The Next Step?

My New York journey will end in less than a week. I am having mixed emotions right now. On the one hand I am sad to leave this electrifying city, but on the other hand I am more than happy to return back to Rotterdam and my family, friends and girlfriend. I just spoke to Laura a couple of hours ago on the phone and we were talking about how fast time has passed. We are both happy of course that our separation is nearly over, but also aware that this same separation has brought us even more closer together. The long distance between us did not make things easy, but the ride ended up being pretty smooth. It sure helped that we never considered the distance as a problem to our relationship, but rather as a challenge. Both of us did not know or could neither predict how my absence would affect our relationship. Therefore, we decided to just led it happen instead of concerning ourselves with the possible consequences.  

This was pretty much the same approach I had towards this internship and my previous plan of traveling through South America. In the months leading up to my departure I received many reactions from people ranging from "Sounds great, but why are you leaving again?" "Exciting, but what do you want to get out of this?" "Fantastic, but what will you do when you get back?" "New York is great, but how will you afford living in Manhattan and how will you find an apartment?" "Courageous step, but what will happen to your apartment in Rotterdam"? "Great an internship, but why unpaid?" The actual question was in fact "Aren't you afraid?" A question that I could not answer at the time in a rational manner. To be honest, I still can't. I just follow my instincts. First, a voice inside me told me to go traveling through South America for half a year. Then, the same voice told me to apply for this internship in New York. Now, the same voice is telling me to go back to Rotterdam without really knowing what the next step will be.

Apparently, I am not the only one with this internal voice. I am currently staying in a very hot and extremely humide Washington DC. The city of the White House, the Capitol, the war memorials and of course President Obama. A couple of days ago I found his memoir, Dreams from My Father, on Meg's book shelve. Inspired as I was, I immediately started to read it. It is a beautifully written book by Obama, providing a very compelling insight into his life story. Most of us know his story by now. Growing up as a kid in Hawaii and Indonesia. Becoming a student in California and New York. Moving to Chicago to become a community organizer, law professor, US Senator and finally the President of the United States. His book illustrates to me that he just did what felt right at each different moment of his life. That he followed his instincts. Little did he now that he would become the US President.

Little did I know last year that I would end up in New York doing an internship across the street from the United Nations. I am, nevertheless, happy that it happened. It has not led to any financial gain or a new job at the UN. However, the internship has provided me with a great opportunity to further develop myself and has given me a new sense of direction in terms of interests. I have become more and more interested in international law in combination with communications and journalism. I have presented GPF's weekly vodcast and written on the GPF blog about the International Criminal Court (ICC). Furthermore, I have interviewed several interesting people about the creation of the UN Ombudsperson in relation to the individual sanctions regime of the UN and the outcome of the ICC Review Conference (click here and here to listen to the interviews). I have also attended many interesting meetings, conferences, panel discussions and luncheons both within and outside the UN. Finally, I have had the chance to work with the kindest, most funny and intelligent people from different parts of the globe.

This internship has also given me many great moments and experiences outside the office, like the regular visits from friends and family, seeing Princes Maxima walking across the street, bumping into UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in front of the GPF office, taking a picture of my sister with Chris Rock, almost touching Janet Jackson in a bar, being the best man at my friends' wedding, and seeing an NBA basketball game. But also simple things like reading a book in Central Park, getting a haircut in Harlem, unexpected music and dance performances, simply walking to work and having a beer and burger at Ruby's, my favorite cafe in NY. Of course, I should also not forget Tom. He has been truly amazing in every aspect of the word. I was fortunate to have him as my flat mate.

This was my last blog entry. I would like to thank you all for reading my blog and all the great reactions I received throughout the last six months. New York has truly been a great experience. Now its time to move on.

Awareness

A couple of days ago I read the pleasurable blog of my flatmate back home in Rotterdam. Jlo described that after nearly a year in Rotterdam here knowledge of the space around her had grown. By knowing her way around the city she was able to show foreign visitors her favorite spots in the city. While reading it I realized that I have pretty much reached the same level of knowledge and awareness here in New York. New York of course is much bigger than  Rotterdam and in many ways incomparable, but nowadays I can basically go anywhere in Manhattan without having to stare on a map first. It felt great to show all the people around that came to visit me; take them to my favorite spots and tell them things about the city that I had learned. Without really realizing it, the city has really become a part of me and I really feel blessed for the opportunity I had to come and live here. 

My last two visitors were Aleks and Laura. Aleks was visiting New York for the first time and on the second day we met in front of the UN headquarters. Unfortunately, I was not capable to show him around the building, but I did show him our office. We used to be colleagues at the Erasmus University and he was of course very much interested in visiting the UN. He finally did the organized tour and was shown all the rooms of the main bodies. He told me afterwards that it was quite impressive and that he had learned something about the seat arrangement in the General Assembly. The countries are seated alphabetically, but the country which occupies the front most left position is rotated annually by ballot and the remaining countries fall into line by alphabetical order. I did not know this and it became clear to me why the Cape Verde was on the first row. Not because of its huge importance, but just for practical reasons.

