While presenting my first speech in front of the huge committee, I have understood what kind of step is in front of me. This step is a great challenge of your personality. To tell the truth it is quite easy to become a strong leader in a committee where are 10 or 15 people and when you are well prepared. But it is enormously difficult to become really bright delegate when there are about 100 people with 90% to be native speakers. And it helps you to see whether you are really strong personality who can make speak about him any amount of people – or you still have to do a long way up on the ladder of your self-development. But the only thing I can say for sure is that this unique opportunity to challenge yourself is worth of sleepless nights full of research for the conference and polishing up of your documents. Because once you have managed to overcome this challenge you will automatically find yourself on enormously high level full of confidence that only laziness and imaginations are the limits of your growth.

 

Edward Romanenko

In MUNRFE we teach that we do not duplicate new leaders but develop them through the learning process consisting of numerous iterations. The essence of an iteration is that we go over and over similar processes, however, the very substance of each and every process is different. Like a famous Russian saying states, there is no way you can dive into the same river twice.

Being the Advisor of SF&NY MUNRFE Team of 2011, I merged two of my greatest Model UN experiences: MUNFW in San Francisco and National Model UN in New York. However, both of these experiences turned out to be iterations rather than duplications of the same processes from my past. And this is, actually, a weird feeling: on the one hand, you have similar sensations to the ones you had two-three years ago - you even meet the same people - on the other hand, you definitely feel more conscious about what is going on, and, thus, more effective in your actions.

Talking about the conferences, I am really proud of my team taking full advantage of those events. The most vivid sign of our victory there is that my delegates really LOVED the conferences. There was never such a saying like "oh, those Americans are so dumb" or "the Conference is crap, I totally hate it". Moreover, we did outstanding job in terms of social networking and promoting MUNRFE and Russia in the USA. When it comes to Model UN Conferences, there is so many of intangibles in play rather than places or paper recognitions. In terms of all those intangibles, MUNRFE was definitely the star.

The whole project was one of the most ambitious, groundbreaking and challenging projects that MUNRFE has ever embarked upon. With my full confidence, I can announce SF&NY Team the heroes as those people did not just enjoy sunny California in Hyatt Regency or Modesto host families, but literally struggled for their lives being scattered all over the Big Apple: from Times Square in Manhattan to Broadway Junction in the very backyard of Brooklyn. I am happy that my team has learnt and practiced leadership not only within cozy Conference rooms, but in, sometimes, cruel life conditions.

The experience of this year is unique and the one of "shifting the boundaries" nature. I am honored and privileged to be the part of that experience which MUNRFE will definitely build upon while developing further through the iterations of Model UN conferences outside of Russia. Thank you, my dear team, for entrusting me with this terrific opportunity to lead the change.

 

Aleksandra Tatomir

Professionalism, Accountability, Knowledge, English and Debates have led to SF-conference 2011, where I was the delegate of Japan to the 3rd Committee of General Assembly with 97 delegations present. Well, it may be impossible to believe, but I adored working in the committee and promoting concepts that were carefully elaborated during hard months of preparation. Sometimes I found it hard to remain really good debater, because other delegates were very strict in following their policy, but it happened so that I have got strong delegates supporting me. Closer to the end of 61 Session, I was more and more confident and I felt that debates were becoming more mature and productive, but… The conference passed in a twinkle of an eye, and I found myself hugging the delegates for the last time, saying “Good bye!..”. One more benefit PAKED gives - your mates are becoming your friends, and common ideas you share will unite you in future, making life full of interesting and amazing moments, helping you to find the real sense of your activities and providing you with the most incredible feature MUNers have - SERENDIPITY.

I wish good luck to the future generations of MUNers and hope that those secrets SF-2011 team got during this trip will allow us to contribute to the development of bright and outstanding MUNRFE leaders.

 

Oleg Saparin

What can you expect from the event, which is already well-known, and you heard a lot about it from the previous generations of the MUNRFE? It seemed that San-Francisco conference wouldn’t be able to amaze. But it did. It amazed with its scale, with its people, with its openness and peculiar freedom. A lot of people with fresh ideas and at times with different vision of situations made it at the same time hard and interesting to debate. It was my first experience in Security Council and I really enjoyed it. Even I had tried to predict approximate further developments in my committee before the conference, the majority of the decisions, made by me during the debates, I had to make on the spot. But my preliminary preparation was of use, it made my tasks much easier.

National MUN Conference, on the contrary, was unknown, but for some reason I felt very comfortable there. Undoubtedly SF Conference was a good “preparation” for it. But even if in the committee of 15 people we had a lot of difference, you can imagine, what was happening then in the committee of over than 200 people. It was a real negotiation challenge. And I realized, how it’s difficult – to unite nations.

These two conferences not only helped to gain some knowledge, meet new interesting people and learn more about the UN. They expanded my borders of thinking and made me take a view of some things in a new way.

