So I guess that my paper will just have to wait another couple of hours. I thought I would just give a deeper description of my escapades in New York ... so when people look at the pictures they can have stories to go along with them.
We flew out to New York on Friday, April 3rd at 11:30 pm. Got to love red-eye flights. It was really fun to be at the airport with the team. About half of the flight was full of BYU students, so there was certainly a lot of laughter and jokes right from the beginning.
We flew into NY at 6 in the morning. And from that moment we hit the ground running. After finding a cab to the hotel, we checked our bags and hit the city. I went with some amazing ladies down to Radio City Hall, to unsuccessfully try and get our hands on Saturday Night Live tickets. We also got our hands on breakfast at the amazing Mongolia Bakery. Its the same one that's mentioned in the SNL video, Lazy Sunday. It was so good! After running around the city for a bit, I got to go to the Mets v. Red Sox game with a couple of guys. Its been a while since I have been to an MLB game, so it felt great to watch the game. In the first inning, the Red Sox had a walk in run, another run, and then a grand slam. It was over before it even began. About halfway through the second inning, the stadium was already empty. We stuck it out like good baseball fans, though it was freezing! The wind was the worst part. And thanks to the wind, there was so much trash on the field. Every other minute you would see a hitter or infielder pick up a piece of trash and put it in their pockets. Didn't do much, but it was funny to watch. This also was the inaugural subway ride for me. It was so cool to just jump on the subway instead of a car. I got lost once or twice, but of course by the last day I knew my way around. Oh well.
That first day was also trying to get used to the time difference. Sunday, I was able to drop by the Manhattan Temple. It is actually a temple for half the building, and a chapel for the other half. Its really beautiful, right next to Julliard's and the Lincoln Center. That night we also had a fireside before our competition. It was really cool to see the team again, because once we hit the city we just all scattered.
Monday was fun too, well, at least half of the day. I was working on a research paper for my political statistics class, so I had to stay inside all day. Good thing it was a rainy day. That evening though I made it down to the Brooklyn bridge. The atmosphere was still dreary from all the rain that day, but it made for some pretty cool pictures. That night I also went to Chipotle, which I haven't had in sooo long. It was filling and delicious. The night also consisted of exploring Times Square and a late night poker game with Starbursts. I was out first, unfortunately, but I got to play dealer for a while.
Tuesday marked the beginning of the competition. I spent the morning finishing my design and finishing quizzes for classes. Then it was time to go to the UN. The building is so cool. It is completely and totally a 70's building, but to think that world leader's walk through those halls was awesome. We had our opening ceremonies, and then the games begun. We had our first session that night. I was on the Food and Agriculture Organization as the Russian Federation. There were about 44 countries, which meant we were probably one of the smallest committees there. It was so much fun working with people from around the country and around the world. There were several teams from Canada, Italy and Germany, as well as different schools. Our committee worked really well together, and me and Peter were influential in the committee. It was so much fun.
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were all marked with committee sessions. It was lots of work, and lots of late nights editing papers. We had a slight scare in our committee. We unfortunately had some problems with plagiarism because of some miscommunication between delegations. Luckily the conference noticed how much we work we put into our papers, and we just moved on. On Friday, after voting on all the different papers we had worked on during the week, me and Peter found out that we were voted one of the best delegations on our committee. It was a great honor, and came as a great surprise. That night I just crashed in the hotel, trying to reboot after the long week of competition.
Saturday was one of the most fun days by far. After enjoying lunch at Carnegie Deli (the place that my professors swore by), I was able to make it down to the UN early to see some of my team compete on the Security Council. The best part would have to be the dance off that happened in the last couple of minutes of the session. It was hilarious to watch. Italy and the US certainly had some awesome dance moves. At the closing ceremonies we found that once again, BYU was a 'national champion'. I think I explained it in the previous post ... but pretty much both of our teams for BYU [Russia and Ethiopia] got the highest recognition and awards for our position papers. For the fifth year in a row, we were the one of the best. Glad that we weren't the year to let Cory and Bill down. After taking tons of pictures of the team, I made it over to Broadway to see WICKED! It was breathtaking! I can't believe it. I loved the show .. so thought provoking. And it was fun to see all the shout outs to the Wizard of OZ ... and explanations for why things were the way the were in the movie. Ever since then I have been addicted to the soundtrack. I miss going to Stratford every year to watch plays. It is such an amazing experience, to go and see a play done on stage. The beauty, the trade craft. I loved it! After the amazing show, our team had our celebration at Max Brenner's. This chocolate place that was absolutely stunning. The food was amazing, and so was the company. But the night was not done. There was still the delegate dance to go to. There was so much drinking there. It just reminded me of the Superbowl party I went to with my dad at the Spirit of Ford. It was pretty funny.
That just leaves Sunday. After making it over for sacrament meeting at the temple again, I explored the city a little more with a couple of other students. Then it was off to the airport to return home. I felt as if I was in New York for a lifetime. It became my new home. I got so used to the constant bustle and noise. I had problems falling asleep when I first got home to Provo because it was dark and silent. I'm glad to be home ... but I already miss the East Coast. That is where I want to live. Either there or Texas, one or the other. Hopefully ... one day.
This experience has been one of my favorites. I learned so much about myself and others. Sometimes, a little too much. Like which team members like each other ... or don't. It was really cool to spend time with the team because they are so colorful. I'm sad to see it be done. I want to be a TA next year, to participate again. I don't know if they want me back ... but we'll see.
I think that is all I have to say about New York. I'll probably have more stories and pictures as I get things from other delegates. Anyway ... that pretty much covers the last couple of weeks.
Cheers!
No comments:
Post a Comment