Paris, Brussels, and Geneva Oh My!
Last week, I did quite a bit of traveling. On Monday, I spent some time researching and preparing for the ABA Conference on Business and Human Rights which I attended earlier this week (more to follow). On Tuesday, I had to travel to the Swiss embassy in Paris to finally get my work visa because of complications with the paperwork process. (Several other interns have been faced with the same issues). I also stopped by Skadden & Arp to thank them for some pro bono work they did registering IBJ in France. I decided to take the last train from Paris back to Annemasse so I could take advantage of seeing the sights again- I have not traveled in Paris since undergrad so I made the usual rounds and stopped by the Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, and Notre Dame. I thought it was important to rock the Women's Law Society shirt on my trip to Skadden.
The purpose of the trip to Brussels was to attend the 40th Anniversary meeting of the ACP (Gropu Des Etats D’Afrique, Des Caraibes et du Pacifique). The focus of the discussion was the economic development, environmental sustainability, and inter-regional political cooperation between the African, Caribbean and Pacific member states. I had an hour to walk around after flying in on Wednesday; our hotel was in the arts district of Brussels. On Thursday morning, we met with a representative of another human rights organization at the European Parliament. There were oral presentations and panels all day on Thursday and Friday, but there were several cultural performances at a networking event on Thursday. The singer in the photo is also an incredibly talented dancer who previously performed with India Arie at the Grammys. The gentleman on drums is her father. On Friday morning, the President of the U.N. General Assembly (left) addressed the group, escorted by one of the ACP panelists (center), and the Ugandan Ambassador to Belgium (far right).
On Saturday, I went with Sonia, Maija, and Olivia from the office to eat some crepes in Plainpalais, and then to sunbathe and swim at the Bain des Paquis. The Bain des Paquis is only a few blocks from our office, and it costs 2 CHF to get access to the manmade beach and swimming areas built in to Lake Geneva. The weather was beautiful so the area was quite crowded, but it is a very convenient location for swimming.
