8 March 2013

OFSMUN

We received information of OFSMUN in October last year. It was exciting to know that this MUN was being organised for grades 6-8.  What’s more was that it was happening in Singapore! While we had heard a lot about MUNs, we were not sure what it meant. We had always thought it was something our seniors participated in.
 
Our initiation into MUN started with us being told what MUNs were all about. Interested students were asked to prepare on topics and were later interviewed. The list of students selected then came out. It was exciting to know that we were selected and yet we were at a loss. We were not sure of  what we had to do.
 Our country allotment came next and we were representing New Zealand. That is when intensive training started. We prepared our position papers through the winter break. Then we participated in the PSNMUN 2013, some of us just as volunteers in committees so that we could learn the nuts and bolts of how to conduct ourselves in committees. Our senior, Aman Srivastava, was of great help in explaining to us the procedures patiently and teaching us the dynamics of forming blocks and lobbies.
We flew to Singapore on the 22nd morning and had the day mostly to ourselves. We got a chance to look at the city. Day 2 and 3 were serious MUN- ing days. We were a little lost at finding out that we had to have our resolutions before hand and then debate these resolutions clause-by- clause. Our position papers came to our rescue. We got used to it quickly and were soon actively debating and discussing.
It was great to have made new friends, seen and experienced a new country. A country that is naturally multi-ethnic and multi-cultural, very clean and very particular about following rules. We managed to visit Little India, China Town and went on the Night Safari, which was great fun.
We look forward to participating in more such conferences and truly encourage our friends to experience the same. Debating and discussing topics as diplomats while still in grade 6 made us feel really important. It required us, at all times, to actively listen, think on our feet and drop inhibitions about speaking in front of so many people.
We would really like to thank everyone who made this possible for us.
 
Deeksha Rajesh
Orkojeet Banerji
Grade 6