The Model UN team's final day in Iceland was occupied by a tour of Iceland's southwestern wild areas. Leaving Reykjavik early, we took a bus out to the famous Golden Circle, an area of intense volcanic activity and historical significance. Guided by an extraordinarily friendly and knowledgeable bus driver, we first went to Gullfoss, Iceland's most spectacular waterfall. There are simply no words that are capable of adequately describing the magnificence of Gullfoss. It is simply massive. The cascading, powerful river suddenly turns sharply to the right, directly against the side of the towering cliffs. Juxtaposed against the Icelandic glaciers and mountains in the background, Gullfoss is the most spectacular thing most of us have ever seen. Not far from Gullfoss lies a collection of geysers large and small. The most famous, "Geysir", after which all other geysers were named, unfortunately no long erupts due to human interference with its natural cycle. However, we still had the opportunity to witness the majestic "Strokkur", which erupted approximately 30 ft into the sky. Our guide also gave us the chance to see a few examples of the country's most famous animal: the hardy Icelandic horse. Renowned for their durability, these reliable creatures are known for their ability to traverse long distances in freezing Icelandic winters. Brought to Iceland by Norwegians in the early Middle Ages, the horses' genetic isolation produced a unique breed of animal that is stronger and gentler than their European or American counterparts. The final stop on the Golden Circle is Iceland's most historic location: the valley of Þingvellir (pronounced "thing-vell-ir"), where the country's first parliament was established in 930 A.D. Lying on the shore of Iceland's largest lake, the valley is split by a meandering river of surprisingly clear water. The Model UN team explored Iceland's capital city of Reykjavik Monday. First on the list was a visit to the Icelandic parliament, the Alþingi (pronounced "all-thing-y"). As with the President's residence, we were all surprised by the friendly atmosphere at the government building. The main legislative chamber sported some unique traits, including random seating for members and a system of citizen communication with members of parliament. Everyone put their ears to a piece of art in the building's new addition to hear sounds representative of Icelandic history and culture. Our group moved on to the city center, where we walked along Reykjavik's main shopping strip. With Hallgrímskirkja, the city's famous landmark and tallest building imposing over us, we bought some unique Icelandic music, t-shirts, and souvenirs. We visited the Reykjavik Harpa, the country's newly-opened concert hall. Stunning modern architecture greeted us before we even walked through the door; the glass panes of the exterior change colour in intricate sequences to create illusions of motion. The interior of Harpa was perhaps even more stunning. Towering, glass-paned walls gave us an incredible view of Rekjavik's ocean coast and the surrounding snowy mountain range. Unfortunately, the main hall was off-limits to the public, but we still got a good idea of the building's architecture. The team went to the Hallgrímskirkja just as the sun began to duck behind the clouds. The majestic church, Reykjavik's grandest structure, impressed all of us with it's vaulted ceilings and swept-back design, which is said to be inspired by Iceland's volcanic flows. The country's largest musical instrument, a 100-year-old organ, lies inside the building. Finally, some fun photos from the Reykjavik thrift shop:
The Model United Nations Security Council ended a very productive session Sunday. The Council passed four resolutions over the course of the weekend, all of which were authored by CSS club members. Despite heated rhetoric and strained argument, the delegates managed to propose several solutions to the Malian crisis, including providing humanitarian aid, approving military intervention, and providing for infrastructure assistance. Club faculty sponsor Mr. Benson participated as well, representing a representative of the Malian rebel organisation Ansar Dine. The Security Council was forced to adapt policy in response to certain crises. Some shots from Council: CSS students earned two of the three awards, including Best Delegate and Best Speaker. The recipients are:
IceMUN has begun! The team arrived at Reyjavik University Friday at about 12:00 for the international competition. Events, including a lecture by the Professor of African Politics at the university. The topic, the current crisis in Mali, is being debated with intensity, although it is somewhat disconcerting to argue against one's good friends. The CSS team makes up half of the event, the other half being composed of single delegates from other countries. There are students from Iceland, Finland, Spain, Hungary, and Ukraine, in addition to our USA delegation. The participants in IceMUN also had the opportunity to meet with the president of Iceland, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson who gave an excellent lecture on the state of modern international politics and answered a series of questions posed by the students. We also explored the President's extensive library, museum, and artifact collection. "In Iceland, everyone comes as a friend." - President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson |
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