The Prelude

It all started at around 2:00 A.M. when me and my family were scurrying to get ready for the airport on a cloudy sky day which hid a glorious full moon. Getting all the baggage ready, I had a cup of tea prepared by my lovely grandmother followed by a small prayer as a family. And with that my journey to EIMUN 2024 began. I reached the airport at 3 A.M., tried checking in to the wrong terminal, then bid my family goodbye, and took a deep breath as I made way to the Air India counter to check in my baggage. After completing the security check, disaster struck, my handy fanny packs clip broke and rendered the strap useless. Despite the setback, I was as thrilled as ever, this being my first individual international trip. Paced myself in the waiting area in front of my gate at 4 A.M. and made conversation with a businessman from Belgium.  Time passed quickly and at 6 A.M. it was time for me to board the flight to the Indian Capital.

I got on board the flight, was positioned in between 2 men, out of whom 1 was an army officer from Vellore. My diplomatic experience to be prepared for EIMUN was enriched with every conversation I had with people until I reached Nepal. I reached New Delhi at 9 A.M. The New Delhi airport was massive! I had a layover until 1 P.M. and so I decided to doze off in the gate that was mentioned in my boarding pass, but when I woke up at around 11:30 A.M. to my surprise no one was at the gate, and so I had to rush from the Gate 14 to the Gate 1, which was the new gate for my flight from New Delhi to Kathmandu. One thing I fondly remember during my flights was the incredible desert and main course which was an amazing tandoori chicken. Yum! Although, the leg space for a 6 ft man isn’t covetable. 

EIMUN 2024

I was super excited to see the Himalayas from my plane, but alas I had booked the wrong side of the plane. It was mere hour and 30 minutes before we landed in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. My gosh the airspace was massive, with the scenic mountains covering the airport. I took a deep breath, because I knew the adventure had just begun. I made my way to get the visa on arrival and started fidgeting with my phone to activate international roaming. I knew someone from the EIMUN team would be there to pick me up, but I couldn’t find them immediately, and so I made my way outside the airport and was this close to almost getting on a cab and going completely someplace else. However, I came back inside the airport, somehow figured out how to turn on roaming, and made a quick call to Semu to ask her about the whole situation. While we were talking, I bumped into Aadesh who was standing in front of me, that was an encounter I’ll never forget. Having been greeted by a wholesome shawl, EIMUN officially began.

At the airport I met other delegates who became my closest friends, Tanisha, Princy, Komal. They were all the delegates nominated by the Mumbai consulate. We all smushed into a small omni van with all the baggage, and made our way to Hotel Arts, which was our lodging place for the night. Wonderfully accompanies by commentary on the culture of Nepal, we reached the Hotel, we met the incredible Dilip. Dilip had this massive smile on his face, helped us move in, and gave us some beetroot juice. Then we made our way to our rooms, which is where I met my first roommate Jeet, from Assam. We had a hearty conversation about life, Momo, and how the room view looked like a scene from a Jackie Chan movie. We made our own hotel tea, and had a laugh about how Assam tea is better.

Then it was time for the pre-conference dinner, we made our way to the terrace, which is where we introduced ourselves, had a good time talking about 2 truths and 1 lie, and made our way to dinner. I spent the rest of the evening and night networking and talking about who I was and where I’m from.

The official conference began on Monday, and in the morning, we had to relocate to the Malla Hotel. While most delegates had left the hotel by walk to reach the Malla, me and my friends were contemplating whether to take the van or go by walk, and after a while almost got lost trying to reach the Malla, we reached the hotel, to start the greatest story of our lives this year. As I walked through the line of flags planted, I saw my country’s flag and couldn’t believe that I was here representing my country. Crazy opportunity! I made my way to the reception and checked into my room. Quickly set my things up and came back to join the rest for lunch. The entire day was amazing, having met so many people from different countries while sharing the same table. I also had met my Bangladeshi best friend, Mahi that evening. We evening gathered up the courage to have an insightful discussion with a U.S. embassy officer. That was the evening I met my Malla roommate, Jiwan!

The conference proceedings began on Tuesday, where I met the rest of my fellow delegates, who now did not realize would soon become my closest of friends. The incredible chair Tejeshwi and Madhav, the awesome director Daniil, who soon became a brother to me, and every council member. I made so many incredible friends, had intense discussions especially with the Delegate of USA, Vaishnavi, had crazy bits of fun in the committee. Everyone pushed me to be the better version of myself every single day.  One of my favorite things were interacting with my friends Farwa and Saleha, my friends from Pakistan!

EIMUN had it all! From late night talks to early morning walks. A memory I am particularly fond of is the incredible choreographed dance with my Sri Lankan brothers: Avishka and Karan. You have no idea how hard it went; it is arguably the moment that defined me by going out of my shell and having fun with the boys. Crazy enough on the 3rd day, which was game night, I was able to win the Rock Paper Scissor championship! 

The days passed like minutes; the late sleepless nights passed like a bullet train. It was time for the closing ceremony. The night before, our committee even had sessions till midnight! Which was followed by a chorus of people vibing to Justin Bieber, Ed Sheeran and the Chainsmokers. We played a ton of games, after which we made our way to one of our rooms and decided to spend the night talking. We even captured the sunrise! Sheesh, that was good.

The final day of the conference arrived, and to God’s glory, I was able to win the Best Position Paper in my committee. It is a win I did not anticipate and would give all the praise to God. I am ever so grateful to have been able to win this award. The day came to an end, and I spent the evening with my Kyrgyz friends: Daniil, Dina, Dior, and Milana. We had lunch in a small diner nearby where we watched the cricket finals between India and South Africa, it was ecstatic! Dilip, Dipika, Suprina and the Kyrgyz gang to celebrate the Indian victory with me!

Dilip was kind enough to take me around the valley, and we visited a Durbar in the next district and took pictures and for the first time in my life, tasted a sweet called Ju Ju Dhau. Ju Ju being a loving name given to me by my good friend Vibek from my committee. The next morning, me and Dilip made our way to Chandragiri Hills and had such an incredible experience riding the cable car. While I was going back home, I had a surprise visit from my friend Suprina, which lit up the energy despite me having to go back home. Well, this is the story of the once in a lifetime experience.

The End

EIMUN was many things: diplomacy, diversity, debate and so much more. But the thing that stood out to me were the friends I made along the way. I experience I had, and the memories I made. I understand the memory of a man diminishes as time goes on, which I why I’d like to solidify this story in the form of a blog. EIMUN gave me the experience of a lifetime. I am forever grateful to have been part of this incredible part of history. Until next time! 

Judah Jos Jacinth

Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

Delegate of Norway, UNEP Committee