Practicing global citzenship and promoting world peace
February 21, 2009
“Let me take that honey,” the cab driver said to me as I numbly handed him my pink luggage and bundled coat. It was 4:45 in the morning on a Thursday, and I, along with 11 of my peers, was standing on the sidewalk in front of Mills Lawn waiting for the adventure to begin.
In seven hours, we were to arrive in Boston, where we would spend the weekend competing in the Harvard National Model United Nations annual conference. Our team of twelve would be representing Rollins College and the country of Montenegro at this prestigious competition held at the gorgeous Park Plaza Hotel in the heart of Boston.
Two cab rides and one flight later, we found ourselves walking through the windy streets of Boston. Our Florida sunshine wardrobe was replaced with heavy coats, thick boots, and colorful scarves as we explored the busy city. There was such a contrast between life in Florida and life in Massachusetts. In Winter Park, people walk leisurely, chatting with their friends and soaking up the sun’s rays. In Boston, they walk crouched over, with their heads bent to the wind, and their faces hidden in their scarves or the lapel of their coat. Our entourage stood in sharp contrast to the rest of the Bostonian population. Giddy with excitement over our new adventure, we scurried across the sidewalk, laughing and posing for pictures at every block before heading back to the hotel.
A few hours later, it was time to get down to business. We traded our comfy jeans and sweaters for pencil skirts, slacks and suit jackets and made our way to the opening ceremonies of the HNMUN conference. As we walked into the large Park Plaza ballroom, it became very apparent that Rollins College was now in the big leagues. Nearly 3,000 students from universities all over the world crowded the room, filling up every inch of space. Flags from countries such as Venezuela, The Netherlands, and China hung across the balconies and on the back of chairs. As the lights dimmed, people began cheering and chanting. It was a moment of pure madness, a rush of emotion, and a surge of passion.
VIDEO: This is a sample of the chaotic chanting that occurred at the opening ceremony.
The next few days proved to be quite the learning experience for me. My teammate and I, Katie Czekaj, were in the committee SPECPOL (Special Political and Decolonization), and together we made up the delegation of Montenegro. There were more than 150 delegations in our committee, meaning there were more than 300 people packed in our committee room all vying for speaking time and attention. As a committee, we had to choose which of two topics we wanted to “resolve” during the conference. Topic A was “Oil in Africa” and Topic B was “Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children.” Representing a country in Eastern Europe, I of course wanted Topic B to be passed since it was so relevant. However, with a simple majority vote of 76 to 74, Topic B passed. Therefore, we spent the next few days seeking to resolve issues related to oil in Africa (i.e. the corruption of weak governments collaborating with oil companies, the lack of redistribution of wealth generated by oil profits, the failing economies of oil-rich countries, etc.)
Over the weekend, I spent more than 20 hours “in committee.” Granted, all of this time wasn’t spent actually sitting in my chair listening to my peers debate. No, half of my time was spent out of the room writing working papers, networking with other delegates, and creating draft resolutions.
Luckily, during an unmoderated caucus, I ended up connecting with a solid group of a dozen delegates. Together, we formed the Eastern European Bloc, and together, we wrote Working Paper 1.5, in which we depicted an economic model that would solve the redistribution of wealth problem associated with oil in Africa. After writing, editing, and distributing this document, we spent the remainder of our committee time promoting our idea by networking with other countries and explaining the merit of our economic model.
However, my story wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t recount how I gathered the guts to address my committee of 300+. It was the third morning of committee, and our moderator had just asked for points of motion. One delegate raised his placard and motioned for a 10-minute moderate caucus with 45 second speaking time to discuss working papers that were currently on the floor. The motion passed with a two-thirds majority from the committee. The moderator stated, “All those who wish to speak and did not speak at the previous committee session please raise your placards now.”
Somehow, I managed to raise my arm, placard in hand, and stare deliberately at the moderator. “Somalia. Uganda. Italy. Montenegro. Romania…” he calls out. As soon as I heard Montenegro called, I dropped my arm, grabbed a sheet of notebook paper, and began madly scribbling out the statement I was to be reciting to the committee in less than three minutes.
I made my way to the front of the room as my peers took their turn at the microphone. What were you thinking? You can walk out now. They won’t see you. You’re short after all. Just sneak out the back. Oh no. Only one speaker before you. Fall over Brittany. Just pretend to pass out. No, it’s almost your turn. Button your jacket. Stop thinking and start smiling.
I approached the microphone with a calmness that could only be feigned. “The Republic of Montenegro would like to thank…” I began. From there, it was all a blur. Every word clearly spoken, every eye contact appropriately made, every motion of the hand done in perfect timing. And then I was done. I walked calmly back to my seat, beaming at my Eastern European Bloc friends. There, I let my nerves surface. My hands shook and my lips quivered as the thrill of my accomplishment took over me. I did it. I actually got up and spoke in front of nearly 300 people.
On the last day of the conference, the delegates of SPECPOL passed Draft Resolution 1.8, which had a clause written by the authors of Working Paper 1.5 (the Eastern European Bloc). Therefore, our economic model made it to the end and was passed with a two-thirds majority vote.
PHOTO: Here I am with the rest of the Eastern European Bloc as we celebrate successfully merging our working paper with Draft Resolution 1.8.
I don’t believe it is necessary to use a superfluous number of adjectives in describing what an incredible experience I had at this year’s HNMUN conference. Simply put, it ended up meaning more to me than I ever could have predicted, and I honestly can’t wait until next year.
Growing up in Central Florida, Brittany had always imagined attending a college where the snow flowed heavily. However, all thoughts of donning her heavy winter coat dissipated when she laid eyes on Rollins. A picturesque private school only a few hours from her hometown, Rollins swept her off her feet.
Now a sophomore, Brittany devotes the majority of her time to The Sandspur, where she works as the Life & Times editor, and to R-TV, where she serves as the director of public relations. Brittany said, “Over the past year, Rollins has become a second home to me. It has provided me with an atmosphere in which I can live and thrive.”
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