Home, Sweet Home!

We survived the Model UN!!!! ~YAY~ I am so thankful for the opportunity to have traveled with the other Columbia College delegates and I can truly say that Dr. Jones is a character (if you didn't already know..lol)!!! It has been a long and rewarding journey as I take the time to look back on my experiences throughout the conference. As I've stated many times in my other posts; I met a lot of interesting students from around the globe...yes globe. Participating in the Model UN has broadened my perspective on International Relations, and has made me realize that as an American we cannot be selfish and unwilling to learn and explore other cultures. I got to learn the In's and Out's of diplomatic courtesy, caucusing, and acceptable business attire. The Chicago Hilton hotel was beautifully located on Michigan Ave, which is near numerous shopping and eatery venues. I recommend that all Columbia College students take the time to apply for the Model UN, I guarantee that you will learn new and interesting facts of various countries, not to mention make some new friends! You don't have to be a Political Science major/minor to take part in the Model UN. Upon our safe return to Columbia, our punctual driver Dr. Sharkey made sure that we were picked up from the airport safely. I absolutely adore Chicago, minus the cold weather; other than that it's a city of multiple cultures unlike any other. I'm glad to be home and anticipating the end of the semester. If you have any questions be sure to ask any of the delegates and of course, Dr. Jones! We're home and we have survived! Courage, commitment, confidence, and competence is what it's all about!!!!!!

Now that I've had some time to reflect on the events in Chicago, I wanted to share those experiences with everyone else. As most of my fellow delegates have said, the free time in Chicago was amazing. I went the aquarium, ate at a quaint authentic Italian restaurant in Little Italy, did some shopping, did some sightseeing, but most important of all, I learned a lot about the way the United Nations is run. I participated in MUN in high school, but I was never in a committee like the Commission on Narcotics Drugs (CND). In this committee, we discussed the intravenous drug use and its relation to HIV/AIDS and the control of opiates for medicinal needs. Niger has a conservative opinion about narcotics, that is to say that Niger does not tolerate the use or trafficing of narcotics. We spent much of our time in session discussing the first topic about HIV/AIDS and intravaneous drugs and writing resolutions on the subject. The CND is a body whose primary purpose it to submit a report to The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC); however, we didn't get around the making the report until about the 3rd day. During this discussion I was able to learn much about other countries' policies on drug control. The remainer of the time we spent on the second topic and writing its report. The most valuable part of AMUN to me was not only the knowledge I gained about the UN, but also the friendships I made while doing it. I am so grateful for this experience and the oportunities of knowlegde and friendship it has brought me.