Travel
4 A.M. comes way too early… I’m thankful I have such a
wonderful partner
The Plane Ride
… was fairly uneventful.
Checking In…
Our rooms got upgraded (Beth’s doing of course!). We staying
at the Beekman Tower Hotel. The building we are in was actually an old hotel
for sorority women back in the day.
By the end of this trip, I will surely have a list of “Things
to remember.” One of these things is that Beth knows EVERYONE. And if she does
not know someone she will make sure she does before they leave her sight. She
has amazing networking skills that I hope I can somehow tap into.
First visit to the UN
building/Getting our Badges
There was quite a bit of craziness going into the UN
building. It’s interesting to hear people speak so many different languages at
once. It isn’t terribly well organized but it’s hard to organize such a vast
amount of people in such a very small space. I’m glad for the slow pace because
I’m getting to make notes and take things in. I got to talking to a woman beside
me from Britain while standing in line waiting to have my picture taken for my
badge. She said that the first year she came to CSW New York she got so mad
because of all the disorganization only to find out that all of the people
running the event from the coordinators to the people taking our pictures, are
volunteers. How amazing is that!
From that point on, I do my best to ease the tension and
stress in the room with kind “thank you so much’s” and a couple of smiles and
jokes with the volunteers around me.
Settling in…
Our rooms are wonderful. I’m so tired at this point in the
day I really just want a nap. I sneak a couple of z’s until it’s time for us to
meet with the mentors downstairs to go over what to expect tomorrow – our first
full day of NGO – prepping us for the full week of CSW ahead. I have to say I’m
pretty intimidated by all the information I know is sure to come my way in the
next week. I don’t think there is any way I can fully prepare myself for what
lies ahead. I feel so fortunate that we have Beth and Anita to tell us what to
expect and Violet and Sue Ellen to bounce ideas off of!
During our meeting, Beth gives us a layout of what the week
will look like:
Sunday – CSW NGO Consultation Day (Depart from the hotel at
8 AM sharp – don’t be late!)
-
In the morning we’ll get to hear from the
director of UN Women and former President of Chile, Michelle Bachelet (whoa!!)
-
At the conference day we’ll get to hear from
Leymah Gbowee (ga-bo-wee) – one of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize winners!
-
Tomorrow evening we’re going to eat with a
delegation of United States Association of the United Nations from San
Francisco and talk about CEDAW!
Monday
-
First day of Official CSW and NGO parallel
sessions begin.
-
Coordinating Meeting #2
Tuesday
-
CSW and NGO events
-
NGO Reception at the Turkish Center that evening
Wednesday
-
United States Mission at Noon
-
Dance for the celebration of International Women’s
Day (Rutgers)
Thursday
-
We present at 6:15!!
Friday
-
United States Mission at 9 AM for a panel on
youth involvement
Such a full week! I’m ready to get started!
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