In the past, people were born royal. Nowadays, royalty comes from what you do." - Gianni Versace

Another Monday another start of the week. This Monday... marks exactly 18 days left of working at the UN. I cannot even believe how fast the time has gone by and I'm so glad that I have written so much of this down so that I can reflect on it.

I cannot believe how much I have already done. I am completely blown away. I feel like I've really worked hard on my projects here and I've also experienced almost all of New York city. It's been seriously amazing.

At work, I pondered a bit about the end of my internship and how I would feel (immense sadness, in case you were wondering) and worked a lot on more formatting (I am the word queen).

The queen looks beautiful. Trust.

At lunch, the Canadians and I went out to lunch again, this time joined by the French, American and Iraqi forces. It was quite fun, we sat, talked and laughed as we made new friends. My lunch was pretty boring - a wrap. I usually bring lunch almost every single day of the week since it is not only cheaper - but it is significantly healthier than the food I would be eating (coughdollarpizzacough) if I went out to buy stuff.

Though sometimes I'll grab soup, which is fairly healthy and not too expensive. I just try not to eat at the cafeterias here since they're all weigh by pound, which makes lunch pretty much cost $10 a day. That's about $50 a week simply for lunch. Could buy groceries instead (or 50 slices of pizza).

Afterwork, I headed down the stairs to the ECOSOC room where there was a meeting that was hosted by the Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG as we call it in 'UN lingo') of Children and Armed Conflict as well as the Kingdom of Belgium (I didn't know they were a Kingdom either!).

I sat there and listened to the panelists speak as well as a child soldier who gave us first-hand experience about his life as a child soldier. It was heartbreaking to hear.

Child soldiers are one of worst things out there - to completely strip a child of their innocence, their childhood and their education- that's just disgusting and horrendous. No one should ever be stripped of their own childhood. And no child should ever have to learn how to operate a gun or kill another person.

No child. Ever.

Of course, another person who felt very strongly about this was the Queen of Belgium herself, who was at the meeting!

I had the chance to shake her hand and take a very sneaky photo with her.

After work, I headed over to a co-worker's house for an Ifar dinner (for the end of Ramadan) to see everyone, drop by and say hi!

I had to leave as I had made prior plans before. I was cutting it really close, since I was by Upper Manhattan and had to run down to Chelsea so I JUST barely made the train after running and speed walking and headed down to Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre which is "An underground organization that tries to undermine society by spreading Chaos."

It was a pretty promising title. Since they did improv comedy and I do improv comedy... It was a perfect place for me to be!

The whole bar!

It was actually interesting because the whole improv troupe was actually girls! In fact, the whole night was female comedians. The whole place was so packed and I just BARELY made it to slip into line with some friends who were picking up tickets and I was lucky enough to get a seat.

The improv segment was okay - I wasn't super impressed but I enjoyed it. However, the act afterwards, which was when they were all doing a planned skit called "Balls deep," which was a series of sketch comedy acts with girls pretending to be guys was excellent. I don't think I've laughed harder in a really long time. I enjoyed it so much.

Afterwards, my friend and I headed out and grabbed some groceries from Trader Joe's, which, on a Monday night, was the MOST packed I had ever seen it. It was ridiculously insane. I could not believe how many people there were! But the line moved fast so it was all good.

Afterwards, I walked home, put my groceries away and put myself away into bed.

"It's easy to impress me. I don't need a fancy party to be happy. Just good friends, good food, and good laughs. I'm happy. I'm satisfied. I'm content." Maria Sharapova

ECOSOC Humanitarian Affairs Segment
event and reception

I woke up pretty early this morning and went into a Prevention for Sexual Exploitation and Abuse meeting that started at 8:30am and was hosted by the IOM and IASC (They're both really great groups). My friends were there already and so I sat down beside them and listened to the meeting.

It was actually a great meeting and it looked like the AFPs had done a lot of substantive work through collaboration with each other and the UN. It was great to also see that some of the issues and problems that they brought up were actually problems that our office is already proactively trying to solve!

After the meeting, I headed back to work and worked on a bit of a project I was assigned on, had some lunch in my office and then stayed at work until late. 

Other than the meeting, it was a fairly uneventful day at work... That is until the evening.

Oh my god, I've never been to so many events in one night.

Law of the Sea has been going on for
a while and they had some pretty
awesome food for their reception

I was planning on going to the reception for Humanitarian Affairs which was going to be hosted by the Swiss Mission, but I ended up going to 4 different events that night.

The first even was a reception for the Law of the Sea, and interestingly enough, they had smoked
salmon and shrimp (how is that for law of the sea) and a bunch of different foods and snacks.

