American School of Bombay

Making friends is an oft-cited reason why people choose to do MUN; it would be a shame if such an ambition was unfulfilled. That does not mean that MUN is not a great place to make friends—on the contrary, just this morning I heard people pointing out the delegates they had met the previous year or at other conferences to each other. 

“Be friendly and talk to people; I’ve made friends at MUN,” said Niyash Mistry, a judge in ICJ. Surely many experienced delegates will have the same advice to offer.

      Of course, this is not as easy as it sounds… How friendly should one be to someone who tries to trash one’s resolution? Or what level of formality does a chair warrant when the forum is in session, especially if the chair is attractive? There is no fixed answer to these questions of etiquette. It is a process of trial and error and much note passing—when speaking is not

allowed, the note is the communicative delegate’s best weapon. Delegates who were strangers at the beginning of the day can be seen sharing lunch after exchanging notes on a topic.

     Friends made at MUN are rarely lost, not least because, one can meet them again at a number of conferences. Having attended more than one conference not only means that one is more experienced but it also means that one is less confined to one’s delegation. A good conference is where there are stimulating debate and a convivial atmosphere. The more delegates are social with one another, the higher the quality of the conference will be.

     Friends made during THIMUN-Singapore will meet again in Beijing or in The Hague or at numerous other MUN conferences around the world. They share a passion for issues that affect our world and international awareness. They could share opinions on resolutions being debated or they could instead discuss the outfits of other delegates. There is almost nothing MUNers cannot argue about, yet bizarrely this seems to draw them together.

     Really, those nervous about making friends need not worry. They are among people who are open minded yet interested in similar things, and rarely will anyone find it difficult to think of a mutually interesting topic of discussion.