Bright lights, dizziying pace and lo-o-o-ong commutes; these were all a part of my memorable stay at the Big Apple. It was fun but nowhere near as interesting as the people I met, talked to or listened to at the annual World Youth Alliance International Solidariy Forum (ISF) held this year in New York from the 16th to the 19thof April 2012. This year’s forum focused on the importance of the human person when pursuing sustainable development.During the forum I got to take part in a number of discussions to draft the Declaration on Sustainable Development. I was priviledged to listen to expert lectures by distinguished individuals. Some like Andreas Widmer were inspirational while others like Steve Goreman were eye opening. On the last day of the ISF, we had pizza for lunch as a group and got to interact with people from countries I only heard about on CNN.
After the ISF, we braved the harsh and cold weather (it was literally freezing!!!) in Washington DC to viewin some of America’s most famous landmarks. We experienced the mystifying world of Air and Spacetravel and the complex physics behind it at the Air and Space museum. We also did our fair share of sight-seeing in New York City; we went to Staten Island and the Brooklyn Bridge.
In one word, my time in the USA was a blast!
Paula Bitange, from Kenya, attended the 2012 ISF.
