My teacher told me there was a MUN (Model United Nations) coming up in the month of October in Delhi. I wanted to go for it, try it out. I didnt know how difficult it would be. I signed up for my first Model UN Conference ever in July! The next few months were for preparing us delegates for one of the most prestigious conferences ever. At that time, I realized MUNning is hard. It is not an easy task and it requires a lot of dedication and hard work. I was in the Historical General Assembly: Copenhagen Climate Change Conference of 2009, representing Pakistan. The more and more I researched, the more and more I realized its one of the hardest extra-curricular activities. I researched a lot, forewent many things, and prayed that I was fully equipped for my first Model UN.
The most awaited day arrived, and I boarded the plane with a mix of emotions: anxiety, excitement, confusion, curiosity. I was anxious, the anxiety growing every minute. How would my chair be? What about my vice-chairs? Would I make friends? Would my contacts increase? Will I be able to speak? Will my fellow delegates in my committee respect me? These were few of the questions running through my head during the two hour flight to Delhi. We landed in Delhi, and were met by a person from the Secretariat. We traveled from the airport to the hotel, which took around one and a half hours. We settled down in our rooms, and got ready for our first committee session. I took a few deep breaths and entered committee. We talked to people around us and made some acquaintances. With this, we started. I was very nervous for my first committee session, and I messed up my first speech. I decided I wont speak again that day! I felt very bad! But, as committee progressed, I wanted to speak again. I wanted to rectify my mistake! So, I spoke again! And, it was better than last time!
Every committee session, my speeches and my way of speaking kept on improving. I started to get a hang of how does committee work; how voting happens; how resolutions are made, etc. I started getting more confident, and recognizing people. I wasnt as good as the delegates MUNning for the eight and ninth time, but I did realize I was very good for a novice! My fellow delegates were quite surprised when I told them this is my first Model UN. They were in the impression that it is my third or fourth Model UN. Even though I did not win anything, I am happy with a performance that exceeds my expectations. We would call each other by our countries' name and not by our own name! It was weird at first, but I did get used to it. I made quite a few friends, not only from my committee, but from other committees as well!
We bought roses for each other and wrote romantic messages and pick up lines just to embarrass them in committee, we bought Ivy League mugs and glasses and t-shirts as souvenirs. With the seriousness of solving global issues that is a big concern in the global society, we even had fun with the roses, and the delegate fest and the delegate dance (dont be fooled. It is not a sophisticated dance, but a crazy disco night, which cant get any crazier!). The past four days in Delhi, attending this conference has been one of the best experiences of my life, and I look forward to more of this sort. I will be posting here after every Model UN Conference I attend!
The most awaited day arrived, and I boarded the plane with a mix of emotions: anxiety, excitement, confusion, curiosity. I was anxious, the anxiety growing every minute. How would my chair be? What about my vice-chairs? Would I make friends? Would my contacts increase? Will I be able to speak? Will my fellow delegates in my committee respect me? These were few of the questions running through my head during the two hour flight to Delhi. We landed in Delhi, and were met by a person from the Secretariat. We traveled from the airport to the hotel, which took around one and a half hours. We settled down in our rooms, and got ready for our first committee session. I took a few deep breaths and entered committee. We talked to people around us and made some acquaintances. With this, we started. I was very nervous for my first committee session, and I messed up my first speech. I decided I wont speak again that day! I felt very bad! But, as committee progressed, I wanted to speak again. I wanted to rectify my mistake! So, I spoke again! And, it was better than last time!
Every committee session, my speeches and my way of speaking kept on improving. I started to get a hang of how does committee work; how voting happens; how resolutions are made, etc. I started getting more confident, and recognizing people. I wasnt as good as the delegates MUNning for the eight and ninth time, but I did realize I was very good for a novice! My fellow delegates were quite surprised when I told them this is my first Model UN. They were in the impression that it is my third or fourth Model UN. Even though I did not win anything, I am happy with a performance that exceeds my expectations. We would call each other by our countries' name and not by our own name! It was weird at first, but I did get used to it. I made quite a few friends, not only from my committee, but from other committees as well!
We bought roses for each other and wrote romantic messages and pick up lines just to embarrass them in committee, we bought Ivy League mugs and glasses and t-shirts as souvenirs. With the seriousness of solving global issues that is a big concern in the global society, we even had fun with the roses, and the delegate fest and the delegate dance (dont be fooled. It is not a sophisticated dance, but a crazy disco night, which cant get any crazier!). The past four days in Delhi, attending this conference has been one of the best experiences of my life, and I look forward to more of this sort. I will be posting here after every Model UN Conference I attend!
Keep it up good work Ridhee...:)
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Thankyou Girish :)
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