More Blogging opportunities

I am applying for a position as a blogger with this organization called Ecumenical Women. We have partnered with them at the Commission the Status of Women for the past few years. I have never applied for a professional writing position, so I am a little nervous about how to do it. I guess this job I have now can be considered a "professional" writing position, but I am technically doing Communications, which is much broader than just writing. I am supposed to submit three blog samples. As this is my only blog - I thought I would submit three from here. Can those of you that read my blog regularly suggest particular good entries to me? I' m hoping to back through them tonight and find the ones I like the best, but sometimes one's own judgment is not always accurate. Are there any that were your favorites? Or that struck you as being particularly profound, especially around issues of theology and/or women? I am hoping that if I get this position, I will bring something new to the table. I am a young women who is passionate about Ecumenism. I suppose there are lots of women out there - but my voice is unique. I bring my experiences and my passions with me.

I also booked my flight for the UK! I am going to be there for 10 days at the end of August! I'll get to see lots of family and spend some quality time with friends. It should be a great trip.

One week left...

I have one week before I leave WSCF for a month. I am sure I'll still come back to the office during that month, but I won't be here every day. I'll be here maybe twice. Just a few days, mostly for parties either welcoming or going away.

I am planning to take the time in August to really learn French. I enrolled in the class a few days ago and it feels good. I begin next Monday. Next Monday I am going to take this class, I am going to brush up on my French this week to make sure that I test into the right level on the first day. I feel like I am doing something that I have wanted to do for a long time and something that is good for me and my future. It's strange to think about the future.

On a personal note, I had a wonderful weekend. I went to CERN where I learned how physics will destroy the world. Not really, but they are building a 27 mile circumference atom smashing machine. Basically underneath all of Geneva is this huge tube that will re-create the conditions present at the Big Bang, which is the current theory for how the Universe came to be. Sounds cool, no? It is really cool, but actually going there was sort of boring. We went down and saw an old experiment. The experiment was active from 1989-2000. It was where they were looking for the little things that are smaller than the neutrons and protons that make up atoms. It really looked like the "science" places you see in the movies. All the big wires everywhere; the man with the German accent who doesn't look directly into your eyes; giant wheels that refract things etc, etc. I am very glad I went, but I am not sure how much I actually understood.

I also went to a La Servette game. They are the Geneva soccer team (aka football to most of the world). They won and we had good fun watching them. After we sang karaoke at a Chinese Restaurant. Possibly, one of the funnest nights out in Geneva. Karaoke should always be that fun. Usually it is just a little tormenting.

I also have a prayer request. As I am spending all this time thinking about my future, I need to think about where God is calling me. Please pray that I can see and hear what God is telling me while I am searching for my vision of the future.

Post 100!

I just realized that this is my 100th post. Perhaps I should do something special to mark it. Perhaps I should do something to remember it.

When I was a girl in elementary school, my school had a big celebration on the 100th day of classes. We would all get out of class and gather on the playground. We were supposed to bring in 100 of something. It was a competition, of sorts. The only rule was that all 100 had to fit in a sandwich sized ziploc bag. The one year I participated I thought I would win for sure. My idea was so creative, I was convinced no one had ever thought of it before. I sat there in Oklahoma, on the map of the United States that covered our cement playground, with my bag in my hand, waiting for them to call my name and announce that I was the winner. Of course that moment never came. I didn't win. The girls and boy that won were much more creative than I was. I brought 100 ziploc bags. I had squeezed 100 of them inside the other one. I thought it was the most creative idea. Much more creative than the 100 pennies I had brought the year before. I suppose I was not meant to win that competition.

