Home sweet Rome
Already 5 weeks ago I started at the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO). So far I am really enjoying the time being here. I have a nice apartment which I share with two other friendly housemates in Testaccio. It is just a 10 minutes’ walk from the head office. So many things happened. I will try to give you a nice summary about my experiences.
I am doing research on precision feeding and the prospectives for developing countries. I started with my plan of approach and last weeks I focussed on the state of the art of precision feeding. So far I collected technologies, methods and strategies to improve the nutrient utilization (ruminants and monogastrics). Besides working on my study I try to join meetings, symposia and conferences. There are so many that you have to make choices. I joined for example the IFIF (International Feed Industry Federation)-FAO annual meeting, the COAG (Committee of Agriculture) conference, symposium of agroecology, Sustainable Livestock feeding issues and options, and one about the terrible Ebola virus. It’s nice to see how these meetings are held and what they discuss on this ‘high strategy level’.
During lunches I mostly catch up with other volunteers, interns and consultancies. We sit outside on the roof top with the best view of the city. A lot of activities are organised inside the FAO. Every Wednesday there is a group going for a swim, crossing the Albano lake (old volcanic crater). After swimming we go for an ‘aparativo’, which is an Italian buffet. Furthermore, I join the run group during lunchtime once a week. Last week there was a pub quiz in an Irish pub but unfortunately we didn’t win the first price (5 bottles of whisky).
The weekends start with the Friday bar. A very popular place to go, for the group of volunteers and interns. The weekends are like small holidays, the weather is still so lovely! I try to enjoy the sun as much as possible and go the beaches or the market or to visit other places, like the small city Tivoli where I went last weekend with some friends.
Check my Facebook or Instagram to see the pictures :)
Ciao! Mireille