As we were enjoying the event, a bunch of my friends actually passed by with gift bags from the Dutch Mission. I asked them where they went and they told me there was ANOTHER reception/party being held by the Dutch Mission (Not another DJ
sadly). So my friends and I headed up and man, it was a cool reception. It was, again, in the dining room and the first thing you got when you walked in was freshly made Stroopwafels. How cool is that?! God, they were so good. I can still taste the freshness.

There was (another) open bar with some specially mixed drinks as well as (the normal) wine and other stuff. Outside, there were a bunch of people partying and enjoying the vibes there. They even had a live jazz band playing! All around, people were giving out hor d'eourves and drinks and it was just a fun event. Met up with two of my fellow Canadian friends from the Mission and we just stood around and enjoyed each other's company.

The Dutch reception!

Afterwards, we headed out and got these amazing gift bags that had this thing called a "waka waka power" charger. It is a solar powered battery that runs off of solar power and doubles as a flashlight. It is designed by a Dutch person and for every one waka waka power bought, one is donated to a community that needs it (Mostly in Africa where they do not have as many resources or much access to electricity). 

Man the Dutch dropped a lot of money on this. I know I mentioned this before, but the elections are seriously ridiculous with the amount of money these member states spend. I mean seriously, this money could go back to your own economy or your own social needs. (Although I did benefit from it so I don't know if I can complain that much).

On the other end of the same hall there was a reception for the the Humanitarian affairs segment
. They had a lot of people and hor d'oeurves as well and they had some Swiss Lindt chocolate on the tables everywhere. It was quite cute. It was a proper reception where people were actually standing around and discussing all these different things and different ideas related to the Humanitarian affairs event. 

Earlier on at the Dutch event, we caught wind of another party being hosted. Another Mission, the Khazakstani one, was hosting an event at the Plaza Hotel.

Yes. That's right, I wrote Plaza hotel. The big, beautiful, ridiculously fancy and expensive one in front of Central Park. 

The plaque for the Khazakstani Mission

Kazakhstan wanted a seat on the Security Council. Really Bad.

Oh, in case you're wondering why these missions are having these free gelato, free espresso, free DJ Hardwell, Midsummer festival events? 

In the lead up to the Security Council Voting tomorrow, everyone is trying their best to secure and procure votes by doing all these events. 

Yup.

You know, you wonder who wins after these events, and seriously, my only answer for you is capitalism.

We headed over to the Kazakhstani Mission event at the Plaza where they had rented out the most beautiful and gorgeous Conference room. In the middle and on the sides, there were fully stocked open bars, on the sides were hot buffets with roast beef and roast turkey, potatoes and vegetables and in the back was a dessert section.

I had eaten so much tonight at all my events that I felt sick. It was the most I've ever eaten I think my whole life and probably the first time since I've come to New York that I've actually left plate on my food (It was a horrible feeling I will make sure never to do that again). 

But the event was amazing, we found a table to put our food and drinks down and got to watch this pop star sing (really well) songs in Kazakhstani and in English and just in general had a really great time dancing.

Fun photo and dancing 

There was an 80 year old lady there as well tearing it up on the dance floor and it was AMAZING to see, my god, I hope I have as much spirit and energy as her one day! 

We danced for a while and then headed out (with these cute gift bags that had Khazak Chocolate as well as a cute little handmade horse (since they are known for their horses). 

We ended up going to the bar for a bit afterwards to talk and sing (to live music) and then headed home... (late - bad idea)

This was not a normal Monday and I'm really glad that because I took the chance to try to go the Swiss event, I was able to experience and attend so many others. I was able to learn a bit more about the UN system and what it's all about. It was cool.

Honestly not how I expected the day to go.

I though I was going to go home early. 

But it's the unplanned days that turn out the best right?

"You gotta have life your way. If you ain't losing your mind, you ain't partying right." - Young Jeezy

They had a wonderful Carribean choice sing

Another slow day today. But at the very least, I had a meeting about this new project I'd be able to work on. So I did do a little bit of work with that, but I didn't end up going to any meetings today because I didn't want to keep skipping work... even though I'm going to very academic things that are teaching me about the UN and how it works...(although there was also no meeting I really had a particular interest in).

I ended up sitting at work, eating the sandwich I had gotten yesterday and just doing some research, chilling at work. 

I had originally planned to go to the Swedish Midsummer festival downtown at Battery Park and the
n the Pride Rally, but then I got this cool invite to go to the Swedish Festival at the UN, so I decided to stay for a bit and try to head up.

Went to this party instead

My friend came up and we waited together until it was time to go. We tried to head up.

We got rejected hard. Even though I told them I had RSVP'd, they didn't care, simply because I had an "A" badge. 

