Surviving College: The Kenya M.U.N Experience

Hello there! It would be rude for me to start this post without wishing all mothers out there a Happy Mother's Day so here it goes...Happy Mothers Day!!

Reading Jackson Biko's article in the Saturday Nation did one of two things; made me have a warm, fuzzy feeling inside and made me think of a time when Mom simply will not be there. She won't be there to ask me how I am doing in Math, a question that will always send a cold sweat over me, neither will she be there to make a sarcastic yet hilarious comment. So to the lady who has helped me in all aspects of life and continuously puts herself last giving up some of her dreams just so that my sister and I can recognize ours, who gave me and herself manicures even as she ran late for work when I was a toddler, who organized the most Turnt sixth birthday party a six year old could ever ask for and never passes up a good thrift find for either of us, I celebrate and appreciate you, always.

Enough with the mushy stuff. My account of Kenya Model United Nations awaits.

Since high school, I have always been a club bug. Not just any club though, clubs where I felt accomplished, successful, top of the crop even. But for this mix of my then and to some extent current definition of self-worth to come about I joined the best clubs. Clubs recognized the world over, a golden ticket of some sort or an all access pass to the world. Of course, even with my mind set on goals the equivalent of world domination, I did not pass up the "small time" clubs either.

Fitting the description of a club and society that also doubled up as an all access pass to the world was Model United Nations. East Africa Model United Nations (EAMUN) to be exact.

Saying that I enjoyed EAMUN would be an understatement, of course enjoyment was there, definitely, but more than that was the experience, all of it. The good, the confusing, the intimidating, the silliness, the work, was all enough to leave me craving for more. What better way to satisfy this craving than joining Kenya M.U.N.?

The two organizations could not be more different. The first thing you notice about Kenya M.U.N is that it is absolutely student run. There is no teacher telling you where you can and cannot go or reminding you that your bus is leaving and you might as well make plans of teleporting yourself home if you miss it. Forget it being a simulation of the real world, it is the real world, complete with hierarchies and everything. It's all you and on you. Daunting and scary yet exhilerating and riveting at the same time.

I would be lying if I said that KenyaMUN was a walk in the park. Maybe it was the fact that I had been out of the game for a while and was rather rusty or maybe it was the confidence that seemed to be oozing, leaking even, from everyone but me. Whatever it was had me questioning whether it was worth it. Not for too long though, in no time I had made a 360 degree attitude turn, that should be read to mean we moved into committees which meant smaller less intimidating groups. We were back in business.

My resolution, if I do say so myself was the bomb dot com or so I would like to think since it did pass Security Council and General Assembly with the help of my fellow delegates from Fiji, Thailand, Israel, Cuba and Committee 1 at large. Shape the future was the hashtag and #ShapeTheFuture we did.

It wouldn't be MUN without the guest speakers and there were plenty of those. The one who carried the day, no, the week was one Ambassador Kimani, Kenya Permanent Representative to UNON, Ambassador Martin Kimani to be precise. Besides recognizing the delegate from Kenya and making him feel all boss, he gave us some note-worthy step-by-step pointers on what to do if you want to be a diplomat summed up by this quote from his speech "Remember, delegates are soldiers in suits". At that point, he should have felt free to drop the mic and expect a standing ovation which he would have undoubtedly received. But of course in true diplomatic decorum he left apologetically in a hurry to go meet and brief Mr. President on some important matters I am sure. If those are not life goals, then go ahead  and define them for me.

The conference was not without fault seeing as to how there were a couple of disappointments; take for instance the number of guest speakers, a never ending list of them to.You know what they say about too much of a good thing. Fortunately this was made up for by the light-heartedness within and outside of debates where humor was in plenty.

Flaws and all, I am already thinking of Kenya M.U.N 2016.

Have a good one!

All photo's in this particular article belong to the author of the article.