So it is over.
The trip I was looking forward to for months. The trip I was planning since January. The trip that
I was worried about for many different reasons. And the trip that seemed surreal just a few days
before.
As I am writing this blog, in which I want to reflect on the whole experience and highlight some
of the personal and professional benefits of the trip, I am mentally back in Central Park, in the
West Village or on the South Ferry, feeling endlessly grateful and blessed. But let me take you
through the trip from the very start.
It is Wednesday, early December 2024, and I am running to DEN from a visit to the Zimbabwe
embassy – I have about 15 minutes to speak to Farhang about the very new plans, before I
need to run (again) to a reception at the Hungarian embassy, where I was invited.
Professor Farhang Morady, as an initiator of the trip to the UN in NYC, and also as the head of
DEN, agreed to meet with me and a few other students to discuss how to organise such an
amazing, but also expensive and logistically complicated trip.
Despite the many unknowns – who would be eligible to participate, how to give the opportunity
to as many students as possible, or where the funding would come from – we managed to make
the trip happen. I want to point out here that the planning process itself, in which I was greatly
involved since the start, was an immensely insightful lesson for me. I learnt a lot about
management, how to deal with high-ranking officials and how to sensitively resolve problems
that may always occur and are part of the process of planning such a trip (or any other event).
Turning now to the actual trip and my reflection on what we witnessed and experienced. I
believe all my fellow participants would agree with me that the first impression Times Square left
on us was certainly not the best one – we were all hungry after the long flight, tired, and the rain
and fog surrounding the city could almost be the precursor of bad luck.
Fortunately, it was not.
Not that the weather improved significantly – but the next day, on my early morning walk for
breakfast, Times Square looked certainly more friendly; and yet still so bombastic and unlike
anything I have seen before.
I had a few places I wanted to visit in New York City in particular; however, I am glad we had,
apart from having some free time in the afternoons to explore the city on our own, also a group
program in the mornings. I especially enjoyed the walking tour with our guide, Scott, who took
us around lower Manhattan, gave us a very comprehensive overview of how the current
financial district in the city evolved throughout the decades, but also engaged with us, talked to
us and was curious about our subjects, university and interests.
The tour of the UN Headquarters significantly exceeded my expectations. Our tour guide was
very well informed and visibly interested in the organisation`s mission and functioning. We could
ask questions and had the opportunity to see the halls where some of the most important
transnational negotiations take place. Having previous knowledge of how the organisation
works, however, was very helpful.
I would not describe myself as being hugely interested in art. But having previously visited many
galleries and museums in London, I really enjoyed our visit to the famous Metropolitan Museum
of Art. I spent about four hours there, but, frankly, I could have spent inside at another four hours
inside and it would probably still not be enough – that’s how huge and interesting the Museum is.
Nevertheless, I chose to spend more time outside in Central Park, especially given the
surprisingly improved weather. No comparisons, in my opinion, can be drawn between Hyde
Park and Central Park – walking the paths in Central Park feels like being in a movie, and I
hoped to meet some celebrities there – which, obviously, did not happen.
On our final day, just hours before our departure for the airport, I made a solo trip to Upper
Manhattan. And I am glad for the decision. The differences between the area around Times
Square and the areas such as Inwood, Washington Heights or Harlem are real – which reminds
me of London and its “the further from Westminster you are, the less it feels like London” kind of
city structure. Definitely something to consider when thinking about urban development,
economic diversity and inequality in big cities, as well as the effects of tourism.
To sum up the trip, I want to mention one last experience, a bit more spiritual one, that I will
carry with me for a long time. As an introvert, I was a bit worried about spending that much time
with six other students, whom I would not call my friends in the first place. I am used to doing
everything on my own and according to my desires, plans, and habits. This trip, therefore, for
me was not just about exploring one of the most incredible cities in the world and visiting the
headquarters of the biggest international organisation in the world – it was also about learning
how to be part of a diverse group of students fro different backgrounds, with different interests
and various habits – but, at the end of the day, we all were visiting the “concerete jungle where
dreams are made of” for the first time and together, as a team.
And that is how this transformative trip will remain in my memory.
Renata Pernegrova