The A badge is interesting. It is also known as a "scarlet letter" here at the UN because you cannot do ANYTHING with it. Constantly have to go through security while everyone else just goes through the normal metal doors, we cannot go to any of the councils unless we're going to the visitor's floor, we can't come in after 6pm or on weekends, and a whole load of other things. We're pretty much seen as bottom of the pile and scum. We don't really work here even though we do all this work. That's the intern life.

Even janitors and those who ring up the elevators and other service members don't get anything past an A badge. It's the worst. However, interns at the other Missions to the UN, are technically

Midsummer Festival

"diplomats" and have a "D" on their badge and are able to get into anywhere in the UN at any time and bring in any person.

Should have applied for the Canadian Mission.

At least we had a back up plan, we decided we were going to go to the "Caribbean White Party" where everyone had to dress in white. We headed over to the party quite early, there were barely any people there, grabbed some drinks and some food and enjoyed while we waited for other people to show up. 

The literal White party

We ended up meeting with a few other people. And here, I met someone quite distasteful.

At one point, I was introduced to someone, the intern at the Mission for the Philippines, who took my
badge, looked at it and then said "oh, you're from Mainland (as though being born in Mainland China is a bad thing? As though I'm directly from there? As though he's better? AS THOUGH ALL THESE THINGS?)." 

The look of shock spelled on my friend's faces reflected part of what I felt - mixed with a bit of anger. I could not BELIEVE he said that to me, with his tone of voice, the condescension and just everything about it. Honestly that has probably got to be the most offensive thing anyone's said to me in a long time, and I've had some pretty bad racial slurs said to me. I could not believe not only the nerve of him saying that but the fact that he thought it was okay. A) It is never okay to assume where someone is from. B) You are not better than anyone else no matter where you are from. And especially after talking to this guy, I could 100% tell that he was NOT better than anyone else. C) Who is raised that poorly and that badly, especially as an intern for a Mission to the UN. 

ABBA cover band! 

I was disgusted and left. I did not want to deal with some bullshit like that. I feel like his existence is
a negative tone on this earth.

Moving on.

We made flower crowns!

It was quite a good time, we had food, drinks and then my friend and I sneaked upstairs to the Swedish event and we made some flower crowns, had some Swedish drinks and listened to an ABBA impersonation band play.

Friends <3

It was pretty damn cool. I'm sad I missed out on the opening remarks as well as the 'feast' but it was
all okay, since my friends and I ended up dancing and enjoying our night regardless.

Afterwards, we headed back downstairs to Carribean White party, where it was lit up, people were dancing and the music by the DJ was good. Some people were really going at it! 

My friends and I danced for hours on end and then headed over to a friend's beautiful and super gorgeous apartment where we played card games and then headed home from the long day - I spent almost 14 hours at the UN today.

"Climate change is destroying our path to sustainability. Ours is a world of looming challenges and increasingly limited resources. Sustainable development offers the best chance to adjust our course." Ban Ki-moon

Breyer's Ice Cream party

Today was another slow day. I tried to put around and find some work to do (without any luck) and around lunch time, I headed out, borrowed my friend's monthly MTA pass (since she wasn't using it) and hopped on a train to Madison Square Park , where they were celebrating the 150th anniversary of Breyer's ice cream.

When I got there, the line up stretched for eons and ages. The line was actually too long for me to bear with so I left and headed back to work. 

Dropped into the
Global Compact
summitt

When I got back to work, it turned out I had just missed the deputy crown prince of Saudi Arabia's
arrival. The UN, so exciting right?

I did a little bit of work, entered in some data and other stuff and then headed down to the General Assembly room (my first time visiting there and I got to be at a conference meeting where Ban Ki-Moon was the Keynote speaker!) for the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit! If you think that sounds fancy - let me just tell you. It is.

I ended up getting there a bit late (but before they started) and the place was PACKED. Like, I mean packed. People were even sitting behind people (in the places where interns usually sit, behind the delegate) and I ended up having to go all the way to the very top and very last row and sat down beside this very

The reception afterwards

cool guy who was talking to me the whole time.

We talked a bit about his business and how he is trying to educate girls through online technology. It was pretty interesting hearing about it.

When the Compact started, I was pretty surprised, it was not what I expected. I didn't realise it, but the Global Compact stuff was all about businesses running their businesses along the lines of the Sustainable Development Goals. It was amazing to see how innovation these companies and businesses went through to follow the SDGs. I heard some really great speakers tonight and really enjoyed the passion and combination of both making money and making the world a better place. I was quite impressed with the fact that everyone was not just driven by money, but driven by making the world a better place as well. Great way to try to run a business. 

