The end of the road

“When it’s time to leave, it makes you want to stay”

So my time here in New York City is coming to an end very soon.

 My flight is scheduled for Wednesday night.  My last day of work is Tuesday the 30^th. The Wednesday itself is a holiday at the United Nations, the Eid (End of Ramadan in the Islamic calendar).

By the looks of it today, work might be cancelled as the city’s metro system is still recovering from the damage done  by the flooding  Saturday night.

So this Tuesday might be my only day of work this week, but also my last day in the internship at the office.

And as much as I have been enjoying it here, the internship, the city, the people, it feels like it is time to go back home, unwind, reflect back on this experience and finish up my bachelor’s strong.

But as it usually goes, when time to leave comes, you kinda want to still just a tiny bit longer. Well I have been feeling like that lately, not a whole lot, a day or two, but then I realized two things that made me feel 100% better:

·         I will get to see  the one and only Nikki “O’Fallen” Kwarta. After an entire summer without seeing her, I can’t wait to relax, catch up and enjoy out last semester together.

·         This is not my last time in NYC, nor is it the end of my time with the United Nations. I feel like I will be coming back here, it is only a matter of time. Therefore, I might as well get to finishing up school.

Therefore, I feel great about going back to my little quiet town in Missouri, my own bed, my own little place. Because somehow I miss the quietness I once dreaded.

--Elmo

Moroccan Mission

So I toyed with the idea of visiting the Moroccan mission ever since I started my Internship at the United Nations, but I never got around to doing it. About two weeks ago, I started thinking ‘maybe I should’ seeing that I am right here and all. At the same time, I felt intimidated by the idea of just walking in and visiting all by myself.  To settles all these mixed feelings, I decided to send them an email and see where things go from there. I almost forgot about the whole thing seeing that I was occupied with finishing up my work and that missions get hundreds of emails per week day.

 But to my surprise, I received an email back with a phone number to call and everything, seeing that it was Friday afternoon, I thought I might as well call right away, and I did.  The guy at the mission, knowing that I am leaving soon, invited me to visit that same afternoon.

I have to admit I did not expect the mission offices to be as fancy as they are, it kinda made me proud a little bit, ok ok  a lot haha.

 The advisor was kind enough to welcome me into his office and talk to me about the work of the mission and how they are swamped with work seeing that the general assembly is in September, and Morocco is running for election to the Security Council in October.

The whole experience, along with my interest in diplomacy and everything political pushed me to think about pursuing something in diplomacy and hopefully working with the Moroccan mission to the United Nations at some point.

Who knows right? Let’s see what the future holds 

The Israeli Mission

So this week, lots of mission offered us briefings to attend if we were interested. The Palestinian observer mission offered a session, and so did the Italian one, the Danish one and the Israeli one.

Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the Palestinian one! But I did manage to get on the list for both the Danish and the Israel Mission briefings.

The Danish one was… Danish! EARLY in the morning, nice, and they provided croissants, coffee and tea. It was all nice, except for the past where I could not eat any of it since it was fasting and all. Deputy Permanent Representative himself was nice enough to take to us about the Danish involvement in the Unites Nations and answer several questions about Danish and international issues and topics.

If there is one thing I took away from the brief presentation is the fact that Denmark is highly involved in humanitarian aid and energy. Also, he highlighted the Nordic cooperation, its limits at time, but also its vast benefits.

The big one was the Israeli Mission on Friday Morning. That one was the anticipated one, I could not wait to see what the Deputy permanent representative had to say about the current issues and the Palestinians issue.

Shortly after the start of the briefing, one could tell that the man speaking to us, was a seasoned diplomat.  He spoke in a way that portrayed confidence to an arrogance level.  He was preemptive in bringing up topics that he know would come up, the 1967 borders, refugees, flotilla.

As frustrating as it was, it was certainly interesting hearing the other side, the Israeli side trying to defend outrageous policies and practices that have been going on for decades and violating every Palestinian right imaginable!

I have to say that it was one of the most frustrating things I has to live through, sitting there having a thousand things to say! Due to the nature of the meeting, seeing that it was a mere briefing, the only appropriate thing asking questions and not commenting of the country’s policies.

The other frustrating thing was that the criticism he directed toward the Palestinian and the Arab countries in the region was legitimate. He spoke of the Palestinian divided line and internal struggle and lack on unified leadership, he also spoke of the Syrian  oppression of human rights, the corruption throughout the Arab Regimes.

I had the opportunity to ask him two questions. He answered one of them very directly, and dodged the other one. He very quickly identified my accent in pronouncing Palestinian names as Arabic and later asked where I was from.

The first question, which he answered very directly was about Jerusalem. I asked him about the status of the city as a capital of a future Palestinian state. He claimed Jerusalem to be the capital of the Israel state and Israel refusal to admit as a Palestinian capital.

In that same context, I asked him about Israeli position on Palestinian movement toward full candidacy  in the United Nations. He was also very clear to state that it is a unilateral move that should not be taken by Mahmoud Abbas, instead Palestinians should go back to the negotiation table. Furthermore, he stated that it would not change the situation on the ground at all!

My other question was concerning Turkish relation and the recent tension between  Tal Aviv and Ankara. He was very sneaky to dodge Turkish demands for an official apology, and only said that Israel-Turkish relations are well, and some tension is normal.

It was mind blowing to see how he managed to portray Israel as a peaceful country who is a victim of regional hatred and violence!! It was truly INSANE.

One of the funniest things he said was how Israel is a ‘vibrant democracy’ and  ‘an example to follow’ forgetting, or more like omitting Israeli oppressive policies against Arab Israelis and anything Arab or Muslim in sight!

This experience has certainly been enriching as well as frustrating!!

This tale of my visit to the Israeli mission has only motivated me to be more active and involved in everything promoting the Palestinian cause an Palestinian rights.

