To be in the right place at the right time

Do you feel sometimes that you are not in the right place at the right time?

In August I was in Edinburgh, invited by colleagues there to manage the Edinburgh Festivals Cultural Seminars series, a pilot project between British Council Scotland and Festivals Edinburgh. We worked together in a joint team between the two organisations and in the evenings we tried to see as much as we can from the numerous festivals? events. When we? went together to the exciting ?Speed of Light? project, a spectacular art and sport event in the Edinburgh International Festival, I read a sentence by one of the participating runners: ??I run to spend some quality time with myself?. I ?ran? from one floor to another spending some quality time with my colleagues there in the amazing Waverly Gate building inEdinburgh. I enjoyed ?running? between Creative Scotland hall on the first floor where most of the seminars took place ( 2-4 seminars per day) and theBritish Council office on the fourth floor where it naturally neighbours the offices ofMuseums GalleriesScotland and Microsoft. My colleagues in our office inSofia know that I never use the lift and run up and down the stairs. I should confess that in Waverly Gate I was tempted from time to time to change the stairs in favour of the glass lift ? I could see from it all people working on the different floors and those enjoying their lunch sandwiches or salads on the roof garden.

The British CouncilEdinburgh office is a Smart Working open space with natural light and unforgettable views from the Edinburghold town. Although I?ve learned not to be distracted by the great view of Vitosha mountain in the office in Sofia, it was difficult for me in the beginning to concentrate at my laptop while Edinburghhistorical sites and famous hills competed for my attention through the windows. The atmosphere of art and creativity in and around Waverly Gate building naturally combines the spirit of historical past with the speed of digital technology present. It is on NorthBridgeat the junction of Waterloo Place. Across the road is the Balmoral Hotel with the clock tower and on the other side of the road is the General Register House with the statue of the Duke of Wellington in front of it. It is the home of the National Records of Scotland and also houses the Scotland?s People Family History Centre where you can trace your family tree. Official certificates are kept there for births, marriages, deaths. With this sense of preserved memory I remembered this building as the special venue for Dreamthinkspeak Don?t Look Back performance in theBritish Council Showcase in 2005. It was inspired by the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice and then, as a member of the audience, I took part in the dream-like journey into the past walking through the labyrinthine corridors, surrounded by sounds, music, whispers and unexpected actors? presence in the dark.

We could be impressed with the history, architecture and design of buildings but we are touched by the people and stories inspiring memories ? by the artists creating new meaning of buildings and by colleagues who make you remember them. When I came to the British Counciloffice in Waverly Gate building I had such a cordial welcome by Lloyd Anderson and Julia Amour, such a friendly support and warm appreciation by colleagues there that I thought ? this is why I like working for this organisation. We share one and the same values, acknowledge colleagues? achievements and could work in different contexts and teams because we understand and appreciate cultural differences. Every day, like all colleagues there, I sat with my laptop at another desk thus being able to meet many of them. I enjoyed every minute of my project management role there: I worked on the seminars? schedule and presentations with Julia and the Festivals Edinburgh team, booked my desk with Linda every morning, overcame my computer and telephone challenges with Roddy and Steve, crawled under the table with Aine to connect cables for the seminars presentations in the British Councilhall, shared news from the Fringe and the International Festival programmes with Dana, Anne and Paula and planned with them what to see, learned from Ginnie interesting stories about the city while exploring it with her and mounted ?St. Andrew?s Seat with Cara during the ?Speed of Light? unforgettable project. As a member of the participating audience I walked up the hill in the darkness learning about my physical capabilities, sharing silently the group exploration. One of the runners in this performance has written: ?I run because life begins at the end of your comfort zone.?? This will be the title of my next blog about this project, about Festivals Edinburgh unique collaborative model, the Cultural Seminars and some of the festival events. I was inEdinburgh in the Year of Creative Scotland, in August when six Edinburgh Festivals were taking place, just at the end of the Olympics during the culmination of the Cultural Olympiad inLondon when several of the International Shakespeare Festival performances were presented inEdinburgh. Thanks to allBritish Council colleagues who made this placement possible, as a project manager and an actress I felt I was in the right place at the right time.

Source: http://blog.britishcouncil.org/bulgaria/2012/09/03/to-be-in-the-right-place-at-the-right-time/

dick clark death yom hashoah yolo liquidmetal gsa scandal kelis dick clark dies