MunoM 2019 – what an experience!
This year, the European School of Brussels I was privileged enough to be invited by the European School of Munich to attend the MunoM conference once again. We put together a team of two supportive teachers, twelve dedicated delegates and four motivated Press Team members and, on the 12th November 2019, we set off for Munich!
Day 1 – Tuesday 12th November
Our Brussels team met at Zaventem Airport in the early hours of Tuesday. Despite everyone being fairly drowsy, we were all excited about our day ahead. The flight to Munich was short and sweet, and once the plane had landed, it’s fair to say we were all starting to get into character. The first day of the MunoM conference was held at the Hanns-Seidel-Stiftung Headquarters. Due to our flight over to Munich that very morning, we were unable to attend the Opening Ceremony, as well as the first session of lobbying. Lobbying is where the Press Team members can prepare questions to ask the delegates and they can also conduct interviews if they wish to. A lot of the information in the articles written by the Press Team is gathered during the lobbying sessions, they are vital in order to produce interesting, accurate and worthwhile articles to go in The MunoM Times. We were very disappointed that we missed the first half of day one, however, we didn’t let this dampen our mood. We arrived at the Headquarters at roughly 1:30pm, hungry and with the majority of the team still in their loungewear. First things first, we had to change our comfortable clothes for something slightly less casual and much more professional. Once we had taken over the venue’s bathrooms for a solid thirty minutes, we came out looking smart and ready for action. After our lunch break, we were finally able to get to work. The second half of Tuesday’s session began with the Ambassadors of each country giving short speeches introducing their nation. The Ambassador representing the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was one of our very own, Luca. He took to the podium with his speech where he, quite literally, referenced Bob the Builder. We were all extremely proud. The rest of the day was successful for our Brussels Team, each delegate busied themselves in their own party and our Press Team members caught up on information from earlier in the day. During the late afternoon, a press conference was held, where one of our journalists, Jasmine, asked a couple of questions – another proud moment for the Brussels team. The first day of MunoM 2019 came to a wrap in the early evening and the time had come for us to be welcomed by our host families and go through with whatever preparations we had for the next day of MunoM.
Day 2 – Wednesday 13th November
For day two and three of MunoM, the conference was held at the European School of Munich. We woke up bright and early, ready to discover this new venue. The day commenced with sessions of lobbying. Our Press Team members were able to witness these sessions, report on them and take pictures of them in full swing. As the day went on, the delegates of each committee underwent the stress of writing resolutions for their country, which they then debated until their resolutions were either passed or refused by the Chair and Deputy Chair. After a three hour long session of lobbying during the morning and many hours of debating in the afternoon, the delegates were able to de-stress, as the debate sessions came to an end and it was time for the punishments and Gossip Box. A MunoM tradition consists of giving punishments to the delegates, Press Team members and all other participants in the conference that arrive late. These punishments are great fun for the people watching but a little less for the victims, thus making sure that they remain punctual for the rest of the week. Another activity that is a custom of MunoM – the Gossip Box. This allows the delegates to have a laugh after a long and busy day, when jokes or comments made by the delegates themselves or by members of the Press Team relating to the day’s events are read out by the Chairs. The second day of MunoM came to an end in the late afternoon and to celebrate after a hard working day, a group of us explored the city of Munich. In the evening, we returned to our host families and rested for MunoM day three.
Day 3 – Thursday 14th November
The third day of MunoM was upon us so quickly. Day three started off with the resumption of the debates from the previous day. This included the refusing or the passing of the final resolutions. Tensions rose in the debate rooms, as it was the last official day of debating and the delegates were giving it their all. Thursday was also picture day, which allowed everyone to take a break from the discussions. Each committee had their picture taken and to lift spirits even more, every MunoM participant was offered a pretzel. Day three of MunoM came to an end slightly earlier than the previous days, as we all had to go home and prepare for the MunoM party that took place Thursday night. The gathering welcomed all MunoM participants and we all enjoyed ourselves after our active day.
Day 4 – Friday 15th November
MunoM had gone by in a flash and our final day was already upon us. Friday’s conference was held back at the Hanns-Seidel-Stiftung Headquarters and commenced with the presentation of resolutions that had been passed in each General Assembly. This activity took up the first half of the day and before we knew it, it was time for lunch. Delegates continued presenting their resolutions after the lunch break and once everyone had done so, it was time for the closing ceremony of MunoM 2019. The closing ceremony was an emotional event, where the Chairs and Executive Staff gave speeches thanking everyone for their participation and hard work. We were able to see how much MunoM means to them. The MunoM 2019 video was shown at the end of the ceremony, reminding the delegates and staff of the great times we shared this year. All good things come to an end, though, and in the early evening, we headed for the airport and boarded our flight back to Brussels.
MunoM 2019 was an incredibly interesting, educational and, most of all, fun trip. Our Brussels team will remember it for a long time!
Jasmine Avloniti-Perrin and Daniel Steel / S6 / EEB1 Uccle – Photos : D. Steel
