Advisory Panel President: Rachel Hemperly

“I love the Advisory Panel, and the potential of what it is able to achieve, even in a mock setting like MUN,” says Rachel Hemperly, this year’s Advisory Panel President for THIMUN-Singapore. One of the reasons Hemperly joined MUN was because she is ardent about politics, international relations, and the globalization theory. Therefore, MUN creates opportunities for her to learn more about her personal interests.
She has been in MUN for the past four years and has participated in everything from note passing to logistics, delegating to chairing. Her experiences include: BEIMUN, THIMUN 2008 and MYMUN 2006, 2007 and 2008. Sadly, she will be soon participating in her last high school conference in MYMUN 2009.
In THIMUN this year, Rachel will be chairing the sub-committees, Humanitarian and Political, and will also deal with the question on Nepal. As President, her goal is to encourage a flowing discussion and a debate involving many delegates.

ICJ President: Jessica Hung

She’s turning heads and creating quite a buzz as the President of ICJ. Jessica Hung is up and coming in the world of THIMUN Singapore, and we’ve got the scoop on this rising star. Previously seen at THIMUN Singapore (2006 and 2007) and Beijing MUN (2007 and 2008), Jessica has been a prominent face in the MUN world for several years. She originally joined MUN because there was no debate team at her school, the Overseas Family School of Singapore, but she was instantly hooked by this compelling world. Jessica strives to increase her knowledge of world issues while improving her speaking skills. She also leads the way in exemplifying what she considers the most important quality for an MUN officer: discipline. Motivated and committed to school and extracurricular activities, Jessica uses discipline throughout her life to keep on the all-star track to success. Jessica has words of advice for newbies though: “Be willing to adapt to different procedures… Make the conference run more smoothly.”

Hotels – (Kind Of) Wonderful

BY: HANNAH REES, PRESBYTERIAN LADIES COLLEGE SYDNEY

With around 1000 students from around the world attending THIMUN Singapore, our homes away from home are dotted across the country and include hotels the likes of the Hilton and the Regis. But what makes a good hotel?
The International School of Bombay are occupying rooms at the Albert Court Hotel. Students have commented that overall their experience so far in the hotel has been positive; the rooms are cosy, comfortable, and clean. Nayantara Dayal commented that the hotel “is conveniently located near Orchard Road and close to Hwa Chong Institution.”
Ravenswood School for Girls are currently residing in the York Hotel. The school’s choice of accommodation was influenced by the fact that they had stayed at the hotel before; it was a “familiar and safe option” as Ms. Charlesworth of Ravenswood commented, rather than the risk of a new and disappointing hotel.
Despite the positive experiences, some students have not been so fortunate in their accommodation. The Korean International School have been placed at the Bencoolen Hotel 81. Even though they have only had a short stay of two days, they are already relocating to the Link Hotel. Although this is not the likes of the Hilton or Regis, it is an improvement. The rooms at the Bencoolen were rundown and due for upgrades and renovations, whilst the food was of poor quality and anonymously described as “tasting similar to plastic”. Sex workers whose clients were staying in same location also visited the hotel.
But the question is: What determines a school’s choice of hotel?
The majority of schools at the Conference were placed in hotels recommended by Tour East. Their recommendation follows several criteria that ensure the client has a comfortable and enjoyable stay. A representative for Tour East, Janet, listed three main areas they evaluate in selection of hotels. The first criterion was price as “Most students come with a tight budget” and require a hotel that fits to their financial situation. Secondly they consider the location of the hotel, something that many Delegates and Press members commented positively on. Bencoolen Hotel, Albert Court Hotel, and York Hotel are all within prime locations and surrounded by appealing tourist attractions. They are in walking distance of Orchard Road, various shopping complexes, Raffles City, Raffles Hotel and Suntec.
The last criterion was looking for a hotel with a good track record. However, each individual’s experience and opinion is as Janet said, “subjective” which makes selecting a hotel on this basis difficult. Where one school may have no problem with the quality of a hotel, another school might.
With that in mind, if disappointing hotels are anything to go by, you will be guaranteed a comfortable stay if you stay somewhere familiar or somewhere you’ve been before.

