My Final Week at the UN

Hard to believe it's been four months, but here I am, down to my last week of working at the UN.  I arrived in March imagining all the wonderful and exciting opportunities I would enjoy.  Today I look back and realize my expectations have been surpassed.

The UN is certainly an organization like no other on earth.  I'm very grateful for having been given the opportunity to be part of it for the past four months.  I've learned a tremendous amount, but the best part of the experience has been, of course, the people.  I reached out to a number of individuals during my time here, and was seldom disappointed.

In my home office, Ombudsman and Mediation Services, I felt as if I could knock on the door of any of the bright, experienced ombudspersons and others to ask any of a number of questions.  From book loans to conversations about the nature of conflict, I am grateful to my UNOMS colleagues for their time, and especially their patience with me.

I was happy to get to know several other interns within the UN system, especially those whom I worked with every day: Valentina, Jing and Abby.  Learning comes in many forms and originates in sometimes unexpected places - some of the best conversations I had were with my fellow interns.

Outside my office, I had the pleasure of meeting with quite a few UN dignitaries for my thesis research on human rights and genocide.  Perhaps the most notable interviews I did were with International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo and Sudanese Ambassador Daffa-Alla Elhag Ali Osman.  One of the most memorable moments of my internship was sitting at a Security Council meeting and watching these two men spout vitriol at each other from either end of the horseshoe table.

So thank you, one and all, for helping make my United Nations experience rich with learning, laughter, and growth, both professional and personal.  It was an amazing four months.