The 9th annual Georgetown-Qatar Model United Nations (GMUN) was held between February 20th and 24th, and six WAB high school students from grade 10 and 11 attended this exciting event for the first time in WAB history -- across the world in Doha, Qatar. The committees we were placed in were the Advisory Panel on Sectarian Violence, the Arab League, the European Union (EU) Council of Ministers, the UN Special Political and Decolonization Committee (SPECPOL), the UN Social and Humanitarian Committee (SOCHUM), and the Human Rights Commission (HRC). Our two delegations were all very important in the debates- Sweden is known as one of the most progressive states in the Human Rights Commission topic of LGBT rights, and Tunisia as the start of the Arab Spring is regarded as a model for all Arab League states on the issue of state-building. At the opening ceremony, we recited a memorable MUN pledge, which is a first for all of us and changed our views towards MUN as a special and, somewhat, sacred event.

Most of the committees we were placed in were quite new to our MUN experiences and we learned a lot about its special styles and procedures. For example, in the Advisory Panel you do not represent a country as per MUN tradition, but instead represent a person of political affiliation of that state, such as Rached Ghannouchi, president of the ruling political party of Tunisia. The Advisory Panel, Arab League and EU are all small committees of around 20 delegates, while others range around 50. The benefit of larger committees is that you can meet more people, especially those with similar ideas as you, and create perfectly crafted resolutions, while you have almost unlimited chances at the podium in the smaller committees.

On the second afternoon we were privileged to tour the local Georgetown University campus, and even listen to a real-life lecture from a Georgetown professor for a sense of college life. Furthermore, the University also invited the ambassador of US and Brazil and the deputy ambassador of UK at Qatar for a panel talk where we learned first-hand about the ups and downs of international diplomacy through these important and talented individuals. On the third night, we ate a delicious Moroccan dinner in the Souq Waqif, a traditional outdoor Middle Eastern bazaar, and toured around its stalls selling a wide range of fabrics, spices, and souvenirs, which was so much fun.

MUN really is the greatest place to enhance your global perspective, especially conferences in places that you are not familiar with. Personally, I met new friends from literally all over the world, ranging from Indonesia close at home, the US on the other side, and even to previously unimaginable places such as Afghanistan. When I asked a group of delegates from Beirut about their country, I was honestly expecting a reply about its daily terrorism and violence, not a patriotic speech about the beauty of the Lebanese snowy mountains, which they described to be the color of the Lebanese yoghurt "Laban". I was representing Tunisia, and, miraculously, there was a Tunisian delegate in my very own committee where I can easily consult about my country's political opinions from! Similarly, my fellow delegates would stare in wonder whenever I mentioned that I am from Beijing and complained about air pollution, and a small girl even urged me put her into my suitcase to take her back to China. In my opinion, MUN is truly international.

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