That is exactly what we - a delegation of twelve SIC students - experienced during the last week of January. We took part in the THIMUN conference at the World Forum in The Hague, which is the world's largest MUN conference with about 3,000 students. MUN stands for Model United Nations, a replica of the UN with its search for solutions to global conflicts in schools and universities.

 Normally the United Nations seems far removed from our reality here at Salem, but in fact MUN as an activity and conference outing is an integral part of our school. This year we represented the Republic of Cape Verde as a delegation. 

 An incredible experience!

 A clear highlight of the conference was the social contact with young people from all over the world. Together we were allowed to tinker with resolutions in lobby work and later debate and vote on them in the official sessions. It was a lot of fun to get actively involved in the debate with questions and speeches.

 But quite a large part of the sessions also served in parallel for direct communication among the delegates – the note exchange between the delegates was very strong. There was also a lot of fun: I can still remember the remarks of two delegates in my commission who compared a resolution with a doughnut ("seems sweet, but has a hole") and the Titanic ("sinking boat").

We as a delegation bonded as a team this week. It was enriching and unifying to be able to represent a country in this simulation game and thus to be actively involved in the decision-making processes of the UN. We were able to learn that the global problems of the future can only be tackled together, and that we are truly not alone.