TEE: How do you usually introduce yourself?
First of all, I would say my name, because my name is really important to me. My name is Gintare Eidimtaite, I am taking it very seriously because having left my country Lithuania many years ago, it represents my roots which I carry with me everywhere I go.
Gintare Eidimtaite is Humanitarian Affairs Officer working for the United Nations. Currently residing in Geneva, Switzerland.
TEE: Did you always know what you want to do in your life?
I think I always had an idea that I wanted to work internationally. I was always curious about the world. However, I was also drawn towards more creative and nerdy streak. Consciously, I was aware there are different parallel lives that I could had. Perhaps as a lawyer, museum curator, artist, or even as an actress. In one way or another – I would be happy doing any of these things.
TEE: What is your typical day when you are not on the mission?
I usually wake up around 6:30. Breakfast is very important to me, as I take 30 minutes for breakfast if not longer. I read 3 apps for latest news, then have my coffee, shower, and I am off to work. I start my job at 8:30AM and then I work until around 7pm.
Usually after work, I would go to the gym. For dinner, my husband and I are big fans of home-cooked meals. Like most of us, after a long day, our preferred method to relax is watching Netflix and then going to bed.
TEE: That is quite a long working day and I guess you have a lot of tasks to deal with. How do you prioritise?
That’s sounds like a job interview question! However, I’m happy to share my best practices. Deadlines are the easiest metric. From there I look whether the deadline is internal, external, or imposed. Knowing the importance of each task and seeing which ones are time sensitive help me consult and finish it with the right people.
“I still have my two of my grandparents and to be able to know them and still spend time with them is the biggest luxury in my life”.
G. Eidimtaite
TEE: You work a lot and I know that you enjoy it a lot. What else do you enjoy in life? What is a definition of luxury for you?
The first thing that comes into my mind is the fact that I was lucky to meet and know almost all of my great grandparents. Unfortunately, one great grandad passed away when I was very young and another died in the war. Thankfully, I got to spend quality time with my great grandmothers. Not many people have that luxury! I had enough time to get to know them and engage in conversations with them as a young adult. Now I still have my two grandparents. Knowing them and still spending time with them is the biggest luxury in my life.
TEE: Without a doubt you go through many experiences in your life. Is there something that you could call the best experience?
I think there are people who are marked by experiences in nature. For instance, my husband climbs mountains and that is what marks him. For me it was always connecting with people.
From a personal standpoint, my experience can be talking with my grandfather about World War II which he lived through as a child. Talking with my best friends about what’s happening in their lives is another endearing experience. Or it can be working in a very different country and talking to people about how they see the world. I’m curious to know how they imagine life after death. Even about what they eat! And realizing that at the end of the day — really fundamentally deep down — we are all the same and we all want the same things.
TEE: What is this thing that holds us all together? You travelled a lot of countries, met different people, experienced different cultures. What do we all have in common?
In a lot of countries we REALLY like to eat well. So, people take food seriously and this idea that we nourish our bodies, that we share things around the table.
In my culture there is always a bottle at our table, in other countries it is bread, other countries may share a very elaborate, rich rice dish.
The idea of sitting around the table: whether you are sitting on the floor or on the chair, whether you are using chopsticks, or forks, or eating with your hands – all of us share the idea that we need to nourish our bodies.
The idea of family and togetherness comes in different forms and shapes. We all want security for people that surround us. We will sacrifice many things and do the things, that seem, like the impossible to make our families safe.