This may be the first holiday season that I was really active in New York. In the past, holidays meant one thing--finals! So I spent most of the end of November and December hunched over in the library with my fellow zombie students, surrounded by a fort of textbooks, miserably counting down to the last exam. After finals, I would go back home to spend the holidays with my family.
The United Nations does not have a comprehensive holiday party, rather each department has its own party. This year, the office of legal affairs had their party in one of the bars of the Secretariat building. The UN has at least two bars in the building, the Delegates Lounge and the Express Bar. There may be more, but those are the only two that I have visited so far. The party was planned by people working in the Divisions, and was done very well, with plenty of artery clogging food and alcohol. The department of peacekeeping operations and the department of political affairs had one of the largest parties, and was held in the cafeteria.
Three months ago, I bought tickets to see the American Ballet Theatre's "The Nutcracker." In particular, I wanted to see Misti Copeland perform, since she is one of the few minorities in a field that is overwhelmingly white, and at 5'2", with a fairly large chest, she is not the typical ballerina body type. In an interview, she had stated that she knew she did not fit the traditional mold, and decided that she had to do everything perfectly if she wanted to pursue her goals. I don't know that much about ballet, but I liked her story of breaking barriers--instead of letting her differences deter her from accomplishing what she wanted in her life, she pushed herself hard to set a new standard, and likely created an opening for other "unconventional" ballerinas.
When I think of my own career, I definitely find myself looking for other women, in particular Asian women, in leadership positions in my field. I am proud that the Director of my Division in a woman, but am also aware that she is the first female Director that I have had during my entire time working--in every other office, the head has been a man. I think women like her have definitely made it easier for women in my generation to balance careers, but there are still many challenges remaining. I have yet to meet an Asian woman in any executive leadership position (I have read about them, so they do exist, but are still rare)--I have however, met a few female delegates, representing Asian countries. I can see that there is a shift, and that there are far more female representatives at meetings today than say, 10 years ago.
Sadly, I will not be able to see Misti Copeland, due to the fact that I ended up having to leave a day early to go home since flights were limited. My friends bought the tickets from me, so I hope they enjoy it on my behalf.
Another friend of mine, meanwhile, had a last minute cancellation from someone she was supposed to see a holiday concert with, Fresh 102.7's Holiday Jam, so I went with her. American Authors, Echosmith, Gavin DeGraw, Daughtry, and Train performed. Everyone was good except for Daughtry--I really wasn't a fan. In particular, both Gavin DeGraw and Train turned out to be excellent entertainers.
The United Nations does not have a comprehensive holiday party, rather each department has its own party. This year, the office of legal affairs had their party in one of the bars of the Secretariat building. The UN has at least two bars in the building, the Delegates Lounge and the Express Bar. There may be more, but those are the only two that I have visited so far. The party was planned by people working in the Divisions, and was done very well, with plenty of artery clogging food and alcohol. The department of peacekeeping operations and the department of political affairs had one of the largest parties, and was held in the cafeteria.
Three months ago, I bought tickets to see the American Ballet Theatre's "The Nutcracker." In particular, I wanted to see Misti Copeland perform, since she is one of the few minorities in a field that is overwhelmingly white, and at 5'2", with a fairly large chest, she is not the typical ballerina body type. In an interview, she had stated that she knew she did not fit the traditional mold, and decided that she had to do everything perfectly if she wanted to pursue her goals. I don't know that much about ballet, but I liked her story of breaking barriers--instead of letting her differences deter her from accomplishing what she wanted in her life, she pushed herself hard to set a new standard, and likely created an opening for other "unconventional" ballerinas.
When I think of my own career, I definitely find myself looking for other women, in particular Asian women, in leadership positions in my field. I am proud that the Director of my Division in a woman, but am also aware that she is the first female Director that I have had during my entire time working--in every other office, the head has been a man. I think women like her have definitely made it easier for women in my generation to balance careers, but there are still many challenges remaining. I have yet to meet an Asian woman in any executive leadership position (I have read about them, so they do exist, but are still rare)--I have however, met a few female delegates, representing Asian countries. I can see that there is a shift, and that there are far more female representatives at meetings today than say, 10 years ago.
Sadly, I will not be able to see Misti Copeland, due to the fact that I ended up having to leave a day early to go home since flights were limited. My friends bought the tickets from me, so I hope they enjoy it on my behalf.
Another friend of mine, meanwhile, had a last minute cancellation from someone she was supposed to see a holiday concert with, Fresh 102.7's Holiday Jam, so I went with her. American Authors, Echosmith, Gavin DeGraw, Daughtry, and Train performed. Everyone was good except for Daughtry--I really wasn't a fan. In particular, both Gavin DeGraw and Train turned out to be excellent entertainers.
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| American Authors |
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| The lobby of the theatre |
