SIMUN '10

I liked SIMUN overall. I had participated quite a bit and I much rather do SIMUN than have normal class. I feel that it was a big challenge and I could have done better and could have spoke way more and asked more questions but I am happy that I know what to look forward to next year. I was not as prepared as I could have been but then again I did not know the road that was ahead of me. My favorite part was when I got into the scenario and I knew what I was talking about and I’m pretty sure that was scenario 2 for the odd group. I was in group 15 and I liked pretty much everyone is my group. I was a little confused in the beginning on how the system worked but as time went on, I felt more comfortable in my place. I could tell that the sophomores, juniors, and seniors were well prepared and ready for anything. After doing SIMUN ’10, I know that I will be just as prepared as them. I know that I totally could have done more research and found out more things about Egypt and its history. I liked our chairman and legal counsel. They were very nice and helpful as well as the other upper classmen participating in SIMUN. I know that next year I will put more time and effort into my research and SIMUN itself next year. I know that as I was going into SIMUN I was so terrified and confused but for upcoming freshman, they need to know to not be nervous. Also, they should just go with the flow because it will really truly help. I helped me a lot! I did not like the SIMUN logs though. They were annoying, boring, and sort of pointless. I do not recommend them for next year at all. I also think that for next year SIMUN should go on for a full week and we should not have to dress up. I also feel that we should not have to grade ourselves but we should have a teacher supervise each group and grade us themselves. Other than that, I loved SIMUN! Oh and the funny thing is, I was so nervous about it that I had a dream I failed because I did not speak enough. But, I’m pretty sure I did fine. Like I said, there was nothing to be nervous about because it ended up to be the best experience in global education out of the whole year. GO GLOBIES AND SIMUN!!!

Scenario....totally failed!

Egyptian fighters are increasingly aiding the Taliban in Pakistan border with Afghanistan, providing training, financing and weapons.
During a rare trip to Northern Waziristan with the Pakistani military last week, a top field commander, Maj. Lt. Col. Nisar Mughal, said, "The terrorists are nowhere and everywhere."
He said that the Pakistani military is "hunting" and "killing" the enemy and that "the fight is far from over."
While his men were fighting insurgents in the surrounding hillsides near the abandoned village of Makeen, once home to Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Messud, he said evidence of outside involvement by Egyptian and other foreign factions was found.
"We discovered caches of weapons and explosives that had evidence of outside involvement," Mughal said. "The evidence has already been sent for more analysis.” All this was stated in an article talking about the Taliban’s relations with Egypt. (http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/world/Egyptian-fighters-aid-Taliban-in-Pakistan-88219477.html) I honestly could not find out what to write in this blog because I was totally confused and thought that Egypt would support the US but I guess not. So in Egypt’s eyes, the US does not have the right to go into Pakistan.

Kira-Kira

The book kira-kira is about two Japanese sisters who grow up together and have a very tight bond. In Japanese, kira-kira means glittering. Lynn is the older sister who would spend all of her time teaching Katie, her younger sister, the ways of the world. To Katie Lynn was a total genius and they would do everything together. Lynn was Katie’s everything and without her, she would be lost. Their family was very poor and struggled through hard times. They were discriminated against so much in this book and they were always put down. As a family, they fought through it. They were extremely loyal to their beliefs and they stood strong when it came to their ethnic background. Katie loved to make the traditional rice desserts and things including rice. Also, their family was the way that a Japanese family would be as in roles in the house. Even though they were treated badly because of who they were, they stuck to who they were and it made them stronger as people, as a family, and as much more. Through this book I did not have many questions. The questions I did have were usually vocabulary words. If I were to write about this book then I think I would write about how the family stayed strong through Lynn dying and being discriminated against and such. If not, then I would write about how they stood loyal to their Japanese culture and in what ways. This wasn’t necessarily my favorite book because it was sort of sad and at some times boring but it was a very touching book and it reminded me of the relationship I want to have with all of my brothers and sisters.

After rereading this, I realized I sounded like I've already graduated! but freshman-we've got a ways to go=]

My first year at Stevenson has been interesting. There were some good parts and there were some not so great parts. I met new people, playing on sports teams, finally going to a public school. Surprisingly, I loved the beginning of my freshman year. There were many bad parts like drama, tests, homework, finals, and not really knowing my place in Stevenson. I made many new friends through cheer, volleyball, and softball. I’ve also made a few enemies but in the end, I became close with them. I can’t believe what going through such a big change can do to you. Everyone I used to go to St. Michael with grew up, became mature, and are totally new people. I learned about the high school world the hard way; I made mistakes myself and usually got caught, yelled at, or disliked for them. Sometimes, I wouldn’t even do anything and one of those three things would happen to me. The thing that amazes me the most is that I felt like it was just yesterday that I was walking trough the front doors of Stevenson for freshman orientation night. Now I am about to walk out of those doors, sadly and depressingly, as an upcoming sophomore. I know I sound like one of those 30 year old people who say “where does the time go,” or “It was just yesterday I was in those same halls.” In the blink of an eye it’s all gone. I know that I am going to go through every year of high school with regrets and mistakes, but I know that I will also go though them with memories that are unforgettable and amazing. Things like my first and last homecoming, all the football games, the freshman dance, prom. Most things are still left to come while others are long gone. I know that these are the greatest, most amazing years of my life and I have to enjoy them no matter what. I love Stevenson High school and all the memories that were made going through it.