Home, Sweet Home!

We survived the Model UN!!!! ~YAY~ I am so thankful for the opportunity to have traveled with the other Columbia College delegates and I can truly say that Dr. Jones is a character (if you didn't already know..lol)!!! It has been a long and rewarding journey as I take the time to look back on my experiences throughout the conference. As I've stated many times in my other posts; I met a lot of interesting students from around the globe...yes globe. Participating in the Model UN has broadened my perspective on International Relations, and has made me realize that as an American we cannot be selfish and unwilling to learn and explore other cultures. I got to learn the In's and Out's of diplomatic courtesy, caucusing, and acceptable business attire. The Chicago Hilton hotel was beautifully located on Michigan Ave, which is near numerous shopping and eatery venues. I recommend that all Columbia College students take the time to apply for the Model UN, I guarantee that you will learn new and interesting facts of various countries, not to mention make some new friends! You don't have to be a Political Science major/minor to take part in the Model UN. Upon our safe return to Columbia, our punctual driver Dr. Sharkey made sure that we were picked up from the airport safely. I absolutely adore Chicago, minus the cold weather; other than that it's a city of multiple cultures unlike any other. I'm glad to be home and anticipating the end of the semester. If you have any questions be sure to ask any of the delegates and of course, Dr. Jones! We're home and we have survived! Courage, commitment, confidence, and competence is what it's all about!!!!!!

Now that I've had some time to reflect on the events in Chicago, I wanted to share those experiences with everyone else. As most of my fellow delegates have said, the free time in Chicago was amazing. I went the aquarium, ate at a quaint authentic Italian restaurant in Little Italy, did some shopping, did some sightseeing, but most important of all, I learned a lot about the way the United Nations is run. I participated in MUN in high school, but I was never in a committee like the Commission on Narcotics Drugs (CND). In this committee, we discussed the intravenous drug use and its relation to HIV/AIDS and the control of opiates for medicinal needs. Niger has a conservative opinion about narcotics, that is to say that Niger does not tolerate the use or trafficing of narcotics. We spent much of our time in session discussing the first topic about HIV/AIDS and intravaneous drugs and writing resolutions on the subject. The CND is a body whose primary purpose it to submit a report to The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC); however, we didn't get around the making the report until about the 3rd day. During this discussion I was able to learn much about other countries' policies on drug control. The remainer of the time we spent on the second topic and writing its report. The most valuable part of AMUN to me was not only the knowledge I gained about the UN, but also the friendships I made while doing it. I am so grateful for this experience and the oportunities of knowlegde and friendship it has brought me.

Reflecting on the trip

Wow... as I keep thinking back at everything our team got done in Chicago all I can say is wow! I know so many of us had a part in so many resolutions. Not to brag, but we Columbia College ladies can hold our own against some of the best schools in the country. I secretly enjoy when students form other schools assume that since we're smaller (or all women) that we won't be as prepared... the looks on their faces... priceless.

The trip was amazing. I had no idea how much of a rush the whole experience would be. I knew I'd enjoy it, but not to the extent that I did. It's one thing to spend the whole semester studying about a country and how the UN works, and it's another thing to acutally live it. It's almost like studying a foreign language... the difference between reading from books and actually going to the country. Working with the UN is now officialy on my "jobs I'd love to have" list.

I know we were all exhausted, meetings started early and went all day, but having had the last few days to rest (I did nothing but sleep the first day home) I have an even better appreciation of what we learned. Really... all I can say is wow.

Thanks for reading,

Lindsey

AQUARIUM & Chicago

Above: Wrigley Field
Our last full day in Chicago and the delegation had a few hours free. The Aquarium had a community day..meaning free admittance. So I suggested we take advantage of that, as many of our delegates have never been to one, and off we go. To save money we walk..but it was quite cold and a fog was over the city.
On our way, we passed these iron sculptures.


Above, from left to right: Azmeh, English, Homa, Farzona, Lacey and Lindsey.
Below, some of the fish we encountered.






