Around the world in 80 minutes

Most interns get coffee, sharpen pencils, and are sent around the city to find obscure items. While there is that aspect of my job, I also get to do absolutely amazing things. Take this week for example. My office hosted a luncheon for female diplomats and the wives of female diplomats. And get this - I was supposed to socialize with them. Yes, I'm well aware that my job is fairly awesome. This was my first experience with such a high-class sort of event. First off, we were in a PENTHOUSE. In Manhattan. On the Upper West Side. I have to tell you, it was such a fun feeling to press the button on the elevator for the top floor and walk in to a posh (yes, I did just use the word posh) apartment.

Then, of course, was the view. The higher you are, the better the view. That day it was cloudy, but I've been there before when the sun was shining, the sky was blue, and birds and other wildlife would have been dancing had we been anywhere but New York City. It's an absolutely stunning, and slightly humbling, view.

Sarah played the harp as background music while the guests were arriving. Pretty classy, I think. We put on a fantastic spread, some of it catered and some homemade. I'd like to say I made the salad, but I had to ditch halfway through to go down to the lobby to welcome our guests. The fact that I don't particularly enjoy making salads is completely irrelevant.

Then, of course, our ladies began to show up.  I got to personally meet each one, shake her hand, and chitchat a little bit before sending her off on the elevator.We had a whopping nineteen guests! Only eight of them were diplomats, but that's actually a pretty good turnout. These women are from everywhere in the world (see, the title of this post does have a purpose!).

The woman on the left is Hon. Raushan Yesbulatova, Consul General of Kazakhstan. I didn't get to talk to her very much because she had to leave early for another luncheon she was actually giving. Still, she said she had wanted to come to ours because we were her friends. Mmm hmmm, that's right. The woman on the right is Sister Jones, one of my five bosses.

On the left is Claudia Bushman, our star for the day. She led a small discussion on why it was important for our guests to record their experiences here in New York. After all, they're living a life that most people will never have the chance to live. Their stories and feelings certainly are valuable! I don't know the woman in the middle. She was one of our non-diplomat guests, and I didn't get a chance to speak with her. The woman on the right, however, I did get to talk to. Her name is Madame Min, and she's the wife of the Chinese Consul General. She and I talked about education in China. She said it's becoming more and more common for Chinese students to learn English, as it's the business language of the world. From what I can tell, she's a very educated woman. I enjoyed our conversation.

On the left is Mrs. Louise Monyemangene, the wife of the Consul General of South Africa. She is an absolutely regal woman. After the luncheon, she sent us an email saying how much she had enjoyed herself. Mrs. Chandini Dayal is the woman in the middle with the beautiful green scarf. She's the wife of the Consul General of India. I didn't get to talk with either of them. Next time, I suppose. Isn't it great that there's a possibility of a next time? Anyway. The woman on the right is Mrs. Remedios Fe Cabactulan, the wife of the Ambassador of the Philippines to the UN. More on her to come.

These four ladies are the ones I spent the most time talking to. So, on the right again, is Mrs. Cabactulan. She and I were able to talk for quite a while.She made sure to remember my name, which is quite flattering. In her introduction, she asked us to call her Fe. I'm on a first name basis with a diplomat! We talked about journals a little bit and joked about what she could put in hers. She mentioned that she thought she might accidentally write the same thing each time. I suggested making a template for her entries. Went: (place). Felt: (bored, tired, happy, etc.). It doesn't really seem funny now, but at the time we laughed about it. Maybe you had to be there. Next to her is Mrs. Sharifah Fadhlina Bakri, wife of the Consul General of Malaysia. I had a fun conversation with her. I complimented her on her wardrobe because she was wearing very stylish, comfortable clothes. When she had walked into the lobby I wasn't sure that she was one of our ladies because she looked so modern! We talked about our families and the places we had seen in New York. She described the view of the city from her home and, at the end of our conversation, said she would like to invite us to come and see it. It probably won't happen while I'm here (since these things take time to plan, and I'll only be here for a short time), but I'm excited she thought to say something like that. Madame Endah Dharmaputra is second from the left, wife of the Consul General of Indonesia. She brought a friend with her, Madame Niken Tanita, also from Indonesia. They were fun. I rode up the elevator with them and they told me about how long they had been in New York and how they knew each other. Aren't they just cute and fun?

I was impressed with how gracious each of these ladies are. Not that I didn't expect it, of course. But it's always fun to feel like you matter, even if you are just an intern. :-) These are real women living real lives, and as I spoke to them I realized just how lucky I am to have these experiences. These women inspire me, and I'm very grateful I got to meet them.