First Day as PA

Arrival at 9 am, welcoming receptionist, ensuing picture for badge, followed by an appointed with a nice person from HR. Followed by many more talks with even more nice people from HR. I had a great morning!

Discovery of my office on the fourth floor. 

Followed by a very pleasant lunch with one of the Directors.
Received a key, met my nice office neighbours.

Followed by a discovery of the various levels of ESA HQ Nikis and of who sits where. Met more nice and friendly people. Asked for some posters to add some colour to my new office. Discovered some hardware along the way.

And finally had some coordination meetings with my new colleagues followed by a high level meeting. All in all, a wonderful first day!

And now I need to finish my lecture for Friday.
PA by day, lecturer by night.

ESA Programme Advisor at the ready?

Yes! Programme Advisor to the Director General at the ready!

Yes, I know, this is supposed to be a blog about birdies. Real birdies. Not about some human thinking that because she is taking on a new super cool job, with wonderful new perspectives and responsibilities, that she too can fly just like a birdy.

But I just can't help it. I am so eager to take everything that I have learned so far and put it at the service of ESA and hence of Europe! Working hard is something I am seriously looking forward to. That, together with all the challenges that I know lie ahead.

Tommorrow will be my first day at ESA and I am curious as to what it will bring my way.

Cooperation, new technologies and missions, new paradigms, more cooperation, mediation, meeting and interacting with many new people in many new disciplines, new dimensions, myriads of stakeholders - old and new - ... these only some of the aspects that will keep me busy....

What is there not to be excited about and hence feel like you are flying?