After, the aquarium, some went off to Little Italy to eat, the rest headed off for the Navy Pier. I forgot the money in the hotel, so while I ran off to the hotel to get my wallet, the rest took buses to the pier. I decided to take a taxi from the hotel to the pier, only $6 while the delegates paid $2.25 each for 2 buses and half an hour of riding! Would have been cheaper to take a taxi! Next time! We had to rush and eat, but had a few minutes to do a little souviner shopping and back to the business of diplomacy.

On the last day of Model UN, the Economic and Social Committee had a lot of things on the agenda. At the beginning of the day, we discussed Draft Resolution 3.2 and 3.3 on the topic of Annual Ministerial; Review: Implementing the Internationally Agreed Goals and Commitments in Regard to Global Public Health. Niger was one of the contributor to Draft Resolution 3.2. This draft mainly talked about poverty, HIV/AIDS, and hunger. It recommends that clinics should be established and transportation to the clinics is provided. It also encourages pharmaceutical companies to offer discounted medicines to HIV/AIDS patients. I was excited that Niger was able to be recognized for our input. The countries that were also writers/ contributors of the draft include Sudan, Mauritius, Sweden, Peru, The Republic of Moldova, and Philippines.
The draft resolution 3.3 was not very popular, but it also passed by consensus. After draft resolution was passed, a motion was moved to moved to topic 4. During this topic, two committees, Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) presented their reports and ECOSOC had to approve them.
This experience has been a great experience. I enjoyed every moment including getting stuck in the revolving doors, walking 10 miles in one day, and 10.25% tax.

[Final] Voting on Resolutions

Today we had the Combined General Assembly Plenary sessions where all the committees came together to vote on resolutions that had been passed in their respective committees. Having the entire group together was pretty amazing, with buzzing activity throughout the hall.

The first resolution came from the Third Committee, which basically asserted that if the State of Israel did not recognize Palestine as a State in 2 years, the UN would. It passed with 44 in favor, 29 opposed, and 31 abstaining (Niger was in favor).

The second resolution dealt with explicitly defining what were considered as 'small arms.' It passed with 54 in favor, 21 opposed, and 23 abstaining (Niger was in favor).

The their resolution surrounded criminal accountability of UN officials; it barely passed with 39 in favor, 37 opposed, and 17 abstaining (Niger abstained, but was in favor of it).

The final resolution dealt with global partnerships on environmental issues and passed with 57 in favor, 7 opposed, and 16 abstaining (Niger was in favor). After it passed, a delegate from Uganda vehemently expounded that it was 'an abomination' for the UN body to have passed the resolution having only discussed it for about 10 minutes.

My favorite part of the process is the 'roll call vote.' Instead of all in favor raising their placards at once, all opposed at once, and all abstaining at once, roll call votes require each country to announce their vote by calling it out as their country name is called. This process builds accountability for votes, allowing all to know exactly how each delegation voted. I still have my records and sheets recording all roll call votes, which look very official.

Today's session, although chaotic and busy, was a culmination of the UN body and gave us a better understanding of the way the actual UN works.

The General Assembly Plenary

The General Assembly Plenary had a really tough job to tackle. Our two issues dealt with (1) International Cooperation on Humanitarian Assistance in the Field of Natural Disasters, from Relief to Development and (2) Peace, Security and Reunification on the Korean Peninsula. So bascally, (1) dealing with natural disasters and their effects and (2) the issue of Korean relations with the international committee.

Given that Niger ranks among the poorest countries in the world and is slammed with severe droughts for part of the year and sever flooding for other parts of the year, in addition to grappling with regional warfare, the first topic was of great significance. As the delegate from Niger, I had to focus attention on preventative measures, rather than being simply reactionary, because in Niger there is no doubt the natural disasters will occur, just lack of resources to deal with the threat before it happens.

