Kristen Bova

"This past week I had the opportunity to tour the United Nations with my Global Scholars class and the Student Government here at FDU. Going to the UN was an opportunity that I am glad I did not pass up because it was an incredible experience. We were able to receive a personal tour that included seeing some of the gifts given by the various nations, hearing about some of the UN initiatives, and even walking through the General Assembly. My favorite part was walking through the general assembly because seeing what the negotiations are really like is very exciting. Also, when we walked through the language being spoken was Arabic and it was amazing to listen to. The second part of our day included a private briefing on the conditions in Darfur. I went into this briefing not really knowing that much about Darfur, but I found it incredibly interesting. I didn’t know the situation was as serious as it really is. The speaker really opened my eyes to what the problems really are. This trip to the United Nations was an incredible experience, one I won’t soon forget, and one I would be happy to repeat."

Jack Anderson

"On Wednesday November 4, 2009, several students and faculty from Fairleigh Dickinson University travelled into New York City to visit the office of the United Nations (UN). The bus departed for the UN at 8:00 a.m. and arrived at around 9:30 a.m. It was very exciting stepping off of that bus to walk onto where so many world leaders meet and discuss issues everyday.

After having breakfast and passing through security, we were able to take a tour around the offices of the UN. They showed us many gifts that were given by countries to the UN. For example, they showed us a model of a bridge given to the UN by China. Our tour guide also showed us tools and materials that were used at refuge camps to help treat the starving, sick, and abused people who relocated there. One example that he showed us was a bed with a cloth around the top to prevent other people from catching contagious diseases, such as malaria. He eventually showed us into the room where all the world leaders meet. It was a room with hundreds of chairs to seat people at one long desk on every stair. Above that was a control room where words would be translated into six different languages.