and that's a wrap, #UNLEASHLAB2017

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All good things must come to an end, including UNLEASH. The organisers made sure that we had a lot of good stories and experiences to bring home, and so the closing ceremony was nothing short of a bang.

First off, we were herded to the grounds of ARoS where we were invited in to listen to discussions on the SDGs and how different countries are trying address these goals at the UNLEASH festival. The participants were there together with representatives of youth groups in Denmark. This discussion was informative for people who haven't been immersed in SDGs and problem framing for the past 10 days. For me, however, it was the same thing I've been hearing since we've started in Copenhagen. I thought that I was alone in this but the other participants also decided to step out of the discussion and roam around and see the exhibits on the other side of the lawn.


I guess we were also antsy because we have been stuck indoors for several days already. It was high time that we had a look around the shelters that were set up. I was with Brenderup friends Raul (Spain), Solomon (Zimbabwe), and Valeria (Ecuador). As usual, I just had to be the shortest of the lot... my sneakers did not help at all! 


After visiting the United Nations' shelter (with Raul giving the personal tour), we saw that the Crown Princess of Denmark, Mary, was also roaming the grounds with Flemming Besenbacher, Chairman of the Carlsberg Foundation and UNLEASH organiser.


I am amazed that she isn't the type of royal who is hounded rabidly by the media (unlike the UK royal family)... otherwise, I wouldn't be able to stand this close to her. I'm sure that the other royals also work really hard for their subject. The princess of Thailand also is a down-to-earth woman; that's what we learned when she visited IRRI's Grain Quality lab. She is a royal but she's also not merely a celebrity. These two examples of royals (whom I have seen up close) really demystify what real princesses are... yes, and in Denmark, of all places! They are definitely not the damsels in distress who are always shown in Disney fairy tales.

Anyway, after Princess Mary had toured the shelters, it was time to proceed to the Musikhuset for the closing program of UNLEASH. As always, the event was hosted by Gaurav. 


For a lot of the audience members, the highlight of the program was the appearance of Ashton Kutcher. I have always thought that he's just a comedian in movies. However, he holds a more impressive CV than that: he is an investor in cutting-edge companies and he really knows his science and technology (although he never shed his comedian persona onstage). 

For me, the highlight of the show was the speech of Salman Khan, of Khan Academy (a non-profit educational organisation which develops online learning platforms). His speech was both hilarious and though-provoking; it was inspiring and motivating. So while these guys and a few other speakers got people excited, I thought to myself, what have I been doing in my life? These people have been helping others for so long and yet I'm only a lab rat. It's the imposter syndrome running again, I thought. 

Nevertheless, imposter or not, I was with a thousand SDG talents trying to find solutions to address the sustainable development goals of the United Nations. I may not have as much impact now as the social workers and the doctors who work directly with stakeholders but I contribute in my small way to make rice tastier and healthier, one rice tasting session at a time.

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