I remember the moment I was told to fill out the form for this programme. In all honesty, I thought it would be just another MUN but I can now confidently say that EIMUN has raised the bar high for all other MUNs. At first, I was sceptical that I would even get in, having no prior international MUN experience and only one MUN in India. But the odds favoured me and looking back, I am grateful for it.  

It has been two months since EIMUN 2024, yet it feels like yesterday that I came back home with a suitcase full of memories from Nepal. The memories are as fresh as leaves on a dewy morning. That’s how I remember my EIMUN experience, warm, fresh, and invigorating. Time flew by, like a bullet train passing its destination as someone rightly described it. This blog is a humble attempt to try to put into words just how wonderful EIMUN was. 

These six days were a total whirlwind of emotions, a roller coaster ride. The adventure began from day one of our arrival, from battling traffic through the narrow streets of Thamel to rejoicing at the delay of my flight back to India. From the moment we stepped into Kathmandu, we were all well taken care of. We began with an informal meet and greet dinner that led to an endless string of conversations about pretty much everything under the sun. Most of us became inseparable from that moment onwards. 

The next day, we all geared up to officially begin our EIMUN journey. The first day was marked by talk sessions, cultural dances and once again, endless conversations. Talking about our cultures, and interests was the highlight of the week for me. Yes, committee sessions were intellectually enriching but getting to know people from different countries, learning about their ways of living and finding out that there exist some common traces of a language across such uniquely different countries was truly inspiring. There are differences among the countries of course, but I starkly remember the similarities of our ideals and goals. I remember how all the people that I met there wanted to become better global citizens and wanted to preserve this planet for the common good. Reading the despairing newspapers every day made me feel like an apocalypse was always at the turn of a corner. But being a part of EIMUN made me realise that it’s simply not true. All hope for this planet and our humanity is not lost. And for this reignition of hope, I am highly indebted to EIMUN. 

Our committee sessions were rigorous. Our esteemed EB members made sure that we gave our best, individually as well as diplomats representing the countries of the world. They helped us find a way through the vastness of our discussions and come to relatively practical dialogues of collaboration. The FAO committee learned and improved so much over the four days of the sessions that it was astonishing to see a live example of how good leadership can stir crowds effectively in a better direction. The sessions made me more confident to speak about my views in public and a better listener. Our informal sessions were definitely the liveliest ones, given that numerous people from our committee were first-timers and everyone performed quite well. Being a part of the Food and Agricultural committee, midnight sessions, making blocs over Hi-tea and constantly talking about food and agricultural practices over our meals throughout the days were one of my fondest memories. We talked about the new dishes or desserts we tasted there and dissected them with our taste buds. (I tasted ‘Ratatouille’ for the first time and have been missing it since!) 

Not to digress further into my banter, another wonderful highlight was the social nights. ‘Pasoori,’ (among many others) a song that is an amalgamation of Asian cultures rightfully united us on the dance floor. Playing games, watching diverse cultural performances in total awe, and dancing our hearts out was the perfect way to cure our tiredness of debating throughout the day. Energies were high during the social nights and we basically didn’t leave the dance floor until the music stopped. We also roamed around the local markets of Thamel, hustling and bustling with vendors selling their produce, temples full of believers and then there was us; capturing the raw beauty of early morning rush with our phones and eating fresh ‘litchi’ as a reward for waking up earlier than the usual 🙂

The closing ceremony was more bitter than sweet because it brought us back to the reality that we would have to part ways soon. Tears were at an all-time high as were the promises to stay in touch, without ‘goodbyes’ and only ‘see you super soon’ and ‘visit Nepal again.’ I knew Nepal was an enchanting place to visit, but who would have thought that EIMUN would lead me to find people as precious as Everest.

Tanisha Chhajer
Delegate of Iraq, FAO Committee
India