The issue of Korean relations is also pertinent as Niger has strong trade lines with its supply of uranium to Korea. Though this relationship walks a fine line, it is well-known and shapes Niger's view of the Korean conflict.

We passed four resolutions altogether, three on the first topic, one on the second.

The first resolution dealt with upholding sovereignty of nations while allowing regional bodies to deal with disaster relief with international aid as a supplement; it also focused on taking a global initiative with challenges posed by climate change. The resolution passed with 62 in favor, 14 opposed, and 20 abstaining (Niger was in favor).

The second resolution dealt with focusing on non-monetary aid as a larger part of the international response. The resolution passed with 59 in favor, 4 opposing, and 9 abstaining (Niger was opposed as the resolution posed a threat to the monetary-based aid that it is so reliant upon).

The third resolution dealt with creating a merit-based distribution method for aid, tracking who was consistently working with disaster relief. The resolution passed with 51 in favor, 6 opposing, and 16 abstaining (Niger was in favor).

The fourth resolution was connected to the second topic and dealt with calling on both the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea) to stay a part of the Six-Party talks for peace and urged more dialogue and diplomacy. The resolution passed with 44 in favor, 21 opposed, and 18 abstaining (Niger was in favor).

The work of the General Assembly Plenary was rapped up on Monday night since, unlike the other committees our students were in, once the resolution is passed in the Plenary, it's adopted without further vote.

The resolutions took a good forever-and-a-day to pass, with never a dull moment, so getting four passed was a pretty impressive feat!


photo: The delegate from Nigeria and myself, representing Niger; technically, we are not supposed to get along, but we remained 'diplomatically courteous' :)

Update from the World Food Programme

This weekend in Chicago I have been representing the World Food Programme at the American Model United Nations. This is my second time representing Columbia College at the American Model UN here in Chicago. My first trip was in 2007 with the very first delegation from CC that represented Somalia. My previous knowledge of African issues from the last AMUN was very helpful since CC was again representing and African Union nation, Niger. However, my experience in committee was very different. The World Food Programme is a special commission that deals with the procurement and distribution of food aid to nations in emergency situations. The primary task of the WFP at the conference is to discuss the special issues at hand and create a report to submit the General Assembly. Unlike other General Assembly committees our primary goal is not to draft resolutions, though they may be added as supplements to our reports. The body of the WFP discusses the issues and writes a report containing the opinions and findings of all member states. The two issues up for discussion for the WFP this year at conference were food procurement in developing nations and humanitarian access and its implications.
On the issue of food procurement the body came to adopt a report by consensus that contained some major points agreed upon by all member states as important issues. The body wrote that sustainability in food procurement is the most important issue for developing nations. The expansion of the Purchase for Progress program that encourages small and large farmers in developing nations to grow food that is then bought by the WFP at fair prices to provide to other nations in emergencies is an excellent program for promoting sustainable food systems and the growth of local agriculture. This also included clauses that detailed the importance of training for farmers on efficient, green agriculture techniques. Another large topic was that of the need to address climate change and environmental sustainability as a foundation for long term food procurement. Without an arable, clean environment with which to rely developing nations will not be able to sustain any agricultural growth whether or not there are special programs in the nation.
Out second issue discussed humanitarian access. Within this issue the body singled out 4 major topics of infrastructure, security, timeliness, and sovereignty. Security of humanitarian workers and the food aid itself was an important issue for nearly all developing nations, especially Niger since the nation faces a great deal of instability and conflict at this time.
To be continued.....
there is a lot more to be described
Marisol Slater

