MAMUN. Before March 15, that word sent a terrified shiver down my spine and gave me a twist in my stomach that made me want to throw up and run to the nearest cliff. I associated it with the multitude of position papers, position paper edits, resolutions, and research I've been doing for months.
You see, my only experience with model UN was our tiny, school-sponsored one, SIMUN, which no matter how hard I tried, I always seemed to do terribly in. The day before March 15, my friend and I were discussing our nightmares we've had about MAMUN. I have never been so wrong about anything in my life. I expected a roomful of judgy, pretentious kids who would laugh at my halfhearted attempts to defend Kuwait in a worldwide crisis. I expected falling asleep in committee, and my head delegate trying to convince me to please, Sarah, participate. I prepared for the fate of my pristine Global Education grades, and my overachiever status as I printed out my sad attempts at a position paper.
What I was dreading for months ended up being the best week of my life.
I have to admit, when I walked into my committee (Social, Humanitarian, Cultural), I felt like I was going to be sick. I parted with my fellow nervous friend (the same one who also had MAMUN nightmares) and I was all alone in a room of only three other kids from my school and strangers. As the chairsperson called debate into order I felt like I was going to faint. I didn't even get on the speakers list for that topic. When the first caucus happened, and I got to talk to the other kids, I realized how nice they were! And no, it was nothing like SIMUN. There were no Earth shattering current events to solve, no news flashes, no blaming other countries. It was mainly debating resolutions and your country's policy.
We moved onto topic two and I knew I needed to get on the speakers list. So, I did. And I gave my first speech. And I smiled the entire time (nervous habit?). But most of all? I didn't die.
And so the rest of the conference went on and every minute I fell more in love with it. Although General Assembly was a bit boring, I loved every second of it and it was honestly life changing in the best way. It forced me out of my comfort zone, and it forced tiny, blend-in-the-background me to be heard. I learned to be a leader, and to be a better speaker. I don't even have words to describe how much I want to be back there, sitting behind a Kuwait placard in a room full of bright, open-minded strangers who ended up being more like me than I ever imagined (I mean, what normal teenager wants to enthusiastically discuss current events?). I grew closer to my fellow Global Ed students and teachers than I have before and I made SO many new friends. I am seriously considering changing my entire life path and majoring in international relations in college.
So why is school so hard after Model UN?
The people. After being in a roomful of people who willingly give their time to travel to West Michigan to debate from 9am-9pm, write multiple position papers and resolutions, and going back to a place where some kids don't even know the latest news stories, it's hard. It's only in my Global Ed classes where I'll truly feel the MAMUN-home feeling here.
The sleep-deprivation-highs. After going to bed at ungodly hours and waking up at ungodly hours, you eventually get slaphappy and an insane crave for coffee. I'll forever miss the venti Starbucks I drank every single day and our hotel Starbucks that STILL had pumpkin spice lattes (!!!). But in addition, I'll miss the weird, sleep deprived things we'd all say to eachother at 2am while stuffing our faces with Cheez-Its and Goldfish. I miss the Costco muffins. I miss the weird Kalamazoo water. I miss.......
Anyways, point is, life will never be like that again. Well, you know, until #MAMUN17.
(also, DO NOT listen to Walking In The Wind by One Direction while coming home from best-week-of-my-life trips)
You see, my only experience with model UN was our tiny, school-sponsored one, SIMUN, which no matter how hard I tried, I always seemed to do terribly in. The day before March 15, my friend and I were discussing our nightmares we've had about MAMUN. I have never been so wrong about anything in my life. I expected a roomful of judgy, pretentious kids who would laugh at my halfhearted attempts to defend Kuwait in a worldwide crisis. I expected falling asleep in committee, and my head delegate trying to convince me to please, Sarah, participate. I prepared for the fate of my pristine Global Education grades, and my overachiever status as I printed out my sad attempts at a position paper.
What I was dreading for months ended up being the best week of my life.
I have to admit, when I walked into my committee (Social, Humanitarian, Cultural), I felt like I was going to be sick. I parted with my fellow nervous friend (the same one who also had MAMUN nightmares) and I was all alone in a room of only three other kids from my school and strangers. As the chairsperson called debate into order I felt like I was going to faint. I didn't even get on the speakers list for that topic. When the first caucus happened, and I got to talk to the other kids, I realized how nice they were! And no, it was nothing like SIMUN. There were no Earth shattering current events to solve, no news flashes, no blaming other countries. It was mainly debating resolutions and your country's policy.
We moved onto topic two and I knew I needed to get on the speakers list. So, I did. And I gave my first speech. And I smiled the entire time (nervous habit?). But most of all? I didn't die.
And so the rest of the conference went on and every minute I fell more in love with it. Although General Assembly was a bit boring, I loved every second of it and it was honestly life changing in the best way. It forced me out of my comfort zone, and it forced tiny, blend-in-the-background me to be heard. I learned to be a leader, and to be a better speaker. I don't even have words to describe how much I want to be back there, sitting behind a Kuwait placard in a room full of bright, open-minded strangers who ended up being more like me than I ever imagined (I mean, what normal teenager wants to enthusiastically discuss current events?). I grew closer to my fellow Global Ed students and teachers than I have before and I made SO many new friends. I am seriously considering changing my entire life path and majoring in international relations in college.
So why is school so hard after Model UN?
The people. After being in a roomful of people who willingly give their time to travel to West Michigan to debate from 9am-9pm, write multiple position papers and resolutions, and going back to a place where some kids don't even know the latest news stories, it's hard. It's only in my Global Ed classes where I'll truly feel the MAMUN-home feeling here.
The sleep-deprivation-highs. After going to bed at ungodly hours and waking up at ungodly hours, you eventually get slaphappy and an insane crave for coffee. I'll forever miss the venti Starbucks I drank every single day and our hotel Starbucks that STILL had pumpkin spice lattes (!!!). But in addition, I'll miss the weird, sleep deprived things we'd all say to eachother at 2am while stuffing our faces with Cheez-Its and Goldfish. I miss the Costco muffins. I miss the weird Kalamazoo water. I miss.......
Anyways, point is, life will never be like that again. Well, you know, until #MAMUN17.
(also, DO NOT listen to Walking In The Wind by One Direction while coming home from best-week-of-my-life trips)