Nationality: German
Contract Began: April 2009
How did you find out about PBI and what attracted you to the job?
A friend of mine had joined the Guatemala project a couple of years ago. Encouraged by her reports on life and work with PBI in Guatemala my interest in PBI grew. I started attending a few meetings of a local PBI group in Germany, including lectures and talks with PBI staff on their return home. As I immediately appreciated the atmosphere and working manners of PBI, I decided soon to seek field experience and apply for a placement with PBI. I especially appreciate the volunteer status and the structures and organisation of PBI itself. The network of PBI within different countries and different projects impresses me and demonstrates a considered approach to its mandate, which gives me the safety and support while working in the field. The direct contact with local organisations on grassroots level without interfering in their work for me is what makes our work fascinating and challenging.
Describe your average working day
Even we try to schedule and plan our working days, flexibility is most important – adapting our work to inter-team cooperation, events of the day and ‘whatever comes in’.
Getting up at 8.30 – and this is an advantage of living and working in the same place, you don’t have to spend hours in traffic jam in Jakarta and it takes you 2 minutes to get to the office :-)
9a.m. Info Share: what has been done yesterday, what will be done today
Indoor activities: Checking emails, Political and News Analysis, security and conflict analyses, writing proposals, writing weekly/monthly/yearly reports, writing meeting notes, team meetings, administrative tasks…
Outdoor activities: Meetings with embassies, authorities or NGOs, visiting events, registration and visa arrangements, shopping…
Office hours are usually till 6p.m. and even we sometimes have to work longer, there is still enough time to enjoy night life in Jakarta.
How have you found ‘life in the field?’
After only four weeks of living and working with PBI, I can say our work varies a lot, it is always exciting. You never know what comes next. So it is important to be flexible, curious and well prepared. Managing all the different tasks (including administration and finances for example) requires a good flow of communication within the team and sensitivity for each other.
What are the positives about the work?
It’s a pleasure to work close with local actors and to get a direct feedback on what we are doing. Thus we are part of the NGO community, which offers support and inspires our work. This also gives us the possibility to immediately act and react on what we ourselves experience and observe. I enjoy working independently and self-responsible with the team, so we can decide ourselves what to focus on doing on a daily basis.
What do you find most challenging?
Decision making processes are a big challenge as we use consensus. Discussions can go on and on and it feels like moving in circles at times. Putting own interests aside and acting for the wellbeing of the team and the project is challenging. Also circumstances and facts, which apart actually seem to be less important, such as climate, transport, language, bureaucracy, culture, team life become an every day challenge.
Any advice to others who may be interested in applying to join the IP?
Applicants should be aware of the limits of our work. Even working hard, it can be frustrating that we cannot do more or that ‘wait and see’ seems to be a good strategy in certain situations. Also be aware of own abilities and boundaries – be realistic. I consider it important to have a good balance between personal and altruistic motives for joining PBI. Make sure personal values and interests are in line with PBI’s mandate and principles and ask yourself if you are willing to put them aside if necessary. Those who never lived abroad before, become aware of what it means to be separate from beloved-ones and to live in a country which is quite different from the Western ones…
