WHO Intern Day 2013

It's my last week at the WHO, and I was very lucky to be here for this year's WHO Intern Day celebration! 

Set up in the main forum/hall in the center of the WHO headquarters, some of the 250-300 interns at the WHO set up tables with food and drink tasting and music from around the world. Interns showcased steps to international beats, including Nigerian Etighi, Ghananian Azonto, various Latin, Greek, and Turkish dances, Indian Bollywood, American Hip Hop, and of course, my favorite, Punjabi Bhangra.

 

My fellow WHO Emergency and Essential Surgical Care Program interns, Jimmy, Akshay, and I even convinced our lovely program director, Dr. Cherian, to dance bhangra and bollywood-style with us. 

This year, Intern Day kicked off a major fundraising event for scholarships/stipends to help subsidize expenses specifically for WHO interns from developing countries and underprivileged backgrounds. This is particularly important because all UN/WHO internships remain unpaid, making it significantly unlikely and difficult for students from non-American/Canadian/European nations or students without access to school/family/self/other -sponsorship to participate in valuable WHO intern experiences. Their voices are missing, and particularly given the nature of WHO's work, it's incredibly important to have them here. This year's Intern Day festivities raised $(-will update soon-) for scholarships.

HKSers in Geneva

It was a privilege to visit HKS classmates Dan (MCMPA'12) and Edo (MPA'14) with Subhash (MPP'14) at the World Economic Forum headquarters for lunch and a tour this week.









Earlier this week, Edo, Subhash, Barbara (MPAID'14), and I also enjoyed a dinner and stroll along Lake Geneva.

Weekend Trips -- A Series of Touristy Posts: Part 5

Paris, France

I traveled to Paris with a group of Australian law students studying in Geneva and also met up with HKS '13 classmate and friend from France, Emmanuel. 

Our group stayed in Montmartre, close to the Basilica of the Sacré Coeur (Sacred Heart), a Parisian Roman Catholic church crowning the butte Montmartre, the highest point in Paris. 









One of my favorite places visited in Paris was the Luxembourg Garden, which is in front of the French Senate palace. 

  

  

I enjoyed the fountains in the courtyard of the Louvre, as well as a fun carnival ride in the Tuileries Garden. 

 

Our group had fun biking through Paris to visit Notre Dame.

I also enjoyed seeing paintings by Monet, van Gogh, and many sculptures at the Musée d'Orsay.

And of course, it was wonderful to visit and climb the Eiffel Tower at night.

  

Weekend Trips -- A Series of Touristy Posts: Part 4

Lyon, France 

A group of interns from WHO, UN, CERN, and I traveled to France to visit the third largest city in the country, Lyon. 

Here are photos that capture just a few of the sights we saw during our time there.

Fourviere Basilica 

Roman Ruins

Lyon is known for excellent food. The best meal I had in the city was at Le Jardin Interieur. As each of our desserts featured different expressions, Wisdom was pretty much all that was left on my cherry pie plate. The food at Le Jardin Interieur was absolutely delicious, and the staff were particularly warm and friendly. The meal was certainly one of the highlights of our time in Lyon.