The following week Aleks went to Indianapolis for a couple of days to visit a friend and Laura arrived the next day. It was a short visit this time, but it was great to see her again. Our main purpose was to avoid all crowded places and enjoy our precious time together. Despite its busyness, Manhattan harbors many areas where you can relax. One of the places we visited was the High Line which is located in the Meatpacking district and Chelsea. The High Line used to a railway constructed in the 1930's which lifted freight trains of the Manhattan Streets. It has now been turned into a mile-and-a-half-long elevated park with naturalistic planting. The first section of the park has been completed and it is truly a beautiful sight. I have been told that a similar plan exists for the old "Hofpleinlijn" in my neighborhood in the north of Rotterdam. I really hope that this plan will come through as it would give the city a great impulse.

Aleks came back from Indianapolis on a Sunday and the three of us went out for dinner in the West Village. We ate at Laura's favorite Italian restaurant, Bar Pitti. Afterwards, we went for a walk along the Hudson River and enjoyed the New Jersey skyline with the most beautiful sunset  in the background creating intense red and orange hues in the sky. Aleks and Laura flew back on Monday and I had to move to my new apartment on the same day. Tom decided a couple of weeks ago that he wanted to move to his cousin's apartment and told me I could move with him. The apartment is located on 61 St and Lexington Ave close to Midtown and I can actually walk to work now. The apartment has only one bedroom, which Tom has given to me, but it is more spacious and has all the required utilities. The move was quite stressful and hasty, but in the end it went fine and I must say that I really like the new apartment.

I have about one month left in New York and a couple of interesting projects are awaiting me at GPF (see next blogs). Next weekend I am going to Washington to visit the mother of my good friend Taimil who I studied with in Sydney four years ago. Then I'll have one more visitor from the Netherlands, my friend Alfred. I am also making plans for a trip in the US before I go back to the Netherlands in mid July. In the meantime I will enjoy my last weeks in the Big Apple that I admire and gotten to know quite well.

       

Being the best man

Last week I had the honor of being the best man at the wedding of one of my best friends. I was totally taken by surprise when Ramses and Ilham told me that they were expecting their first baby and that they wanted  to get married in New York. Their plan was to have a "speed wedding'' and they thought the best place to have it would be New York. I was even more surprised, however, when they told me they wanted me as their witness. I have gotten used to being a NY tour guide for my visitors the past few months, but this was something completely different and unexpected. I had never been a witness before and I started to get slightly nervous. I  asked them what I was supposed to do and they answered that I just needed to show up at the ceremony and sign the marriage documents. Just like that. 

The ceremony was at the Manhattan Marriage Bureau and I got there before the bride and groom. As I waited, I observed all the other couples getting ready for their big day. Some just came in their jeans and sneakers while others came in beautiful dresses and suits. Despite these differences, I noticed the simplicity and relaxedness of the whole thing. This was exactly what Ramses and Ilham wanted and they got in the end. Both looked stunning. Ramses was wearing a spiky white suit and Ilham a lovely black and white dress. The wedding performer turned out to be a very cranky lady who probably does fifty ceremonies a day. She had a huge pile of wedding documents and mistook my friends for the wrong couple. It made the whole situation even more hilarious. It took her about a minute to find out who they were and after a couple more minutes Ramses could finally kiss his new wife. 

Afterwards, we went to a park for some romantic wedding pictures and we ended the day in a tiny restaurant in Soho with beer and burgers. The perfect end of a special day.

Aleks, my latest visitor, arrived yesterday. So I am back to being a happy tour guide again...

Celebrity week

New York is famous for the celebrities you might bump into while walking down the street or sitting in a bar or restaurant. I had already heard a few stories from people who had spotted a movie star, singer, model or politician, and I wondered whether the same thing would to happen to me. Well this week it finally happened. Ironically, in the same week that my sister came to visit me. It was her first time in New York and probably a visit that we will both never forget.

It started Friday last week, when I attended a seminar at the UN on the International Criminal Court Review Conference which takes place in Kampala, Uganda, this month. This conference is very crucial for the future of the ICC and I expected some interesting discussions during the seminar. I was unaware, however, that the Secretary General of the UN, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, would do the opening speech. His speech of course was very general in terms and quite predictable, as he recalled all UN member states to ratify the statute of the ICC and to support the work of the Court. I was nevertheless happy to witness the "UN boss" speak.

Another speaker at the UN this week was the controversial President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He gave a speech before the General Assembly at the conference on nuclear non-proliferation. He of course criticized the US and other Western powers for failing to fulfill their obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. This lead to a walk out during his speech by several delegations, including the Netherlands. He also spoke at a news conference at the Millennium Hotel, across the street from our office. During this speech he warned that Security Council resolutions against Iran would further jeopardize any prospects of normal ties between the US and Iran. I did not see President Ahmadinejad in person, but I certainly noticed his presence at the UN. There were tons of police and security agents standing in front of our building, armed with machine guns and wearing bullet proof vests. I almost felt like being on a movie set.

