The Gambia experience!

Let’s start by now because it is the coolest. I am writing from the airport of Lagos, in Nigeria. Why the hell am I there ??? Hummm…ok. There is this very big regional ministerial meeting happening in Banjul, the Gambia next week . The meeting is about gender in Africa an dit is a review process of the 15th anniversary of the Beijing Plateform of Action, which some kind of another framework for countries worldwide to commit for gender equality and women empowerment. Of course UNIFEM is participating. Moreover, UNIFEM and OHCHR are working in partnership to organise a special event to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the CEDAW, the convention for the elimination of discrimination against women. I have been working with the programme officer to organise this. So of course she was the one supposed to go- she is the staff ! They were supposed to go ( my boss and her). Turns out that the have been pushing HQ to add my on the list. But HQ ended up saying there were too many persons from UNIFEM going, and for some reason, i am the one who has been chosen to g o… I still can’t really believe it but apparently it is happening as I am apparently on the other side of the continent already. I think this is the coolest thing that could happen and i am really gratefull to my boss to actually have supported my against people who considered an intern not able to travel like this –which makes sense somehow, even if i don’t personally approve, for reason you ll figure out yourselves-. They mainly need me for leg work, not so exiting but who cares ? Yes i will do some copies, organise the venues, and coordinate the event while my boss will concentrate on the substantive matters. The other thing they needed from me is my amazing translating skills, which have proven being very very very useful and soooo cool within the UN. The other reason is that the director of the Gender unit of the Economic Commission for Africa –with who we work a lot- have officially invited me for being her larbin (translating skills are limited to official vocabulary…you will excuse me of course).
Anyways, the result is that I am off to the Gambia, for ten days, to sweet warm west Africa, on the coast, in a nice hotel, sucking the UN money for comfort and good food. I am a bit agasint it of course (“my values bullshit”), but as everyone, it is hard to spit on those kind of opportunities just because I am going in a four star hotel and finally get some payements for my work… shit, how do we do to stay totally humble when people offer you that much? Have to thing about it from the swimming pool of my hotel…