Adrian Macovei from Romania made his dream come through. Made it to the UN in an internship as a result of studying Master in International Security and Law at SDU. Name: Adrian Macovei Study programme at SDU: M.Sc. in International Security and Law Age: 25 Home Country: Romania Previous Education: Bachelor in International Relations and European Studies, M. Sc. in Cross-Border Cooperation and International Relations Management Current occupation: Policy Adviser at the Permanent Mission of Romania to the United Nations -With which company/organization are you employed? I currently work for the Romanian Permanent Mission to the United Nations. -Where is your company/organization located? I am based in New York. -Why did you decide to go there? There are two reasons I wanted to come here. First of all, I was always passionate about diplomacy and foreign policy, so ever since I started university studies and I learned more about these fields and the United Nations as an overarching symbol of international diplomacy, I said to myself that one of these days I need to get here, and become a part of it myself. I didn’t know exactly how to get here, but I was very adamant about it. The opportunity arose only last year when I started a degree at SDU in Odense. This leads me to my second reason due to which I got here. Studying a MSc in International Security and Law, probably like any other MSc in SDU, I had the possibility of choosing whether to do an internship in the 3rd semester or to continue with the theoretical part and follow some courses. Since my field of study was related to the field of international diplomacy, embassies seemed a very logical path in looking for internships. I must say that this was not my first choice - there were around 55 other emails and applications, internship/traineeship related that I sent before it, due to some other ideas I had in mind at some point – and it wasn’t the only positive feedback I received back from all the applications I sent, but I guess this was meant to be in the end. Nonetheless, at some point during my first year in DK, I took the decision of getting in touch with the Romanian Foreign Ministry and the Romanian Mission here and started taking all the other necessary steps. When I received my letter of acceptance, sometime in April this year, I felt like it was a dream come true. -What do you get out of your experience on a personal level? It is hard to isolate certain specific lessons learned that helped me on a more personal level. It is an amazing experience, you get to know people from all around the world and you have a unique opportunity of getting to know very famous people or politicians every day. Sometimes you can actually get a chance to talk to them in private and hear stories and opinions that otherwise you wouldn’t have a chance to. I guess the most important part of this experience is the fact that it involves a lot of communication. There is a lot of socializing going on in this field, a lot of human contact. There are receptions, formal or informal parties, side events or any other kind of ‘get-together’ events - not to mention also the daily UN/EU reunions and meetings, which tend to become a routine at some point, that you get to go accompanying some of the most high ranking diplomats from your Mission or some other times all by yourself – in which everyone from the diplomatic community in New York participates almost daily. This is something that forces you to socialize on a daily basis! These are great opportunities to get to know people, important people or just regular/random people and it helps you organize and develop your ideas, your discourse, and your spoken interaction in a very constructive manner. In other words, summing up what I just said, on a personal level this experience helped me so far – even though it is an ongoing process – develop two things: my network and my communication skills. -What did you see/where did you go in the country you have visited? I have been in the US quite a few times before this let’s say, rather official visit – and I made lots of friends all over the continent and visited most of the US east coast including the most important attractions in NY State. It has been hectic so far with the work that was assigned to me and I even had to work some weekends. Due to this, I didn’t really have a chance to go outside NY State too often. I only went once in Rhode Island (Providence, Block Island) to hang out with some friends for a couple days. Other than that I travelled most of Manhattan and its boroughs so far. Actually I’m up and down Manhattan and Brooklyn every single weekend. It is an amazing and huge city, it is hard to get tired of it. -How is this experience related to your studies? As part of the Romanian delegation to the UN, I have been assigned, among other tasks, to follow the work of the UN Security Council on some specific topics that my country is directly interested in. Since the SC is mostly appraised of crisis and conflict situations and its work mostly deals with sanctions, terrorism related matters, peacekeeping, I would say that this falls right on top of the theoretical background that the MA in International Security and Law offers. When time permits it, I also do some work on the 3rd and 6th committee which deal with human rights and humanitarian situations (3rd) and judicial matters (6th). The work of both of them is highly relevant in terms of the educational background I have. -How is this internship going to boost your career? It is difficult to say after a couple of months how this will boost my career. One thing is certain, it offers me the instruments that I can use later on in a career in this field. After years and years of pure theoretical knowledge even a few months of practice in your field can make a big difference. All in all, however, as I previously said, this experience helped me greatly expand my network; and we all know how important networking is nowadays. -How is the workplace environment in your new country? The atmosphere is most of the time warm and friendly. I get the feeling that I am part of a big family and everybody is constantly helping everybody else and not only during work hours but also afterwards. I must say that in terms of work environment it is more that I have imagined before I got here. And I mean this in a good way. -How did SDU help you in the internship process? SDU helped me put together all the paperwork. Aside from the little misunderstandings that arose during the process, everybody was helpful and helped me put everything together up until the end. Through the internationalization fund, I also managed to pay for my flight ticket, which, when it comes to flying to NY, it can make a difference in terms of finances. -What activities do you enjoy when you are not at work? I try to keep up with everything that goes on in the city, which proves to be almost an impossible task. There are all sorts of museums, parks, and all kinds of leisure activities in Manhattan and its boroughs. There is every day and every week a different activity, a different place to go to. With very few exceptions I never end up going out two times in the same place. There is, literally, a lot going on. Every Friday evening all the people that work in the UN system gather together in the UN North Delegates Lounge, one of UN’s lounges and have a drink, socialize and blow of some steam after a long and exhausting week of work. It is something like a soiree and the attendance every Friday evening is at a maximum level. I do my best to go there every Friday, as it is a great opportunity to meet other interns and stay updated with everything that goes on but also with diplomats that work for the UN or for the Missions accredited at the UN. -What is your best experience so far during your internship? When you get here the first time, everything about the UN is simply amazing. You go to a reunion in the General Assembly or the Security Council and you bump into the Secretary General Ban KI-moon, then you go to another and you pass by the president of France or prime-minister of Israel or the President of the US. Then diplomats from your mission get invited to a reception organized at Waldorf Astoria by some sheikh or king or other high-ranking official or royalty and you are invited to go along. When you get there you see dozens of other people about which you only read in books or you saw them at TV. Under those circumstances everything is so amazing that it is rather impossible to make a selection of the best experience so far. However, the greatest impression that I was left with, was seeing the US President Barrack Obama and his motorcade when he was here during the High-level week. The amount and the extent of his Security (all together with Secret Service, Special Forces or other three-letter services responsible for his security) and the UN security during his visit it is something that can hardly not leave any impression to anybody.
Posted on: Mon, 05 Jan 2015 11:02:42 +0000
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