The room that I occupied was heating up. The heat was uncomfortable and yet, I had no intention to move anytime soon.

It was the night of my birthday and anticipation was running through my veins. I quivered with excitement and some trepidation. It was not only my birthday but also the day I had decided to fill in the application for the Secretariat of Kabul Model United Nations’16.

Avoid Ambition, I once read. But the ambition to me is like an obsession. It keeps me going. I applied and was invited to a Skype interview with the president of KMUN-Yahya Qanie.

The Skype interview was elaborate and fun. He seemed so very impressed with my CV and my plans; I had a very strong feeling that I would eventually get selected.

Hope is poisonous; I also read once. Nevertheless, I crossed my fingers and waited.

On the Sunday of 17^th August, I received a message that I was to be the Editor In Chief of Kabul Model United Nations.

Whenever I break the good news to my parents, they give the expected reaction. This time, they were worried but still very happy.

After spending hours Googling and absorbing the beauty of Kabul, I realized why they had been worried. Kabul can be a violent and unstable place, what with Taliban clinging to it like a leech. My entry from India into it would only jeopardize my life.

As the Editor In Chief, I would be not only heading the International Press Committee but also making sure that my team and I work as a collective and cooperative unit. I was also free to devise a newsletter that would include all the major happenings of the conference.

Later on, I confronted myself for why I had applied in the first place and realized how foolish and impulsive I had been. Just to see the ‘you have been selected’ message, I had done it without realizing what I was getting myself into.

Some of you might say, ‘Oh, at least your CV will look ten times greater.’

Yes, it will! But superficiality is overrated. I care about the people of KMUN I had to inconvenience with my exit from the conference. I inconvenienced myself for cooking scenarios of what it would be like to drive on the Darulaman road and take in the dreadfully beautiful scenes of Kabul.

It was devastating, reassuring and confusing, all at once.

Not everything reeked of hopelessness and negativity in this ordeal, the Skype interview I was a part of helped me brace for my future interviews. And, this is why I want to help all those out there who are preparing for a Skype interview soon. Here are some tips from my side.

I learned that the key to nail such interviews is:

To pretend that the person you are talking to is in the room with you. Thus, use your hands to express yourself and speak clearly.

Keep a notebook and pen with you at arm’s distance. In case it is a two part question, you will be able to pen the complexities down immediately.

Prepare well for questions like-“What is your biggest strength or weakness?’

Lastly, smile, be friendly and crack a joke or two. Most interviewers chuckle and flourish at your ease too.

Also, it is not just about getting selected. In my heart somewhere, a vestige of my soul wants to go to Kabul one day and do some kind of community service. I would love to go to an Orphanage and bring smiles to the children who may have lost their loved ones to war and illness.

See? All is well that ends well.