I am remembering this, but I am also spending a lot of time learning about the past of the World Student Christian Federation. I spent Monday and Tuesday reading articles for consideration in the Centennial Edition of Student World. (This is our academic journal that is published annually) It was first published in 1908. 1908! I can't even imagine what it was like back then. I read about 30 articles from these journals. Many were clearly representing the values and ideas of their time. I didn't choose those articles. The articles I have chosen are the ones that still speak. The ones that seem alive. The ones that could have been written yesterday. Those are the articles I chose. The article from 1968 that describes the economic difficulties the Global South faces was so prophetic. I wish we had listened to her ideas instead of following the road that she saw us going down. The article I read from 1952 defending apartheid in South Africa was clearly racist, but couching the racism in such terms as allowing the African to "fully fulfill his racial potential." The terms that might be used today to support "non-racist" development policies. The article rebutting that said that if true Democracy was to develop in South Africa apartheid could not exist. Today we see that Democracy has overcome apartheid. (The effects of it are still very severe, but hopefully the people there are strong enough to continue down the road they have chosen.) I am so privileged that I get to spend my days reading some of the great writers in this journal.

I am so lucky.

My future

I have been thinking a lot about my future. This is for a lot of reasons.. which I might go into in a future post.. but not just yet.

I have been thinking about what I want to do with my "life." I realize I have this ideal somewhere in the back of my head that I will find the right job, meet the right guy, get married and then move into the pretty house and live there for the rest of my "life." The bliss will follow. In this model of "life" figuring out what I want do is pretty important because it will be what defines me. I know deep down that this is not true, but somehow I cannot seem to shake it. (What's even more ridiculous is that I don't know anyone that has followed this plan... but still I feel the need to... ) This is ultimately a problem of faith - but that is for another post.. and perhaps someone more trained in theology than I am.

In that vein I have decided that I want to improve my French. For those of you that know that I speak French fluently this may seem like a waste of time and money to you. However, I am not comfortable with my French. I still get tongue twisted and I make the most asinine mistakes. I do not know if I need to use the future subjunctive or the future imperfect or even what those are. I cannot conjugate the most basic verbs in all the forms in the present tense. I just sort of limp my way through and speak quickly and rely on the fact the French people find an American accent "cute" in French. I am going to, if everything works out in the office, take the month of August off of work. I am going to spend three of those weeks in intensive French classes at the University of Geneva. Then, if I have enough money, a week in the UK. Then I'll go back to WSCF in September.

When I finish this class I will have a certificate saying that I actually speak French fluently. (If I pay an extra 100 francs I can also sit for the test that will allow me to study at the University of Geneva in French) I can perhaps even work in French someday. This will give me more confidence and when I am looking for a job, especially here in Europe, it will give me the confidence to apply.

That is my "plan" for the future. I suppose I don't need to have a plan.. I just need to take one step at a time...

Final UNESCO Post.

I realize I am still posting about the things that happened to me over a week ago. My trip to UNESCO in Paris was overwhelming in many ways and because of that I have been posting excessively about it. However, my last week here in Geneva was also a very full week that has ramifications for my future. Yet, I will finish my story about Paris. I need to reflect more about what has happened since then to appropriately write about it.

UNESCO WCHE +10 was officially over. I had planned on leaving Thursday morning. However, because of a UNESCO Joint Programmatic Committee (JPC) on Youth Meeting Thursday afternoon, and an all day meeting of the students I had just bonded with I convinced my boss to let me extend my stay in Paris for another day. I now had a train leaving at 9 am Friday morning.

Thursday morning dawned bright and early. I had gone to bed around 1 am, because I was out with friends enjoying the success of finishing our conference. We met in the room where just a few nights ago we had stayed until nearly 2 am working to make sure the Student voice was represented. We were supposed to start at 8:30 am. I arrived at 8:45 worried that I was horribly late. I was the third person to arrive. After many phone calls and much time wasted on the internet we began our "official" student meeting at 10:30. Only two hours later than planned...

The morning went slowly. We went in circles... we couldn't decide what the most important thing was to do. Finally, we decided to spend lunch drafting plans. Team A was to draft the "action plan" for the future of the global student movement. How do we move forward? What is the purpose and structure of keeping all the students together? Team B was to decide how we react immediately to UNESCO. I pushed for Team B. I thought it was very important that we immediately show how we, as students, felt about the WCHE. I was on Team B with some of my favorite people. (I was originally supposed to be on Team A.. but then because of confusion I ended up with Team B.. .which was better, I think)

We decided that the students needed to draft a letter. We needed to write down and officially tell UNESCO that we were not happy with the way Students were included in the conference. We needed to make sure that this did not happen again. That students when they were included were representative students that had a mandate from other students.. Students who were accountable to someone besides UNESCO.