 

Oksana Lipchenko

Having landed at the International Airport of San Francisco, I let go every assumption I’d got about the US and the legendary conference, and started to enjoy every moment of the trip. Charismatic and bright streets of San Francisco, laid down and friendly people, the cable car and Golden Gate, awesome shopping and gay teammates… The city has its unique taste and mood, though it varies greatly depending on what street are you in – Castro, famous for not straight people, or Haight, with its hippie and weird shops, or prosperous Russian Hills. While it’s affordable to be passive enjoying the beauty of blooming SF, it’s not true for enjoying MUNFW conference: you are a creator of every piece of project there. I am happy that I got so much fun from this conference, at any time of the day, in and out the committee. The General Assembly was the best committee I’d ever debated in. I met smart delegates who were committed to drafting a consensus resolution, I had constructive debates that led to viable decisions, I had interesting conversations during dinners. My committee was a kaleidoscope of different strategies and styles of debates, it was a true learning ground for me both as a delegate and a person. Was it a challenge? Yes. In stamina, in taking leadership, in language. And it made my experience spicy.

As for NMUN conference, I would say, it’s a great chance to meet people all over the globe. There I felt as if I was in the real Commission for the Status of Women, not just because women of different nationalities prevailed, but because all delegates were involved in discussing and all of them had a say on the issue. We elaborated more detailed working papers devoted to specific dimensions of the problem, which showed excellent preparedness of the delegates. We didn’t have P-Rules, we were sitting on the floor during caucuses, we were rather captious about clauses to the resolutions, but after sessions we were glad that we got along with each other.

All in all, if asked what is my brightest memory from the conferences and trip, I’d say – people. They are the reason why I want the conferences to be longer

 

Alex Pilay

San Francisco, California Dreaming

This city is about sun, wind, cold nights, and spirit of liberty, freedom, and truly relaxed and friendly people. On the first day of our tour we reached the very centre of SF – Union Squarer, and one stranger just said: “Guys, you are so awesome”. And that’s a lot about SF and its people. They are truly gentle. I hope I will be able to keep this relaxed and positive attitude to my life for a long period of time.

MUNFW conference

Best chairs I’ve ever had, awesome delegates, smart people, and tough sophisticated debates.

This conference is not a completion for Americans, for them it’s a way to have fun when they crash your resolution or when you all together party hard after the debates. They do not debate to debate. They are to get credits for debates and they make fun of this. To enjoy and to rock MUNFW you shouldn’t be great debater, but you should be awesome debater! If you want to have fruitful debates - you will, if you want to have fun – you will! I did both. For me that conference wasn’t only about negotiations, for me the whole trip was about communication.

Modesto and Rotary Club or American Life

For 5 minutes talk before the start of Rotary Club meeting I realized what civil society is about and what your personal contribution to this should be. For me this is about your personal commitment to your community, whether it is about your personnel time, your energy, passion or your money. These people understand they are responsible for their environment. They do not complain about roads and they do not believe they can change the world but they know they can make the difference.

NMUN or just Nationals

NMUN participants are determined to debate and to be awarded. They do know what public speaking is, what bluff is, and for what we need collaboration. The largest scale event I’ve ever been in. It’s amazing to feel you are part of it; it is fantastic to rock it. However, for MUNRFE it is still ahead.

New York, New York

New Yorkers are fighting for their success, money and for the right to live on Manhattan. But still, they are intelligent and gentle people. This city is about drive and energy, but you can find islands of calm, and oasises of Nature. Time Square for me is the centre of the world, of consumption world but the ambiance is magic. You should just go there and feel it. That’s the place where you understand that impossible is nothing, just be on your own.

 

Anastasia Burmistrova

One wise person said “Life’s challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they’re supposed to discover who you are”. For 2,5 years MUN debates were helping me to understand who am I because debates is a concentration of thousands challenges that delegate should overcome in order to achieve his goals. However, not only debates but the trip as a whole was full of unexpected everyday challenges that definitely improved my skills to solve problems and make decisions in very short period of time. How we overcome all that and made this trip outstanding? Cooperation and opened friendly mood are the keys for being the best delegate during MUN Conferences and to solve all everyday problems whether you communicate with hosts or custom services or even police. I was impressed by serious attitude of NMUN delegates (who are 70% are non-Americans) to conference and the UN.

After different way of debates of MUNFW it was pleasant to see that international delegates are on the same page with understanding of MUNRFE about what debates are about: brilliant 12”, emotional speeches, circles and caucuse techniques, “moderators”, “advisors” and other role players. And closing ceremony in UN Headquarters, General Assembly room, where really impressed me by it’s and good balance of pathos and professionalism. I would like to thank MUNRFE, Far Eastern Federal University, Modesto Rotary Club, Lawrence university, our hosts in NYC, secretariat and delegates of MUNFW and NMUN and all Americans and Chinese who helped me to grow and discover something new about myself by overcoming life’s challenges.