Simun blog

Overall, I thought Simun was a great experience. In the beginning it was very nerve wracking and intimidating thinking of being in a group with sophomores and juniors and having to speak in front of them, but by the end I became a lot more comfortable with it. The researching was hard and kind of annoying, but I’m glad we did it because that is how we got to know about the topics that we were debating. I was really happy that we had a practice run-through the day before it started because if not, I would’ve had a very hard time getting to know how to ask questions and make movements.

The first day of Simun, I didn’t do very well. I was very nervous, unsure of when to speak, and the scenario didn’t have much to do with my country. I got my name on the speaker’s list, and gave a speech. After it was over, I felt a lot better. The second and third days were a lot easier for me. Almost right away I realized how my country was tied in, and I was used to speaking to that group of people. The senior mentors helped encourage me speak, and without them I would’ve spoken a lot less. I gave a few speeches, and whenever I was unclear about decisions that were made I asked questions. Researching helped me because I needed to know what countries dealt with certain scenarios.

To prepare for Simun, we had to answer four questions that we would be debating. When we did the first question, I decided to wait until the last minute. (Not such a great idea.) I realized that it took more effort than one Sunday searching for an hour about it. So for the next three questions, I gave myself more time. For some of the questions, the answers weren’t very clear. I had to dig around on a lot of different websites, and a lot of times when I actually did find some information it was incorrect, but in the end I got enough good research.

Next year, I don’t need to prepare much differently. I’ll give myself more time to research, and hopefully I’ll have more experience talking in front of groups. Simun was a great experience and helped me put myself out there.

should they invade?

If the United States tried to invade Pakistan in fear of them being invaded by the Taliban, Venezuela wouldn't agree with them. Pakistan's government isn't very stable, but that doesn't mean that the U.S. should take control. The United States already has enough issues of its own, and doesn't need to intrude.

Venezuela would be against the invasion. If they had anything to do with it, the United States would be stopped. The Taliban are very dangerous, but they could gain control either way. They wouldn't necessarily even want to invade, because then their intentions would be made public. Venezuela and the U.S. aren't allies, so they could possibly fight back when it comes down to guarding the country.

Lost on Planet China

J. Maarten Troost talks a lot about China's government. He starts to talk about Mao, and how everyone worships him even though he has been dead for around 50 years. He even goes to see his tomb, which is a common tourist attraction. He wonders about how much the country is censored, and when his friend gets him a “translator” for a day he figures it out. When Dan hires Meow Meow, he is surprised.

At first, he asked her a series of questions. She replied with answers saying that she didn’t know about the cruelty, or how wrong it was for the government to have that much control of things. When he went out to eat with his friend Dan, he asked them questions about businesses. He was told that when you are a business man, you can’t make the wrong moves, or the government will remove you. This is surprising to hear because China is becoming bigger and bigger, and you would think that more people would know about these issues.

Culture is very different in China then in the United States. They eat different foods, celebrate different holidays, and have a different type of government. When J. Maarten Troost goes out to eat at a restaurant , he finds fried duck. Where can that be found here in the U.S? practically nowhere.

The amount of pollution is unbelievable. Walking down the street, he sees some people to the extent of wearing a gas mask. In places like California, the pollution is bad, but not that bad. The reason for it is because when Mao was in power he thought that by having many factories and buildings that the country’s economy would become ahead of the rest of the world.

He did crazy things like tell everyone to melt steel when it wouldn’t be used, kill all the birds. No person in the United States would ever tolerate the government if this happened here. The people here would stand up for them selves.