Page 91 - PINE CREST 2005

Acknowledging that many students don’t know what the International Relations Club actually does;

Anxious to share with the student body the incredible opportunities presented by the IRC;

Regretting that as a senior I have only one model UN left to go to;

Expressing appreciation to Mrs. Rousseau and Mr. Crawford for putting the time in to sponsor us;

Cognizant that I have yet to write my position paper for the Chicago Model UN, due in 6 hours;

Invites the student body to read about my experience as part of the International Relations Club.

I joined the international relations club because I wanted to go to Chicago. I reasoned that I'd
be able to miss school, it would look good for college, and I’d have some fun.
I never expected to learn so much.
By having to represent a country with views far different than my own, I learned how to
respect the opinions of others, and how to speak for them. By having to cooperate with countries
whose views were so radically different than mine, I learned patience. By spending 20 hours closely
working with people who I’d never met before, I learned teamwork.
I learned that there is no black and white in this world and that real diplomats have a far more
difficult job than we give them credit for. I learned that sometimes, people don’t want to listen, no
matter how hard you try to get through to them.
I also learned more about my classmates. When you’re rooming together for 5 days, eating
together (a lot), and seeing things like the Blue Man Group in Boston or the Second City Comedy
Club in Chicago; it’s hard not to bond. I learned the hard way that it is illegal to take photos towards
the front of a commercial airplane, that Mr. Crawford can beat everyone in the world at the music
trivia game, and just maybe peace in the Middle East is possible.
We have a lot of fun on Model UN trips, but it’s what we bring away in understanding of
the world around us that we really remember. ________________________________

Coffee Break. Johnathan Zebrowski andAmol Kaplia take a break from
their comittee meetings. Get to bed, little ones! Shannon Kelly, Johnathan
Zebrowski, Aaron Yuster still hard at work after a long day in committee.