At a recent happy hour I was introduced to a young female intern by a good friend of mine who had attended high school with said intern. After my friend introduced her, he excused himself to the restroom, leaving me and another friend alone with the intern at our table. She seemed nice enough so in an effort to make small talk my friend politely asked "Where are you interning at?" She seemed put-off by the question and immediately replied "I don't discuss my work" and folded her arms in a manner that matched her tone. Puzzled, my friend shot me a glance that screamed "WTF." Familiar with this type of game I quickly responded with "So you work for the CIA?" Shocked by my hasty retort she looked awkwardly towards the ceiling before re-stating "I DON'T discuss my work". Knowing this boneheaded response all-too-well, I smiled and again posited "So you work for the CIA?" Clearly out of ideas and uncomfortable with my line of questioning she pardoned herself under the auspices of "getting a phone call."
When my friend returned to the table, he asked where she went. Rather than telling him what had just happened, I asked him where she interned. His response: the CIA.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
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11 comments:
Well, we all know that interning and "working" aren't the same thing. You should have phrased it appropriately.
Doesn't she know that the proper answer is "the State Department"?
she needs a better cover story
so?
If I interned at the CIA, I would be ashamed to talk about it as well. Incompetence is contagious, and you can catch a raging case of the sucks if you hang out at the CIA for too long.
Wow, she does not know how to handle that whole cleared thing politely.
I'm always, I could tell. But then I'd have to bore you to death with the details.
She probably could have handled it better, but I don't really blame her. I'm sure they tell you not to discuss it with many people, especially if you want a career there.
Oh, honey. You're not that important. If you ever come back to this town, the correct answer is "DoD" or "the State Department".
You mean you wouldn't be exasperated when someone ignores your first two statements of *i don't discuss my work*.
The poster sounds like much more of an ass than the intern.
No, I wouldn't be. It's a benign question, and not to answer it - even with a lie, and especially as someone who is interning and doesn't yet have an actual career - is bizarre and self-centered. Everyone else is right. You are wrong.
I'm surprised the CIA didn't actually give her a cover story...they probably did and she just forgot---perhaps she enjoys the attention she gets from not directly sharing her work.
Stupid girl.
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