The Office

Partly Cloudy, 87 degrees

After the first week at work, I can think of nothing better, for your reading pleasure, than a brief description of the interesting atmosphere at The Office.  Our workplace is actually nothing like the NBC show The Office, that we all know and love (or at least  I love), but I think it's just as, if not more, entertaining.

 
My partner organization, Education as a Vaccine - see link in upper left hand corner for more information - as a fairly well-off NGO, has a respectable space (by Nigerian standards) in a central area of the capital city.  They are lucky, in that respect, to be able to afford rental of this space as it's considered prime real estate and a lot of non-profits would kill to have office space to begin with, let alone office space in a central area of Abuja.  That being said, my work environment - everything from the building to the atmosphere and the work style - is going to take some adjusting, even for the consultant that's worked at an array of different clients, locations, and cultures and in a few not-so-ideal work environments.  This one trumps them all - by quite a bit.
 
While I could write paragraphs about my work environment, I am going to sum it up in a few (hopefully short) sentences.

      

·         Crowded .  Although I don't think the word crowded really does it justice.  I've never seen so many people working in such a small space and this is saying a lot considering the proximity in which I've worked with colleagues in a number of client locations.  The only part of the office that is spacious and doesn't have a workspace set up is the bathroom, although it wouldn't shock me if this too was soon turned in to a working space - every other inch of the office has been.

·         Sticky.  There is no central a/c and with all those bodies, it's bound to be hot - especially after climbing the 4 flights of stairs to get to our floor.

·         Religious.  Wednesday morning church service is held in the office for anyone who wants to attend.  Attendance is not required, but encouraged, from what I understand.

·         Baby-friendly.  Two women, including my boss, the Executive Director, have 4 month olds that spend their days with their moms (and young care givers) at the office.  This is actually one of my favorite parts about the office.  Anytime I need a break from what I'm doing, I can play with the babies and it's totally acceptable (and I think almost encouraged) as a normal part of the work day.  The babies add an interesting element to the work environment.  In addition to contributing to the overall noise level, they also contribute to awkward moments in meetings when your boss begins breastfeeding mid-discussion with no qualms or modesty.

·         Loud.  No explanation needed.

·         In need of a good cleaning and a few (one, in particular) basic amenities.  I'm pretty sure there is no one that regularly cleans the office.  While I don't need a space that is sparkling clean to work, a good scrub could do wonders for my (and I'm sure other's) attitudes about the environment.   In addition to constant power supply, better lighting, and regular internet access, another, in my opinion necessary, amenity is missing.  A toilet seat.  While this may not be an a big deal for the men in the office, I find myself dreading going to the bathroom even though it is the place where I have the most room to myself.  I don't think I'm asking too much and I'm tempted to use my meager volunteer stipend to purchase this amenity as my personal donation to EVA.  I've been reminded by my colleagues that, as the fundraising advisor, I can make a pitch to a donor to get at least a toilet seat and if I'm really good, maybe even enough money for a larger office space.

All that said, I have had a good first week and think I am truly going to enjoy my work, the people, AND The Office.