On Tuesday, my sister and I attended the launch of a short documentary called the "Lazarus Effect". The film captures a series of true-life stories of HIV-positive Africans who are still alive through the effects of antiretrovirals. The film is part of the Red Campaign which raises awareness of the issue and includes many stars, like Bono, Penelope Cruz and many others. The screening of the movie took place in the Museum of Modern Art and Tom had arranged tickets for us through his work. It started with a cocktail reception and soon the first celebrities arrived on the red carpet. My sister, like a real paparazzi, managed to worm her way through the crowd and took really good pictures of Bono, Iman (wife of David Bowie), Gabourey Sidibe (actress Precious) and some other semi-stars. Before the film, we noticed the presence of stand-up comedian Chris Rock who had avoided the red carpet. After the film, my sister and I waited at the exit to see if we could spot him. He finally showed up with his wife and Carla, Ms. Cheekiness herself, approached him, gave him a hand, told him who we were and asked if she could be on a picture with him. He seemed quite surprised by my sister's self-confidence and before he knew it I took a picture of them. Carla and I couldn't stop laughing while leaving the building. However, the fun was not over yet.

On Thursday, I met with Dominik, a German friend of mine. We both studied in Sydney four years ago and became good friends. He was in New York this week with a couple of his friends and we decided to meet in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. We had dinner first and went to a bar afterwards called the Brooklyn Bowl. This bar has become one of my favorite bars here and the drummer of the band the Roots, Questlove, was the DJ of the night. We stood there for a while drinking and talking when one of Dominik's friends approached me and told me that Janet Jackson was sitting five meters behind us. I did not believe him at first and turned around to have a better look. It was her, with very short hair, talking to some friends and just having a good time. We tried to get a picture with her, but her bodyguards were not too keen. Unfortunately, my sister decided to stay home that evening. Her cheekiness would have definitely gotten us another picture. Nevertheless, it was a moment to never forget...

Sign of life

It has been a while since I last wrote on my blog. Has it been laziness, busyness or lack of inspiration? Or maybe a combination of all three? Yes maybe. I am pretty much past the excitement of my first few weeks here. But I consider that normal. I have felt it before in Sweden and Australia. After a while things start to loose their shine and brilliance, work becomes work, and you get into your daily routines. Yes even in New York! It is probably a good sign too. It means I have adapted to my new live here and that I am slowly becoming a New Yorker. Nevertheless, there are still enough exciting things to write about, like the arrival of my sister today. Many more visitors will follow the coming weeks, so I have to get myself on the horse again. Once you start writing you have to keep going... 

For now, I will leave you with my latest entry on our interns weblog. Here it is.

Life back to normal

Everything is pretty much back to normal since last week. Laura left a week ago and it took me a couple of days of getting used to being alone again. It was great to have her here with me, especially on my birthday. She has been here a few times before, so we decided to avoid most of the touristy places. The weather was nice and sunny most of the time, so we just went for long nice walks and I showed her some nice parts of Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. We also went to some nice restaurants, little cafes, bars, and we attended a beautiful dance show in the Lincoln Center. It felt like a mini holiday. Another great surprise was a three day visit by Tijmen (my KLM friend) and Dave, another good friend of mine from back home. Laura met with them during the day and I met with them after work.

They also came to see me at work one day and the funniest thing happened. We were sitting outside in the sun during lunchtime and I was telling them that our Princes Maxima was visiting the UN, as she is the Secretary General's advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development. She had given a speech the day before at the Finance for Development Conference. Then we started talking about her in general and that same time I noticed her walking across the street from us. I stood up and said, "look, look, look, I think that's Maxima!" Then we all walked up closer and saw that it was her. She was surrounded by maybe four people and she was carrying some documents. She looked really relaxed and there was no royal aura surrounding her. It all went really fast, so we did not get the chance to talk to her or take a picture. Nevertheless, it was an unforgettable moment.

I also showed the guys the office and they met with my boss and some of my colleagues. The atmosphere and work ethic in the office has much improved since we made the necessary changes. Everyone has been attending tons of meetings and some projects have finally taken off. I have attended two interesting panel discussions myself  hosted by New York University. One was on the International Criminal Court and the United States. And the other one was on the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. I especially enjoyed the first one as it had Stephen Rapp as one of the keynote speakers. He is currently the US State Department's ambassador at large for War Crimes Issues. I have been reading a lot about the ICC since I started working at GPF and it inspired me to write something on our new interns blog about the ICC applying double standards with respect to African countries. You can read it here.

We also have weekly vodcasts now on our website in which we inform the public about our latest posted articles and activities going on at the UN. Last week it was my turn to stand in front of the camera. You can watch it here. I am also in an other video for future interns which was filmed during my first week at GPF. I kept it quiet until now as I felt a bit embarrassed. It is not the best video in terms of editing, but you can watch it here.

Enjoy!