so long Windy City

I cannot believe that we are leaving! sad sad day. I was on the Legal Committee. We talked about Criminal Accountability of United Nation officials. I enjoyed my committee. All of the delegates were very prepared and presented valid arguements. Since we were Niger, we were very small in comparison to last years Italy delegation. I think that the Columbia College ladies did a fabulous job representing Niger.
My favorite part of the conference is definitely our keynote speaker. Mr. Paul Rusesabagina. It was an honor to hear him speak. as you have probably read previous blogs about who he is, i will not explain in great details. I never thought that i would meet someone so influential as him. I am greatly inspired by him, and hope to advocate around campus for his foundation.
although i am sad that we are leaving, i have learned so much about myself and other countries throughout my experience here at the Model United Nations Conference. I am thankful that i have had the opportunity to be a delegate from Columbia College and I am also thankful that this program was not cut from the programs at our college.
Thank you all for your support and encouragement!
I look forward to next year. I know that i will be a Columbia College graduate at that time, but i will still support the delegates and Dr. Jones.

Adios!
Laura

Columbia College Women

I just wanted to add another post about the quality of a Columbia College woman. At this convention in the last few days there has been some drama around the hotel (and unfortunately sometimes in the meetings too). I am proud to say that not only have we all managed to avoid the drama but a few of our students have had the courage to step up and address the problem when something happening that shouldn't. I think this is a true testement to not only the Four C's but also to the honor code which I think we all brought with us to Chicago.

On top of that, I have to say that I think we are easily the best dressed group here. I think we have all been amazed at how professional putting on a suit makes you feel and act. This has been a great learning and growing experience for all of us. I would encourage everyone to apply for the Model UN team next year. I can't even put in to words how much more amazing this has been then I ever expected it to be.

Bye again,
Lindsey Miller

Permanent Rep Meetings

So as the permanent rep for our group I've had the opportunity to go to a number of really interesting meetings on top of all the committee time.

One of these meetings was to discuss the topics of this years convention and go over the list of what they are considering for next year. Let me tell you, I am so looking forward to next year based on this meeting. Some of the topics include womens roles in conflict resolution, another for the special area committee (which will be western asia) included the scarcity and management of water as a natural resource. They announced the special committee for next year (this year was Commission on Narcotic Drugs) will be the International Atomic Energy Agency... which will obviously focus on atomic energy.

We also got to review this years topics and discuss the good and the bad of the MONTHS of research we did before we got here. It was interesting to hear that other schools around the country had the same roadblocks and successes that we had.

Another meeting that I got to attend was with our faculty advisors and we talked about all of our concerns about the convention ranging from really big stuff, like how a meeting was run, to things that in the grand scheme of things are less important (hotel rooms) but it was all addressed. It's amazing to see how much work goes on behind the scenes to create an event like this.

That's it for now. Sadly today is our last day in Chicago so we have to finish up our meetings, pack our bags, and in a few short ours head off to the airport. We are all exhausted, worn down, and ready for a nap but we have been so hard at work passing resolutions and hopefully making Columbia proud of us. See you all soon!

Lindsey Miller

The 3rd of Work

As a member of the ECOSOC, we were able to inform that all resolutions had to be turned in to the rapporteur by 12:30pm for guaranteed printing. As a committee, we decided to have some delegates work of the first topic about the assistance of Palestinian women and the others work on AMR. As a delegate of Niger, we worked with the AMR. As a result with working with this topic, we help submit two resolutions. One of the resolutions was passed. It was passed two minutes before the meetings was suspended until tomorrow (Tuesday). Hopefully, the second resolution will get passed tomorrow.

During our break, we visited the aquarium and the Navy Pier. November 23 and 24 are the community days in Chicago, so the aquarium was FREE. The Navy Pier was interesting and they had a lot of interesting shops.

Chi-Town!

Today we visited the aquarium and it was an interesting experience. My favorite part about the aquarium was the story of Nickel, a sea turtle who holds a legacy like no other. If you want to know more...lol...just ask. I found some great deals at the Navy Pier and encourage anyone who visits Chicago to be sure to make it a priority to visit.

The most interesting part thus far about AMUN is participating in the writing process of resolutions and debating with other fellow delegates about major issues and even smaller issues, such as grammatical errors. Role playing is a major factor for deliberation.

