MUNiSC - a success!

Reflecting back on MUNiSC (Model United Nations - International Schools of China), Rachel and I have a lot of positive things to say.

1) All of our students spoke at the conference (and it is not easy - you need to be persistent and raise your placard OVER and OVER again in the larger committees, and hope that you will be called on. One student raised his placard 10+ times in a row, but had to have all the surrounding countries send notes to the chair begging her to recognize him before he actually was called upon.) But given those difficulties, most were able to give multiple speeches.

2) Almost all of them loved the conference experience and would like to do it again next year.

3) The MUN program at the host school in Qingdao is amazing - and gave us good ideas for how to grow the MUN program at our own school. We are already thinking about starting an elective class, fund raising to attend more conferences, sending kids overseas, and all kinds of crazy ideas of what we can do with this in the future.

On a non-MUN but still travel-related note:

4) Give Rachel dramamine before any and all flights and/or bus rides in the future. There was some PV (projectile vomit) on the very bumpy flights home that resulted in soiled pants, animal-like cries, and loads of embarrassment (having to sit with the students for 30+ minutes during the approach for landing).

So now, after spring break and this trip for MUN, it is back to semi-normal life. This week, there is a middle school lock-in, put on by the student government. Let's hope this one goes well too!

-alan