a look for yourself!

The View From My Office

The Chrysler Building

At this point I realized it was WELL past lunch time, so I made my way to the main cafeteria. What an experience! It was actually a bit overwhelming at first…there are many stations, where you can get anything from grilled/fried food, build your own pasta bar, home cooked food, healthy choices, Panini sandwiches, cold sandwiches and a full salad bar featuring hot and cold food. And Randy, unfortunately the food is mostly American…not a lot of international options here! I finally made a choice, paid and then came the adventure of finding a place to sit…the cafeteria has a sign posted with a capacity of about 500 or so…so there were lots of tables, but also lots of people!! Think of the phrase “It was like the United Nations”…and it was! It was so amazing to be surrounded by so many people, some in traditional dress and many speaking many different languages! I finally found a seat right next to the wall of windows overlooking the harbor! It was amazing to sit there and look out onto Long Island! This was probably the first time during the day that the importance of where I was really hit me! I was at the United Nations! What an amazing feeling to be somewhere that so many people from all over the world come together to work for positive change! And I’m lucky enough to be here…who would have thought a small town girl from Iowa could be working here?

After lunch, I needed to get my Grounds Pass (ID Badge), so I headed across the street with the requisite paperwork. The office I needed to go to was very small and there was a VERY long line. A couple of hours later, I finally had my ID badge and now could come and go as needed through the employee entrance! I had plenty of documents to read and that kept me busy till the end of the day! As I was leaving one of my coworkers tipped me off to the bus that went cross town very near my hotel, so I ventured out to take the bus…of course, as it would happen I actually boarded the WRONG bus! Luckily it only took a few blocks for me to realize this and I was able to get right back off at the next stop where I could catch the correct bus! This was a pretty good way to get back to my hotel, however, during the evening rush the bus probably actually goes slower than I can walk…but I’d been on my feet all day and so appreciated the break! I grabbed a quick sandwich on my way to my room where I spent the evening searching for a hotel room for the next night, since I’d only booked two nights originally and could not extend at the same price. I got lucky and was able to book the Super 8 only two blocks away! The pressure was off for another night….I needed to get busy looking for my temporary apartment!