I woke up feeling much better this morning and headed out on a nice walk.
Unfortunately, I was an idiot and forgot my badge and had to walk back home. Thank god I live a walkable distance and didn't have to depend on the public transport system here.
After my kerfuffle, I got to work and some guy in the line behind me told me "you can just go you know, you don't have to wait for the security officer" and I told him I was fine with waiting (I've also been yelled at before for going without the Security Officer's permission) so he pushed me out of the way and went...
Could tell it was going to be a good day.
I got into the office and did some work that I needed to do for a survey project, met up with someone from another department to discuss it and then headed over to the International Peace Institute.
For those who do not know what it is, it is a really cool kind of like think tank organization that hosts a lot of really great events (such as a question and answer period with potential SGs!).
At the International Peace Insitute, they were having a large event on ensuring that No one is Left Behind: A High-Level Dialogue on Migration and Refugees.
It was my first time in the building and it was quite small, I must admit but it was very very nice. It was packed - filled to the brim with so many people I had to stand with about 30 others outside and the room was overflowing!
They had some great lunch for people, sandwiches, pasta and salad... and oddly enough they had bottles of Voss water for people. If you don't know what Voss water is, it's Norwegian water that is about $4. Yeah. A bit ridiculous but, hey, fancy Scandanavian water.
The event started about 25 minutes late (not a UN event unless it starts late right?) and the first speaker blew my mind away. He was the Minister of Agriculture and Environment of FINLAND AND HE WAS SO GOOD. He had a great speech and he got right to the nitty gritty and started telling it as it is, how countries aren't doing enough and how their sovereignty is more important than people's lives, etc. and it was great. I really enjoyed it.
Afterwards, I ran back to work and tried to do as much as possible before I got off work.
It was a fairly uneventful day. I walked back home and actually read quite a few papers on the issue of sexual exploitation and abuse and women peacekeepers for a paper I want to write (if you have any suggestions of any academic work, please throw it my way).
And I pretty much studied all night. woo!
