Flying High at Harvard Model United Nations Conference

“Oh My God! Oh my God! Oh My God!”
We screamed at the top of our lungs as our plane touched down at Hyderabad International Airport. I peeped through the window, nose pressed against the glass to indulge in the breathtaking beauty of Hyderabad.
On August 14, a team from Scholastica School (7 students and 1 teacher) flew to Hyderabad, India to attend the 6th session of Harvard Model United Nations (MUN) Conference. It was a conference which acted as a model for the real United Nations, passing resolutions to solve real world problems. I, along with two of my friends, was assigned in WHO (World Health Organization).The others were in different committees like SPECPOL, OAS, etc. With two 10th graders (me included), and five 9th graders, we dived into the unknown, with lots of hopes and expectations.
Our trip was to be for six days. Shoving our luggage into the three rooms we had at Lemon Tree hotel, we went out to explore the city. The city is beautiful but some areas showed an unusual resemblance to Dhaka. The rows of posters and the roadside stalls would make you confused -- is this India or Bangladesh? At the end of the day, we visited Orchid Plaza, which is a colossal shopping complex. I will be honest, we loved that place the most!
Next day we were forced to wake up at 5am. Half asleep and awake, we made our way to breakfast arranged by the Harvard MUN staff. Our sleepiness took a holiday as we began to interact with other delegates and made some new friends. Like us, there were students who were at their first MUN. But there were others who had attended 12 MUNs before.
At 9am, the committee session began. We faced some hardcore debating and caucus during the course of the day. Each delegate was keen on showcasing his or her skills to the directors. The session ended at 7pm.  After the session, we attended the 'Global Village,' an event where everyone dressed up in their national attires. Managing our sarees was a bit difficult but representing our country in front of the whole world was truly enjoyable.
As we returned to our hotels, we were quite overwhelmed with the day's activities. The amount of competition was threatening and we were a bit nervous. But we managed to fight it off before going to sleep and preparing ourselves for the next session.
The next days were much better. We no longer felt we were running to catch an express train. We adjusted ourselves to Harvard MUN pace. We stood our ground and fought through the countless moderated and unmoderated caucuses.
At the end of each day, there was a refreshing social event. In the next two days, we attended the 'India Night' and 'Delegate Dance.' At 'India Night' we learned about their diverse and beautiful culture and history. In everyone's opinion, the 'Delegate Dance' was the best. The event was kicked off by our Director's 'Shuffle Dance.' The DJ did a fantastic job and made sure we enjoyed every second of the night.
The closing ceremony the next day was very sad for all of us. We all had made new friends and the thought of leaving all of this so soon was too depressing. Still we had to say our goodbyes and board the plane on the 19th.
I will not say that the experience was all about fun. Harvard MUN showed us what the world was really like. If you don't shout, you won't be heard. Life out there is nothing but a competition -- survival of the fittest.
Students who attended HMUN India 2013 from Scholastica, Bangladesh: Angela and Roshni (Grade IX); Atqia, Mysha, Zarin, Anan, Marzia (Grade VIII); accompanied by Tasmira Ashraf (Teacher, Bengali).