Briefing the Course Members at the NDC...

I am having a bit of a hard time writing today's post because although it has been an extremely rewarding week, I have also been grappling with a lot of mixed emotions. First off, I am aware that my time at the NDC is coming to an end. Today I sat in on the last lecture the college will have before I leave and although there are three weeks to go, the Course members whom I have really gotten to know will only be here for one of those weeks. I hate endings and goodby's and although I have had to do this a lot in the past few years, it doesn't get any easier, and what makes this particular occasion even harder is how much more I enjoy my Coop every single day.

On Tuesday I was asked to brief the Senior Course on the Arts and History program. What this entailed is me standing in front of 40-50 military officers, or the civilian equivalent and deliver a presentation on Caravaggio. Although this sounds like a simple enough task, it is quite overwhelming to stand in front of people who have had so much experience and who know so much. I was extremely nervous about it, but in the end my supervisor was very happy with how it went. This has been one of the biggest challenges during my Coop. Although public speaking has never been a problem for me, standing in front of the NATO podium was a totally different experience and I am extremely relieved that I was able to deliver the presentation.