After having sufficient time to ponder over my experience in Chicago, I think I should be able to give a snapshot of our trip more accurately since I am now "removed" from the experience, so to speak. In reality it is probably one of those experiences whose memory I will always cherish.
MUN was a great way to bring out the infamous Four C's of Columbia College. I believe a delegate even mentioned them to her committee and increased the prestige of Columbia College South Carolina, in the eyes of those who were not previously acquainted with this school.
It became necessary to clarify that we were from South Carolina, since Columbia College Chicago who happen to share our same purple color were only a five minute walk away from the Hilton. A lot of people seemed to think we were from that particular institution, but our diligent delegates affirmed our identity on numerous occasions. The Model United Nations simulation is an experience that no class can prepare you for. I thought I was pretty comfortable in my own skin until I came across all the other talented delegates there. This simulation provides hope I assume to all the educators in the world to see that there still are some students who are willing to put in time and effort in researching so much information about a country that it seems like home to them. It provides hope that our future generations are making better attempts at incorporating the world into their lives and are choosing to rectify and further avoid the mistakes that ignorance has brought about.
Our five days at the conference where a whirlwind. There was constant switching between work mode and fun/relax mode. Friday was our only day off and we made the most of it. Saturday was similar except our sessions started in the evening. I don't know about the other delegates but I was having acute separation anxiety when it was time for all of us to separate into our respective rooms. It wasn't easy for me to step into the "unknown" alone and without the team that I had been working with for the entire semester. Luckily I knew that Dr Jones was going to come around with her video camera (I had been forewarned) and I was looking forward to seeing a familiar face in the ocean of delegates who seemingly knew everything about every country. Luckily I was able to gather my wits and was able to get work started on two resolutions that very night.
It wasn't very difficult to see why the United Nations has so many difficulties passing seemingly innocuous resolutions. It was interesting to see the politics of the world emerge and it was fun to take part in various schemes presented by the different blocks. Luckily, the African Union is very strong because of its numbers and we were able to maneuver things in the direction that we wanted. I liked the caucusing more than I liked the speech giving part of the conference. It was obvious that some delegates just liked to speak and the chair very subtly stopped acknowledging them when it was time to present an idea to the committee. It was amazing to see how completely the delegates meshed the psyche of their adopted country into their own and many individuals went against their personal beliefs to vehemently support what their country supported.
Most interesting about the conference was realizing how small the world actually is. We met a delegate who was actually from Niger, and he really appreciated the accuracy with which our delegates represented his country's point of view. He even told us to send our resolutions and our thoughts to his embassy and I was touched that he thought us capable enough to provide insight on national matters. Another interesting highlight was that I met someone from my high school in Pakistan. We were in the same world history class and were equally surprised to see each other. I had not kept in touch with him since I came to America and I found it a bit funny that I would meet him at a conference when I didn't keep in touch with him otherwise. The best part of Chicago though, was the beautiful architecture and that is one thing I truly will miss. I think I could just walk around in Chicago looking at the buildings in their majesty for a very long time.
Each of us carries some special memory from this trip. Whether it was our first time on a plane, or our first time using effective diplomatic skills, meeting old friends or most importantly caring about another country other than our own. We all learned from this experience and I want to thank Dr Jones for allowing us to experience this.
I also want to thank all the readers of this blog who journeyed with us and shared our experiences.
Adieu!
Labels: Azmeh
Almost a year ago, we embarked on this journey of "Model United Nations." Sitting in the CLC while Dr. Jones talked about walking the Magnificent Mile, starting research on this little nation in Africa called Niger, and cautioning us that if accepted into the program we would need to spend our summer researching and networking and getting to know each other, we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into.