I was impressed by the speakers, the clarity and for some of the speakers, it was the youthfulness. It was quite impressive to see. 

They had fashionable
sustainable trees 

One thing that makes me so happy about today's event was that businesses are shifting from this short-term greed to make money all the way to an environment where there is this long-term need to be sustainable and take care of the world. It is absolutely wonderful to see this happening, for the future of both my generation and the generations afterwards. 

It is very promising and gives me hope. I just *hope* that by the time I am in the same age range as these people, massive corporations like Shell and Enron will also embrace this idea of sustainability and making sure everyone is okay.

The Global Leaders compact went very overtime and by the time they were finished up in the GA conference, it was time for me to go up to the Global Combat Reception in the dining room.

Man was it packed with people there! It was super cool (also I totally slipped in without people noticing, it was great, since they wouldn't give me a name badge because I'm a "student"). The food was delicious and all of it was vegan made and sustainable. We had cookies, cupcakes, pasta with avocado sauce, guac sandwiches, salads - and I gotta say, I didn't even notice that there was no meat. It was just good. The chef who made this stuff owns a few

Presentations, such as
one on susintability
and fashion 

restaurants called "By Chloe" and has won competitions worldwide for her cupcakes (which were so bomb). She's actually quite cute (she's tiny and her voice is very high pitched) and seems like a really nice person (though I'm sure in the kitchen, most nice people turn into nightmares...). 

We then were welcomed into the session, listened to people network and talk about their businesses and then even got a fashion show all about sustainable
fashion! It was quite cool to see all the articles of clothing on people, knowing that it was made with sustainable clothing that won't harm the earth.

At around 7 (which is when the event was supposed to end), I ran off to go to Brooklyn to meet up with a friend who was hanging out by the park and we rushed to Brooklyn.

We had no idea what to expect and what was going to happen.

Literally. 

My friend had messaged me earlier in the day asking if I wanted to go to a concert she had won tickets to. She was also told that people have no idea who is playing and they also don't know where the venue is until 24 hours beforehand. 

Vegan food by Chole!

#Liveinthemoment

When we got there, it was in a venue called "VanMoof," which is actually a really cool Dutch bike store, selling roadbikes, locks et al. to bikers. It was actually quite a nice venue. It had a very hipster vibe to it.

All around the floors were people sitting down with blankets (we had a yoga mat), chips, snacks and drinks (alcoholic ones too). We sat down and the place was small enough that we weren't too far back, sat around and waited for the show to start.

And what a show it was.

SofarSounds Venue

The emcee started off by explaining the story of SoFar Sounds, stating that it is is a musical movement, hosting intimate concerts in living rooms around the world. 

It all started off with this person who was tired of going to concert venues where people were just drinking, smashing their bottles around and not even listening to the music. So with a few friends, sitting in their living room, they invited local artists to come play. The rules were to turn off your phone and not to talk. Just to be there in that moment. 

And Sofar sounds was born (Sofar stands for "songs from a room"). And it's reached over 200 different cities! Including Toronto :) 

I had an amazing time there, sitting and listening to the music without people all around me being obnoxious or annoying. I could hear the music clearly.

Our first act was a beat-boxer who had been beatboxing and making "human noises" since he was a kid to make music. The second act was this duo called "Sleeping Lion" and they're quite powerful and our third and last act was this jazz/blues/funk kind of band. 

"+ Gentrification"

They were all amazing and just having them sing and perform was just such an honour and a pleasure to experience - especially in such an intimate setting. Usually, with Sofar Sounds, they only take about 125 people (MAX, my venue probably had 30 at most), but there are sometimes over 1000 applicants (you can also buy tickets). It's hard to get tickets and it's hard to be one of the few. They usually only have people who are new or haven't been there in a while go into the crowd.

As for the performers and the artists, they aren't usually famous, rarely so, they're usually indie bands or artists who are trying to play and make it on up in the world.

It's a pretty damn cool idea and I'll have to try to find more of this stuff in Toronto.

Afterwards, we both headed home in our respective directions and I went home to sleep. 

"My life is not that glamorous. I actually live a pretty simple life, really. I just work. I don't have time to do all these glamorous things. I just do my thing, just work." Olga Kurylenko

He came all the way to see me!

This morning I walked into work pretty pumped since I was going to leave early. I headed over to work, started doing my own thing, skipped lunch and did as much work as I possibly could. The morning was quite hectic as I had to put together some materials for a huge meeting my office was about to have with the EOSG.

I got called out a bit early so I could go out and find some office supplies (that were not available at my office) and then headed over to another place to pick up some plants... It was an

In the TCC. 

interesting morning, to say the least. 

