This past summer, I became an unofficial real estate agent for the US Embassy in Colombo. I got an internship in the GSO section. GSO stands for “General Services Office”. And the job description is pretty much exactly what you do. General Services. I had to wear proper work clothes, which was fun.
I enjoyed a lot, numerous, way too many meetings. I visited many houses that I had found online, looking to increase the housing pool number. I worked on my how professional writing skills as I and wrote up reports on the houses. Additionally, I reviewed Embassy members’ housing concerns (you would be shocked to know some of those), and led Final Walkthroughs for houses that are awaiting new arrivals. Other, more pressing matters, included discussing money issues with partners such as the Shangri La Hotel, and terminating a property contract we had started no more than two years previous.
I both enjoyed and excelled in the workplace. I was able to create my own rhythmic schedule and thus, with this freedom, I used the Embassy gym everyday, ate really good cafeteria food, and attended Zumba classes. I visited my parents in their offices from time to time. I got very used to the Embassy community and my coworkers and I was sad to leave at the end of summer. I will miss my amazing colleagues who were so dedicated to their work and my boss who treated me like a real employee and taught me so much about the professional world. It was truly a great experience and I would love to do it again.
Edit: Recently the team and I went to lunch to catch up. I hadn’t realized how much I missed them!
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