Recap of CSD19: The Prelude

The first week of my internship with the Centre for Environment and Development took place in New York City between May 4 and 11. There, I was dropped into the deep end of international negotiations on sustainable development at the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development's 19th meeting. I learned a lot from the experience and will start this blog by recounting the lessons I've taken away from that week. Unfortunately, I was too exhausted the entire time to take good notes of exactly what I was involved with, so much of what remains in my memory is unordered. The details are typically unimportant in things of this nature anyway; my impressions of it will be what shape my future thoughts and actions on sustainability.

A quick note on my life leading up to my time at the UN: it was hectic. If you're reading this blog, it's likely that you interacted with me at some point in the weeks preceding May 4. I'd like to quickly apologize if my chaos introduced any anxiety into your life. I would undoubtedly have been unable to get to where I am right now (Nugegoda, Sri Lanka, for the record) if I hadn't had a network of caring people to back me up. I'm a fortunate fellow in so many ways.

My UN experience really began on May 2, the longest day of my life. Still in Boone, NC, I had a number of loose ends to tie up before heading north. A final exam for Sustainability in the Modern World System, a final presentation for Creating Cultures of Sustainability, a meeting of the Boone Town Council Sustainability Task Force, one meal, and a small carload of items to be packed later, I was ready to head home. I left Boone, NC at 7:30pm and arrived in Bloomsburg, PA at 5:05am on the 3rd. The dogs didn't even bark when I entered the mudroom. They were too sleepy.

I slept for about 7 hours and awoke shortly before 1pm. I ate a hasty breakfast, noisily and messily packed my bags for the next three months of my life, registered my travels with the state department, said some f-words, and by 3pm was in the car with my dad, heading towards New York City. The Lincoln Tunnel was clogged, so we didn't arrive at Appalachian State University's Loft on E 24th St. until 7pm. I checked in, moved my bags upstairs, ate a couple of delicious burritos with my dad, then bid him farewell. At that point, I was uncertain I'd see any of my family again before I departed for Sri Lanka, so it was a sad moment for me. The whirlwind that was May 2-3 set the tone for my time in New York. I reported to the UN Headquarters at 9am on May 4 to begin what has proven to be one of the most interesting journeys of my life.