After doing my work and then heading over to pick up supplies, I walked over to Grand Central Terminal to pick up Chris! We met up at the Opal clock (that's worth millions of dollars) and just stood there for a bit (I hadn't seen him in over a month). 

Two loves of my life.
And Chris

I grabbed him and then took him home to drop off his stuff and then we headed over to the UN! There, one of my colleagues was kind enough to bring us both upstairs and then we took a mini tour of the building with Nan and Chris bought some goods. He saw a bunch of the artwork and the Trustee Council room which was empty. Afterwards, Chris got to meet everyone who worked in the office (except for the USG). We headed over across the road and went into a building where the night before, my friend with the

"Day of Portugal"

Portuguese Mission invited me to a Portugal day celebration! I hadn't RSVP'd so when I went up to the guy, I showed him the online invitation I got and told him I RSVP'd late and he just told me "it's ok, 12th floor". I'm sure my UN badge had something or another to do with this...

We headed up to the 12th floor and there, we were greeted by a bunch of large posters celebrating

View of the UN, Secretariat and East River. Best party ever

Portugal day and, knowing no one there (The person with that Mission wasn't there yet and my friend who sent me the invitation information wouldn't be there all night since they had work to do), I headed over to the balcony where I stood and talked for quite a while.

The view was completely and utterly spectacular. It was a view of the East River with a perfect shot of the UN, Secretariat and all the (empty) flag poles. I was lucky it was so sunny and bright out, since it gave me the best view of the UN and beyond.

After a little while, we headed inside, where it was starting to really fill up and as we walked in, there

Enjoying our open bar

was an open bar with orange juice, red wine and vino verte (green wine). We grabbed a glass each and walked around to take a look at all the decor, the piano and the flags all around. We stood for a bit by the piano and had an excellent view of the proceedings when they started.

Unfortunately, quite a lot of it was in Portuguese. I caught a few words here and there (English really does steal from every language, doesn't it?) but I didn't really get the gist. There were a few speakers throughout the night and some of them actually did speak English, which was nice to hear. After the speeches, we were delighted to hear some musical accompaniment by a Portuguese student playing on piano. As we walked around, we were served many Portuguese dishes, including deep fried cod balls, Rissóis de Camarão (Portuguese Shrimp Dumplings), Black-eyed beans salad and pasteis de nata (egg tarts). It was a delicious night. Before we left, everyone got a small "Portuguese day" gift bag with catalogue stuff, a mouse pad and a box of "science (the event was cosponsored by a Science and Tech Organization)." As we left, I ran into my Portuguese friend and thanked him for the night and left him to his party and thanking delegates.

On the Patio of the Delegate's Lounge

Afterwards, Chris and I headed over to the UN where we were let in by my friend from the "Mission of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta." Yes that is a thing. She led us into the Delegate's Lounge and since it was so many people's first time there, I had to show them how to get in.

When we got up there, the weather was beautiful! So there were many people both inside and outside of the Delegate's Lounge just relaxing and enjoying themselves. It was the first time I had been to the DL and there were that many people.

Dinner was SO GOOD

I ended up pulling Chris all around the outside patio and inside of the building to show him around and see all the different people, artwork and other stuff around the DL and I'm sure he loved it, hanging out at the "local" UN drinking spot and seeing everyone talking, enjoying and unwinding after a long week. I got to talk to quite a few of my friends (introduce them to Chris) and found out that they had actually been in meetings all day long and my heart is actually crying a bit for them since a lot of them, at the missions, have to stay really late - like sometimes 8 or 9 pm late.

Corner to corner!

Afterwards, Chris and I headed out of the DL to meet up with some other friends (yes busy day) where we grabbed some late night dinner and drinks at a local and delicious restaurant/bar in the neighbourhood. We were sitting in an area that was both half in and out of the restaurant, and we ended up not only watching part of the football game, but also watching an arrest scene... We got to see cops run down the street, arrest someone and then spend about 30 or so minute writing down the arrest. Chris really got the full New York experience today. 

It was interesting. To say the least.

Afterwards we headed home from the fun night and enjoyed the beautiful weather. We dropped by Grand Central Station (since earlier we wanted to try this) and we went downstairs where it was mostly empty and did the WHISPERING WALL!! This is right in front of the Oyster bar and it is engineered so you can whisper into the corner and hear the person on the other corner perfectly fine! Actually many guys propose to their girlfriends this way... (wink wink)

"For myself, for a long time... maybe I felt inauthentic or something, I felt like my voice wasn't worth hearing, and I think everyone's voice is worth hearing. So if you've got something to say, say it from the rooftops." - Tom Hiddleston

Literally those are all
dates

Today was a pretty awesome day at work I gotta say.

