And a word from our Delegates from Cameroon and Nigeria....
DAY 1 - Tuesday, Jan. 24 So our day started out perfectly! We all checked in on time with no one showing up late. Kids were hugged, parents cried, and into the bowels of PJIA we went, straight to Domino’s for a sponsored lunch.
At “about that time” we headed down to the gate, only to realize we were among the last to board. Oops….maybe we were a bit too relaxed….
Boarded and settled, we then sat on the tarmac for an hour and a half, because “we are waiting for tower clearance”….
We arrived in Charlotte an hour late (the captain apparently made up some time), only to wait again on the tarmac because our gate was occupied. Still, we were hopeful to make our connection. Then we hit the immigration hall, where the line snaked and zigged and zagged through the hall and out into another hall. Hope started to die. Then Heather, the seasoned chaperone that she is, found the line supervisor and explained that we are a group of 11, with half of us having foreign passports, and which line should we go in? This angel then passed us along to a special needs line and we got right through! So we ran to collect our bags, dropped them back off to connect, and made our way to recheck through security. Which again had another line. We patiently cleared security at the D gates and found our flight….at the very last gate of B. So after another sprint of at least 3 K, all 11 of us were the very last passengers to board!
We are about to take off, so TBC….
Part 2:
So the rest of the trip was easy, except that the taxi Heather and a few others got into took us on the “scenic route,” racking up $20 more than the other taxi.
The Amazon order of granola bars and waters were signed for today by the front desk, however, the night crew hasn’t located them yet. So they’ve given us a case of water in the mean time. Everyone is exhausted but happy to be here….tomorrow is a new day!
DAY 2 - Wednesday, Jan. 25
Please visit the following link to see how the delegates' Day 2 went...
DAY 5 - Saturday, Jan. 28 DAY 6 - Sunday, Jan. 29
POST-CONFERENCE REFLECTIONS Over the past week, I have made many new friends, had countless experiences and discovered a new city. The MUN conference itself was fun, yet tiring. In my committee, I worked with Sanya and about 40 other delegations on solving the issue around NGOs. As soon as we began debating it was clear that we all had the same ideas in mind when it came to NGOs but different ways to go about it. By the fourth conference, four blocks had merged into two blocks both having similar draft resolutions. In the end, both of our resolutions passed and we were all very proud; our director even said that it was rare that both resolutions pass and she was happy to see it happen. When it came to outside of our committees, all of the activities we did made it seem like weeks had gone by. We went shopping, bowling, ice skating, played in the snow, went to many restaurants, and to a science museum. Each outing was an experience and a moment to remember. I wish the week wasn't over so soon. --Anneke
The MUN 2023 trip was an experience that I honestly will never forget!! It brought me so much closer to the people we went with, and I created a bond with people I never thought I would speak to. My favorite part was making new friends in the conferences, and speaking to people from different backgrounds, all with different experiences. Even during the conferences, I enjoyed hearing all these extremely intelligent people speak about their countries, and the debates were pretty fun as well! Make sure you are prepared and know everything about your country before you go, because that will really be beneficial. If you're scared about traveling without your family, it was the same for me, but being with my friends made it so much more fun. I would definitely recommend going for this MUN trip, because its not only about the conferences, but also the memories you will make! --Sanya
HMUN 2023 was an amazing experience for me. I had so much fun walking around the streets of Boston, taking in the sunny, yet cold weather, as well as the old architecture which gives it an almost "non-American" feel. Boston is my favorite American city because it feels like a sort of Europe. My favorite part of the HMUN trip was getting to know the people in my group and talking for hours about anything. I realized that we get along very well and that all of the people there are so kind and funny. I was shocked on how smart and enthusiastic everyone in the committee was, and I would definitely recommend to people thinking of going next year to really research into their topic, and of course, their winter clothes! --Xenia