As we prepare to depart; I bid my farewell to the "Windy City" and would like to thank Dr. Jones for taking the time let me experience this wonderful opportunity.

Very truly yours,

~English

I got a resolution passed!

So, First Committee has officially been adjourned. With about twenty-five minutes to spare, a resolution that I helped write finally made it to the floor. After working on the draft since Saturday night, our hard work was finally under consideration. It was nerve racking. I was shaking, holding my breath, just waiting to see how the other representatives would receive the draft. Surprisingly, debate went pretty well. There were countries that I wasn't even aware were supporting the resolution speaking for us. Then, after a failed consensus vote, resolution 1/9 was brought to a placard vote. It passed with about 50 votes in favor, 16 against, and a few abstentions. I breathed a sigh of relief and joined in the applause. Once the committee was adjourned, I found the representative of Guinea-Bissaeu, one of the other writers of the resolution, and he gave me a congratulatory hug.

It has been a long three days and it's still not over. We have General Plenary tomorrow and the resolutions passed within the committee will come up for consideration before the General Assembly. This includes 1/9. Only if it is passed by the General Assembly will it actually be considered a resolution. Now that is nerve racking. Hopefully all of our hard work will pay off.

Lacey

NEWS FLASH......NEXT YEAR!!

Well, CC faculty, staff and students. You are the first to know. I haven't even told our delegates as they are still in session.

We will represent United Arab Emirates, and we will be on two special committees, Commission on the Status of Women and the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia.

Later tonight I hope to upload the 50 second video of the lottery in progress.

Do keep reading the blog as we still have more great information and scoops to write about!

UP at 7:30am..OUT by 8:15am & the LOTTERY TODAY!

Well, another day is about to begin, and for our delegates, it is starting to get intense. Last night after the closing at 10pm, I had almost all the delegates come to my room and complain about one country or a certain delegate that is not cooperating in passing a resolution, or agreeing to specific terms in a report. Ahhh, the life of a diplomat. The great thing about this, is the passion it arouses in delegates. Although we know, we are not 'real' delegates, the role playing becomes real. People are passionately involved in the affairs of their 'country' and therefore role playing becomes as aggressive, as it is in the real world.

One calm spot is Marisol Slater's committee, the World Food Program. She says that her committee is 'overly' polite and diplomatic. It's hard to campaign against giving food to the hungry..so they have filed reports, passed resolutions, and generally acted like a conclave of priests!

Today is the Lottery. What is the lottery, you ask? This is where we will find out what country we are next year. They actually use a large pickle jar with slips of paper in it with the names of the schools registered for the lottery. They shake the jar and start pulling out names. You must be prepared and have your list ready. They give you 3 minutes to tell them what country you want. The first year Columbia College was 7th, last year we were 77th! Who knows where we will be this year. But I will have the Permanent Representative with me, Lindsey Miller to help me keep up with the list. We need to scratch off the names of the countries taken by schools ahead of us.. With over 150 schools, we could be called anywhere from the 1st slip or the last slip taken out of the jar! Wish us luck..we would like a country on the Security Council this year again. Also they have a special committee next year, the Commission on the Status of Women. There are 45 countries on that committee, hope we are part of it.

Well will finish this blog and will return when we know who we will be representing next year!

Day 1 and 2

So far my comittee, the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, has been a little disapointing. We seem to be at a standstill, having discussed the same issue for a day and a half, and we still have yet to adopt a report. Resolutions are passed, but that really doesn't say much about our body since out pricinple purpose is to form a report. The delegates are a bit crazy, and people believe that Niger and Nigeria are the same country. We're not! Despite all of this, I'm having a great time in Chicago. I'm meeting new people, crazy as they may be, and I'm learning a lot about the processes here at AMUN. All in all, it's been an interesting experience so far and I'm anticipating the days to come will be equally interesting.

Are my legs still there?

