Back from New York

As far as weekends go, this one was pretty darn successful. Model United Nations at Columbia University was intense and fun—simply—quite an experience.

This weekend I was a member of the Mexican underground council which dealt with the war on drugs in Mexico. Underground means the committee was secret. The 20-member council advised Mexican president, Felipe Calderon, on war tactics and political strategies. In our pretentious UN world, no one knew of our existence, but the president. This allowed us to get down and dirty without worrying for retaliation.   

The debates were often heated. Most of the students in the committee were smart, great debaters with interesting ideas. It was intelligence and magnificent debate skills that made this weekend so intense indeed. In a mathematical formula, 20 students with these qualities + all in a room + four days of constant problem-solving debates= CRAZY FUN.

In terms of New York City, one can only love it. Although the subway stations are often old and dirty, and the apartments and hotels (such as the one in which we stayed) are small and overpriced, that is the essence of an old city, with a touch of modernity, and a little bit of everything that brings the world to its doors.

On the other hand, my pockets definitely took a hit this weekend. I am now used to Charlottesville’s gourmet subs for $4.oo. I almost died when a chicken salad sandwich with orange juice cost me $11.00 in New York City. However, “so what?” A little bit of extra spending in a wonderful city is not that bad. Furthermore, sadly enough, I seem to have adjusted to Charlottesville’s slower pace. New York’s constant walks and train rides wore me down this weekend.

Overall, it was a great academic and social experience; a cold and gloomy weekend in the big apple; an unforgettable learning experience at Columbia University.

Now I am back at the University of Virginia—at a slower pace, with lower food prices, up high on the mountains of Virginia, but with the same academic intensity and thirst to learn and discover the unknown.