The 18th National Model United Nations Conference (MUN) was held at Woosong University under the auspices of the United Nations Association of the Republic of Korea (UNAROK) on July 4th through the 7th, in 2012. When I first came to Woosong University, I heard this news and wanted to participate in the conference. However, I did not know much about it because I am a freshman. Besides, only Honors students (students of score above 600 on TOEIC) may enroll in the MUN class, so I decided to take part in it next year.
First, I wanted to know what this contest was about and how it would be run. In mid-May, I happened to come across a public notice about recruiting observers and supporters for the conference and the application deadline was May 18th. Unfortunately, the deadline had already passed by a couple of days but I applied anyway because I really wanted to participate. I wanted to be an observer, but the only open positions were for supporters.
The supporters gathered for a meeting at the end of June to receive training. Then for the conference, we got to miss all of our classes and went to the office early on the morning of July 2nd to the 7th. As a supporter, I ushered the participants and carried luggage. I was so disappointed with this work because it was very difficult and different from what I expected. I thought that I would get to attend the conference with the others and watch like the observers; and, I would get to learn about this contest despite being a supporter. Of course among the supporters, there were members who did get to attend the conference. However, these duties were not given to me. In the end, I hardly gained any experience to use while attending the contest next year.
Although I was let down at first, I began to think positively. I knew that the benefits to me were greater than the disappointments to me. I want to gain a variety experiences at college. If I always sit in a chair, staring at books, it is possible get much better grades than before; however, that life is incomplete and I hope to have a fulfilling life while at university. l made many friends with the seniors while I was a supporter and I also quickly became very close to them and contact them frequently. I realized I could make more personal connections through this activity. In my opinion, it has been a great experience too because I get to work on things I haven’t been able to do till now. This was a nice experience for me.
When I think about it now, it is not that I didn’t learn anything from the contest. I met with a number of participants from different universities and learned about their languages and cultures; and, I also learned when and how to interview for writing articles. This conference will be held at Korea Army Academy at Yeong-cheon (KAAY) next year. Whether I will be an observer or participator is not yet decided. I want to be a part of this big event and I really need to do a good job; therefore, I first have to learn more about it and need to prepare more. Maybe I will apply for an observer position. Now, I am imagining how I will look when I participate in the event, and I am just thinking, “How much I will change?”
Staff writer Cho WonHa.
1 comments:
very good job!
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