Getting to know TIMEP
About the author: Sylvie Ashford ’21 is an FSI Global Policy Intern at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP) in Washington, D.C. Sylvie is currently a Stanford undergraduate.
With the office programs director on vacation, I was left to orient myself to the office and get to know my fellow interns without the official PowerPoint presentation. Fortunately the four other students, a few weeks of work my senior, were ready to help me access the WiFi, office snacks, and other essentials on my first day. Working furiously on a breadth of research projects, they soon left me to my own devices and I took the time to read TIMEP’s website in full. From reports to blogs and tweets, I spent my first two days in Washington D.C. immersing myself in all things Egypt. By the time I received my research assignments, an annotated list of sources and a short brief on transitional justice issues, I felt prepared to handle the material… in theory.
In practice, it was three weeks after finals and dead week exhaustion was still fresh in my mind. Having spent a year in college working on my own (categorically bizarre) schedule, coming in to the office every day at 9am was a strange and tiring adjustment. Taking the metro in hundred degree heat, instead of walking or biking around mild Palo Alto, was an easier transition, as I quickly discovered the keys to a smooth commute: walking shoes, a playlist composed entirely of Enya songs, and a good book.
Staying focused, efficient, and productive in the office, however, was proving more difficult than anticipated — especially surrounded by some of the brightest minds in the field of Middle East studies, law and policy.
The research fellows, brilliant and experienced, communicate in short, often humorous conversations dotted with obscure political references that send me on frantic Wikipedia spirals. Research assistants and interns keep the conversation within a more comfortable domain, fluently discussing current events across the MENA region, transitioning in and out of Arabic with ease.
Now beginning my second week, I feel more determined to complete my assignments as quickly as possible and allow myself the time to contribute towards as many different projects as I can. I have limited time here, and endless sources of stimulation and learning to take advantage of.
Every day brings new lessons, and I look forward to them all!
P.S. Lesson I learned after my sixth watery cup of joe: It’s quite helpful to fill the coffee maker with coffee before running water through the filter.
