This being my first week at the internship, I’m beginning to see that a little hard work is nothing to be afraid of. Throughout my entire life, I have always tried to avoid extra work at all costs from fear of wasting my precious free time. After all was said and done, I would always perform adequately in all my ventures. I got the work done, and that was it. No one would remember who I was and I would have taken nothing special away from the experience.  This was a continuing pattern and made for a pretty bland lifestyle causing me to feel unfulfilled.

Already I can tell that this does not seem to be the case at the ANCAWR. The goal here is not to finish assignments on time like with my classes or to work for a set time like with my job. More and more I begin to understand that the work here is ongoing and is not constrained to punch cards or grades of competency. There are no “A”s or promotions for doing the job right.  Instead it is about doing your part to serve the Armenian community. The strange thing about this program though, was that it was the first time that that concept did not put me off. Actually, I get excited to come into the office and work towards the same goal that many of Armenia’s heroes have been working to achieve for decades. Although the work done here by us interns may not hold the same importance or glory as establishing things like The Armenian Independence of 1918, it’s a start, which is the important thing to remember.

At first, I felt a little frustrated about how I would not be participating in the actual political arena. However, later, I understood that the work I do here is important because it is teaching us indispensable skills that are going to be needed if I am going to be of any use to the Armenian community. For instance, in this week’s meeting, we went over how important it is to be a good speaker.  We learned that the manner in which you present your position is just as important as what is being said.  Now that my first week is winding down, I see that someone that lacks the experience or skills that this internship provides, couldn’t possibly hold their own against the army of politicians lined up to undermine and put a stop to the efforts of this organization. I see now just how arrogant my own expectations of this internship were, and I hope that by the time it is over, I will have earned the skills necessary to move on to the next level of training for becoming a force in the battle of the preservation of Armenia.