Long, wooden paddle boats drifted through sweltering heat on the murky, green water. The boats made their way down narrow canals, surrounded by vendors who sell various snacks and trinkets. One boat held about four passengers who each faced the bow, similar to a canoe’s seating arrangement. 

In the late days of March, members of Parker’s Model UN team rode through the floating market in Bangkok, Thailand. When approaching vendors at the river’s edge, the group often haggled, hoping to reach a good price. Model UN faculty advisor and upper school history teacher Jeanne Barr ate fresh coconut ice cream while relaxing on the slow ride. The floating market originated in a time when water served as a regular method of transportation, mainly in Asian countries such as Thailand, India, Vietnam, and Bangladesh.

“It’s all touristy now,” Barr said. “You know, I think back in the day, it was much cooler. People were literally flooding [down the river to buy] the food that they were going to feed their families. This was much more catering to a tourist crowd. It was still really neat and interesting. I’ve never done anything like that before.”

On March 22 through the 29, 19 students on Parker’s Model UN team spent time in Bangkok, Thailand for an international conference hosted by Brighton College. The students were accompanied by Barr, Upper School history teacher Kevin Conlon, and art teacher Kay Silva. The conference welcomed about 400 students and ran for three days—Saturday to Monday. Six Parker students served as chairs in the conference and had an additional event on Friday.

Model United Nations (Model UN) is an extracurricular activity that works to roleplay the debate behind real-world issues through the perspective of various countries. Conferences are composed of several United Nation committees that debate societal dilemmas like climate action, race equality, government activity, and more. Within the committee, students that roleplay as delegates represent different countries, and students that are chairs work to lead the committee and organize discussion between delegates. 

Before traveling to Bangkok, Parker students did research about the topics and dilemmas to be debated. On the first day of the conference, Parker students along with participants from other schools worked to shape resolutions for the specific topics assigned to committees. 

“Then, [the student’s] job was to research everything [they] could find out about [their] country’s position on topic X topic and be prepared to debate topic X, and then write a resolution of what [they would] like to see happen,” Barr said.

Parker students interacted and worked alongside students from international schools. Barr described the conference environment as intense and intimidating for some students. 

“It was a little bit of a, I don’t want to say a shark tank, but the knives were out and there was some competition within the committees [in terms] of who got to shape the debate, and who was [going to] get left out of [the] debate,” Barr said. “Our students really had to step up.”

Barr also mentioned that in the conference, it was important for students to “assert their voice” and be “a little aggressive” to ensure that the student has a role. 

Many of the students at the conference were Thai by descent but had spent their lives moving between international schools in different countries. All together, students wrote resolutions, led debates, and came to conclusions. In November, chairs for committees were already selected, and Parker students began communication with co-chairs at the international school.

“In the US we don’t have a lot of international schools where over there, it’s a core part of the society,” Head of Crisis, Special Operations Chair, and senior Drew Klauber said. “It was just really cool getting to interact with the international school kids because they’re so diverse, and they have so many different perspectives.” 

Parker students worked alongside individuals from Korea, Japan, Britain, and Nepal. The intersection across cultures exposed Parker students to new opinions, viewpoints, and stories, outside of the conference as well. 

“One of the kids that I got a ride home with one night was like, Thai/Chinese,” Klauber said. “He [was] telling me about how the Chinese population integrated with the Thai population and how that came out to be a new culture, and it was just really cool.”

Junior and committee chair Anika Gehani chaired alongside an international student from Thailand who had lived in Germany, Dubai, and Australia and spoke four different languages.

Gehani was the head chair for the World Health Organization committee that discussed government regulation, control of recreational drugs, and animal testing. She described the conference as “intense” leading her to feel confused while chairing the committee. 

“I didn’t really know what was going on at the beginning, and that stressed me out,” Gehani said. Gehani mentioned that as the conference progressed, she began to feel more confident and excited. 

“Several Parker students won awards designated by organizers of the conference. Seniors Rania Jones and Rocque Lipford served as team advocates representing the USA on the case for the International Court of Justice. The specific topic was based on a real case that occurred in 2003 involving oil rights in Iraq. Lipford was additionally designated an “honorable advocate.” Senior Kapil Chaudhari was named “best delegate” for his committee. Also, seniors Lucas Daskal, Jack Kahan, and freshman Chase Wayland all received honorable mentions. 

Gehani designed the logo for the conference. The image featured a blue globe, adorned with a handshake symbol. Silhouettes of Thailand scenery crowned the top, and a feather-like design wrapped around the globe. 

Before the conference, organizers created a website contest for students to submit ideas for the logo. The winner would have their design featured on big screens and items distributed at the conference. The instructions and criteria were to create something, originally hand-drawn, related to Modern UN, Thailand, and diplomacy. Gehani spent five hours on a design that initially was rejected, but conference organizers reached out two weeks later asking to use it.

Gehani’s experience essentially began during COVID-19 lockdown. “I started drawing more because I just liked sketching and drawing,” Gehani said. “It was something I did on the side. Then, I did like a lot of [design] classes. But then, like, I got an iPad, and I started drawing [a lot more] stuff and making logos.” Gehani now designs all graphics in the Parker yearbook.

Since the conference only lasted three days, the Model UN team also took time to explore the city of Bangkok and engage in cultural activities. The group visited two World War II Sites, one a cemetery for war victims, and Barr described it as a “gratifying” and emotional experience.

“I was in tears at the cemetery as I was reading the inscriptions on these graves,” Barr said. “[The British and Austrailians] were prisoners of war who were put into forced labor by the Japanese, and they had to build this railroad under the worst possible conditions. It’s unbelievable what these people went through, and we were in their cemetery.”

The group also visited a shrine with a reclining Buddha that is covered in gold leaf and the size of Parker’s fourth floor hallway, according to Barr. She described the Buddha as “central” in Thailand and a prominent part of everyday life. 

Gehani noted cultural normalities in Thailand that the Parker group had to accustom to. In the temples, you have to take off your shoes, and you can’t point your feet at the Buddha,” she said. “There are so many things that you have to be aware of as a tourist.”

 “It’s really lovely because the Buddha’s message that the Thai people adhere to is about peacefulness,” Barr said. “They really take a lot of pride in their happiness, and a lot of it has to do with their reverence for a peaceful model of Buddha. I really enjoyed that.”

The group also spent time doing a Thai cooking class, receiving Thai foot massages, visiting Chinatown, and relaxing in the hotel infinity pool after hot days.

The trip to Thailand was Model UN’s first international trip since prior to COVID-19 restrictions. In the past, the club has traveled to Dubai, France, Italy, and Scotland.

 Barr noted that she is a “big believer in student travel.”

“We’re not there just to have fun. It’s not a vacation by any means,” Barr said. “There’s a reason for what we’re doing, and there’s a lot of preparation that goes into it. I think that creates just a great bond among the kids, which puts everybody on the same playing field.”

Barr mentioned that Model UN works to provide “opportunities to engage with” international students on “very heavy, political, issues.” She described the simulation as an “amazing forensic, rhetorical, [and] intellectual endeavor.”

“I value the relationships, the exchanges, the intellectualism, fun sparring that you can do, and there’s a real opportunity to be a moral force in the world working with young people outside the classroom,” Barr said.