Myself in the cafe at Wartburg Castle, the place where Martin Luther translated the Bible to German.

Author: Nathan Martin | Major: Economics, Finance | Semester: Fall 2023

I spent months preparing for one week – really three days – of an intensive conference simulating the workings of the United Nations (UN), but my first challenge was getting there. I wasn’t going to a major tourist city, I was going to Erfurt, a smaller city in eastern Germany. After I landed I was jet lagged, exhausted, and couldn’t speak the language of where I now was. I managed to catch my train, and from there it was a few short hours to Erfurt and the start of my week. After I made it to Erfurt, I was struck by how different German architecture and cities were and found my way to my hotel excited for what the week would hold.

The first two days were cultural visits, as the organization who runs model UN and our local hosts both believe in the importance of learning about the culture and history of where you are. Early that Monday, we got on the bus to visit two sites from two very different times in German history. First, we were going to see a remnant of one of the darkest moments in not only German but human history, Buchenwald concentration camp and memorial. Visiting the camp was somber, we all understood that we were walking in a place built on hate that only still existed to remind people about the importance of fighting that kind of hate they may find it. While visiting a place like Buchenwald was difficult given what happened there, I am glad I went because of what I was able to take away from the experience. Our second stop of the day was Wartburg Castle, where Martin Luther translated the bible to German. Here I learned about the birth of a standard for written German, and about how the nobility lived. I was able to see beautiful art, breathtaking vistas, and an old castle still standing. I loved this trip and learned much about both German history and medieval culture on it.

The second we went to learn about an event that had wide-reaching impacts on German society: the Cold War. We visited Point Alpha, a border point between West and East Germany with an old installation of the U.S. military. The museum taught us about the impact of the division on German society, as well as how East Germany kept people in at the border. I learned about the scars the Cold War left in the places where the Soviet and Western blocs faced each other down. We also toured a Stasi museum and former prison, and learned from a former inmate about the realities of life in East Germany before the wall came down, as well as what being a political prisoner was like.

The next three days were our Model UN conference experience, it was time for our committee sessions and to apply everything I had learned back in Fayetteville to a real conference. I chose this program in order to improve my skills in public speaking, negotiation, and document creation prior to law school. I know these skills will prove an integral part of being a law student and eventually a lawyer. During this week I represented the United Kingdom on the Human Rights Council (HRC) with my co-delegate advocating for the UK’s position on a few human rights topics. It was a whirlwind of negotiations, speeches, and drumming up support for the resolutions we helped to author. From tense and sometimes narrow votes on draft resolutions to powerful speeches, I was able to gain insight into how the UN works and how to convincingly project ideas to a crowd. As we crafted our resolutions and had to handle different and complex roadblocks to putting together our finished instruments, I found myself with a better understanding handle negotiations between many different parties with different goals than when I walked into the conference.

My ability to multitask was tested and improved throughout the course of our committee sessions as well, it felt like I had to be everywhere doing everything all at once. There were several different working groups and the dais – the people who ran the committee. I needed to be informed and involved with what other groups were doing both to make sure the UK’s goals were advanced and to look for potential partners to bring into our working group. I also needed to be aware of what the dais was looking for in papers, motions, and overall behavior from the delegates in order to make sure myself and my group acting within the bounds of what the dais needed as they were the ones who accepted resolutions for voting. As time progressed, I found myself more comfortable and adept at doing this. The development of this skill will help me massively in a future career.

At the end of committee, my co-delegate and I were part of three different resolutions which were all passed by the HRC. We were both elated and exhausted, and even more excited to learn that the United Kingdom was named an outstanding delegation by the conference which is an honor only granted to those nations whose delegates excel in every committee they are on.

As I reflect on my experience abroad, I know I would recommend going abroad and specifically this program to anyone wanting to expand their horizons. Thie program helped me develop massively both personally and professionally in a way that I never would have been able to otherwise, which is in my opinion a hallmark of study abroad. I believe that study abroad also has unique challenges, in many cases language barriers or learning new ways of doing things previously unfamiliar to you, which can provide opportunities for lots of growth or a better understanding of the world beyond where you grew up.