Gennike Mayer Interpreter, Translator, Communicator at Interpreting Your Needs
Studying with DiploFoundation has been quite a journey… and not over yet! First published on DiploFoundation Blog, 9 April I first saw the ad for the Master/Postgraduate Diploma in Contemporary Diplomacy while working in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh – the town that welcomed close to one million Rohingya refugees fleeing violence in Myanmar. I shared an office with an Australian colleague who wore the title of humanitarian diplomacy liaison. It sounded fancy and we got along well, often exchanging views on the highly political aspects of the Rohingya crisis. I felt like my communications portfolio was restrictive and I longed to cross over into the role of a humanitarian diplomat who could make a difference by amplifying the voices of the voiceless behind the scenes, in the corridors of power, through the tools of diplomacy. From my tiny room in CXB, I prepared my application and sent it off to DiploFoundation on 15 October 2018, days before travelling home for a much-needed sanity break. I immediately received an email that my application was incomplete. Forgive me, my mind was already on vacation! There I was emerging from my first night’s sleep back home, having to focus my brain cells on developing a dissertation proposal on my cell phone as I left my laptop behind in Bangladesh. Have you ever tried typing on a small screen with jetlagged eyes? Me neither, but I somehow managed to send something sensible to Diplo’s administrators and get back to my vacation in the paradise island that I call home – Tobago. Once my ‘staycation’ was over, I headed back to Bangladesh, my Rohingya reality. Weeks later, I received confirmation that I was admitted to the programme and thankfully received a partial scholarship. My next sanity break from the chaos of Cox’s Bazar was the MA/PGD introductory workshop in Malta in February 2019. Work took on a different flavour as I had something specific to look forward to. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed my job working on the Rohingya crisis, but I needed an outlet for venting my frustrations and nurturing my other interests. Diplo’s programme was a chance to step out of my comfort zone and stretch myself beyond the psychological and physical boundaries that I involuntarily set for myself. It was also a chance for constructive venting of my concerns about the never-ending Rohingya crisis while equipping me with concrete tools for processing what I was experiencing. Travelling to Europe in February was unimaginable to me. I’m from the Caribbean where it’s 32 degrees Celsius year-round and there I was heading to Malta fearful of being bitten by the cold. Once
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