MUNITY-East

By Regan Plekenpol, Shanghai American School Pudong

Overview and Diagnosis:

Post-MUN Syndrome is a serious condition in which the affected delegate suffers from mild to intense longing for debate. Certain victims may suffer from outbursts of “I object” or mindlessly refer to his or herself in the 3^rd person as “the Delegate of Switzerland”. It is not uncommon to use delegate jargon in everyday vernacular and one can expect bizarre looks from peers for up to a month after the conference. In more serious cases, the patient will subconsciously memorize irrelevant statistics and use them in daily conversation. This can lead to potential social outcast-ism.  If gone untreated, this condition can develop into Stage 4 symptoms. In this stage of the disorder, the patient will refuse to remove suit and tie and never speak to anyone unless in note form. A similar condition, Admin Staff Withdrawal Syndrome (ASW), has also been observed: symptoms include hallucinations of brown blazers and name badges.

This is to be expected.

Symptoms and Prognosis:

This condition can be detrimental to the sanity of those affected. They will make amendments to homework assignments. They will add and remove clauses from the syllabus. They will also ask the teacher for a point of personal privilege when they want them to speak louder or repeat a question. The teacher must be reminded that, though this delegate suffers from a very serious MUN complex, he or she cannot allow them any special treatment. The delegates should only experience the fame of standing behind a podium and being interviewed by the press during the conference. For their own good, they must be forced to adjust to their new reality.

Treatment:

As a form of treatment, this delegate must be constantly reminded that MUN is over. No longer do they need to sway the other delegates with clever analogies, facts and figures. They can move on. Come 7 AM, they can wake up in the morning, get their bowl, get their cereal, and make their way to the bus stop to face the perplexity of seating arrangements. They can put back on their jeans and finish that AP chemistry lab.

Sadly, THIMUN-Singapore is over. With resolutions passed and alliances made, delegates have to pack up and return home. But they mustn’t fear, because the friendships and memories made this week will last forever. They’ll just have to wait for next year to be re-diagnosed with Post MUN Syndrome.

By So Yeon Park, International School of Beijing

With the enthusiasm and vigor that MUN provides, it is no w
onder that some THIMUN participants have devoted a considerable amount of their high school life to the MUN program. Now that these veteran MUN-ers are graduating soon, they reminisce about their past MUN experiences at what is likely to be their last THIMUN-Singapore conference.

The delegate of Iran, Rosemary Lee (Chengdu International School), in the GA 2 committee, expresses her emotions and thoughts regarding her last THIMUN-Singapore conference: Lee had first participated in the THIMUN-Singapore conference in her junior year “as the delegate of the Russian Federation.” As she awaits the closing ceremony of THIMUN-Singapore VII, she simply “[can not] believe that this [is] already the [final] day of [her] last THIMUN-Singapore conference.” Yet, she remains hopeful and optimistic as she is certain that she will meet fellow delegates “at the real United Nations” in her future.

Some seniors like Judy Yen (Pacific American School), the delegate of Nambia in GA 2, who fell in love with the MUN program only recently, feel especially disappointed about ending their high school MUN careers so soon. Yen joined the MUN program in her “junior year as [she] transferred to [her current school]”, and pursued it until her senior year because of her genuine interest in the program. Although Yen is sad to see her high school MUN experience end, she has high hopes to “continue with [her MUN career] at university.”

Sean Liu (International Bilingual School at Hsinchu), a reporter for MUNITY-EAST, also shares his bittersweet feelings. Liu has “been on the press team since eighth grade” due to his passion for journalism. Liu is sure that he will be “[missing] it a lot” after graduation, since being on the MUN press team has always been a “great break [and] fun” for him.

As these dedicated MUN seniors take their steps forward and embark on their journey to college, they hope to carry with them these unforgettable memories and make use of the invaluable skills they have learned from MUN.

By Melody Lai, International Bilingual School at Hsinchu

As this unforgettable four-day conference comes to an end, MUN participants force suitcase zippers closed, stuff the little spaces with as many souvenirs as possible, madly click away at the camera shutter in hopes of capturing that last nostalgic moment, and frantically ask for e-mail addresses and Facebook ID’s before everyone departs to different corners of the world. However, there is always a lingering question that remains in everyone’s mind before they go home to face the insurmountable wall of missed homework assignments.

Whether it is sharing words of wisdom to friends back at home or laughing over a memorable moment, MUN participants will always wonder what memories or life lessons they can bring back from this conference of a lifetime. Rachel Simpson, delegate of South Africa in GA5 from Presbyterian Ladies’ College, said, “Any speech can be improved with a hilarious analogy!” Other than words of wisdom, the most momentous souvenirs are probably unforgettable memories imprinted into the brain. Mikaela Zimmerman, delegate of Libya in GA6 from Saigon South International School, stated as her most memorable moment, “When I saw friends from my old school during my ambassador speech.” While the most memorable moments may not be about writing those endless pages of resolutions, they definitely are the moments shared with good friends and the moments of celebration for a finished and passed (or failed) resolution, or for a beautifully published newsletter. Those tiny sands of accomplishment all add up to a colossal sand castle of memories.

