DAY 5 & TRIP HOME

Our last day in Chicago has many images. Enjoy..and this is not the last blog, many committees still have to post and I still have more photos, so please do pop back every day..till the end of the semester. The Model UN is not finished yet.

And remember..DEC 4th, 7pm in the Student Union upstairs, the MODEL UN Delegation will do a public presentation about their experiences in the Model UN.


Chicago at dusk. Walking from the Navy Pier back to the hotel.

Ramona Gibbs (above & below) working hard to get those resolutions passed before we all leave.

Above: (l to R) Brittany Davis and Kara Simmons

Bottom: Lynnette Cuenca

The trip back to South Carolina. Rushing out of the hotel, holiday traffic, took an hour to get to the airport and another 45 minutes to finally get to the gate (after check-in and security). Everyone was starved. Brittany Davis eating a yogurt and trying to hide from the camera..

Below, Melanie Smalls bought a pizza, while Miranda Thompkins relaxes after eating her hamburger.

below, Laura Conrad shows us her dinner..I believe candy covered pretzels and another bag of like snacks.

Below: Miranda Thompkins is hiding behind that McDonald's bag!

Above: Lynnette Cuenca shows us she knows her Mentos commercials.

Below: Ophelia Doe, Jennifer McGriff and Rhiannon Maurer have a chat while waiting for boarding.

Below, we have shots done by Brittany Davis, on the plane, on my camera as we were flying to Columbia.

And lastly, we arrive in Columbia. Some had people meeting them, the rest of us were grateful Dr McConnell took time out that late evening to meet us with the big bus.

All of following were taken while waiting for the baggage, which at one point seemed longer than the flight!

Brittany Davis and friend.

Miranda Thompkins

Laura Conrad on the baggage rack.

Jennifer McGriff and Ramona Gibbs

Melanie Smalles and her mom.

Ophelia Doe and Laniesha Gray

Miranda Thompkins

Rhiannon Maurer and Lynnette Cuenca

Success @ AMUN

Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a morning person-I prefer to sleep in late because I stay up late. Anything that happens before 12pm is not for me. But at the AMUN conference I found myself looking forward to being in my seat at 8:30am for roll call and for some extra caucusing oppurtunities. I met amazing people from amazing places, shopped the 'Magnificent Mile', conquered Chicago and changed the world all in the course of four days. I couldn't have asked for a more fulfilling experience.

Chicago is a BEAUTIFUL city with so much culture. The skyline is gorgeous and it earned the name 'Windy City' as we almost got blown away on more than a few occasions. It's the city I most compare to home (Boston). In the beginning I was a little intimidated by more experienced representatives at our conference but I quickly used my inexperience as a motivation tool. I met with other delegates in the late night caucus areas, often until three and four in the morning, to compare country history and devise a plan on how we could get other countries to advocate for our cause. The simulation felt so real! When people would call out 'Italy', I'd respond. When I formed sentences they started with 'Italy' instead of 'I' and when I made decisions I didn't make them as an American but as an Italian. It was interesting to have to step outside myself and look at issues from a different perspective. I was on the 4th Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) and our primary focuses were Mine Action and the Isreali-Palestinian conflict. All my hard work paid off when my resolution on the conflict was passed with general consensus. The feeling of pride I felt when everyone applauded was unparrelled by any other success I've had this semester. It was a great end to a great trip.

DAY 4...A FULL Day of Work!

Here we see Miranda Thompkins hard at work.

Day 4 was a full day for the delegates. Knowing that there was a deadline to get resolutions passed in the committees, to be sent to the General Plenury for a full vote on the last day, the delegates were very busy caucausing and dealing with all sorts of last minute snafus

These two photos show Melanie Smalls also hard at work.

Here (above) we have Laura Conrad trying to get into the mix.

This was Jennifer McGriff's press conference (second from left).

Again, Laura Conrad in her seat on the committee.

Melanie Smalls

Lynnette Cuenca and Melanie Smalls in their seats in their committee.

Jennifer, after the press conference.

We had a few hours free for lunch so some of use went out to eat. Here from left to right, Ramona Gibbs, Brittany Davis and Ophelia Doe with her back to the camera.

Here in the entrance of the restaurant, (l to r) Laniesha Gray, Miranda Thompkins, Laura Conrad and Kara Simmons.

(L to R) Brittany Davis, Ophelia Doe and Melanie Smalls.

Here we have Kara Simmons and Laura Conrad with Laniesha, Miranda and Lynnette with their backs to the camera.

