Good lord diplomats get people all wound up. Today was a reasonably productive one but I seriously underestimated two things:
1. How much work I would personally have to put into ensuring that all proper protocols are followed, and into all the planning that goes into making sure things are set up correctly, for the signing ceremony on Thursday.
2. How anxious people would be about the logistics.
My counterpart at AID called me like eight times today, three times to ask the same question about who would be speaking from our side in which order. He's a competent guy so I'm sure there is some reason he's so wound up about something so seemingly, well, insignificant isn't the right word. I don't know, everyone shows up, we know when the ambassador is supposed to speak and then when everyone signs the papers, and then other people are gonna say a couple things, no big deal. Oh, how naive I am.
We have to make sure there are four identical pens.
We have to make sure there are the appropriate number of flags, all the same size, and that they are arranged properly on the table. We have to decide whether or not to also use large flags, and if we do, where they'll go.
We have to figure out where the signatories are going to sit while each is speaking in turn. Will it be at the signing table? Or in the front row of the audience, because at the end of the thing we may need to do a brief PowerPoint? Do we need a PowerPoint?
We have to establish who is opening the event, then who is speaking after the ambassador, then who is speaking to describe the project. Not just that the project will be described, but the name of the individual who will do the describing.
And on and on.
I don't know, it'll be a hoot and a holler and I'll get some good stories out of it I bet. Whatever.
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Tonight AV and I went out for dinner with two generations of fellows. Turkish spot. Delicious shish kebab. It was nice.
That's all for now.
1. How much work I would personally have to put into ensuring that all proper protocols are followed, and into all the planning that goes into making sure things are set up correctly, for the signing ceremony on Thursday.
2. How anxious people would be about the logistics.
My counterpart at AID called me like eight times today, three times to ask the same question about who would be speaking from our side in which order. He's a competent guy so I'm sure there is some reason he's so wound up about something so seemingly, well, insignificant isn't the right word. I don't know, everyone shows up, we know when the ambassador is supposed to speak and then when everyone signs the papers, and then other people are gonna say a couple things, no big deal. Oh, how naive I am.
We have to make sure there are four identical pens.
We have to make sure there are the appropriate number of flags, all the same size, and that they are arranged properly on the table. We have to decide whether or not to also use large flags, and if we do, where they'll go.
We have to figure out where the signatories are going to sit while each is speaking in turn. Will it be at the signing table? Or in the front row of the audience, because at the end of the thing we may need to do a brief PowerPoint? Do we need a PowerPoint?
We have to establish who is opening the event, then who is speaking after the ambassador, then who is speaking to describe the project. Not just that the project will be described, but the name of the individual who will do the describing.
And on and on.
I don't know, it'll be a hoot and a holler and I'll get some good stories out of it I bet. Whatever.
--------
Tonight AV and I went out for dinner with two generations of fellows. Turkish spot. Delicious shish kebab. It was nice.
That's all for now.
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