Even after e-mails are exchanged, hugs are given, and wrists become sore from endless waving, THIMUN-Singapore will always be an ineffaceable memory at the forefronts of our minds.

ByIHo June Chun, International School of Ho Chi Minh City

Photo cred: Mars Huang of International Bilingual School at Hsinchu

In every conference room, delegates see one or two unfamiliar faces silently typing away on their laptops in the corner. They are the advisors from each school, assisting students in a number of ways. Nevertheless, despite their sincere contribution, they are rarely featured in the spotlight.

So what is the job of an advisor? It is mostly composed of preparation for the conference. Advisors coordinate delegates’ trip from head to toe:They organize flights, insurance, letters to parents, and virtually any part of MUN that requires a teacher’s assistance. They also provide basic training sessions for newcomers to MUN. During the conference, the major job of an advisor is to provide necessary information to students. For instance, an advisor of the ICJ, Elizabeth Wyant from International Bilingual School at Hsinchu, notes, “Although delegates in ICJ are very experienced and all have high potential to be future lawyers, they occasionally require information about laws, and I am in ICJ to quickly provide such information for them.” Other than providing information, advisors also assist in screening notes, checking grammar, and monitoring the debate to keep everything on track.

Photo cred: Mars Huang of International Bilingual School at Hsinchu

Directing such diverse areas, it is no surprise that they encounter some difficulties. Advisor William K. Schlei from International School of Ho Chi Minh City notes, “The advisors often find difficulties in remembering all the necessities to be checked before the conference since there are countless details. This can be seen by looking at the Security Council, where half of the members did not bring their note papers.” One of the other advisors, Kevin Huntley from Dulwich College Beijing, points out another difficulty, “For me, the hardest thing about preparation for the conference is to educate other teachers to value MUN. They often do not understand how it has such importance [so as to cause studens to] to miss five periods of their classes.”

Running around from committee to committee, advisors strive to provide assistance to the delegates in every way possible. So, smile at them. Each one of them helped make THIMUN Singapore 2011 a possibility.

Photo cred: Mars Huang of International Bilingual School at Hsinchu

By Sean Liu, International Bilingual School at Hsinchu Science Park 

10. Hotel Room

At the end of the day, every delegate needs a comfortable place to rest. Teenagers generally need at least seven hours of sleep a night, and MUN-ers are no different – after all, they too are typical high school students. If anything, they need more sleep. Solving the world’s problems is tough work!

9. Administration

The note passers who should be grabbing your note just as you lift it. Who doesn’t take them for granted, right? Their only job is to wait and walk around with a sheet of paper. How hard could it be? But don’t forget that they run these endless errands for the entire conference – what would the conference be without them?

8. Meeting New People

THIMUN conferences are all about diversity, consisting of delegates from all over the world. Given that, delegates are bound to meet new people, debate with or against them, and make new friends in the process.

7. Air Conditioning

In a tropical country like Singapore, air conditioning is a must. Without it, temperatures rise to well above 30 degrees Celsius, but with air conditioning, temperatures fall to a comfortable 20 degrees, ideal for a room packed with students in formal clothing.

6. Point of Information

This is central to any debate in MUN. Delegates rely on this tool to support or attack resolutions, and often become frustrated when chairs deny them this inalienable right.

5. Toilet Paper

According to an Internet poll, around 20% of people go at unpredictable times of the day. To protect the mental health of all delegates and to promote personal hygiene, toilet paper must be provided in all bathrooms in any conference.

4. Food

Delegates generally expect decent food at any conference. As one anonymous MUN-er put it, “We’re sacrificing our free time to solve world issues. I think we deserve at least to be rewarded with good food. You don’t like me when I’m hungry!”

3. Analogies

Delegates get bored and need a laugh every now and then. Why not throw in a funny analogy to lighten up their spirits? “This resolution is like the warm spot in the pool. It feels nice until you realize what it is.”

2. Banana

Our close primate relatives must love bananas for a reason. Bananas, which are high in potassium, are excellent sources of energy. According to the US National Lung and Blood Institute, teenagers are estimated to lose around 2000 calories a day. Therefore, many delegates rely on the conferences to provide them with bananas.

1. The Internet

Every delegate uses the Internet to research and prepare for MUN conferences. Even during conferences, delegates need the Internet to look up events and issues of which they are not fully aware. Delegates also take refuge in the Internet for sneaky breaks. “I don’t know what I would do without the Internet,” admits an anonymous MUN-er, “Facebook and 9gag are my life.”