Indonesian Lounge at the UN Headquarters, New York

Rasanya, saya belum pernah bercerita mengenai UN Headquarters, atau Markas Besar PBB, di New York ya? Hmmm...Ther lha lhuuu..kalau kata Bung Rhoma Irama #sungkemdulu :).

Indeed I haven't shared that much about the United Nations headquarter where I spent most of my time.

To begin with,  let me start with the Indonesian Lounge. 

Yuuup, Indonesian Lounge it is.

As an Indonesian, I'm so proud to learn that the United Nations has a special corner named after my country.

Rasanya banggaaaa banget kalau ada sesuatu yang mengingatkan kita dengan tanah air saat berada jauh darinya. Dan di Markas besar PBB di New York, Indonesian Lounge sudah lama ada lhooo. 

The West Foyer of the General Assembly Hall has long been known as the Indonesian Lounge. I could not find enough information (I'll dig some more) on when exactly this Foyer is named that way, but for sure this special area is named after two Balinese statues, namely Peace and Prosperity. 

Tempat ini diberi nama Indonesian Lounge karena ada 2 patung kayu asal Bali yang berjudul Perdamaian dan Kemakmuran, yang merupakan hadiah dari Pemerintah Republik Indonesia. Hadiah ini diberikan oleh Presiden pertama RI, Soekarno. Dari plakatnya, terbaca bahwa patung ini adalah hadiah dari rakyat Indonesia.

Di Markas Besar PBB memang banyak sekali hadiah-hadiah dari negara-negara Anggota PBB. Semua persembahan itu dipajang di berbagai sudut Markas Besar yang memang cukup luas. Nanti saya akan coba ceritakan satu persatu :)...

Now, let's take a closure look at Prosperity...

Prosperity...

And here's Peace...

These special gifts of the Government of Indonesia stand graciously at the end of white comfy sofa. I have to say it's everyone's favorite when one is looking for a quiet and cozy place near the general Assembly Hall. The UN Secretary-General often hosts many high-level receptions, especially during the opening of the High level Segment of the General Assembly, here.

Tempat ini menjadi tempat favorit karena nyaman dan tidak terlalu ramai, sehingga menjadi favorit teman-teman diplomat. Sekjen PBB pun sering mengadakan Resepsi di tempat ini, terutama saat pembukaan sesi Majelis Umum PBB setiap tahunnya yang banyak dihadiri kepala-kepala negara maupun pemerintahan.

For me, I keep taking my friends here as well :). Especially those who haven't been to the UN HQ. Welcoming Indonesians to the Indonesian Lounge at the UN is a great pleasure to me.

With Ilhamdaniah at the Lounge..

Melly is sitting cozily at the couch :)

So, have you been to the Indonesian Lounge as well? 

What do you think about the statues?