Geneva and the UN

Over the summer, I applied to and was accepted to a special SAS trip that took 18 of us to the United Nations to participate in the Human Rights Council meeting. So when the ship docked in Antwerp, our group loaded onto a bus to begin our journey! We spent the morning driving around Brussels for a tour of the city. We stopped at the Atomium for a brief photo shoot before being dropped off at the airport.

  

We arrived in Geneva around 5, and settled into the hostel before heading out for dinner at a nice restaurant in the city. Then we had a debrief back at the hostel and an early night to bed.

The next day we left the hostel around 8 to begin our walk to the UN. We all looked pretty good in our business attire, and the excitement was palpable. As we walked, we passed all types of NGOs and worldwide organizations - WHO, UNICEF, Red Cross.

We finally reached our destination about an hour later and passed through security so that we could get our badges! Being some of the first youth to be accredited at the UN was pretty awesome - so of course we took pictures in the waiting room. NGOs are allowed to accredit 15 people to attend these meetings, so a special thanks to the National Alliance of Women's Organizations and the Worldwide YWCA for sponsoring us.

After receiving our accreditation, we went straight to the meeting, where we had seats on the floor behind NGOs and members of the press. SEATS ON THE FLOOR. Walking into the room was incredibly powerful, and being that close to the action was amazing. We heard a discussion about a report that had been released the day before - each country or organization that wanted to respond had an allotted amount of time after being called on by the vice president of the Council. Each of us had an ear piece through which we could hear an immediate English translation of everything being said.

   

A few hours into the meeting, we had to leave to go on a tour of the building. Our tour guide kept repeating that the UN "is not a museum," but it's decorated with different gifts from countries all around the world. The tour was followed by lunch at the UN cafeteria, which overlooks Lake Geneva and the Swiss Alps. Not a bad setting for a meal.

At 3 o'clock our group participated in a side event of the Human Rights Council. Three of the members of our group gave a presentation, as did several other young adults. We discussed global education, equality of women, drug wars, and other human rights issues from all corners of the world. It was completely inspirational to see and hear so many people my age talking about the change that we can make. It makes me excited for the future we can build.

   

Dinner that night was at a private beach club, right on lake Geneva. We had delicious food and got to watch the sun set over Mont Blanc. Gorgeous.

   

The next day was basically a free day in Geneva. We took the morning to walk around the lake to Old Geneva. I absolutely fell in love with the city - every part of it is out of a beautiful storybook. We saw the tallest water fountain in Europe, situated in the middle of Lake Geneva. Old Geneva is made up of narrow cobblestone streets with old churches and stairways through alleys.

   

After lunch we met the group back at the hostel to go to a tour of the Red Cross museum. All of the exhibits were completely interactive, with stories being told by people who were somehow involved with the Red Cross. I highly recommend it for anyone who ever goes to Geneva.

The next morning we woke up early and walked to the train station. Destination: Paris! We arrived around noon and I walked across the city to meet Julie and Jordan at the Eiffel Tower. The three of us found a shop for baguettes so that we could have a picnic at the base of the tower. Then we meandered around for a while before stopping at Laudree for macarons, a must when in Paris (don't worry Kate - I ate some for you). Also, Tribe Pride - I found TJ!!

     

Our train arrived in Le Havre around 10:30 that night, and after a 45 minute walk through the rain and wind we all went straight to bed, absolutely exhausted.

We woke up the next morning, and set out to explore Le Havre. It's a small port city, without too much going on. So we found a nice cafe for some hot chocolate, croque monsieurs, and crepes. Because what other food should you eat when in France? Lunch took us two hours, during which time the weather went from drizzling to sunny to torrential downpour and back to sunny. Mother Nature was going crazy! We left the cafe during one of the sunny moments, and found an old warehouse that now serves as a shopping center.  We hung out there while it rained again. When the sun came back out we made our way back to the ship.

             

The past few days have been routine ship life, although the water seems to be rockier than usual. It's kind of fun to watch everyone try to walk through the hallways without falling into each other. But tomorrow we'll be in Dublin!! Time for me to get my Irish heritage on.

