Week 2: Working In-Person, In a Castle
Hello again from Stockholm!
My first full in-person week at International IDEA has just wrapped up, and it's already been a memorable one.
To begin with, the office itself is unbelievable. It’s located in a 300-year-old Swedish castle situated on its own island in central Stockholm. The view is beautiful — surrounded by water, walking paths, and quiet gardens — and the commute involves crossing a small bridge with boats and ferries drifting by.
This week, I’ve been assigned to the teams reviewing elections that took place earlier this year in Kosovo, Romania, and Liechtenstein. My role involves helping to analyze legal frameworks, electoral procedures, and overall democratic practices in each country. It’s careful, detailed work — and it feels familiar. Last summer, at IFES, I focused on post-election court decisions around the world. Here at IDEA, the approach is broader — more about full-system evaluations than isolated legal cases — but the purpose remains much the same: understanding how democratic systems function and identifying areas where they can be strengthened.
It’s the kind of work that requires focus and patience, but it’s rewarding. There’s a quiet importance to it — not just in the conclusions we draw, but in the care we take to understand these elections in their full political and legal contexts. Sometimes, much of the work revolves around just paying attention to legal abuses occurring across the globe.
Outside of work, I’ve been getting to know the city a bit more. With the Swedish holiday of Midsummer approaching, Stockholm is full of anticipation (and ready for a long weekend). It’s one of the most celebrated times of year here, and I’m hoping to spend the long weekend exploring more of the city — taking in both the tradition and the change of pace. So far, that’s meant wandering through local neighborhoods surrounding Hagersten, stopping into museums on Gamla stan, and jumping from island to island.
All in all, it’s been a strong start — one that combines serious work with a genuinely meaningful experience abroad. I’m looking forward to what comes next!
Until next week, and happy midsummer,
Hank