Trip to United Nations

                    It was a cool morning on November 5, 2010 as Honors students boarded a bus to New York City for an exciting day at the United Nations.  After a comfortable bus ride, we arrived at the United Nations. 
                  The United Nations is actually three separate buildings that all overlook the Hudson River.  Upon entering the first building we went through security and had some time to explore and grab a snack.  The gift shop was very interesting, as it had products from all around the world ranging from jewelry to clothing.
                  Once the tour began, we were told to pay close attention for our quiz later.  The two key facts we learned were that there are 192 countries within the UN and that Ban Ki-moon of the Republic of Korea is the Secretary General. 
                   Throughout the tour we had the chance to admire some of the gifts other countries have bestowed upon the UN.  One beautiful gift came from China, which was a large sculpture made out of ivory elephant tusk.  Our guide then showed us other amazing items, such as a hand carved boat from Taiwan. 
                   The tour became a bit more serious as we went down a hallway that had posters with UN Millennium goals and facts.  Many of them were disheartening, depicting under developed countries with starving children.  The UN has put itself in a position to help many of these people through the setting up of survivor kits, developing calorie intensive supplements based on peanut butter, and giving incentives to families that send their female children to school.  We then moved into the General Assembly Hall, which was pretty amazing.  The tour ended with the suggested laws of the United Nations, which our tour guide mentioned are not mandatory for the 192 countries.
                   Once the tour was over, everyone boarded the bus for the journey back to Pace.  The trip in its entirety was enlightening, and I recommend all students take an opportunity to appreciate what the United Nations represents.