By Eean Garcia
As a kid that has always lived on the West Coast taking a week long trip to the East Coast was a bit of a culture shock. The change in lifestyle was refreshing for a sheltered Californian. Model United Nations allowed me and some of my closest friends to travel to New York City and Boston to both site see and compete in MUN conferences.
To give an idea of the shock our bodies went into when traveling, we left from Los Angeles which was about 75 degrees to New York where it was about 15 degrees. I was super excited to see what the trip could bring for us up until we stepped outside of the airport and the cold air snuck its way to find any piece of exposed skin. From this point on, every one of us on the trip knew we needed to wear layers upon layers to function.
Site seeing different areas such as the United Nations or the Statue of Liberty brought a challenge to our group due to yet again the weather. The UN provided a visual to what our Model United Nations program represents at Tustin. The tour gave us the opportunity to see a conference in action just as we replicate at local conferences around our school. The UN also showcased various pieces of art which were gifts from countries that signified what the United Nations goals were for the global community.
Seeing the snow or rain fall as we watched from our New York City hotel was beautiful, although it stopped at sight. As we proceeded to go outside the rain and snowfall was affected by wind which meant our umbrellas did us no justice as the rain felt as if it was coming sideways. This did cause all of our attitudes to change as we were drenched and walking miles in cold weather but as time passed our spirits grew. Even though we were cold, wet, and lost for some time, I realized that this experience was one I would never forget and an experience that I could share with my friends for a lifetime.
Once we made our way to the ferry to take us to the Statue of Liberty the sight was amazing. Our group made our way up the 354 stairs to capture photos from Columbia herself, and we even got a good workout in. This island provided an opportunity for the Model United Nations team to bond as we experienced our American historical monument together.
When we arrived in Boston for our MUN conference many of the kids competing were shocked that we were from California. Many of the delegates had never seen the west coast in person, only in pictures. Reflecting on those statements I feel honored to have had the opportunity to travel with my school to experience life on the opposite side of the country.