Grrrrmany

Hamburg was a completely different experience than St. Petersburg. I felt like it had more of a party atmosphere. Hamburg is home to one of the largest red light districts in Europe because it has always been such a big port, and that definitely played a part in the culture of the city.

My first day there, I actually had a field trip for my Global Ethics class that dealt with the Reeperbahn, which is the area where the red light district is located. Our morning started at the offices of a nonprofit organization called Amnesty for Women, which helps migrant women from all around the world when they come to Germany. They provide all kinds of services - German lessons, help with lawyers, finding healthcare - and try to educate migrant women about their rights in Germany. There are only three full time employees and a couple of interns, so it's not a huge organization. But I got the impression that their work has been fairly widespread and influential.

After a debrief session at Amnesty, we had a very German lunch at a very German restaurant before walking to the Reeperbahn. There, our first stop was a block full of strip clubs and the bar where the Beatles first performed. Our tour guide, Eike, explained to us that this culture developed in Hamburg because the men who docked their ships in the port were lonely after being at sea for months, and the women got paid to keep them company. Further along on the tour, we saw a brothel that the city had paid to have built so that the prostitutes weren't in view of the children of the city. Eike told us that because prostitution is legal in Germany, women with that occupation have to pay taxes and have access to all the same government benefits as other German citizens. He also explained that German prostitutes can rent a room themselves so that they don't have to deal with a pimp. We learned that most women in the Reeperbahn stand on certain streets at night, and they are recognizable because they wear fanny packs to hold their money in. But there is one street where it's more like Amsterdam with the women standing in doorways. This street was the only place prostitution was legal during Nazi Germany, and there are blockades still there to keep women and children out.

   

It was a very weird day. The goal of our field trip had been to learn about human trafficking in Germany, but we learned that it actually isn't a huge problem for them. Most of the prostitutes are legal citizens who have chosen this as an occupation and are protected by the laws and regulations in place. But for me that still posed an ethical question. My guess is that prostitution isn't most people's first career path choice, but is most often a last resort. The women make a surprising amount of money so it's understandable that it might seem like an attractive option. But is making money enough of a reason to justify the exploitation and objectification of women? I'll be writing a 4-6 page paper on that for Global Ethics, so I'll let you know what I come up with.

I met up with my friends for dinner on the ship and then we all got dressed up to go out. Per usual, we couldn't find a place and spent an hour walking around before we decided to stop. Hamburg apparently doesn't have many German restaurants, but there a lot of Italian places so we got a pizza and ordered some wine to replenish our energy. Then we spent some time walking around the Reeperbahn - it's definitely more lively at night than during the day. Aileen and I needed to be up early the next morning, so we headed back to the ship around midnight.

Day two started out with an SAS program at the Rathaus, Hamburg's government building. There we met with a member of the Hamburg Parliament, who gave us a tour of the building and then broke down the German electoral process. My political-nerd side was so happy.

   

Afterwards, Aileen and I met up with everyone at Rathaus Square for lunch from some food stands. I had a German sausage and dark chocolate-covered strawberries on a stick and it was DELICIOUS. It was also just a really cool and lively area to be in. The government building was right there, but so was a stage for a music festival, a lake, and lots of shopping (which meant we had to stop at H&M).

After walking around that area for a while, we went to Miniature Wonderland, which is supposedly the largest model train in Europe. Guys...it was awesome. It took up three floors, and we saw the Berlin Wall coming down, a plane land, a UFO come down, Las Vegas at night, and Superman flying through Switzerland. There was even a mini polar bear in Sweden. It sounds kind of lame and childish, but all six of us college students were thoroughly amused for the multiple hours we were there.

         

Later that night we went back to Rathaus Square for a reggae/rock music festival. The food stands from earlier were still there and I got a Kinder crepe. In case you don't already know, Kinder is one of my favorite things in the world (Kate you know what I'm talking about). But then put it in a crepe...I didn't know food could be so fantastic. We were at the square for a couple hours before I decided I was going to walk back to the ship. By myself. I know, I know...that was stupid. But I had been in the area all day and it was super close to the ship! So surely it shouldn't have been an issue to walk the few blocks home. Except it was. After two hours of walking in the dark, past the same buildings, I declared myself officially lost. I managed to find a train station where I got a taxi back to the ship. I can't even describe the relief I felt to finally see the Explorer again. Who knew Hamburg was so confusing?! Don't worry about scolding me...my friends won't let me hear the end of it. They even made me get a key chain that says "You'll never walk alone."

