In every job I've had (and there have been many) there are always office politics. They are something I have come to expect. I think that the only way people tolerate going to the same place for 40 or more hours per week is to create some situations of drama that keep it interesting. Here in India it is no different.
Among the interns, we're able to gossip without much consequence. We don't have much invested into the organisation, and we're here only for a short time. M the Bavarian, J the Czech and I have all shared some of our frustrations about CSR. Like many smaller NGOs, they are underfunded and low on resources. Still, they feel the need to take on seven interns at a time, without the capacity to manage them properly. Fortunately, I am working on my own very specific project and do not require much guidance, but I can see how it is difficult for them.
I discovered only today that M had flown the coop as of Monday after only one month here. He was not being provided with the resources he needed to do his work, and he finally decided to leave. J was the one that told me, and she also shared her frustrations with me. She's been here for six months now.
I get the impression that there are other things going on as well. The floor plan of our department is very open. We have six small desk spaces with no dividing walls. We sit with our backs to one another. Our head of department, M-ji, sits at the other side of the room and has an office area that is mostly open to the rest of the department. The full-time staff tends to gather in her area for long periods of time and talk in hushed voices. The entire time, they continue to glance in our direction. It creates a terrible atmosphere of paranoia, as I always have the impression they are talking about me or someone else in the department.
That raises my only other concern with interning here. I have not been provided much guidance or assistance with my project. That would be fine, except for the necessary background information that I will need to conduct my research. However, the nature of my project is very academic, and it is difficult for me to do this kind of work in an atmosphere where I feel that I need to constantly be busy. When I write papers or do research, I tend to take breaks while I mull over my ideas. I play Simon or PacMan, I go for walks, I listen to music. Here, I am finding that I spend so much time trying to look busy that I never really get much work done. I end up writing more at home in the evenings and on weekends than I do in the office all week. Combine that with the lack of engagement from my supervisors and coworkers, and I am left wondering why I am here.
In the end, it's all fine. I only have four weeks left and I am busy doing my own thing. I have found some strategic ways to look busy (like writing longer posts for my site) and I don't mind doing some of the work at home. At least I can enjoy my own music (when I can beat Physics to it).
Flown by mariposa at 04:20 PM on June 23, 2005
I think you make a very good point, that people use drama to aleviate boredom. Another way to look at why the chatty group members may be glancing your way, may be to gauge if you are noticing them wasting time, for how long they have been not working, or if you may be able to understand what they are saying. Personal experience tells me that this is very likely. If they look away and giggle, then you probably should check the mirror. :)
P.S. clearly i could be working harder myself if I have time to think about this further and add a postscript. But has anyone else notice the biggest gossip in the office is also the first person in line on treat day? Boredom creates some ugly beasts.
