Space Generation Congress Day 4

Day 4: Saturday, September 30th, 2006 [Wrap Up of Conference and Last Night in Valencia]

No Breakfast for You!

I woke up at 7:45 again. "BAAAHH!!" I shouted as the room collectively groaned and cursed the morning for disturbing their rest. Luckily, I was alive and well two minutes later because I had actually gotten sleep. Sure, it may have cost me a night fun, but I would have fallen ill had I not slept.

The first item on the agenda once we got to the University was the Youth Space Declaration presentations. Each group got to present their preambles and line-by-line items they wanted to add. I got to present our preamble and some of the recommendations. Hooray public speaking skills, and boo people who turn off the flash on your camera so the picture quality comes out horrible when you’re presenting your Youth Space Declarations.

Next was break time. Since our group was finished with our declarations and our strategic plan, we basically sat and had a long discussion with some other guys on space property rights, international politics, national pride and its arrogance, religion, doctorate theses, T-shit Hell, and a sex store that sells only religious sex toys. One of the guys we were talking with, a Romanian who spoke six languages and was writing half of his doctorate thesis on space property rights, said that my declaration of open talks about space property rights was a step in the right direction towards eventual colonization of other bodies. He also told me to live my life instead of pursuing a doctorate degree. I’ll try to keep that advice in mind.

Following lunch a lady from the International Space University gave a presentation on how to deal with the media during a crisis. This is pretty useful information considering how engineers already don't like dealing with people, let alone media hounds.

Next was a presentation by documentary filmmaker Maryanne Galvin, who showed us a part of her movie, the premiere of which was at the IAC. It had interviews with two of the staff members of the SGC, so we all cheered when they showed up or someone’s name was shown in the credits. My criticism of what I saw: fire the animators. This movie had the worst space animation I’ve ever seen, which seriously detracted from my piece-of-a-movie watching experience. Anything that wasn’t a human being or an actual video of a launch looked really fake. It was also narrated by Leonard Nemoy, but I didn’t care about that. Sure, documentarians may have good intentions, but sometimes it’s best for someone on the inside to do the promotions.

Finally it was time to vote on the Youth Space Declaration. A more thoroughly edited version (but still not the final version) of the amendments were thrown up on the screen and voted off one by one. Each declaration needed a two-thirds majority to pass, and even though I thought a good few of them were rather stupid and in the wrong sections (Hello PR people! McFly! Come on now! Every other group mentioned the promotion of spaceflight awareness EXCEPT you!).

Now it was time for the conference wrap up. Since I had gotten sleep, I was the only one conscious enough to scream and yell on cue when director Tim Bailey yelled “Are you excited! We accomplished a LOT at this conference! Give yourselves a hand!”

Me: WOOOOO!!! YEEEEAAAAHHH!!
Everyone else: Yay….

Another Excellent Dinner

We headed back to the Hostel a little later than usual so we didn’t have a lot of time before dinner. However, it was at this point I remembered I had put my €0.63 liter of beer in the freezer. I went downstairs to check on it, and just as I suspected it had frozen and exploded, thankfully in the bag I put it in, so it was no problem to clean up, until I decided to try to let it thaw out. Thawed beer is disgusting (or maybe €0.63/liter beer is just plain disgusting) and the ice chunks in the bag melts and dripped on the floor. Why must I be so cheap as to try to salvage it? After cleaning up the puddle on the floor, I got rid of it.

Dinner this evening was at a place that wasn’t as fancy as the last place we had eaten dinner, but it was still very nice. I was wearing a suit all day and had gotten dehydrated, so I had to buy a bottle of water before we were served.

The first thing they served us was, of course, alcohol. Hussein had gotten to know us so well that he ordered for us.

Hussein: “Heineken, Heineken, Coke, Heineken, Heineken”

The coke of course was for the 17 year old Indian kid (I really wish I could have remembered his name, but it was so complicated).

Kid: May I try some of your beer?
Me: Sure *pours some in his coke*
Hussein: *pours some more*
Kid: Oh, I’ve never had beer before! Not so much!
Hussein: *pauses, pours more*
Me: *also pours more*
Kid: Oh wow! I don’t know what’s going to happen to me! I’ve never had beer before! If something happens and I don’t remember, tell me!!

I love corruption of the youth.

