AMUNC – the aftermath

AMUNC 2011 was an amazing experience. I never thought I would get have dinner beneath a submarine in the War Memorial Museum in Canberra, let alone have an even better dinner, dressed in my first long ball dress ever, in the friggin’ Australian Parliament. So there you have it, the two things I will remember most.

I notice that in hindsight, I only have the socials on my mind. It’s not that I don’t care about the committee sessions; they unsurprisingly were just not as memorable as the socials all-round. Committee sessions were at times absolutely hilarious, with the United Nations Toilet Committee* as best proof. The delegates of the second General Assembly resolved their issues, took detours, went off topic and were forced back on by our directors, and all in all did a pretty good job. But every day, what a relief to get out of our underheated committee room and head off to the bathroom to dress up for that night’s social.

It’s that I stayed in a really nice lodge as well. Bacon and eggs every single morning and some incredibly awesome friends to enjoy that breakfast with. I’m usually not a cheesy person, but there is a hole in my stomach that can only be filled up by AMUNC people. I guess it’ll gradually grow back together until there’s just a tiny scar left, even though I’m not sure I want it to completely heal – I feel a bit disoriented now, not quite believing it’s all over. The days have flown by, I miss my banana bread.

The highlight of the week was without a single doubt the finale ball in the Great Hall of Parliament House. The day was amazing as it was already, having plenary sessions and free food in the National Gallery and the High Court.** Sun was shining, I laid on the grass for a while and soaked up every ray to get warm again, eating apples, watching portraits in the National Portrait Gallery and as ever, looking for muffins.

When I arrived home, pretty tired but thinking I was ready to give it my everything one last night, I couldn’t even be bothered to put on make-up anymore. Just putting on the shiny blue dress was stunning. Taking the bus to Parliament with it proved slightly less glamorous. Once we got there and got through security, the night was all ours, all mine - I was on a mission (yes, you). Free (white for me) wine kept flowing – for the first time in a long time, I wasn’t all that reluctant about losing control. From then on, it’s all one crazy hazy blur of awesome drunkenness now, all hours crammed into one long moment, perfection. I barely remember getting into the cab. One last glance at Parliament House and off to the after party, still feeling like a princess, letting my hair down. That after party was disappointing compared to the previous venue, or maybe I just wanted to go home. The second cab ride was serene and quiet. Canberra’s lights were saying goodbye to me and I felt like crying – I felt like crying quite a lot that night, it’s what alcohol does to me, that and screaming out with sheer happiness. Having a plane to catch at 6.30 am makes one want to get the most out of every hour of the night – it felt like a part of me was preparing to leave already, with another firmly holding it back. I didn’t sleep for a single second that night, it was so totally worth it.

This morning, as any other, I wanted to put my lanyard around my neck – it had been sleeping on my night table because that’s what AMUNC lanyards do.  When I realized my mistake, I felt a little sad. I honestly thought this would be a one time thing – Canberra wasn’t that far for me and I thought I’d grab the opportunity while I was around. One AMUNC later, I understand why more than half of the delegates were returning. I’ve decided to start saving up money to return myself next year (it’ll be in Melbourne) – it was that good.

Flights this year: 10.

Number of nights since AMUNC finished: 1.

Number of nights left in NZ: 8.

* The UNTC strives towards better global toilet hygiene, particularly when it comes to opening dirty toilet doors after you’ve just washed your hands. Germany is donating 25% of its GDP in order to realise this goal – I was Germany and I could not not sign, although the honourable delegate of Germany recognizes that is a lot of money.

** Safe to say I’ve been in virtually every Canberrian building of any importance. I even left a piece of myself in them, as my favourite (but not too expensive) ring went down the drain while I was washing my hands in the Parliament’s bathroom.