WorldMUN Vancouver is liveblogged by Larissa Taciuk, a Vancouver native who did MUN at McGill University and staffed at UNA-USA MUN with us
Throughout the past week, I heard a lot about the “WorldMUN spirit” – an ephemeral aura that emanates from delegates and pervades the WorldMUN experience. Having (unfortunately) never been a WorldMUN delegate myself, I have not had the opportunity to experience this spirit. After spending this past week in the new and beautiful Vancouver Convention Center though, surrounded by amazing people from all around the world, I think that I’ve truly gained a sense of this WorldMUN spirit.
WorldMUN Vancouver Global Village. (Photo credits: Pinetree Creative)
I spent a lot of time between committee sessions talking to delegates about their experiences, and was always met with enthusiasm. Committees were amazing, social events were a blast, and Vancouver was – despite the typically rainy weather – a beautiful and fun city. It was the comments I heard about individual’s experiences with their fellow delegates that gave me the greatest sense of the WorldMUN spirit though. One delegate loved WorldMUN because of how truly multicultural it was – I myself met Italians, Peruvians, Australians, Americans, Venezuelans, Lebanese, Taiwanese, Chinese, Germans, and Malaysians within the span of fifteen minutes. Another made a poignant comment, expressing how excited he was to “meet people, not just no-name delegates.” We’ve all been to a conference and walked away with our contacts list filled with names of countries; it takes a special conference to enter first and last names (not to mention so many international area codes). A delegate from SPECPOL mentioned to me that it was his first time attending WorldMUN, and that he felt that the conference did an excellent job of portraying a “true world model.” Delegates were proud to talk about where they were from and share as much of their culture as they could. At the same time, he mentioned, they were committed to and engaged with the country that they were representing.
This diversity, cultural exposure, and enthusiasm to meet as many people as possible were a common theme throughout my week at WorldMUN. Coupled with the innovation, skill, and great attention to detail shown by both delegates and staff alike, the WorldMUN spirit was alive and well in Vancouver.
See more photos of WorldMUN Vancouver at their Facebook page!
Also, check out the Opening Ceremonies liveblog!
