MUN In Haarlem : First Days !

Thursday :

With 19 well prepared Saint Benoit students, we arrived in Amsterdam at 10:30. An experienced guide met us at the Schipol airport and took us for a four-hour tour around the most important landmarks in the city. We learnt so many things about the history of the place and the meaning of certain names such as the word ’Amsterdam’ which refers to the fact that the city of Amsterdam developed around a dam built in the river Amstel around 1270 AD and that this dam which was located at present-day Dam Square — gave the city its name. We also had the opportunity to see Anne Frank Museum found in the heart of the city. After having a quick lunch in one of the cosy warm restaurants in one of Amsterdam’s pedestrian streets, we finished our city tour and took off to Haarlem where the conference is taking place. After the check in and a bit of rest at the hotel, we were ready for our early registration. Then, we finished our first day in the Netherlands with a well deserved dinner and went early to bed ready to start the 3 days debates.

Friday :

we met at 8 o’clock for breakfast and then we moved toward the Stedelijk Gymnasium for the lobbying session. As soon as the lobbying session started something unusual happened : a general electricity cut in the whole city ! At 10 o’clock we all moved to the oldest church in town for the opening ceremony where the President of the HMUN General Assembly started his speech to welcome all the participants. Then different speakers followed him. The city Mayor started by welcoming all of us in the city of Harlem, then the principal of the Stedelijk Gymnasium spoke to all the delegates about their town and its historical wealth. She was followed by a teacher from the host school who focused in his speech on the theme of the conference which is ‘Technology : Friend or Foe ?’. He enlightened the delegates with his ideas and shed light on different issues that will be debated during the conference. Finally, the closing ceremony finished with the speeches of both Secretaries General and the declaration that the conference is open.

Here are some students’ comments :

Lal Dinçer :
It’s my first international conference. Having the opportunity to be here makes me feel so lucky. HMUN is a very different experience for us. Even tough at first it was hard for us to talk in public we got used to it. It’s an experience that we will remember for the rest of our lives.

Mina Barut :
This is my first international conference and it’s a very different experience for me. HMUN taught me how to really debate world related issues like social, political or cultural. It’s an experience that we will remember for the rest of our lives.

Lara Çalkıvik :
I am very happy to participate in HMUN. There are a lot of schools from different countries and it is fun to meet with them. It is one of the most serious conferences and I love that we can get more experience as delegates.I am hopeful that this trip will be really great.

Saturday :

After Breakfast, we all gathered in front of the hotel ready to go to the Stedelijk Gymnasium for our second day of debates. A long and tough day was waiting for our students as they all tried to defend their resolutions and make them pass in their respective committees. Today’s debates finished at 5 o’clock, and after a time relaxing and having dinner, our students were all ready for the party that was great and where they got to know even more youngsters from all over the world.

Sunday :

Our fourth day started as usual with breakfast and gathering in front of the hotel. The shift from the winter time to the summer time made us lose one hour of sleep however the students were all ready for the last debate that lasted until 12:30 after which the GA Plenary session started where all the resolutions were voted. The Plenary session took place in the art, natural history, and science museum in Haarlem, namely the TEYLERS Museum. At 2 o’clock, we had to leave the conference for the airport feeling a bit sorry as we were not able to attend the closing ceremony.

Here are some students comments :

Ela Karademir :
It was a really fun and educational trip. We practised debating and we always used English during the conference. We met a lot of international friends and we will also contact each other after the conference.

Nazlı Dinçer :
We interacted with people from all around the world and participated in the debates. It was a great experience.

Uğurcan Yıldırım :
It was a beautiful and interesting experience for me. It was my first international conference and I had friends from all over the world. I look forward to other MUN conferences both in Turkey and abroad.

Deniz Nalbantoğlu :
It was a unique experience. I’ve never been in an international conference before so it was different from the other MUN conferences. We had the chance to communicate and share our ideas with students from all over the world.