I had my own work to focus on and at lunch time, I met up with a friend and we were walking around the building, just hanging out and soliciting when we walked out to the front part of the UNHQ, down to the visitor's pavilion/center and I saw all these tents with Muslim countries like Kuwait and Morocco and they were all giving away foods from their countries!

The only catch? Everything, EVERYTHING was made of dates.

Literally. Dates.

But I was surprised, it was all quite delicious, there were date cakes, date squares, deep fried dates, dates with goat cheese, wrapped-up dates to go, really any date combination you could think of, they had. It was actually really cool, I got to try some Egyptian coffee as well as some other goods I may not have been able to try beforehand.

More dates here than I've had the whole
year! (Sorry, Chris)

I sat for a bit outside and it was nice seeing everyone so excited to try and experience this new culture. I know myself, I was very happy to try and experience a new culture! I was so happy to be there!

Philippino choir in the lobby!

When I went inside, it only got better, there was a Philippino choice singing in the front entrance area of the UN and they were amazing. I only got to stick around for one song since I needed to go back to work, but the harmony and the different tones and pitches they hit were jaw dropping.

I headed back to work until the end of the day.

What a beautiful view on the rooftop

At the end of the day, I walked down the Union Square to meet a friend and we walked down all the way to lower East Side, where I was yesterday and we grabbed a drink at this really nice place called Tiki bar. It was on the roof of a hotel and there had to be someone there to scan us up. When we got up there, the decor and the atmosphere did not fail to impress. They had some really cute cups and mugs and some great fairy lights out to set the mood in the evenings.

Beautiful view of midtown!

We sat and talked for a bit before we decided to go up town to hit up two more rooftop bars. First off though, I was a bit hungry so we grabbed some dumplings from this place called "Vanessa's" which was pretty cool since they had so many signs that rated them one of the best restaurants in the city. I thanked the guy in Cantonese and I swear I have never seen someone look so surprised at me speaking an Asian language. 

Who needs to pay
to go up these skyscrapers
when you can just go
up the bars instead?

Their dumplings were delicious. The skin was chewy and crispy and just completely and utterly delicious. We took the MTA up to uptown where we went to drop off some stuff, and I went to pick up my keys (Yes I did lock myself out don't judge me) and we dropped by this cute Italian restaurant to say hi to some of my friend's friends and, man, these places treat you like family.

Had to add a photo
of the dumplings.

We headed over and saw two rooftop bars, which had beautiful views and both of which had someone who had to escort you to the elevator. Going to have to go again sometime when I don't have work the next morning!

"How about the quote 'how lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard." - A. A. Milne

Woke up a bit late this morning and was feeling a bit sick from the night before, BUT I MADE IT INTO WORK, more importantly, I made it into work before a few people. I mosey'd around a bit, just

a bit, and did some work. I got a new task today so I'll be populating some spreadsheets for the next little while. 

While doing that, one of my good friends (he is Brazilian and Italian, what a cool mix right?) wanted to meet up for a coffee before saying good bye. *cue tears here* 

I met him up for coffee and we spoke and talked a bit and the whole time all I could think of was how fast the time was going and how short this internship is and will be. Already, I'm almost a month into the internship, which means I only have about two months left - only two months left in one of the greatest cities in the world.

I am heartbroken. What's even worst is the friends that I make now...are leaving soon. So many people that I've met only just recently are leaving. They're going home, they're continuing their lives and they're doing other things. It's heartbreaking because the UN is so full of happiness and hellos, while walking hand in hand with sorrows and goodbyes. The friends I make here, who I clicked and got along with, those who are kind hearted and whose wavelengths connect with him will come and they will go. It's scary and it's sad - it feels worst than being left alone; it feels like being left behind. 

Reflecting on this now, I know it sounds immature and it sounds insecure and yes I will move on and do other things, etc. but in that moment, being told that a friend, a cherished kindred spirit is leaving, it does fracture the soul a bit as they take a piece of your heart with you. I experienced that when I lived in France in Grenoble and my friends were leaving one by one... I was lucky because I was one of the earlier people to leave, and unlucky because I had to leave so much behind. 

But of course, those moments fade and that feeling, although now lodged in my heart, will eventually change and evolve into fondness, fondness of the memories that I had with these people who will leave. When I see photos or hear words or phrases, I will reminisce and remember the kindness, always the kindness.

Dessert, main, appetizer, bread stick and apparently some guy
from New York Fleet week showed up.