Oh em gee! During this particular visit to the "Windy City" I am honored to be apart of the Model UN representing Niger. This trip has been an eye-opening experience amongst over 1500 college students from around the nation. I've met a lot of interesting people! The most interesting part thus far has been riding the subway and eating Mediterranean cuisine. Also, if you've heard the hype about Chicago's pizza.....BELIEVE IT! The food here is delicious.

If my 'guess-ta-mation' serves me correctly, it is my belief that we've walked almost 15 miles since we've been here to get to various destinations and etc. The weather is beautiful during the day and quite chilly at night. This is all for now....continue to read our blog!

~English~

Chicago!!!

This trip has been an amazing experience. From the time I got off the plane, I was in love with the city of Chicago. As a group, we visited Sears Tower and shops. Though the city, the conference was a wonderful and interesting experience. The conference includes many different countries including France, Sudan, Niger :). During the conference, our keynote speaker was Paul Rusesabagina, the real life hero of the film Hotel Rwanda. His speech was informative and interesting. Today was a long day, but I enjoyed every moment of it including the Chicago pizza and cookie.

Small World

This world really is smaller than we think! Since we arrived, I've run into three friends that I had no idea were coming - one of my friends from Minnesota (who also worked on Capitol Hill like me), one of the guys from Missouri (who I co-presented with in DC last month at the Honors Conference), and one of my classmates from my study abroad in Greece! It's so crazy to run into them, but I'm loving it!

We started yesterday, and about 10 minutes before my very first session, Dr. Jones decided to point out what a big deal it is to be in the General Assembly Plenary. As I am alone in there, of course, I felt no pressure! (Thanks, Dr. Jones...) I took the first night in observer status and delved in more today. This conference is turning out to be quite interesting. We've been going in and out of caucusing all day today, drafting resolutions, becoming signatories, debating the merits of fine points in proposals, asking questions, the list goes on and on. The hardest part is not signing on to resolutions that personally I would support, but as a representative of Niger, not so much.

We also got to hear Paul Rusesabagina, the hero of Hotel Rwanda talk today. Such an interesting and courageous man, and so courteous. He signed my book, which was quite exciting!

Anyway, sessions start up in a few minutes, so back to another three hours of conferencing. Be back with some pictures later! Cheers from chilly Chicago!

"Guest Speakers"

So, being both a "floating" and "permenant representative" I think I'm having such a great expereince here in Chicago.

Today I expereinced something really cool, in various committiees I was in today they had role playing "Guest experts" in one committiee it was someone who was an expert on Small Arms Trade, another was from the world bank and talked about their STAR program which is about stolen goods recovery, and the final one was from an agency in place to help countries become more transparent in their dealings. I assumed these were planned and the people had tons of time to prepare (they knew their stuff)

Well... because I'm the perm rep I got to go to a meeting with Dr. Jones tonight that addressed questions and concerns about the conference. Come to find out that anyone in a committiee can request an expert on anything that applies to the debates and if it's approved, someone from the AMUN Home country staff finds out all they can and becomes that person. It's a very cool system. And a great way to clear things up during debate from a third party source.

That's all for now, we're breaking for dinner before another late night of debate and cacusing.

Lindsey Miller

Great Experience!

I didn't have time to post earlier, so I took the time between my sessions to quickly blog about my experiences in Model UN and Chicago. We got here on Friday. Friday was the day when we had time to explore the city. Chicago is so different from Columbia. We spent two days running around the city.Everybody was running around and taking pictures. We went to Millennium Park and Sears Tower (Willis Tower now). The documentary how the building was built was fascinating and all of us got chance to step out in the glass box that is built on the side of the building and got the experience that never had before. On Saturday our sessions started at 5:00p.m therefore we had the whole afternoon off. Once the sessions started, I was little confused. It took me a while to get used to rules and all the role-playing. After first caucusing, I was set and ready to go to pass a resolution. Today is Sunday and is the longest day in conference. We have sessions from 8:30a.m till 10:00p.m. All delegates are so focused and trying to bring up resolutions to table for debate. So far the experience is great! I'm loving Chicago and the Model UN!