Hopefully, come September, the State of Palestine will be a permanent member of the United Nations and will gain recognition by countries worldwide, consequently, (hopefully) strengthening their position in the bilateral negotiations. With that I hope that Palestinian leadership comes together with all participating members and parties.

Free Palestine

--Elmo  

The beauty of NYC

Well, if you know the slightest bit about me, you know how crazy I am about my soccer! How crazy I am about Real Madrid in particular. And you are probably thinking that 'crazy' is an understatement.
Well, you are right!
The new Spanish soccer season is kicking off in style this year. First official game of the season: The Grand Clasico. Yet another match-up between Spanish giants and eternal rivals. Yes, it is a Real Madrid vs. Barcelona :)
 It is time for the Spanish Supercopa, which is basically a trophy/title  to distinguish the ultimate champion of Spain. It is played between the League winner and the Cup winner. In this case, Barcelona, La Liga Champion, and Real Madrid, The Copa del Rey Champion.
Now here is the funny thing: Real Madrid beat Barcelona in extra-time 1-0 before being handed the Cup trophy. AND Barcelona edged Real Madrid by 4 points to claim La Liga title. So the rivalry is at its highest, to say the least.

Real Madrid have signed some up and coming stars who have shown great promise over the pe-season already. Namely:
 Coentrao (and not Concentrao), the Portuguese stopper who has filled in at virtually every position in the past month.
Callejon, the local unknown who has managed to make his name known to fans as he showed what he has to offer scoring few goals and showing great speed and consistency.
Sahin and Altintop are yet to make their debut as they are still recovering from injuries.

Barcelona has only made two signings. The new defense sensation Alexis Sanchez, and the prodigal son who finally came back home, Cesc Fabregas!
Being in the States, I would probably watch the game on my computer, all by myself. Not this time. I have found me some Real Madrid fans, and we are going to see the big game at a Spanish Restaurant/Bar :)
That is the beauty of New York City :)

End of summer

So I have not been the best at keeping this blog up-to-date! I apologize for that. As you can imagine, things  have been a little hectic here in New York, working, exploring the city and all that jazz.

But it is almost time for me to pack my bags and head back to the Midwest.

As much as I do not want to leave the UN (especially with the General Assembly coming up), and the people who I have met here and have enjoyed getting to know, I am ready to head back to my little Kirksville home.

I am surely ready to see Nikki Kwarta and finally catch up and spend a lovely semester together.  It is time for me to go back to school, finish up and see what’s ahead for me.

It has been so strange not being in Kville for the start of the semester. I never thought I would say this, but I m sad I missed the first day of classes, and the entire first two weeks for that matter.

But it is not time to go just yet. I have four more work days here at the UN, and I have a total of 6 days left to spend with some lovely and amazing people.

So I will be updating you on my weekend as I go .. I hope :)

You know that feeling...?

Remember that feeling when you moved from middle school to high school? or from high school to college? 

How your sense of security was taken away from you? How you felt like you knew everyone and everyone knew you, and just felt comfortable in your surroundings? And all of a sudden all that changed??

It is like you were the boss, the big dog, yet  suddenly you found yourself at the bottom again.

Well that is how the past week or so has felt. Working with experienced people who have worked together for a long time. Being the new intern in a well established office and work space. 

I am not saying it is a bad feeling. It is a weird feeling, a bit scary as well. But it reminds you to be modest and appreciate the little things in life.

or like coldplay put it : 

"You might be a big fish
In a little pond
Doesn't mean you've won
'Cause along may come
A bigger one"

Well this past week, in addition to doing translation, I got to know the inner workings  of the office of Under-Secretary-General. Crazy phone calls, emails and important business! 

It is crazy scary and intimidating. It makes me want to go back to the comfort or taking classes and working with people I know and who know me.  But I haven't ran away yet! I'm still here, for 12 more days. 

However, at the same time, every day seems like a big accomplishment. The more you do, the more you learn, the more you know, the more comfortable you feel. 

Little by little I feel more comfortable, little by little I know what I'm doing. 

I'm afraid that by the time I feel comfortable enough, it will be time to say goodbye...

The big apple

So I think I can say that I am getting used to the life style of this city. There are always different things to do in New York, different places to see, and different things to try. I like it here, it’s alive and moving and exciting things are happening everywhere.

HOWEVER, New York is a city where I would live with friends. I would HATE coming here all by myself, starting a job where I don’t know lots of people, or where I would live with complete strangers.

Now, you might think.. Are you not doing those same things right now? And are you not loving it?

Yes, I am kinda living here by myself, kinda living with complete strangers…

BUT. Being an intern here at the United Nations has it benefits. You meet other interns who are in the same situation.

You make new friends and share similar experiences.

Now as for me, I met a great group of intern on the first day I was here. They all live different places, have different arrangements, come from different parts of the world. But we are all going through the same things, the good and the bad.

Let’s start with the bad:

I live in the East Harlem, which historically has not been known for its safety.

I live with two other girls, who I did not meet until the second week, I never see them anyway!

I did not know anybody upon coming to the city except very few people.

Now to the good stuff:

The East Harlem is not bad AT ALL. I live in a big apartment building with a 24h doorman. It is on a major avenue, so they are always people around. And they are policemen and security guards around at all times.

I never spend that much time at home, but when I do, I like the privacy, the silence and the time and space to myself.

I come to meet some pretty cool people since I have been here. Some are UN interns just like me, and some are friends of friends and other interns in the city.

I would say that the good stuff outweighs the bad stuff.

I have come to love it here. But then again, I think that is only because I am here on an extended vacation if you will (an expensive one where you actually work long hours). I will be going home back to the Midwest at the end of the month, and that is what makes this time so enjoyable. 

- Elmo