Dragon THIMUN Delegates Report

by Haru Shih (Grade 9) & Geoffrey Wen (Grade 12)

Editors Note: This was the 58th Annual THIMUN The Hague in the Netherlands Conference. It is a four-day simulation of the UN and was from January 26 - 30th this year. Our school sent four students (Haru, Ben and Raysen from Grade 9 and Geoffrey from Grade 12) and two teachers (Ms. Fidalgo and Mr. Q).

Haru:

I attended THIMUN The Hague with Ben, Raysen, and Geoffrey. Ben, Raysen, and I participated as delegates representing an international organization, while Geoffrey served as a chair. The journey began with a 14-hour flight, during which I unfortunately had the middle seat, making the first day somewhat exhausting.

Before the conference officially began, we had time to explore the city. We visited a Ukrainian restaurant and tried cherry dumplings and borscht; while the dumplings were excellent, the borscht was underwhelming. The following day, we went to a Georgian restaurant and had borscht again, which was significantly better and changed my impression of the dish.

When the conference started, the scale of THIMUN was initially intimidating, and I was quite nervous delivering my opening speech. However, during lobbying sessions, I became more comfortable and had the opportunity to meet many participants, engage in thoughtful discussions, and listen to several impressive speeches.

The remainder of the week was spent debating key issues, collaborating with delegates, and forming connections with people from diverse backgrounds. Although returning to Taiwan was difficult, the experience was both meaningful and memorable. Geoffrey:

THIMUN is an event that everyone should join at some point in their high school time (regardless of their position). Though I served as a Head Chair, it was also my first and last time going to the Netherlands for an MUN conference.

The price tag certainly had something to do with my reluctance to attend in prior years. However, the connections you make there are genuinely breathtaking. I still have delegates reaching out to me via LinkedIn.

I have been very involved with MUN over the past 6 years, attending over 15 conferences and serving from Delegate to Secretary-General. If there's something I have learned about MUN, it's how --specifically through big conferences like THIMUN-- MUN is a platform for students to practice networking early on. The friendships you make from people internationally don't end with the conference, either. They become what you make of it.

And for the Netherlands... The most surprising thing to me was the fact that everything closed after 6 pm (which really makes me feel like Taiwan's convenience is unmatched).