Paul Rusesabagina "Hotel Rwanda"

Paul Rusesabagina was the person Don Cheadle portrayed in the film Hotel Rwanda. He was the keynote speaker today, and what an inspiring speaker he is. After talking about his personal experiences, he answered questions. Great question, and there were over 2000 people attending.
One great answer to a question, of what can one do to stop this from happening again in the Great Lakes region of Africa. using a traditional saying "If God does not provide jobs, the Devil will!" That it is not just important to educate the young, but they must have opportunities at home or they leave and change never happens.
Above, Homa bought the book and had Mr. Rusesabagina sign it for her. All proceeds go to his Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation...sending kids off to college.

Wow

I am in love with Chicago. That's the only way to put it, really. Just everything about it is so different from Columbia. It's definitely a nice change.

We got here on Friday and spent the afternoon just walking around the city. We went to the Sears Tower, which is now the Willis Tower. I'm terrified of heights as it is. Standing at the window and looking down is a whole other level, though. Talk about vertigo. I managed to find gifts for everybody, so my Christmas shopping is essentially finished.

Saturday, the conference started. We had the afternoon to ourselves and Homa, Azmeh, Farzona, Jessyca, English, and I took the subway through half the city to get to an Indian restaurant that ended up being eleven miles away from the stop. So, because we're lazy and our feet were already hurting, we went to a Middle Eastern place that turned out to be pretty good. Once we got back, though, the hotel was packed. I don't mean a little crowded, I mean absolutely packed. Beyond belief. We sat through the rules and roleplaying session, then the opening session, and individual sessions started immediately afterward. As soon as the first suspension was called for, everyone split into their blocs and got to work. It was pretty intimidating actually. Fun, but intimidating.

Today's our only full day of session. 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. That's a lot of delegating. I have my name on a resolution right now, which is exciting. I'm signing at least one other. I hope everything goes smoothly and that all the delegates can come together and make some cohesive resolutions. Wish us luck!

Lacey

running the town

after a long day of flights..and all that jazz, me and my roomie decided to hit the bed at 9:00Pm. we decided to wake up around 9:30...which equals 12 hours plus! i did not think that we were going to have any extra time to sleep. i know that in the past we did not seem to have any extra time. however, this trip seemed to be perfect. we arrived in Chicago 30 minutes early, we were able to have an early check in...and our rooms were upgraded to a two bathroom! which is amazing..and on top of everything-the weather has been beautiful!

so after our amazing sleep last night, we all decided to go grab some breakfast... well we knew exactly where to go because the silly bellhop told us to walk down one block last night to get to the Caribu Cafe for free internet which turned into 11 blocks and a walk right back to the hotel...and only to see the Caribu Cafe right behind our hotel...hmmm..guess we were just meant to site-see. reguardless we had fun and were able to find a yummy breakfast this morning. the YOLK was AMAZING. it was voted best in Chicago in 2008. wonderful food and service! and on top of that i got so much food! so wonderful! then we all decided to venture out into Chicago. we found a thrift store with TONS of stuff and some of us decided to tour that side of town. we went to wrigley field and found a few other fun shops!

we ran the streets, caught a bus for two stops, and made it back to the room just in time to get ready for our first session! i was right in assuming that Niger was going to be hard to get on the map-but we will! mark our words! time for bed so i can function tomorrow!

:)Laura

Caucusing and Debating on the first full night!

Our first full day of work and our delegates have a few eye opening moments. Some fall straight into caucusing, others are still a little shy. But by tomorrow afternoon, all will be professional delegates. Some have already started resolution building.

........................................................Farzona Hakimova
..................................................................Lacey Calhoun
.............................................................Homa Hassan
...................................................................Laura Conrad

Caucusing..this is where the real work gets done. Relationships are built and diplomacy is put to the test.
...............................................................Farzona Hakimova
...............................................................English Montgomery
On left is Desirae Gostlin and on the right, is Lindsey Miller.
Part of the General Assembly Plenory..there are over 1500 students attending. Tomorrow..bright and early..they need to be in session at 8:30. They will be working till after 10 pm tomorrow night.

