first week in my (supposed) last internship

"Industrial development in China? They need help in that? They should be helping US develop!" This was a response I received about my internship with the UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization) Regional Office in Beijing. And my response? Obviously China can get by just fine without support, but the purpose of UNIDO is to provide external assistance in sustainable development that is not locally available, and make sure that their policy and technology in energy efficiency, renewable energy, environmental protection, and carbon emissions catch up to the development. 

I've finished my first week of work and so far, so good. The first project I'll be working on is increasing energy efficiency in industrial heat systems. This project will work with several agencies within China to improve how the government inspection of heat exchangers and boilers, as well as train companies to better manage their energy consumption and optimize their heat systems. Another project is the Taiyuan GHG project which helps the local government reduce emissions. A main component of this project is monitoring, reporting and verification of emissions, and creating a network for companies to benchmark their emissions.  Capacity building is a very important concept in UNIDO and for all development projects- basically, helping the local organizations increase their own capacity for improvement. UNIDO partners with local agencies or organizations to provide resources and support that they otherwise wouldn't have.

I'm excited about this internship because these projects incorporate a little of everything from my background- the boiler and heat exchanger design from cheme, development project experience from ewb, carbon emissions from both my undergrad and masters, and even measurement and verification methods from my masters thesis. 

Now for the downside, because it's inevitable... in my case, it's the commute. I live in Haidian on the west 3rd ring of Beijing, and UNIDO is located between the east 2nd and 3rd rings in the Chaoyang District near all the embassies. It seems like there's an infinite number of ways that I can make the commute, and I'm still trying to figure it all out. So far, I've been taking bus-metro-bus. Anyways, "urban jungle" does not suffice the ruthlessness and chaotic nature of Beijing's buses and subways. All I can say is there's always people-watching to do, and I make use of my one hour+ commute to read on my phone. I finished the rest of Picture of Dorian Grey, read Metamorphosis, and in the midst of Treasure Island right now.