UN 70th Anniversary

Having spent about a month working on projects and attending conferences in the UN during the summer made me really jaded about the Palais des Nations, the UN European headquarters. But to the public, having the UN grounds open is quite a bit thing. For starters, security is very very strict on the campus grounds. And of course, being the UN many people are really interested to see what really goes on inside, especially when it's on the news a lot. So it's no surprise thousands and thousands showed up for the UN 70the anniversary event, where much of the grounds were open to the public.

I freaked out. Because on a normal day, you hardly see people outside or inside except maybe meeting areas, cafes, and cafeterias. Most of the time, people are in meetings or offices. I've never seen so many people in the Palais building in my life! I do have student access to the UN so I instantly regretted I should've come here on a normal day when things are actually peaceful and quiet. But it was quite interesting to see the various booths and events. I do advise you that if you plan to come to any open public event for the UN, make sure you come early and eat before you come because typically they don't sell any foods there.