Aug 9 - Day 9 in Vienna

German Word of the Day: Deutschstunde – German class

Today was our big day at the U.N. to tour the premises and have a lecture on the IAEA. This is my second UN visit; last year, I went to the headquarters in Geneva. This tour was much less extensive, showing us nearly nothing of the building. However, it did provide a good question and answer period.

Visiting the UN is somewhat of a family joke, since my parents visited the one in Geneva the day of their wedding and it was rather boring (it still is – they never show you any of the good stuff, like what actually happens behind closed doors), so I was happy to keep up the family tradition.

Many of my questions were answered by our excellent guides and speakers, so I was overall pleased with the experience. However, concrete details are hard to come by on tours such as these, it seems, and many things were vague rather than substantive.

Here is my list of prepared questions and talking points:

IAEA Q: What are the IAEA’s thoughts on the UC connection with nuclear research?

UN Talking Point: Kosovo under UN administration, its future possibility of independence

UN Talking Pt: Peacekeeping – does it really work? How has it changed since its formation during the Cold War? How has it evolved after the failures in Rwanda and Bosnia and Herzegovina (the Srebrenica massacre/genocide, which peacekeepers did not prevent)?

UN Talking Pt: Sustainable development – can you give examples and future plans?

UN Q: How do you work with the other headquarters? Does Vienna have a ‘specialty’?

IAEA Q: What is the process of a nuclear weapons lab inspection? When is one required, and if it is refused, when does the threat of sanctions come into play?

UN: How would you describe the UN’s current role in Iraq? What is the planned role of the organization there?

UN: How does the UNO-City function?

UN and IAEA: Why a headquarters in Vienna? What does this location provide?

UN: Human Rights – how come Sudan was elected to the Human Rights Council in the middle of the genocide in Darfur (2004)?

UN and IAEA: What is the budget? How do finances work and how is it decided where funds go?

UN and IAEA: How do you deal with the press? How much access are journalists given? What is the organization’s opinion of news coverage of the UN and IAEA?

UN: How has the UN’s presence changed Vienna? What is the reaction of locals?

IAEA Talking Pt: North Korea and Iran; how would the IAEA rank its effectiveness? What concerns does the organization have about these two countries’ nuclear labs?

UN: Structure – is there ever discussion of changing the structure and bureaucracy of the UN? How is it dealing with the EU? Has that changed policy for the UN in the region? How is the Secretary General selected?

UN: How has the UN dealt with the Waldheim controversy?

(end questions)

After the tour, a few of us decided to go to the Haus der Musik, the sound museum. It is a truly wonderful museum – interactive, fun, and informative. The first floor features a museum for the Vienna Philharmonic. The second floor – the sonosphere – begins with a room that recreates the sounds one hears in the womb. You stand or sit in the dark and here the most bizarre plopping and goop sounds. Another great spot includes the ‘sea of voices’ where you are just surrounded by the sounds of people. The third floor is filled with rooms detailing the lives and music of Vienna’s greatest musicians. The Beethoven one was my personal favorite, as the story of the “Immortal Beloved” – the letter he wrote to his mysterious great love – is so unforgettable, as of course, is his music. I also listened to some Schönberg, and while it was clearly different from Mozart and Beethoven, it felt just as revolutionary, if not as utterly and unmistakably gorgeous. It is challenging music, the twelve tone, but overall I definitely enjoyed it and would love to see it performed in concert. I’m so excited to see The Marriage of Figaro tomorrow, especially after reading about Mozart in the book and listening to the opera.

On the way back to the dorms I finally got to see the Wagner designed Karlsplatz station! I only got the chance to snap a quick picture, but it looked so gorgeous (and there was a touristy café) that I will have to go back soon.

But the most exciting part of the day came at the end with a truly unforgettable experience. Just after I arrived back at the dorm, a huge rain storm erupted, complete with thunder and lightning. I have never experienced anything that massive and it was beautiful to watch the lightning over the city’s landscape. I even went hippie for awhile and hopped on a rooftop garden to dance in the rain. Vienna is a city of surprises – surprise thunder storms, art discoveries, and delicious foods. Each day I feel more alive in its history – such as at the Haus der Musik and its information about famous Viennese composers – and in the way it is now, with the UN and enjoying the summer rain.