Kate Coy's United Nations Internship: April 2012

Having been born and raised in Long Beach, California, located in Los Angeles county, I arrived in NY with the expectation that one big city is like the next. I was wrong. Every time I ask someone if they like living here, they don't say, "Yeah, I like it" or "It's ok". They say "I love New York!" This struck me as curious since I first arrived six weeks ago. Never before have I visited a city where residents have such an emotional connection to where they live. It also helps to explain why New York is arguably the world's most popular, and most populous, city. I decided to look into why people love New York so much.

Like all good tourists, I started with a guide book and a plan. Not surprisingly, many of the "Top 100 Things To Do in North America" are located in NY. From the Metropolitan Museum of Art to Walking the Highline to the Brooklyn Bridge and it breath-taking views of Brooklyn and Manhattan, the first thing that New York screams is "Action!" There is SO much to do here. Literally every minute of every day, there is something happening somewhere in the five boroughs. (Even using the term "borough" rings distinctly NY to me).

Walking the Highline - a city park built on an old rail track

Walking the Highline - a great view of the city and its interesting architecture

View of Brooklyn and the East River from the Brooklyn Bridge

Looking north at the Manhattan Bridge from the Brooklyn Bridge

View of Manhattan from the Brooklyn Bridge

My job at the United Nations is located in Midtown Manhattan, just off 5th Avenue and close to Central Park (the UN Secretariat building is currently under renovation, so most of the offices are spread throughout other buildings near UNHQ right now). Midtown is home to some of the most famous places in the world: Rockefeller Center, Broadway, Times Square and the Empire State Building. Just like the others I brush elbows with on my way to and from work every day, I'm one of those well-dressed, busy-looking people who commutes by train to Grand Central, then walks a few blocks to a high rise where I sit a computer all day, respectively. This is the Manhattan we often see portrayed in TV and movies, and I'd say it's pretty much just like you see. For the individual who has visited NY only via the media and for the tourist who has just a week or two to see everything, its impossible to gain a greater exposure to and understanding of NY culture. One of the best parts of working and living here is the opportunity I have delve into "behind the scenes" New York. I feel as if the best way to discover why my question is answered with "I love New York!" is to walk the streets of where New Yorkers live and work.

Midtown Manhattan from the Empire State Building (I didn't take this one)

We've all heard the names of Manhattan neighborhoods on TV or in movies: the Upper East Side, SoHo, the East Village, the Meatpacking District, etc. To outsiders (and certainly to me before I arrived here), it's all just "New York" or "Manhattan." What I've discovered in my short time here is that each neighborhood has a unique subculture. With its distinctive history, architecture and location, each Manhattan neighborhood offers something new and exciting, thus providing another layer to the NY experience.

I feel that the best way to get a sense of a place is to walk its streets, talk to its people. Fortunately for me, this is something I really enjoy doing. Midtown Manhattan is a pretty neat place to work - it provides the perfect starting ground for exploring Manhattan's neighborhoods on foot. I often pass my lunch hour walking the streets near my office. It's exciting when a step forward takes me to a place I've never before been, each glance a sight never before seen.

On weekends I try to explore a new place. Although no picture can do these deservedly famous locations justice, here are some snapshots of my travels thus far.

Bryant Park, Midtown

Civic Center District

City Hall Park, Southern Tip of Manhattan

The Famous Bull, Wall Street

The place where the South Twin Tower once stood

The MET, Central Park

Montauk, the easternmost point on Long Island

A quiet neighborhood in Chelsea

This last photo has special significance for me as there are actually TREES on this street. It may sound strange, but trees are a rare sight in the city. This was actually the first tree-lined street I noticed. Coming from Oregon, perhaps the most verdant state in the US, I quickly realized how much I love trees, and how much I take them for granted.

New York, in all its splendor, is teaching me a number of lessons, not the least of which is what a rich life I lead. When I returned home from living a year in a rural West African village, I promised myself I would never again take for granted the "small" things I enjoy every day: clean, running water, electricity, fresh air, a comfortable home. But I still have days when I do take these things for granted. In just six short weeks, NY has offered me a perspective that has served to remind me of how blessed I am, and has re-ignited my desire to do my part to try to improve our world.

I'm grateful for this time I've been given at the United Nations, where every person I meet is doing their part to try and improve our world. I challenge you to think about the contribution you're making to improve our world. We all have a role to play...what is yours?

