Project Plan Take 2

When I got to work on Monday this week, I was able to sit down with my supervisor and discuss my work plan. By discuss, I mean throw out what I originally planned and start from scratch. I was pretty sure that this was going to happen despite prior communication and planning.

I am pretty good at adapting to the unexpected at work if any of the stories from previous jobs are to be believed … the time I had to sharpen 500 pencils two at a time, or the several times I have broken shredders, lets not forget waxing the clothing racks, transferring a box of floppy disks onto the server, or dressing like a pirate!

Previous work stories aside, I am excited about my new project as it blends nicely with my interest in advocacy. I will be developing a resource guide and manual for the one-on-one coaching program with female politicians in Indonesia. The background research has been interesting and I am learning a lot about the challenges of political quotas and democracy in the developing world. I wondering if there will be a humorous work story from this summer to add to archives.

In other office news we got three new coworkers this week. Three kittens have claimed the office garage as their home. One thing I have noticed about Jakarta is the abundance of cats roaming the streets. Don't worry Jeff, none are as cute as the booboos.

The Booboos.

IRB Approval!

Today, in between writing a program evaluation plan and developing a brief on decriminalizing prostitution, I received exciting news … my project received IRB approval.

If you asked me six months ago about the IRB, you would have received a blank stare. IRB or institutional review board is a process researchers must undergo to protect human subjects. This year is the first time the Clinton School is requiring all IPSPs to receive IRB approval. Lets just say there are definitely some growing pains as the school and student learn how to navigate this process.

I am happy to say that I have successfully navigated the month-long process to receive approval.

Now back to writing my program evaluation final project.