It’s jiggly on both sides, top and bottom. I think there’s some metric allen screws holding it together, and evidently some sort of silicone or rubber material between the glass door and handle eroded away over time on both sides. We just moved into the house and don’t know the history.
I was an International UN Volunteer in the Maldives from 2015 to 2016, supporting UNFPA in an adviser-level role that was somewhat more senior than the kinds of positions UNV was accustomed to placing.
It was a very difficult assignment. The UNFPA office downsized from eight people to three while I was there, and there was a great deal of resentment and dysfunction surrounding that transition.
The experience that really shaped my view of UNV and UNFPA, though, came when my wife became pregnant and developed complications that required medical evacuation. The Resident Coordinator had the authority to approve the evacuation and chose not to do so. UNV headquarters in Bonn was utterly unhelpful. So were the UN medical people we dealt with locally and in Switzerland and Bangkok.
Eventually, an evacuation was approved. My wife, who was a civilian with no affiliation with UNV, was “permitted” to travel with me to Boston, but reimbursement was capped at what an evacuation to Bangkok would have cost. I ultimately completed the assignment but had to take a few weeks of leave without pay on an already tight budget, not to mention travel and medical costs. If I were UNFPA staff, this would have been handled very differently. But that’s the point: You’re not staff. That’s why this hiring modality exists.
So my advice to anyone considering an international UNV assignment is to treat promises about how you will be taken care of with extreme skepticism. When something serious actually happens, the protections that look reassuring on paper may depend on discretionary decisions by people who have very little personal stake in what happens to you.
I would not recommend doing this unless you are financially capable of absorbing a very substantial loss yourself. Frankly, I’m not sure I would recommend it even then.
If you are from a country where a UN posting could materially change your career prospects, I can understand looking at UNV as a way to build a résumé and gain entry into the international system. It can be an opportunity. But I would approach it very skeptically, understand exactly what status and protections you do and do not have, and never assume that because something is promised in your conditions of service, the institution will actually make you whole when you need it.
I fortunately work within walking distance of the US National Archives and already have a NARA researcher card, so I was able to pay a visit before lunch and pick up all the official copies I need that are in the US federal government’s custody.
They use ancestry.com, too, so come ready with the links on your phone. If you try to be fancy and cite the exact roll and frame of microfiche you need, that’s actually not helpful. Also, don’t go to NARA II, up in College Park. The DC location has everything you need.
I spoke with a supervisory archivist and asked if they had been seeing a lot of Canadian immigration-related traffic. She sighed and said that requests for certifications peaked this year about June 14th and have consistently been rolling in about 200 per day, with a stack sitting on her desk “about this high,” gesturing about three linear feet of paper with her hands. She emphasized how lucky I was that I’m able to come in and get my certifications in person. Everyone was very helpful.
After so many applications, I managed to finally find a broker who understands our situation, and he produced a quote the same day. This feels like a small triumph. I don't yet have anything to compare this against. How does it look to you?