In Preparation...

Hello Everyone!

            At last, here it is: My Smith Fellowship Blog! It seems quite surreal that I am leaving in a week to embark on my journey to Geneva, Switzerland, but its true! While in Geneva, I am going to be working with the Dominican Delegation to the United Nations and attending two different sessions of the United Nations, one on Human Rights and one on Indigenous Peoples! I am still not entirely sure what exactly my role at the United Nations is going to be just yet but I believe I will assist in communicating the mission of the Dominican Delegation to a younger audience. The Dominican Delegation has both a webpage (http://un.op.org/en) and a Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ordo-Prædicatorum-Delegation-to-the-United-Nations/155124921233975) and I may be working with these pages in order to provide the perspective of a college student on the issues discussed at the UN! However, I am ready for anything and am looking forward to learning through observation and involvement in the Dominican Delegation and having the opportunity to offer my gifts and talents to the Dominican Delegation. I am hoping to have the opportunity to learn from both the members of the Dominican Delegation, other interns at the UN and also from other Non-Governmental Organizations I may work with! I feel so privileged to be included in these ranks and am looking forward to discovering where exactly I am going to fit in!

            The idea for this Fellowship first came to my attention after Fr. Carlos Rodrigues Linera, O.P., the Dominican Order’s International Co-Promoter General for Justice and Peace, visited the Providence College Campus in October. I was extremely intrigued by the fact that the Dominican Friars have a permanent delegation to the United Nations and that they are able to give their opinions on issues affecting persons across the globe. This fascination with discovering the voice of the Dominicans in the world on international justice and peace inspired the title of this blog, “Discovering the Dominican Voice in the World.” I am excited to see the ways in which this religious order interacts with different governmental organizations and hope that I can use my new knowledge of the intersection between religion and politics in my future career as a lawyer. I am very excited about this direct exposure to these larger issues and I hope that I am able to relate my experiences to not only my life, but also the lives of my peers!

After speaking with Fr. Carlos, he put me in touch with Fr. Olivier, a Permanent Delegate of the Order to the United Nations and the Director of Dominicans for Justice and Peace (Order of Preachers). I worked with Fr. Olivier to determine what sessions I would be attending, and what exactly I would be experiencing in Geneva. Then, I was put in touch with Evelyn, a Lay OP and member of the Dominicans for Justice and Peace. She has been extremely helpful in aiding me in finalizing the details of my trip, such as housing and transportation. I have found everyone whom I have corresponded with to be extremely helpful and I am very excited that in a week I will finally be meeting the people with whom I have only corresponded via-email thus far! I am also looking forward to finally being able to see the plan for my Fellowship, that to this point I have only seen on paper, become a lived reality! I have put a great deal of time into preparing this Fellowship conceptually and I am very excited that in a week I will finally see it come to life.

            While in Geneva, I am going to be staying in Home St. Pierre (http://www.homestpierre.ch/en/acc.htm) a dormitory for young women. I am very grateful to have found this housing placement because considering Geneva is such a crowded city, it was very challenging finding somewhere to stay. Home St. Pierre is located in the Historic District of the City and is right across from St. Pierre Cathedral, which is said to have incredible views of the city! I am looking forward to having the opportunity to explore this incredible landmark and city!

            This is going to be it for my first post! I have to get back to a LOT of packing and also studying for the LSAT, which I am taking on Monday (great timing, right?) Please feel free to comment with any questions at all and thank you for visiting my blog! I will update soon with more details about my travel preparations!

Until next time J

Emily