(L to R) Lynnette Cuenca, Miranda thompkins and Laniesha Gray w Laura Conrad and Kara Simmons with their backs to the camera.

home sweet home

session after session of being serious ambassadors paid off the last night, the AMUN hosted a dance. it was fun and exciting, more entertaining for some people! :). returning from Chicago is a day that i will remember forever. our cab driver was very....well for a better word we will say he was interesting. he was talking our heads off and aggravating us and adding to the stress of the travel. we squeezed 6 girls and luggage into his minivan taxi while waiting for the other taxi to arrive. THANK HEAVENS FOR DR. JONES and her determination! without her, i think that we would have missed out flight. a nap time later we arrived at the airport...after being given life lessons by our taxi driver and watching him dance along to the radio. he exclaimed, "I the best taxi driver in Chicago, I get you to the airport fast!"...needless to say we were all frustrated with this ride. enjoyable as it was, we were excited to arrive a little closer to home. checking in for the last time and one more barefoot security check... i was ready to board the plane and hurry back to Columbia. the flight was the shortest flight ever, because as soon as i buckled my seat belt it was nap time. what seemed like 20 minutes to me, was more like 2 hours in reality-HOME SWEET HOME! i could not believe that we were already back in Columbia. I felt that we had JUST left for Chicago.
i learned a lot about myself during this trip. i also learned a lot about a big city- walk fast, talk fast, dress warm (the windy city), Dont try to order sweet tea, and a little bit about directions! i had a wonderful time and although i really enjoyed being an Italian, i look forward to returning next year as Niger.
Thanks to all who supported us, and for those who will continue supporting us!

ABOVE:Approaching the sears tower

Visiting the Sears Tower-cant forget about Dr. Jones.

~Laura Conrad

One More Day Before I See the Sun!

My experience in Chicago has been great! But none of this would have been possible without the help of President Whitson, Dr. Shakey, the entire Political Science and History Department. I have enjoyed the UN, but I am ready to go home to my family and enjoy some REAL SOUTHERN FOOD. The Model UN is great, I have learned how to make motions in session, pass resolutions, and sponsor resolutions. In fact the General Assembly Plenary, has passed our resolution. Overall, this is an experience I will NOT forget. THANKS DR. JONES.

- Brittany Davis ( The General Assembly Plenary)

It seems like this day will never end!

Great news! Italy got another resolution passed in the CCPCJ and we had a great time cacausing and debating on it. I had a great time hosting a press conference with South Africa, Japan, and Turkey on our resolution pertaining to Human Trafficking. (Dr. Jones grilled us harder than the actual reporters! LOL! Gotta love Dr. Jones!)

I decided to apply for a position on staff for the 2009 AMUN Conference and I had my interview this afternoon. I was interviewed by one of the Under-Secretaries of the UN and she later informed me that I am now an official AMUN staff member for the 2009 AMUN Conference! I an extremely happy for this honor and will do my best to represent Columbia College next year. It will be a drastic change from a delegate to a staff member but I am sure I will have just as much fun. So much has happened and we still have a day to go (it feels as if we just got here!) Ramona has a 1am Emergency Session in the Security Council so I think I will take a nap so I can be awake to watch and support her. So many of my fellow Italian delegates have gotten resolutions passed today! Go Koalas!

Jennifer McGriff

Coming to an end....

Since I have arrived to Chicago it has been a rush of a lifetime! From the first day it was confusion of what in the world was going on, creating alliances, sponsoring resolutions and even trying to pass a resolution. It was work and sometimes you wanted to rip your hair out, but it is def worth it! If i have gained anything from this trip it is that you have to be confident! brave! and even a bit crazy to understand what is going on during sessions. You will also learn what it means to have patience...and lots of it, but after all there are real life delegates who go through this whole resolution passing thing all the time! imagine how they feel. With being in a room for most of the day, when it was time to go out and enjoy Chicago everything was great except for the freezing cold wind. I am so greatful that i was chosen to represent Columbia College and the political science/history department and wont forget it!

FIREWORKS & STAINED GLASS & OBAMA & NAVY PIER

What does fireworks, stained glass, the Navy Pier and Obama have in common? Why, they are all in Chicago, of course!

The ladies had an afternoon off, from 1 till 6, so some of us decided to go to the Navy Pier. It is a pier, where tour boats stop, has quite a few different restaurants, cafes and small, local owned stores. Plus, it houses the world's largest stained glass museum..The Smith Museum of Stained Glass.





Here the ladies pose in the front of the entrance to the pier, all decorated for Christmas.

Back row: Lynnette Cuenca, Melanie Smalls, Laura Conrad, Brittany Davis, Ophelia Doe and Laniesha Gray. Front row: Ramona Gibbs, Kara Simmons and Miranda Thompkins.

Below, some of the art works, bronzes, we encountered in the park in front of the pier.

Above: Here Laura Conrad and Laniesha Gray flirt with a very cold man!

Of course, President Elect Obama is from Chicago and Obamamania reigns in Chicago. Here is a sampling of T-shirts, hot sauce, playing cards etc and a very telling 75% off sign in a store window.

Here are some great examples of the stained glass displayed in the museum. From classical style, abstract, religious and modern. It was fun to look at, and it was free..the best part! It is important to note that many of the pieces were made by Tiffany in the mid to late 1880's.

Below are photos of the fireworks for the Festival of Lights.