Second Group Update

For our second group update for the Bridge Year Program website, we decided to write an unofficial guide should you ever find yourself in Serbia.

http://www.princeton.edu/bridgeyear/updates/archives/index.xml?id=7138

Hope it's to your liking!

Building Bridges via BIMUN

If I had the chance to be any professional for a day, a diplomat wouldn’t particularly be my profession of choice.  That’s not to say that the duties and responsibilities of this internationally political career path aren’t interesting; it’s just that if I had one day to be anything, I would like to try something unconventional –something along the lines of a chef or a snowboarder or even a violinist in a world-renown orchestra.  But after spending four days at the Belgrade International Model United Nations (BIMUN) conference, I’ll admit that one huge perk of being a diplomat is the opportunity to meet people from all over the world.

From March 15 to 18, the BYP Serbia group headed to Belgrade to participate in BIMUN.  For those of you who are not familiar with Model United Nations, it’s a type of conference where students from high school to grad school gather and represent the various countries involved in –none other than– the committees of the UN.  Needless to say, BIMUN was the international version of model UN in Belgrade.  After applying and (shockingly) being accepted, I was told I would be one of two members representing the Morocco delegation in the Security Council; its topic was the crisis in Libya.  Jacob represented Pakistan and Tucker France in the Security Council Crisis Committee, which addressed the Israel-Palestine issue; Charlotte represented Jordan in the Human Rights Council, covering corruption in the Balkans; and Yentli represented Serbia in the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in order to discuss preserving culture in Kosovo and Jerusalem.

Of course, these issues required research and preparation; and while some of us prepared at different intensities, I think it’s safe to say that none of us were expecting what the conference truly and fortunately ended up being about: forming friendships with people from around the world.  At this year’s BIMUN conference, 37 countries from five continents were represented.  Basically everyone at the conference is currently living in Europe, but there were people originally from Colombia, Singapore, Egypt, Kyrgyzstan.., just to name a few countries.  Never in my young adult life had I felt so worldly and so invested in an international community to this extent.  Every day at the SC sessions I tried my best to be engaged and participative, but it was always much more exciting for me to have the opportunity to interact with other participants outside of the sessions.

Conversing and spending time with these amazing people has opened my eyes (even further than the Bridge Year Program already has) to the importance of connecting with the international community. The world is about so much more than just the country you come from, and it’s extremely essential to be aware of that.  This BIMUN experience only further confirms that when I return home to the States, and later to Princeton, I’m coming back as a person with bridges that will link the world I've known to the new one I’ve discovered over the course of these six and a half months.

And we're back

Firstly, I would like to make up for some lost time, so...Meppy Christmahannukwanzikah! Happy New Year! Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day! Happy Presidents' Day! Happy Valentine's Day! Did I miss any other major holiday since I've last posted? I've realized how long it's been since my last post and am determined to bring my blog back to life. I don't want to bog you folks down with information overload, so an as-brief-as-I-can life update will have to suffice until I get back into the grove of writing these things regularly.

Hmm, where to start?

In the beginnng of January I went to Budapest with my Novi Sad homestay sisters, Dunja and Nikica; their friend, Bobi; and Dunja's boyfriend, Nikola. It was my first time visiting a "traditional" looking European city, and I savored every minute of it. We wandered around the two parts of the city for hours, shopping, eating, sight-seeing, soaking in the sun, etc. The trip contributed to ending the first half of my journey with a bang.

The Fisherman's Tower was my favorite
structure we saw over the course of our 36-hour trip.

The view of the other half of
Budapest (I think the "Pest" half)
 from the Fisherman's Tower.

Heroes' Square

On January 9th, the BYP Serbia group started the second half of its adventure by moving to Niš. As we drove into the city, there was snow on the ground and mountains within plain sight. Regardless of these immediate physical indicators, we could sense the multidtude of differences between this true Serbian city and the Vojvodinian city that is Novi Sad were waiting for us to discover them. Our first week was spent getting acquainted with our new home via some sight-seeing and a scavenger hunt.

view of Niš's city center from its fortress

just hanging out at the remains of an old mosque in the fortress

We had the opportunity to visit the WWII concentration camp,
Crveni Krst (Red Cross). It was the first time I had ever been to one,
and it was a bone-chilling and surreal experience.

 One of the upper floors of the main building was
where vicitms were kept. Anywhere from 20 to
30 people were crowded into each cell.

The Skull Tower constructed by the Turks and
made of -surprise!- the skulls of Serbian soldiers.

As soon as our orientation week ended, we moved in with our new homestay families, started work, and continued our Serbian lessons the following Monday. I reside at the Ković residence with Darko (dad), Emilija (mom), Miša (17 year old brother), Nina (9 year old sister), and Baka (grandmom). They're definitely a spirited and fun family. I love how they watch movies and play card games often and lunch with Darko's parents every Saturday afternoon. Although their family dynamic is different than that of the Skorić's, it suits me just fine.



my new room

I got to go snowboarding with Darko and Miša (they skiied)!

view from the slope

I work at Svratište za decu ulice, or Drop-in Center for Street Children, during the weekdays. There I hang out with the children; we eat snacks, color, play board games, share our limited vocabulary in various foreign languages, and just talk. Despite how unfortunate their home lives may be, they are a cheerful and enthusiastic bunch, and their joy is infectious.

I hope I haven't disappointed, but that is honestly all that's happened in these last two and a half months. It feels good to be back, so I'll surely post again when I have more to share.