Saturday started with an 8:30am worship service at the chapel and offices for the Ecumenical Women at the UN and as soon as I walked in, I was a bit speechless. The whole thing was like one big campy ecumenical feminist affair. It was SO campy. There were women dancing, other women clapping and letting off high pitched shrieks, other women singing and drumming, another woman telling everyone to get up, dance, break down barriers and gather our energy. We were asked to wave our arms around and symbolically move the walls. I was so tired (It was 5:30am L.A. time) and I'm not a morning person. There was even a Korean woman dancing in modest Confucian style in her white sheer hanbok. Huh?
It was so un-Episcopalian and even though I've been a part of my share of loud and raucous services, this one was really interesting. It was liberal, progressive, international, and it was about feminine empowerment. It translated into something that felt primal and well, campy.
BUT, as time wore on, I was touched. I got into the swing of things, and I realized that I was part of something pretty special and counter-cultural. There was a modern dance about being freed from bondage and reinterpreting Proverbs 31 (about the perfect wife/woman) and I think we all watched with awe and tears.
The rest of the day was a doozy. We went upstairs to a room with views of the UN (across the street) until 5pm getting a crash course on the EW's talking points on violence against women and how to do advocacy at the UN. I heard some amazing female leaders speak (like the world president of the YWCA and an African theologian) and really started to get a feel for the bureaucratic machine.
A few things I learned:
1. Each female delegate at the UN represents 1 million women. Staggering. There is a mandate on us to advocate for our sisters.
2. The UN is a very bureaucratic place, concerned with law. They like to use the word "advocacy," but basically, the whole place is like one big lobbying conference.
3. Language is uber important. Every group is trying to push a very specific phrase or wording of their agenda because the language will get incorporated into laws and be interpreted in certain ways.
4. The Ecumenical Women are pretty darn amazing.
By the end of the day, I had heard so much about violence against women that I needed a seriously stiff drink. It was hard stuff to take in emotionally and most of the advocacy training was over our heads. At one point in our mock interview with the ambassador of Pakistan, I just had to ask, what was the point and what the heck were we doing? Most of the lobbying we were being asked to do seemed like pointless "this is what you need to do" kind of pitches which makes me feel uncomfortable. Nobody could answer my question. Many people seemed passionate about being there but other than yelling and voicing their passion, they couldn't explain how this actually translated into constructive change and diplomatic relations.
I got my wish for a stiff drink. I had read about the $10 martini and manicure bar in a Frugal Traveler article in the NYTimes. My co-leaders, Jason and Karen, and Andrea joined me at the Beauty Bar and 30 minutes later I was their new favorite person. We had a blast.
Then it was time for bed.
p.s.- i'm taking pictures but unfortunately, the wifi here is so slow and taking away from sleep time. I'll try again later.
No comments:
Post a Comment