We gave him a little more later, but nothing that great happened. In between dinner courses, staff and guest speakers gave some presentations. The first presentation was from the girl I salsa danced with (that was probably 10 years older than me, but oh well) who worked for Northrop Grumman. Since they were the primary sponsors of the event, this was their commercial for us. It was actually mostly about networking and how I fail at it, but it gave me some insight on how to improve, as well as the different relationships you can have professionally. Another was by a guy who had founded three space companies. I have to admit, this was the first time I’d ever seen the business side of the space industry. He basically gave us a huge list of questions that need to be answered before any true investor will give you money. I need to track down that list and start learning how to answer each investor question.

Dinner was alright. The first thing they served was a salad, and the second I finished it, I remembered I wasn’t supposed to eat the salad. Dang it. It tasted like it was covered in olive oil, but it was not bad. I especially like the added touch of a boiled quail egg with the salad (we had to ask more than a few people what type of bird it was, since the Spanish people couldn’t translate the Spanish word for quail). The main course was a nice hot sandwich, the inner contents of which I don’t remember, and dessert was something I don’t remember either. Whatever this stuff was though, it was tasty. Basically, it looks like milk, but it isn’t. It tasted like slightly chunky, sweet, whole milk, only better than that. Unfortunately, I couldn’t steal a second one.

After about four beers, everyone started walking around and taking pictures, so there are plenty of pictures of just more and more people hanging around and posing. Then it was time to actually sign the Youth Space Declaration. Sure, I had a few problems with it, but that didn’t stop me from putting my Ben Corbin right in the top center of the USA delegate spaces (that’s right, forget you John Hancock).

Last Night Out

After dinner, we headed out back into the cathedral square and around to the other side for group pictures. On the way, I accidentally started a conversation with one of the Indian delegates who will be helping coordinate the conference next year. He was taking an informal poll seeing if participants would be willing to spend an extra $200-250 to see the Himalayas a day or two before the conference. Heck yeah I would. He invited me to come out early to help out with the conference (even though I already gave the conference coordinator my contact info so I can help out for next year). Second invite to another country I need to follow up on. I asked about getting near Everest, but just getting to the base camp costs $2500. Maybe when I’m rich I’ll go out there.

We took some pictures in front of the cathedral plaza while half of Spain watched our group try to organize itself and take pictures of everyone with the camera timer. There sure were a lot of people sitting around doing a lot of nothing at that time. I also got a picture with the guy who looked exactly like Borat. He had never seen Da Ali G show so he had no idea what everyone was talking about over the course of the conference, but whatever, I got a nice picture for my Facebook event promotion.

We went back to the Hostel to change for the last night out. Our first stop was a club with weird music that I did not enjoy understanding because I wanted to hear Spanish music, not American. It was all crummy remixes. I also discovered the hard way that clubs charge an outrageous amount for beer. One Heineken was €6. I was doing the exchange in my head and decided I needed to drink it to wash away the pain of losing that much for one drink. What happened to €2 shots at the run down place the first night?

It turned out a large contingent of our group couldn’t get into the club because they didn’t have nice enough shoes on, so most of the group ended up in a bar across the street. I was informed of this soon after buying the beer, so I had to chug it and go back with the rest of the group (since it was mostly fun people that weren’t allowed in).

At the other bar, a big group had gathered across many tables set side-by-side, bigger than anything the Corbin family had ever created in a restaurant. Nothing too interesting about the conversations, except the one Japanese delegate of the SGC invited me to come to Japan. Third invite to another country I need to follow up on.

A little while later Juan and I went back to the club, where it was now packed and crazy. Mark was dancing with three girls he couldn’t speak to, but it was his birthday, so he partied like it was. One of the delegates randomly handed me a drink, and since I’m not a female I took it. Sandeep was keeping track of what time I had to leave to get to the hotel in time to catch a cab, and three minutes before he announced that it was my last 3 minutes in Spain and that women had to dance with me. Sometimes it’s good to have good friends.

Pack it up, Move it Out

By now it was 3 in the morning and I had hunger pains. Pieter and I walked around to find another kebab place, but to no avail. Sometimes first loves are hard to lose, especially when you lose them in a foreign country, and by first loves I mean delicious kebabs that I need to find in the US.

It turned out there was another guy leaving on our flight from Valencia, so Kathryn, Eric, and I planned on splitting the cab fare three ways. That was helpful. By the time we had packed, all the people were coming back from the clubs and bars, so we were able to get some last goodbyes and card exchanges in before the three of us piled into the cab.