ON THE BRIDGE: An Intern’s Experience at the US Consulate General Vancouver

April 2009

2008
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February 2009
April 2009

Sitting at my desk on the 22nd floor, high above the hustle and bustle of Vancouver’s downtown core, I gaze out my window onto the snow-capped North Shore mountains, Lions Gate Bridge and Stanley Park, and think, I could get used to life as an intern. I am an intern at the US Consulate General Vancouver and a Canadian citizen nonetheless.

Interns are stereotypically looked upon as the coffee maker or Xerox guru. Despite being proficient at both tasks, my time at the US Consulate has been anything but ordinary.

I have been the Executive Political and Economic Intern at the US Consulate for three months and everyday brings a new surprise. Depending on the day, I may carry out the function of a commentator on politics, a reporter of B.C news, or a student of climate change.

The Executive Intern at the US Consulate General Vancouver is responsible to meet the needs and demands of the Consul General and the Deputy Consul General. I provide both with summaries, backgrounders and briefing notes and in turn I have been granted the opportunity to attend numerous seminars and conferences with the Deputy Consul General. I have represented the US Consulate General Vancouver at Simon Fraser University’s Citizens Summit on Human Trafficking and the 2010 Olympics, and at policy roundtable discussions on regional cross-border relationships between the U.S. and Canada.

As an intern, I am frequently asked to write daily active reports (DARs) on key Canada- U.S. issues and provide updates on other significant global issues. The daily activity reports I create help to keep the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa immersed in B.C. and Yukon news. I have written DARs on Metro Vancouver’s waste disposal problem, the cancellation of the Ritz-Carleton development project, and the recent escalation in gang related violence in Metro Vancouver.

I have also been summoned to take part in multiple Digital Video Conferences (DVCs). Monthly DVCs between the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa and all US Consulates across Canada provide an interesting forum to discuss policy directives from Washington, D.C. and to keep each Consulate up to date on regional issues across Canada.

As a student at the University of British Columbia, the opportunity to work in a foreign consulate has been a valuable compliment to my academic studies. Through this position I have learnt more about the inner workings of policy development and intergovernmental affairs. The Executive Intern position is writing intensive and forces the intern to become proficient writing documents that are concise, emphasizing hard facts.

My time at the US Consulate General Vancouver has been exciting, fast-paced and challenging. As the Executive Intern I have been treated the same as regular fulltime employees and encouraged to work on documents of my interest.

Being the Executive Political and Economic Intern at the US Consulate General Vancouver has been a tremendous learning opportunity. After the internship, I hope to continue to work on issues and ideas relevant to U.S - Canada diplomacy.