In the afternoon I went to the JPC. That was also very enlightening. I spent a few hours with people in Paris that work on youth projects, and their organizations have standing with UNESCO. I learned about the International Youth Forum (IYF), I networked with other non-profits in Paris. I learned about how UNESCO works. I hope that WSCF can be present at the International Youth Forum. It should be a good chance for WSCF to really keep it's voice out there. I am very glad I stayed for that meeting.

That evening I returned to the students. We were finished. We had an action plan. (It has yet to be ratified, but I am confident that it will be and that the students will move forward to become more unified). We drafted a letter to UNESCO. Although this is still being edited. Perhaps once it is finalized I will put it here. So that everyone can know what students thought about UNESCO WCHE. We were done. There was nothing left to do.

Being students and being young, we decided to go have some drinks..... I'll leave it at that. I just want to say that I missed my train the next morning.. although I did eventually get back to Geneva.

That was the end of my trip to Paris. I learned so much about international politics and international people and myself during that week. I met some amazing people that are doing amazing things. I hope and pray that I will meet them again someday. I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to be part of this conference. It really makes me thankful of all the opportunities that I have been offered through my internship here at WSCF.

Wednesday July 8th in Paris

Wednesday was the final day of the UNESCO World Conference on Higher Education +10. We were prepared for our battle over the students in the closing plenary. I had gotten almost four hours of sleep. (this was due to over sleeping my initial 8 am appointment).

I arrived a little late to the "Stakeholders" session for NGO's. A friend of mine the General Secretary of the Swiss Student Union got herself on the panel! The MC began the session by asking who wanted to speak on the panel. This was the first time I had seen a student on any panel. She did very well. She represented the student voice and was well spoken. I was so glad when I walked into the session (only 30 minutes late) that she was there.

I had my computer with me and checked my emails. According to an email, some delegates had met with the Man. He said No. Plan B. (Plan B did not involve duct tape and a fire extinguisher, but somehow I wish it had.) We were to find others to pressure him.

Back to my session. Full inclusivity for NGO's in implementing the results of this conference. We want to see learning based in the community. the University can no longer be an ivory tower. Students need to be heard at every level. NGO's also need to be included because they do not have alternative motives, like governments can.

End of the morning session. Planning for our attack. People were still looking for The Man. Trying to pressure him into changing his mind. No luck yet, but hopefully ....

Back to the NGO stakeholder's meeting. We made an "action plan." We divided the group of about 75 people into smaller groups to create action plans for UNESCO and member states on the following topics: Student involvement, Education for all, Funding of education and NGO implementation of UNESCO's plan. I landed in the Education for all committee. Using this very computer we drafted a few sentence description for how to implement Education for all. It was a good process and I think I impressed the people I worked with. Mainly because I had a computer.. :) Sometimes older people (60+) are impressed simply by having a laptop and the knowledge of how to use it quickly. (I like to be able to impress people with something that comes so naturally and easily to me... but that is a topic for another post).

We left that session to have lunch. After a quick sandwich I heard that the Man had been contacted by a different group. This time he had said "yes." (hesitantly, but the yes was still there). All our hard work had paid off! If we got our man on the panel it was definitely worth it to stay up until 4:30 am working with him. I felt so vindicated.