   

The next morning I sat at a cafe people watching and writing postcards for a couple hours. There may or may not have also been ice cream because Germany is really good with that stuff...it's wonderful. Then I made my way to St. Michael's Church, where a service was going on. I got to stand in the back for a while, which was interesting because the service was in German. After being completely confused by the German sermon, I climbed the tower. Which is equivalent to climbing up a 10-story building, so yay for me. From up there I could see all of Hamburg - including the area I had been lost in and my ship. It was gorgeous.

         

I met up with everyone on the ship at midnight that night to go back out to the Reeperbahn. We were told that real night life doesn't start until that time, so we decided to nap and then try it out. We sat in a square for an hour or so, just hanging out. People watching in the Reeperbahn that late at night is a very entertaining thing - there's SO MUCH going on! Eventually someone suggested we actually find a real place to go, and we wound up at a club where we made some German friends. We were on the dance floor until 4:30 am...and the locals said we were weird for leaving so early. But we wanted to witness the opening of the Sunday morning fish market on the pier. Which was totally worth it because I got fresh donuts. We headed back to the ship around 6:30, just in time to see the sunrise. I didn't have my camera with me though so no pictures :(

Our last day in Hamburg was really chill. Most of us had stayed up all night and all of us were coming down with a bad cold, so energy levels were low. We spent the morning walking around the pier and doing some souvenir shopping. Then it was back to the ship to catch up on sleep and homework!

In the Meantime...

So tomorrow we get to Hamburg, and I promise not to post every little detail of my life. But I do have some fun things to share about shipboard life between Russia and Germany.

First: last night we had a nerd-themed Back to School dance. I think my group did a pretty good job.

     

Second: we're currently sailing through the Kiel Canal in Germany! It's awesome. We're so close to the shore I feel like I could touch it.

 

Mother Russia

I'm not sure St. Petersburg would have been in my Top 5 List for places I'm excited about seeing on this trip...but after my time there, it may be in my Top 5 List for favorite cities. But before I explain why I fell in love with the city, let me give you a summary of what I did there.

Day 1: I woke up at 7 and when I looked out my window, there was Russia. After seeing only open ocean and faint hints of a shoreline for a few days, it was pretty cool.

I had breakfast with my friends and went out on Deck 7 to see what was all around us. Because our ship is relatively small, we were able to sail right into the St. Petersburg canals, so we could see the expanse of the city. It was gorgeous. At 9:30 I met my Comparative Politics class in the union so that we could get on a bus and head out for a day filled with Dostoyevsky (who just happens to be one of my favorite authors). First we spent an hour or so on a guided walking tour around the area that Dostoyevsky lived in. During his time in St. Petersburg he lived in over 20 different apartments - and I thought moving out of one apartment was stressful! Our guide also pointed out spots where scenes from Crime and Punishment took place. I've read the novel, but I didn't realize that Dostoyevsky used actual places throughout his own neighborhood. We finished the morning with a visit to the Dostoyevsky museum, which is in the author's last apartment.

We had a nice lunch at a Radisson hotel. My professor sat at my table so I got to bond with her. She ended up inviting my friend John and I to bring our group to help celebrate her daughter's birthday that night. Her husband is another one of my professors, so it's fun to get to know them both outside of the classroom.

After lunch we went to the monastery where Dostoyevsky is buried. There were also some famous Russian composer graves there, including Tchaikovsky. Then all the girls covered our heads with a scarf so we could go inside the Russian Orthodox Church. It's still a working church, and people come to pray to the different saints every day. We saw women come in to bow at the paintings of specific saints, pray, and then kiss the painting. Our tour guide explained that many Russians aren't religious now because it was illegal to practice during the communist era, but many of the women I saw there were older which means communism must not have deterred them too much. I thought that was a pretty powerful tribute to the strength of religion and faith.

