A Very Memorable MUN Conference and Trip to Beautiful Australia in March

Julie Mills
It is great that so many diverse conferences exist for students interested in Model UN. Recently, 25 LFA Model UN students attended the Model UN UNYOUTH NSW non - competitive conference in Sydney, Australia. It was different from North American conferences but extremely interesting and eye opening for many reasons.

Here are a few thoughts from three grade 12 students who recapped some of the highlights of the conference experience as well as the trip to Sydney and spots in Queensland, including the Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest.
The Model UN Sydney conference and Australia – March, 2017
 
By Jacqueline and Julia Ovsenek '17 and Crystal Ma '17
 
What can you do in 17 hours or 1020 minutes or 61200 seconds?  Well, 25 LFA MUN students know as they ventured to “downunder” to beautiful Sydney for the NSW UNYOUTH Model UN Conference on Wednesday 15th March. This day had been much anticipated for a whole year since signing up and registering for the conference . We were all on the edge of our seats, literally and figuratively, because I am quite sure that the legroom on commercial flights is decreasing.  However, applause rang out from the rear of the plane as we “touch down” it Kingston Smith Airport in Sydney  and the trip began.

Of course we failed to mention earlier that we landed at 6:00 am.  Immigration, baggage claims, and a fun trip through the biohazard canine unit (interesting to note that they were filming Border Security Australia that particular day) were all completed with a mixture of fatigue and adrenaline.  Vancouverites excited to leave the rain behind went outside and found a beautiful tropical setting, and some beautiful tropical rain. But that did nothing to “dampen” our moods because we spent the bus rides of the day “soaking” in all of our new surroundings.  We were at our Model UN Conference at the Collaroy Centre, near a beach that makes Kitsilano look like a sandbox, and we mingled with local Australian teens.  The cabins were set in  picturesque grounds with gum trees and there were great views of the beach. Despite the cultural differences, like the use of Vegemite (we are not fans but Mrs. Mills says that you would be if you grew up eating it!), conversations flowed easily.  Multiculturalism was our topic, making us feel like experts in our workshops.  The small group workshops at Collaroy were particularly engaging and led by well versed and seasoned university students who were very good facilitators. The day of formal debate at the university was amazing as it was at the “Hogwarts like” Sydney University allowing us to really understand Australia and its history. We saw the main quad where Mrs. Mills took her exams.  Never was there so interesting a way to immerse oneself in the ways of a different place.  But MUN came to a close, and although we did enjoy it, now it was time for tourism 101.

We did so much in Sydney but we will just focus on our highlights.  Obviously, I first need to mention the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House.  Both were prettier than the pictures!  We were lucky to walk up one of the pylons of the Bridge where we had spectacular views of the entire harbour, and even though the mannikin construction workers freaked us out, it was all in good fun.  The best part about visiting the Sydney Opera House was the fact that we actually got to see a play in its Drama Theatre.  Mr. Coady referred to it as, “a tale of young love” but it was a hilarious, symbolic  and complex play that some of us loved and some of us didn’t understand.  The lookout called The Gap also provided us with beautiful "photo - ops" of the Harbour opening into the Pacific, and the spiders there were huge.  The purpose of the visit was to really enjoy the water crashing upon the coast, but the spider was yellow and we had never seen one like that.  The iconic Bondi Beach was also beautiful. Unfortunately, Hugh Jackman wasn’t there but we had a great time  jumping, bobbing and catching the waves to shore.  Taronga Zoo was a favourite for everyone, with nothing being more popular than the “wild” stuffed koala and an unexpectedly excellent seal show (not to mention the bird show and the views of the city and harbour).  Probably our favourite activity was the visit to Manly Beach which occurred after the delicious fish and chips at the famous Doyle's in Watson’s Bay.  Jumping into the waves, shopping on the corso at Manly - all of it was even better than we expected (and we expected only the best).  I’m nearly positive that we still have some sand in our hair.  Our last day in Sydney, affectionately known as Mall Day, included all of the shopping we wanted.  As an aficionado in the art of buying useless tourist stuff, we would have to give our purchases a striking 10/10.  Sydney is a beautiful city and an amazing experience that we will remember forever. We particularly liked the stunning view of the harbour from the deck of our youth hostel.

With Sydney behind us, it was time for Cairns (pronounced “Cans”).  Our first experience on the bus proved that we were no longer in the big city.  We got the rundown on every plant, animal, and coral that could do us harm (it was a long talk).  Our arrival at Northern Greenhouse followed the talks of attacks of creatures and possible injuries, which sure was fitting.  To give credit where credit is due, the two tour guides we had in Cairns were absolutely fantastic.  They had an answer for every question that we asked and were all too pleased to share.  Green Island was our first stop and our glass bottom boat ride showed us fish, turtles, and coral! But the real winner there was the swimming in our lycra suits to protect against stingers.  The hood completed the full body swimming garb, and it sure was a joy to peel off.  The next activity was life defining.  It was a picture holding a real koala.  Yes, a real koala at the Wildlife Habitat in Port Douglas.  And his name was everything we wanted it to be - Kodi.  It is true that holding the koala is not so comfortable, but he was so adorable that I barely cared when his claws clung to our shirts as they took him off.  It was the perfect experience with wildlife before we actually got to the rainforest.  Cape Tribulation was another amazing place that we were lucky enough to see.  The cabins and rustic rainforest living were so different from the previous places we stayed (but we need to give a real shout-out to the food, the party music at night and the wonderful staff there).  Our wildlife experiences were limited, but Rick (basically the crocodile hunter) caught a toad and showed it to us, and he ever so nicely pointed out a huge spider.  I also saw a large green bug in the shower, which is an experience I choose to forget.  The following day was our last in Australia, and it went really Australian (we’re talking throwing a boomerang on a beach Australian).  We enjoyed a very interesting talk and walk with an elder at Mossman Gorge (part of the rainforest), even though it was raining.  We then enjoyed “damper”, an Australian type of scone served historically in the outback. The barbecue on the last evening closed off a very lovely time in Queensland.  All of us were able to just relax and enjoy quality time with our friends.  Games, chips, music, and oddly enough, kangaroo meat (highly recommended), were all enjoyed to the fullest.  As grads, we were ecstatic to really enjoy a trip together.  Jacqueline, Julia Ovsenek and Crystal Ma took on Australia together and loved every second of it especially being a part of such an interesting culture with beautiful beaches and unique animals! Thank you to Mrs. Mills for arranging another fantastic conference and trip itinerary and to Mr. Coady for being a great chaperone!
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