u/temporo_wave

I'm going to my first MUN conference in 2 weeks, and something that's really been bugging me is the social aspects, specifically during unmoderated caucuses where you have to walk around and form blocs with people. Obviously I can't avoid doing that, so I need some advice on how to successfully form or join blocs. (And also how to contribute to discussions and agreements about the papers that we'll work on)

(Also, I want to compensate my lack of social skills with good research, so how do I politely let people know that I can back them up with solid research and info as well?)

I have terrible social skills, and it's very unlikely that I'll know people at the conference that I can easily go up to. So unless I get a good country (like one of the big 5 or something), it will be very difficult for me to easily join a group. (Also I'm a naturally blunt, reserved and formal person, please don't say that I should act friendly, bubbly or approachable or else I'll have to uphold that tiring persona for the rest of the conference + 2 days 😭)

So uh, I (un)fortunately got selected to participate in an IIMUN in mid July, and I have no clue how to prepare. I know my school will probably inform and guide me on a couple of things, but I still want to know how to prepare on my own, especially since I'm hella stupid in general. I have close to zero knowledge on current affairs, general country stances, reputation and views, geopolitics in general, and I have TERRIBLE critical thinking skills and debate talent. (plus I don't even have a solid understanding what goes on in an MUN so there's that too...)

I really want to improve all of this before the MUN. A lot of people say "just larp and you'll be fine", "even if you didn't research enough you can still make/talk your way through" BROTHER NO. I'm actually cooked. I have crippling social anxiety and a shit personality so socializing my way through during the unmoderated caucuses will be really difficult. Also, I'm definitely likely to freeze on the spot when faced with a POI and make a fool out of myself. (So I really want to have solid research, facts, statistics, policies, etc. drop any research tips!)

So guys, please give me all of the tips you've got for a complete (and oh boy I mean ABSOLUTE BEGINNER) beginner. Also feel free to elaborate on any important terms, rules, duties, procedures, etc, I should know.

I know that people could easily chalk this up to trauma from being bullied/laughed at before, but that's not it.

Rather than being a trauma response from me being bullied or laughed at as a child, it seems that my brain just simply processes collective laughter as a threat/danger, the same way it would process someone trying to hit me or as if I was being followed at night. I'm not that scared of loud noises either, so I don't think that's it.

I just feel insanely uncomfortable in situations where people just erupt into laughter like they all share a braincell or something. Theres an underlying sense that I'm expected to laugh as well, but I can't due to the discomfort. I think that discomfort: being unable to laugh/being threatened by the need to join in on the laughter is a result rather than a cause for that threatening feeling. (But I might be wrong)

An example I have for this, which I go through really often, is when I'm hanging out with my friends at school, and someone makes a joke, does something silly or gets into a funny situation that makes everyone erupt into laughter. And then I just kinda shut down or freeze because my brain processes it as a threat before I can even process the joke. It's not that I didn't hear/see the funny thing properly (although by nature I DO find it hard to find a lot of things funny), it's that 1. I couldnt process the joke 2. The shared laughter made me anxious, not ABLE to process the joke properly. This same thing happens when someone does something funny in class and everyone laughs, or when I'm watching a video and theres colleective laughter after someone does something funny.

I just got my braces yesterday, and it was genuinely so hard to brush my teeth last night. How do y'all even do this?? 😭

My ortho gave me a V-shaped brush and told me to brush my teeth in a straight line (side to side), and avoid brushing up and down (mentioned nothing about a circular motion), but it was really hard to brush my teeth in the recommended way and now i feel hopeless about ever being able to brush my teeth normally again. My dad had to help me with it and even so he couldnt get to the back, so I had to do it, but I ended up half-assing it because it was near impossible and I couldnt even see it... Plus my bottom layer is really crooked, the braces/wire are in a zigzag shape, so it's lowkey impossible to brush that layer in the recommended way.

So guys, please tell me if I should differ from my ortho's recommendation. I'm not sure if everyone was told to brush their teeth like this on their first braces installment, or if I was one of the uncommon exceptions. I'm asking if I should go against the recommendation because I see a lot of people brushing their teeth with braces normally, or in a gentle circular motion, and even at a 45 degree angle for both the upper and lower half of your teeth (that one seems the most doable for me as of now, if I REALLY shouldn't brush my teeth like the first two ways.) Then again, I'm not sure if the people doing a circular motion/brushing the regular way have had braces for at least a few months, while I just got them yesterday (and apparently I could risk getting the adhesive worn off?).

Also please let me know if it is worth getting any additional products like a waterpik, interdental brushes, etc. (It seems impossible to floss with braces too, please let me know how you guys do it.)

I'm 15F, 165cm tall or 5"4 and 40kgs. I'm completely new to exercising in general and I wanna start working out at home (maybe with some weights) so I can be healthier, strength train, and gain lots of muscle/get a buff physique. I'm sort of physically weak so I'm a bit scared of accidentally causing any injuries during workouts (I can't get a personal trainer so I don't know what to do about form correction incase I'm exercising wrong 90% of the time)

Do you guys have good recommendations? i.e. Youtube videos (since there's a ton out there and I'm not certain which couple of videos I should pick out), specific workouts for my goals (strength, muscle gain, better physique/aesthetic), dietary/bulking suggestions, etc. Anything would help, thanks.

I'm in 11th grade, almost 16 and I don't even have a dream uni or college planned. I feel super lost, immature and unprepared because all of my peers have decided colleges to go to since grade 9. I don't even have anything in my portfolio besides my IGCSEs, so all of the building will have to start from now.

Not really asking for a bunch of spoonfed recommendations (even though that would be helpful), but I just really need help with how to actually research on what colleges I should apply to.

For a little context, I'm from India and I have no desire to study in my own country. Ultimately, I want to study abroad, preferrably in any one of these countries: Germany, Denmark, Singapore, Switzerland, or Canada. But unfortunately, I'll have to do my undergraduate in India unless I get a scholarship, then pursue my PG abroad in any of the countries I mentioned. (I also wanna work abroad)

I want to pursue a career in tech (specifically game development/design, software engineering/development, or ml/ai with how the current computer science market is.) OR astrophysics/astronomy, it would be favorable to get jobs that mixes the two fields. If those somehow fail, then my only other option and passion is viscom/media (art, films, screenwriting, animation, etc.)

With that vague idea of what I want with my future, how do I go forward with researching colleges to apply to? (including main dream colleges and safeties)

(Additional side ramble: I'm really stressed and fixated on finding a few college as soon as possible, because then I won't know what to add to my portfolio, even if I don't have one ideal dream college. For example, a lot of unis in Singapore require a minimum requirement for community service hours, some unis require a standard minimum score on the IELTS, how will I achieve all of that without knowing the exact requirements for the colleges I'm going to in the first place? That's why I'm trying to rush everything now.)

Say you have a secret collaborative board, the only other collaborator being your private alt account, while your account is public. If you were to change that board to become public, would all of the pins (including the ones that the private account saved) be visible to your followers/people who see your boards?