We got back from the field lab just in time to meet everyone for dinner and then go back out for the night. We spent almost two hours looking for a bar that everyone had been talking about, only to find out it doesn't actually exist. Oops. So instead we just went to the first local bar we could find because we thought it was kind of imperative that we try Russian vodka. We did one shot together...and we were not disappointed. After talking to some local Russians for a while, we decided it was time to leave. The bridges on the canal go up at 1:30 am in St. Pete, so we wanted to make sure we were back on the right side in time to get back on the ship.

         

Day 2: We left the ship at 9:30 to go find a cafe for breakfast - apparently, St. Pete "is the coffiest city in Russia." However, after 2 hours of breakfast, we realized that meal time is a big event at Russian restaurants. But we were sitting outside so we got some nice people-watching in. Russians love to buy little dogs as pets, and then dress them up in adorable outfits.

After eating, we went in to some Russian stores before heading back to the ship. After lunch, I went on a SAS field program to the Hermitage and Winter Palace. OH MY GOODNESS. Amazing. The Hermitage is in competition with the Louvre for being the biggest art gallery in Europe, so obviously I got to see incredible works of art, including Da Vinci, Van Gogh, and Picasso. But on top of that, the building used to be Catherine's palace. So the entire thing is absolutely gorgeous - gilded gold everywhere, special Russian stones, grand staircases. I could definitely live in a place like that. Our tour guide even showed us the room where the 1917 Revolution started. My political-nerd side was uber excited about that.

                   

Later that night, a group us (me, Kelly, Jay, Jordan, Julie, and Bigs) bought some champagne and went on a canal cruise through the Neva River. I'm pretty sure this is the moment I fell in love with St. Pete. The city just lights up at night. But not in a flashy, NYC kind of way. More of a subtle, classy way. Even the people seemed friendlier. And then, just as we were all feeling like we were in total bliss, fireworks erupted over the Hermitage. So there I was: on a canal with some of the best people I know, drinking champagne, and watching fireworks on the Neva River. Is that not just perfection? If not, then I don't know if I can handle perfection.

       

Day 3: We returned to the cafe from Day 2 for some breakfast and wifi. Then most of our group went on an SAS trip, while the rest of explored the city on foot. We eventually ended up at the Church of the Spilled Blood. If I hadn't already been in love with St. Pete, this would have done it. The outside of the church is iconic, with the colorful spires. But the inside was so incredibly impressive. The entire thing is covered in gorgeous mosaics, with a base of Italian marble. The effort must have gone into all the detail...unbelievable. I could have sat there for hours. Someone please take me back?

   

After dinner that night, I got dressed up with Dani to head to the ballet! We got lucky - the performance was Swan Lake. Obviously the entire thing was gorgeous - impeccable dancing, intricate costumes, and a beautiful theater. We had tickets for the seventh row, and I was pretty close to Heaven. A Tchaikovsky ballet in Russia - pretty awesome.

          

Day 4: We started out strong by waking up for a 7:30 breakfast...but then the ship's weak coffee wasn't enough to keep us moving, so we didn't actually leave until 10. Once we were finally out the door, we walked across the city to the Peter and Paul Fortress. On the way there, we found a beach with a view of the city. I wish there were words to describe how great that was. The weather was perfect, and the view even better. I couldn't have asked for a better last day in the city.

After stopping in a bookstore, we got back to the ship around 3:30. Then it was nap time, dinner, and watching the ship maneuver out of the canal before getting back into our routine!

Obviously, St. Pete surprised me. I had imagined an entirely different experience than the one I had. But I think it's kind of a hard city to understand. There's a lot of dirt and grime, but at the same time there's so much green space and beautiful European architecture. The people weren't exactly friendly or happy on the streets, but one-on-one they were so kind and excited about us being there. The government's strict control obviously has an influence on people's daily lives, in a way that is much more obvious than I was expecting. It's a juxtaposition to how beautiful the city is. I know St. Pete is definitely one of the most European cities in Russia, and I wish there had been time for me to explore more cities. But I guess that just means I'll have to come back!!