~ Summer Special ~

Summer!! I know, it sounds so cliche... However, I finally understand why summer holiday is so looked forward to :P

Summer is a season that is sunny and bright, and in movies this weather generally indicates that something good is about to happen. For example, the guy finally understands who he is in love with, or then that a family argument has been finally resolved. I am not saying that movies have it all figured out, but they tell us something. Don't they? Sun does mean fun. Summer does mean relaxation. Bright does mean joyful. At least, according to my newly edited book on life:)

Many of you may not understand what I am about to say, but I will say it anywayz. A country that is sunny all year around, or just about, and this is just in my circumstances, does not feel the same enjoyment as Summer nears. Actually, I recall that in Australia I loved Winter! Winter was, for me, a relief. The rain and cool weather. Just to be sure, by cool I mean maybe 15 degrees in the day time, and 5 degrees in the evening. I guess these circumstances are a pretty important factor that creates the awesomness that Summer brings.

Another factor that controls the excitement of Summer is that school is pretty much full on throughout the school year. For example, European countries start their school year in August and end May/June. In the schools I have been to in Finland there have not been too many holdays inbetween school years. This way the Summer break is well deserved. On the other hand however there are countries where school starts in February and ends in December. This is how it is in Australia. There we have four terms, with a two week interval between each. Instead of Summer, there is a holiday for Christmas: mid December to end of January. So, in these countries the Summer is split into many different holidays. This does not make a holiday so exciting, since there are regular holidays. Saying this, I am not being bias. I loved to finally reach the christmas holiday in Australia, but the feeling of finally reaching the Summer holidays is breath-takingly exciting.

You know, I never thought that Summer would feel so amazing! I had been looking forward to Summer, but when I finally reached it, kinda, I was over-whelmed. Simply bliss...

Okay, enough with my expertise on the nature of Summer:)

Have an awesome week!

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Helimun

The Helsinki International Model United Nations 2013. This was, and is, an annual conference-typ seesion spnning over two days where two hundred students put on black and grey pinstripped suits and debate over issues that bring out the aggresive, loud and painfully annoying side in all of us. It is a full-on UN debate cycle; where there are three GA's, the International Court of Justice, the Human Right's Counsel, Ecosoc Counsel, Security Counsel, the President (yes, with the hammer) and the all so important teachers that have no apparent presence in this two day event! Heres to two days off of school!

FIRST DAY

With an 8'o'clock start, how could anyone not understand the opening speech about justice and moral. I mean, unless you were late because of the broken-down metro ordeal...

After thi somwhat embarrassing event, all the badged that state your name and position are handed out. Now comes the time to write the resolutions, and let me point out that it is probably best to write these in the most elaborate and complex english that you know how to use! (However, this last point many people do not take into account). This year, according to some sources that may or may not be reliable ones, I was updated on the the amount of resolutions there were, and that this year there was the most resolutions in the history of Helimun! The more to pass, the ever more resolved cases.

The ICJ, where I was this year, were busy listening to the respondents speech about the painfully distrustful reasons why Nicaragua accidently thought they had control over more land through a mistake made by google maps. The most painful part was where the judges had to somehow try to squeeze the reason for this unfathomable mistake out of the advocates for Nicaragua, which was not going to be answered due to a huge embarrasment factor.

The first day, and a bunch of sleepy-eyed students, who already had a head ache after two and a half hours of trying to sleep in the midst of a full-blown argument between the respondents and the applicants, have 15 minutes to (somehow) eat lunch.

Finally ... at three we were allowed to leave. It was not to be mistaken that there was a closing speech till three thirty, however the desire to leave was too strong to resist. Till tomorrow, beloved debate unit!

SECOND DAY

Day two, and I am so ready for this long and tiring day! The start at 9'o'clock was one hour later that the previous day, which proved to enlighten everybody in their feet. We all in our fighting spirit. At least ... hopefully we were. This was the day where we had to find some final desicions about the cases we were blatently discussing as a whole. The GA's were furiously going through resolution after resolution, till lunch where they had a 10 minute stop-over, before proceeding to the main hall where the real debate began with all the delegates from each GA.

Unfortunately, the ICJ and EcoSoc were unavailable for this heated debate between all GAs, since the cases that were studied in these departments were much more difficult to solve:) In ICJ, there was the discussion over reliablity and relevance of the evidence presented the previous day, which deemed necessary to come to a clear conclusion so that WE do not use some source as unreliable as google maps to hit that final, fatal blow.

Overall, there were many resolutions passed. The closing ceremony was very tideous, and when it was over we all sighed a cheer of relief when the chair hit the hammer declaring the 13th Annual Helimun to be officially over. However, the day was not finished till we were given our special certificates according to our commitee. Yay! On the way out I almost left without my jacket and sneakers in the changing room. Oh the joy of no school tomorrow!

There were many tired faces who joined me in the run to the metro that would deliver us to our all-important, sleep-provoking beds. Till next year, my dear fellow delagates, judges and important people.

~I would like to thank everyone who participated in this fruitful and inspiring session this year~