The rest of the afternoon was a blur. I could not tell you what I did until the closing plenary at 5 pm. I sat in the plenary next to my new Norwegian friends and my new American friend. We could see the young faces behind the "official" panel. The group of students did not include our student. Why not? What was going on. We listened as someone from the World Bank spoke in euphemisms about how privatized education would be great. How is he going to get on stage? I listened to The Man present a colleague. What was going on. What should we do now? Should we let these students represent the student voice? How do the 20 of us that are gathered together react to this breach of faith by The Man. He simply broke his word. We decided to do nothing. We sat and watched as the "official" panel finished. It was time for the "voice of the Future". (I have some issues with that because current students are not the future voice of higher education, they are simply the current voice....) The students looked diverse. There was a young Latina, a Chinese woman, an African man, even a woman wearing a head scarf. Okay, so far so good. I began to listen. The African man went first. He was from Benin, I think, and then he started talking about how lucky he was to study in Paris. Okay... an African in Paris, but they really could have gotten an African from Africa. Then the Chines woman. She also was going to school in Paris. Okay.... well.. The the woman from Columbia. She also was going to school in Paris. The American? She was an intern at UNESCO. The woman with the head scarf? She had been chosen by Microsoft. She took the opportunity to thank Bill Gates for allowing her to speak here. What? Microsoft and Bill Gates? I thought we were at a UNESCO meeting, not a meeting sponsored by Microsoft. These students were paraded out in front of the 1,300 Higher Education Ministers of the Member States to prove that UNESCO was listening to the student voice. What did it prove in reality? In reality it proved that UNESCO was talking about how to end the constant drawing of intelligent students from the Global South to the Global North, but in reality was praising this very practice. The future of education is to privatize it all and have all students study in France. That is the message I received. As representative students we were appalled and outraged. What to do? That was all to be decided the next day during our Student Day meeting.

Sorry to all my readers, but you'll have to wait at least one more day to find out what we decided to do.

UNESCO Day 2 Part 3 of 3

Where was I... right.. 1:30 am...

We adjourned from the UNESCO headquarters and found a Kebab place that was still open, where my vegetarian and vegan friends had a very difficult time finding food, but did succeed eventually. Then we retired to the Ibis hotel lobby. This group was an interesting mix. Two Canadians, one Swiss, two from the US (including me) and two from Latin America (Brazil and Uruguay, I believe). We settled into the lobby with our laptops galore and our empty pizza boxes ready to fulfill our mission in less than half an hour. That was the idea when we started - it was only 2 am.

The discussion also took longer because one of the Canadians had to translate everything into Spanish, and then vice verse when the Latin Americans spoke. Our mission had been simple, yet because of underlying tensions we were really discussing other issues. The decision of who was in the meeting had even been political, to a point. The Swiss student had been chosen as a representative of the European Student Union. He was there to tell us what their opinion was. He was there as an emissary, not just on his own. I was there simply by mistake, but also because I like putting in 120% at conferences. I enjoy staying up till all hours of the night planning an attack. In the preceding meeting we had been very upset about this student panel. The plan we came up with was to ambush the man in charge of higher education at UNESCO and tell him that we thought his panel was rubbish and that we should have democratically chosen student representatives on that panel. We also decided that if we only had one student, it should be the student from Brazil. Even though I never understood his Spanish, I always felt the power of his words. Whenever he spoke in our discussions I listened to him, even though I could not understand him. We also agreed upon the four things that he should bring up:
1. Education is a public responsibility and a public good and as such, it should have have high levels of public financing
2. We are against the commodification of education and General Agreement on Trade and Services. (GATS) Opposing this commodification includes opposing a ranking system.
3. Students should participate in all levels of education, and in UNESCO (and other inter-governmental) forums about education
4. Learning should be student centered. Meaning that it takes into account the whole student, not just the academic life, but also the mental, physical and spiritual life of the student. Learning should also include "informal" and "non-formal" education (i.e. integral education) such as internships and traineeships and community based learning.

There was a point about an international ombudsperson, but that could not be agreed upon, so we decided not to bring it up. We finally made this list and had our strategy planned to find the Man tomorrow. It was only 4 am. Only 4 am. We had agreed to meet at 8 am in the lobby so that we could share our brilliant strategy with the rest of the students.

That was the end of Day 2 for me, although, as my Latin American friend reminded us repeatedly, we were already well into Day 3.