2015 6/28-7/04 World Bali Conference

I am back from almost a week in Indonesia at the World Bali Conference. So many wonderful memories and moments.

* Three speakers about NK presented. At many conferences, I am the leading speaker on NK issues. But at this event, I was the third most important speaker about NK--that's because both Yeonmi Park and Shin Dong-hyuk spoke. :-)

* I kicked off the talent show by swing dancing with Kenli Schoolland, then rapping to a song from the 1990s. It has been on while since I have rapped in front of an audience without the lyrics on the screen, so I did have to practice a few times in advance. I had meant to thank Shruti Sharma, she is the one who has been stalking me about rapping at one of these conferences. :-)

* Special thanks to Li Schoolland and Ken Schoolland for inviting me to participate again in one of their conferences. It started back in 2012, when they visited South Korea, I had the privilege of hosting them in Seoul. Then in July 2012, I joined their conference in Shanghai (I discussed Michael Sandel's book "Justice"). I also joined in 2014 in Shanghai, discussing my activism with North Korean refugees. 2015 was my first opportunity to address the International Society for Individual Liberty.

* I am not a traveler, but I have done a lot of traveling this year for events--Kathmandu, USA twice (Florida, North Carolina, D.C., Massachusetts), Bali. My next trip scheduled trip is not until November, when I will be speaking at Harvard University again.

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2020 comment: Was Zoom even around back then? It is dominating now, but as soon as humans can be humans again, meeting at conferences, I bet they will. We might practice social distancing for a while, but people will start meeting again as soon as it is possible. I sometimes hear people ask this new online world has proven that many meetings are not necessary. Sure, even before I wonder about many pointless meetings. But many meetings and conferences aren't just about the content, but the experience. We could have the Bali World Conference today via our computers, but it could not have been as special as the actual event was back in 2015.

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