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.
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