As I walked back to my office, I did some more work on my project and then at around lunch time, it was time for lunch! One of the very, very, very lovely ladies at my office wanted to take the interns out to lunch at the Delegate's Dining Room! We headed on down to the floor and had our reservations, went inside and were greeted by this spectacular view of the river, the bridge and the island across from it. The plates and the setting was done beautifully and the atmosphere was calm and ambient. 

When we sat down, we were brought a basket full of different types of bread and these delicious, almost flatbread like baked cheese bread "sticks" to start off with. There were three tables full of food for people to go and get whatever they'd like to eat. 

The first one was the appetizer table and they had smoked salmon, smoked duck, crab bisque, different salads and sauces and more that I just do not remember. It was very fresh.

The second table had main course and there were options with smoked cod, chicken and sausage, season's vegetables, Korean beef and a chef at the end serving a delicious baked salmon with mango sauce. 

At the dessert table was all kinds of cakes, macaroons, mousse, fresh fruit and others. 

It was delicious, for the price ($35), all you can eat, it was pretty good. The waiters came by to refill our water constantly, but I was a bit disappointed that they never came back with the basket of bread again. 

I think everyone should go there at least once to enjoy the atmosphere and have that great experience to dine with foreign dignitaries and other UN personnel. It's definitely a cool experience and great for your taste bud and tummies. We ended up talking for quite some time, for so long that by the time I got back to the office, it was almost already time to go.  I talked a bit more to my office co-workers and then headed out back home. I was so exhausted from all my activities and other things that I was doing this past week that I got home and just passed out. 

Goodbye with smiles

Couldn't pass out for long though, my friend and a few of his co-workers were meeting up in the park by my place so I got up (begrudgingly) and out of bed and headed over. 

When I got to the park, they had great eyes because I honestly did not seem them at all, they were the ones that found me and waved. We sat and talked for a good long while, long after the sun went down. It was really nice actually, it was the kind of conversations I really missed, ones where we talked about language, history, all these different academic and cultural-based topics where I could very freely ask questions to try to learn. It was really wonderful having people who were from different places explain, for example, their political system and their experiences as a person living in that culture. 

I love conversations like this. Don't get me wrong, sometimes it's nice to talk about things that do not matter like the Kartrashians or Drumpf, but sometimes I'd rather talk about something that really does matter and will help me learn and grow in the future. I don't want to talk about the latest shoes or fashion trend (mostly because I have no idea what they are to be honest), I want to talk about the lastest news and the business trends. I want to know about what's going on in the world around me, how it'll affect me and how it'll affect those around me. 

At the risk of sounding like a complete loser - I thrive off this stuff. I'm such a news and trivia junkie (as you may have noticed after reading some of my blog) that I want to hear and learn more constantly. I may be curious by nature... but then again, I may just be nosy. I enjoy conversations that are intellectually stimulating and provoke curiosity.  

At the end of the night, everyone, unfortunately had to head home and say goodbyes. 

“I look out the window and I see the lights and the skyline and the people on the street rushing around looking for action, love, and the world's greatest chocolate chip cookie, and my heart does a little dance.” - Nora Ephron, Heartburn

FRIDAY - Webster's dictionary states that this is the best day of the week, full of promise, full of hope and the start of the weekend (that's a lie, don't quote me, I don't know what Webster's says). 

I started it off as I usually do, walking over to work in the throng of well-dressed, slick and clean-cut people. I really do love walking to work as much as I hate getting out of bed. It's always so amazing to see the determination (or dread, can never tell which one) in people's eyes as they walk straight through the red lights and into oncoming traffic (Really, this one is no lie). Or even seeing the annoyance and perseverance on people's faces as they try to hail a cab or navigate through the moving maze of bodies.

People's natures and humanity are almost like poems come to life. It's interesting to see. People are still friendly and polite though. I still have my bad habit (that I picked up as a hostess) of smiling at people whenever we make eye contact and every single time, someone would always smile back at me - even if it's nervously or tensely, they did it. 

It's really the city I kind of want to live in. People definitely live in their own lives with a one track mind kind of thing going on but even with that sense of purpose, they'll still take the time to smile. 

I hope one day I can find my proper purpose in life like the people here but still be down to earth about it and be able to take the time to smile. Although one thing that I have noticed, because there seems to be such a steadfast culture and atmosphere, I feel like people miss out on a lot. They don't take the time to look around and absorb the beauty that is around them, whether it's the weather, the trees, the fashion or the other people around them. I rarely ever see a New Yorker looking around (that's one tip on how to search out the tourist and the New Yorker. I've luckily found that balance so that tour guide people don't look at me but I can still take in the city). I've noticed such small things, like owls (that are meant to keep away pidgeons) and carvings of acorns and oaks (as mentoined in a previous post). 