First Threshold to Prolonged Moment

By: Heesang Park, BEIJING WORLD YOUTH ACADEMY

In the blazing weather of Hwa Chong Institution, with the cooperation of MUN directors and registration officers, the registration of delegates has been successfully completed. Staffs checked the students in from 9:00 to 17:00 on Tuesday, and continued from 9:00 to 11:00 on Wednesday. MUN directors from different schools came along with their delegates, and were friendly greeted by the officers.
One of the conference manager assistants, Pamela Usai, who graduated from Overseas Family School, shared her experience of two days as a registration officer: She witnessed “the registration flowing straight forward, MUN directors and delegates being very kind and cooperative.”.At times officers experienced minor troubles such as misspelling the delegates’ names, but overall, everyone was supportive and forwent arguing.
When asked which school had the biggest student body, Pamela named four institutions that have around 50 to 60 students: Overseas Family School, International School of Beijing, American School of Doha, and Qingdao MTI International School. Administrators expect these schools to have a powerful impact on the debate as a whole.
There are 73 establishments registered world wide with 133 delegations in total; the location of schools ranges from Asia and the Middle East to Europe. Many directors and students travelled from hot weather to the campus, some amazed by the immense size of Hwa Chong Institution, some astonished by the diversity of students in THIMUN-Singapore, and some waiting to enter the prolonged lobbying time with resolutions in hand.
Although registration is a trivial moment compared to the actual debate, it is significant as a threshold to the delegates’ most awaited moment after months of preparation.. It should be appreciated that although MUN conferences consist mainly of chairs and delegates, there are also secretariats, MUN directors, and most importantly, conference managers who put in endless effort to support the delegates.

Singapore: A Tourist’s Guide

By SEJIN PAIK, KOREA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL & RUKMINI MAHORKAR, AMERICAN SCHOOL OF BOMBAY

You’ve done your MUN prep, you’ve booked your tickets, you’ve done your packing, you’ve picked out your cutest outfits, you’ve checked out your hotel room—but wait! There’s something you’ve forgotten: venturing into Singapore.
There is so much to see in this seemingly tiny country, contradictions and resolutions, the huge assortment of cultures blending together while each one still stands out, unique: the hard lines of the shopping centers and the fluid movements of the surrounding greenery; and the scents of laksa (a typically Singaporean noodle dish) and McDonald’s mingling in the air. There’s the shopping (does the name Orchard Road ring any bells?), the world’s largest Ferris wheel (the Singapore Flyer), the restaurants, the temples, and the museums. If you haven’t already taken a tour, listen to what other people have had to say about their experiences in Singapore.
Two delegates of Malaysia, Sina Haase and Kathrin Eichinger, from Switzerland, talked about their time swimming with dolphins on Sentosa: “It was amazing,” said Haase, especially in light of the contrast between Switzerland and Singapore. Just being able to swim at this time of year was a luxury for them.
Another interesting attraction is the Night Safari, a tour of the rainforest in which ICJ advocate Supriya Balachander, from India, saw several varieties of exotic animals: lions, tigers, tapirs, flamingoes, porcupines, anteaters, and more. She commented that as she entered, she asked herself “why I felt as if I had just entered Disneyland.” The answer may lie in the amount of gift shops in the area!
Press delegate Hannah Rees, from the Presbyterian Ladies’ College in Australia, added that it was “fantastic,” to hear the lions roar—although her fellow delegate Ice Nakwichian commented that it “sounded like they were choking.” Rees loved how natural it was: “…it was open, with no fences—the animals weren’t caged off like they are in Australian zoos.” Nakwichian’s favorite part was the sleep she caught up on—she “kind of dozed off” at some point.
Delegate of Myanmar Isabel Tannenbaum had a different perspective. As a local (she attends the Singapore United World College), she was able to recommend the best places for newcomers to visit: Holland Village, for the varied international and local food; Vivo City, for its excellent shopping and direct train to Sentosa Island; and, of course, Sentosa Island itself.
In all of this excitement over the shopping and leisure activities available in Singapore, don’t think that the multicultural aspects of Singapore have gone unappreciated. Delegate of Portugal Lauren Kang from South Korea developed a different viewpoint of the country while on a trip to Little India. In Kang’s words, “seeing [the Hindu temples] and the religious motivation of the people was an experience that can never be repeated.”
Her words can be applied to all of us visiting Singapore for the first time. See everything you can, as soon as you can—it may be an experience you will never relive, so take advantage of this opportunity!