The first thing that comes to mind when sitting to write this blog post is the gratitude I feel for being given the opportunity to have the experience of being an intern at the United Nations. After just a month, I find it’s hard to describe how much I've learned, and how my learning has taken place on so many levels...professional, academic, personal, social, and more.

I feel a little like an "insider-outsider" at this point. I've been part of the UN system long enough to have a basic understanding of what it means to hold a UN identification badge, but not nearly long enough to understand the vast intricacies of what it takes to make a career with the UN. I have the distinct privilege to work on a daily basis with individuals who, after even 20 years of UN employment, continue to exemplify the UN’s core values of integrity, professionalism, and respect for diversity. I feel proud to work at an organization whose core values are so closely matched with my own.

Something I think is important to point out is that although the United Nations Headquarters in located in New York, the UN is an international organization, not an American one. It’s a common misconception that the UN has American roots because it is headquartered on “American soil”. The physical location of UNHQ in Manhattan, NY is actually considered international territory; it is therefore not within the United States. The UN also has myriad locations around the world.

“Respect for Diversity” I would postulate is among the core values of the UN not only because we work toward equality for all humans on the planet, but also because we have the unique opportunity to work with individuals from each of the UN member states on a daily basis. I can’t say enough about how interesting and exciting it is to share an office with colleagues from all over the world. The cross-cultural environment normalized by the UN is like no other place I’ve worked. English is the working language of the UN in NY, but it’s common for professionals in my office to speak to colleagues in any number of languages – from French to Spanish, German to Arabic. The cultural diversity around here is like cool water in a desert.

I enjoy the diversity in large part because I feel as if there’s a new learning opportunity every time I turn around. In classes last quarter we discussed at length large scale cultural differences like individualistic versus collectivist. Additionally, one’s personality always comes into play. Because I’m interested in a social psychological approach to conflict resolution, I find myself paying particular attention to the interpersonal interactions between colleagues of differing countries of origin. Who chooses to speak up in a conference call? Who offers to be the note taker? Who opts to stay silent and just absorb what is being said? I find that my experiences working at the UN help to expand my cross-cultural experience on a daily basis, often serving to overcome stereotypes embedded in our American society.

Something I’ve often heard is that there’s some sort of unwritten rule that if you hold a Master’s degree in conflict resolution or the like, you should be able to effectively manage conflict in your own life. As if, once you achieve a certain level of education or experience you cease to be challenged by the common conflicts that occur in everyday life. In my humble experience, this is not the case. Conflict experts are still refreshingly human, and we still have to handle life’s stressors. It’s actually somewhat comforting to know that, even at the UN, conflict resolution professionals have to make an effort to manage conflict in their own lives. Problems don’t just magically disappear because our supreme goal is world peace. Being a good person takes effort every day of one’s life. I appreciate that my colleagues at the UN have helped reinforce this for me.

What does conflict mean to you? Does the word conjure up feelings of angst within you? It is something you go out of your way to avoid? There’s certainly reason enough for that. I’ve realized throughout my graduate school education that I see conflict as something different, respectively. I see conflict as opportunity. I have since I was young – perhaps the reason I felt drawn to this field. What better way to learn something about another person or group than when we disagree about something? What stops us from suspending judgment for even a few seconds – long enough to listen to what someone else has to say? What makes us “right”?

I accepted this internship at the UN because I’m curious about these questions and I felt that being part of the UN system would give me the opportunity to explore with an open mind the “rightness” of what my American culture has taught me. I can’t give you a definitive opinion about controversial topics like gun control or mandatory health insurance, but I can say without reservation that I believe killing humans is wrong under any conditions. But it's all about perspective, eh?

I believe that the sanctity of human life supersedes state sovereignty. In other words, independent nations shouldn’t have the “right” to kill their citizens, even if the international community is not being directly affected. However, we share this planet with sovereign governments who do believe it’s their “right” to respond to domestic threats with violence - murder included - if warranted. Thus, the critical question is raised – how to respond when basic human rights are being violated?

Despite our cultural and personal differences, the thing that unites me and my colleagues at the UN is that we hold true a common purpose – indeed the foundation upon which the United Nations was founded in 1945 after the horrific events of WWII. I believe in a system that seeks international development, security, law, progress, and yes, ultimately world peace. And, in my opinion, that means we should strive to facilitate conversation about the part you and I play in creating a more peaceful world. In fact, by seeing conflict as opportunity, we just might create a forum by which be become better conflict resolvers, and thus, better equipped to manage conflict in both our personal and professional lives.

--------------------------------

For those of you asking for lots of pictures, here are some I've taken of NY since my last post...