And so the Adventure Begins . . .

 

We are all in varying states of mind - some near delirium, others in cheerful denial that we've been awake and traveling for two days and a night - as we traipse down the home stretch to our hotel.  We pass a brightly lit Bäckerei and electrical boxes plastered with foreign movie posters, but we’re staying a handful of bus rides away from the heart of Cologne (Köln), and the streets are mostly devoid of crowds and tall buildings.

My room of four is full of German McDonald’s (real eggs! veggie burgers! exotic sauces!), showered, and in bed by 8:30.  The last 36 hours were so eventful that they seem to have taken much longer.  After ten or so hours on a plane, lots of bus connections, and a lovely train ride along the Rhine in which we alternated between cat naps and gasps at the castles we were passing, we arrive in Bonn, where representatives from around the world have gathered.

Julia, Grace, me, Megan, Alana, and Cora at the entrance to the conference

The COP conference is a yearly event put on by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).  The goal is to gather representatives from every corner of the world to discuss climate action, and students from SES have been attending since 2009.  On this first day, we really only get a glimpse of the goings-on, but memorable pieces include getting our own official UNFCCC IDs, the daily cafeteria menu containing all manner of seasonal, sustainably and locally produced foods, and being surrounded by people from every country in the world, speaking every language imaginable.  Vendors and activists line the walkway leading up to the conference -- a group from PETA has two inflatable bulls and hands out aggressive fliers while an artist gives climate themed postcards he designed to passersby.  They’re complete with the addresses of several world leaders in tiny print so that their constituents can write and tell them what they think.

The event is huge and there is an air of things happening - this is a place where people come to enact change.  It's empowering and exciting.  The fact that we, a group of high school students, have the opportunity to rub shoulders with these kinds of people, to take it all in, is mind-blowing.  

And yes, we're exhausted.  But like one of our teachers Mr. Koenig said with a grin, “You can sleep at home”.  So we will gladly take two weeks of incredible German breakfasts, jaw dropping views of the Köln Cathedral on our daily commute, and a lifetime’s worth of interacting with the some of the most passionate, intelligent, and driven people on the planet, with a collective goal of addressing climate change.  It is worth it.  I can't wait for what's coming.
Annie W.