Anyway, you guys didn't come to my blog to read about my reflections and thoughts, right? Just the nitty gritty of what an average UN intern's life is, so I'll try to keep on track.

When I got to work, I worked a bit on my long term project, which involves synthesizing and summarizing material and documents (some of them of the "utmost confidentiality"). 

At lunch, I went out with two of my friends to the nearby market that was on 41st between Lexington and 3rd. 

The market!

Wow, you could really see the smoke coming off of those BBQs and smell the delicious scent of roasted meat and corn on the cob. It was just amazing to see, there were so many people, so many foods and the line ups were up the street. There was rolls of italian sausage, gyros, Carribean rum cake (oh my god, so delicious please give me more always, all the time), phone accessories, corn, vegan pasteries... pretty much anything and everything you could want. It was amazing. I loved just walking through and seeing everything that was there. And people were so welcoming and nice. I would ask them where they got their food or sometimes join into their conversations and people were 100% okay with it. Sometimes they even laughed at my comments and conversation even though I wasn't invited into them (I need to stop it, I feel creepy sometimes). 

My lunch came in a ridiculously
cute box

I ended up buying a Shawarma/roasted chicken/falafel wrap. It was delicious and amazing. I just talked to the girl as I talk to everyone, open up with whether or not they were busy and I think in general, everyone welcomes someone who wants to talk to them. Especially when they're working at a service job where they may be bored or tired of just asking "what would you like in this." She was really nice and when I had originally asked for shawarma (since it was one of the options), she actually asked me if I wanted a little bit of everything - and that's what I got. 

We were all so hungry so we all headed out to the park nearby, sat down and ate together. We actually ran into a few of my Brazilian friends, including the one I met yesterday and sat with them.

I found out the friend I met yesterday is LEAVING ON TUESDAY. I was so sad and heartbroken. When I told my friend about this, she told me that such is the way of the UN, people constantly come and go. They leave. I was heartbroken because we were getting along so well... and then he had to leave.  It makes me sad because it makes it hard to form really strong friendships (not saying that long distance doesn't work but it is a lot easier to be friends with someone when you can see each other and talk to each other face to face on a regular basis). 

After my heartbreak at lunch, I headed back to work and worked a bit on my project. One of my co-workers at the office actually pulled me out and told me "we're going for a walk." She brought me to the other building across the street, which is another UN building and I ended up just standing there to the side awkwardly as she introduced me to a million people that she knew (She worked there originally). It was amazing to see it. 

Actually, I really do admire her. She's quick, efficient, does good work on time and even in high-stress situations, she maintains her chill. She also gave me good advice. When things are high stress; leave and go out for a walk. It's a good way to relax and calm down. She's a smart lady. 

When I got back, it was just about time to head out, so I left the office, headed back home, ate a little bit (Honestly, my dinner was chips, don't judge me). I walked around with a friend at the market afterwards and we both kind of hung out and enjoyed.

 After relaxing a bit, I headed out to go to the Delegate's lounge. 

At the market

It was as great as ever, but the weather was gorgeous so everyone was outside enjoying themselves on the balcony. It was a really stunning, beautiful view. 

I know that a lot of people now just say "meh" to the delegate's lounge and treat it as though it's something they do every day and like it's not a big deal, but I hope that never happens to me. I want to go to the delegate's lounge every week and still be amazed and awed by the view of the UN, the river and be awed by the presence of some of the world's best and brightest (in terms of politics at least). I want to always feel like it's a big deal - because it is. All around the world, I know that some people would do anything to get where I am now and do what I'm doing now. So I will try not to disappoint them.

Tonight was a pretty good night, I met some interns from Spain, Finland, EU mission delegates and ... almost the whole German Mission delegation actually. It was an interesting and fun night. It was really nice to talk to the German delegates since I love listening to them speak German and I absolutely love their food. I remember back when I lived in France, most of my friends were German as well, so being here and meeting the whole German mission was a bit like France (Ironic I know). It was great though. I met some really nice people and enjoyed.

I found out that they are extremely overworked. They told me that they would be going into work... On a Saturday. Because they had to sit in and take notes about the Fifth committee. Also the German mission has their own building and restaurant (But not a permanent spot on the security council [?] I won't comment further on this, just pointing it out). They were all really nice to me and I got to practice my (limited and almost non-existent) German on them! I don't think they were too impressed but I definitely had fun talking to them.

All in all, a very good night, I left a while before the lounge closed up and went home to relax. I have a tour tomorrow morning of SoHo, Chinatown and Little Italy so sleep is of the utmost importance!

On a side note, I know my last few posts have been lacking a bit on photos, I will try my best to make up for that!