Why did I say Yes? Anonymous

“Why did I say yes?” I question past decisions as I frantically pace the empty corridors of the Hershey Lodge. That Saturday night, the Great American Hall vibrated with the sound of popular music and hundreds of happy teenagers. I should have been having fun at the dance with the rest of my friends. But I couldn’t. The rocks in my stomach would sink the party boat.

Flashbacks of the months of work leading up to this moment rushed me as I ruminated. Why did they choose me?“Why did I say yes?”As I heard the music stop and the thunderous clapping of a crowd, I knew time was against me. I sped to my delegation’s nightly round table, where we discuss the events of the day. How, in the Security Council, one delegate from Ukraine had forfeited Crimea to Russia or how, in General Assembly, the DPRK had managed to enhance the illegal arms trade through a series of passed resolutions. But tonight was different. I could not dislodge my discomfort. I stood outside the room, honestly because no one had arrived and I did not want to broadcast my anxiety. One by one, students from my school parted from the crowd of dance-goers and filed into the room. A boulder fell into my stomach as I realized that for the next year, their experience at...