Walking The Invisible Ledge!

Many of us, at different times in our lives say "I was scared", and we believe that is the case. However, I think that to be truly scared, it has to be a 'life threatening' situation to really make us scared. Not the roller coaster ride, but the truly 'my life is going to end scared! That has happened several times in my life, mostly with planes. Like the time going from Milan Italy to Geneva on Swiss Air. Traveling thru a tremendous lightening storm, lightening struck the plane twice, and the second time the engine caught on fire. Now with the air pockets we had an engine on fire and a pilot telling us to brace for impact. Needless to say it ended happily, or this blog would not be written (at least by me!) But that is the type of scared I am talking about.

I was scared yesterday. I have always been afraid of heights. But this was quite an experience. Imagine stepping off a building at 103 floors up....that is exactly what people were doing. The Sears Tower now has three 'rooms' made of Plexiglass that allows people to 'walk out', and look 103 floors down. I really wanted to have a great photo of me in the room, but when it came down to it I really chickened out. I sat down and scooted slowly to the edge on my bum! I refused to look down, I needed my heart medication and kept repeating the mantra "Don't look down, don't look down". People were laughing but I was not aware of anything but to stay very attentive to anything that sounded like "cracking glass" and to NOT look down!







I might be smiling but I was stiff and sooooooo very glad the picture was taken..then I scooted back to a real floor..again on my bum! I could not stand up in that room for all the money in China, well all the US money in China!







































The other ladies didn't have a problem, God bless them and all fools! I remember saying as about ten people were in a room, how many people can this hold. Two women looked at me and immediately left the room. Something to think about!

On the Way to The SEARS TOWER 2

These are called Made in China.
You work it out because I couldn't, but they were fun to see.








AS mentioned previously, Chicago has many art exhibits in the street and in the many parks.













We passed the skating rink, where I know several of the delegates will be returning. Some of them have never ice skated in their lives.


Below is Jessyca Hayes and English Montgomery.

On the Way to The SEARS TOWER

Here we have Azmeh Amer trying to get on the Bronze Cow.....hmmmm, perhaps not very graceful..but for a picture, why not! In the front is Farzona Hakimova



Some of the delegates 'trying' to get on, English ( left) after deciding her legs were too short to make it on the back of this art work, makes a pretty pose. Jessyca Hayes (far left) decided not even to try.

Below, Homa couldn't make it on, so the others helped her up! By the way, the horns were carrying all the handbags!

















This was so cool and original. Chicago is full of homeless, however this man decided to help himself by doing a great little puppet show. Funky little hand puppets, a self-made stage, hand painted, with music and a set that folds up to use, or folds down into a bike! A little coin box and, viola', self-made man! "The Puppet-Bike Man".































Posing is Farzona Hakimova and Homa Hassan.




















Chicago is full of art, and here the delegates are in front of a huge art work of American Gothic. Above is Jessyca Hayes, and the below we see English Montgomery and Desirae Gostlin.



















On our way to Sears Tower we came across a protest in front of the Sheraton Hotel. The delegates wanted to get closer because some of them had never see a protest. It was the hotel workers protesting the fact that 31 hotels in Chicago have refused to sign contracts that guarantee health care and a decent wage.






Brunch at the West Egg. A great place to eat.























In front of the Museum of History. That is Homa Hassan on the lion (a museum security guard came out and told our ladies...off the lion!) Nest to Homa is Desirae, below the lion from left to right, English, Jessyca, Lacey, Laura, Marisol, Azmeh and Farzona.










Tomorrow, I will post the photos of the "Glass Cages" Want to know what's it's like to step out of a building, 103 stories up..and have nothing but glass at your feet??

Well you will have to come back!!