“I have the space”, Paula did not have to think long. On Wednesday, the 20-year-old got up early and walked to the Flixbus main station. Not only has she helped to organize the conference but has also provided her couch. For the time of elbMUN she is not alone in her room anymore.
Ten people host in the “get-a-couch program” this year. People who live in Dresden provide their couch during the conference for delegates from other cities, 15 delegates are hosted.
When applying for elbMUN, Ardhendu has also pressed the button “need a couch”. “I wanted to get to know Dresden more.”, explains Ardhendu. Together with a friend he has traveled all the way from Kiel to Dresden to participate in the conference. When he arrived in a Flixbus in Dresden, he was greeted by Paula. For her it was a funny moment: At the gate she realized that her fellow MUN team member Arne hosted Ardhendu’s friend.
When signing up, Paula did not have too many expectations because she knew they would not be at home together very often. Still, they managed to have breakfast together the first morning and also went to a Döner place another day.
Navigating around the city in the mornings was one of the most important tasks for host Paula. “I didn’t feel lost. “, Ardhendu says. So far, he has enjoyed Dresden, especially the old buildings. “Kiel can be quite gloomy at times”, he says.
For him it his first MUN as well. During lunch break he eats hastily to get back to work fast: He writes a resolution for his committee “United Nations Environment Assembly”. For the student of marine geosciences it is an interesting experience to talk about climate change with a political perspective. “There are many things scientists just agree on, but here people disagree because they try to enforce their countrys’ political agendas.”, he explains.
After lunch, his committee holds a free discussion session. Ardhendu sits huddled in the corner between the delegate of Peru and other delegates. Large paper sheets on the wall explain how amendments and working papers function. Someone has scribbled with red and blue ink on them.
It is the fourth day of the conference, tomorrow Ardhendu will travel back to Kiel. Even though due to the full schedule of the conference, they only have been at Paula’s during the nights, he has already found one similarity: They both like spicy food.
By Anna Abraham