Getting to the plane...

by NATALIE BOYLE, TEDA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

For the most part, the only dreaded part of international trips is the flight, compounded with the chaos of the airports. Some people have gone so far as to suggest that a better way to fly would be to simply sedate travelers after they check their bags, so as to lessen the pain and frustration one often experiences with both the airport and the actual flight. Sadly, that day has yet to come, and so we still have to manage that agony.
The actual traveling undertaken by all MUN conference delegates is plagued by horror stories; four hour layovers and delays with nothing to eat or do are the bane of most delegates, and that’s just the airport. To top off the frustration of confusing and often dirty airports comes the ordeal of dealing with disgusting seat mates very close to you, unpalatable food and ten sleepless hours breathing recycled air. It’s amazing how much easier traveling seems to be when the airport isn’t, at least, a hell hole. In general however, flights never go as planned and patience is tested and then you get to Singapore.
Coming from the tiny Tianjin and Xiamen airports as Teda International School did, Changi Airport was a haven. “There’s food! And internet! And it’s clean!” said one very happy delegate, Amy Williamson. These stories of initial awe are perfectly understandable. Changi is huge, boasting three movie theaters, a pool, ‘napping areas’ and little foot baths next to the very fast travelators. Not to mention the fact that Changi is a shopper’s paradise; with over three hundred stores, it’s as big as most malls.
Unfortunately, at this point when delegates have only arrived, these facilities have been largely ignored and have been treated apathetically by delegates in their haste to get out and actually enjoy Singapore. When asked how the airports were in terms of cleanliness and facilities over the course of their journey, many responded with “umm . . . I dunno . . . Ok, I guess?” Most simply didn’t remember. As the conference gets into gear, delegates have other, more important matters on their minds, like how they’re going to rule the world one day.
For the most part, delegates are oblivious to the airports they pass through until they encounter a problem. Then they’ll simply debate with the poor lady behind the counter until they get what they want, and so their skills find a practical use, and travel becomes quite a bit easier.

...and what happened inside

by EUN JI RHEE, INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF BEIJING

Resolutions being read. Formal attire being selected. Fellow passengers wondering why a large group of teenagers have dominated the plane. Yes, you are on the flight to THIMUN-Singapore.
Over a thousand participants from all around the world gathered for The Hague International Model United Nations (THIMUN) Singapore, 2008. The location of departure, hours of flight, and name of airline may have varied, but the delegates shared a similar experience.
Delegates tended to break the ice in the plane by starting up conversations. With a lot of time on hand, topics for conversation were drawn from eclectic sources. “We talked about a lot of stuff, from Obama to Chinese homework,” stated Laura Du from International School of Beijing. Peter Huang from the same school agreed: “I actually spent a lot of time talking about foreign soap operas.” Proximity to friends can brighten up the journey. “I enjoyed the flight because all my friends were with me,” commented Hanna Tu from Shanghai Rego International School.
Hibernation was also a hot activity. The sedentary— and in some cases, comfortable— trip immediately proved to be an optimum environment for catching up on what many of the participants are deprived of— sleep. A lot of students who came from far distant locations stated that they enjoyed the reenergizing slumber. Mayada Alhasham from Dharan School remarked, “I had an eight hour flight from Saudi Arabia, and I enjoyed it [because] I could sleep for a long time.”
Some of the flights were shakier than others, Delegate So Hyun Eum from Daewon Foreign Language High School (DFLHS) reported an unstable trip: “I [suffer from] air sickness, and the plane was really shaky, so I had a hard time during the trip. I even had to skip lunch.” This turned out to be an unfortunate event for Eum, as Hilary Ahn, also from DFLHS, commented that “[Lunch] was good.”
There was a dramatic episode regarding possessions. Hyun Kyu Kim from Korean Minjok Leadership Academy lost, and then found, his wristwatch. “Near the end of the flight, I heard an announcement that said they found a brown wristwatch. I thought, ‘What kind of stupid person would lose his or her wristwatch?’… until I found out that person was me.”