We 8 Final

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AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN BULGARIA– SUMMER CAMP 2009

WHO ARE WE AND WHERE DO WE COME FROM?

Ukraine

Kyrgyzstan

Serbia

Kosova

Belarus

France

Montenegro

Bulgaria

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WE 8

We 8 Staff

Erza Mekuli

Marsel Atanasov

Georgi Mihaylov

Genc Baruti

Rozafa Maliqi

Zana Buçinca

Rudina Morina

Betim Bryma

Sanja Mracevic

Hana Buçinca

Dunja Odalovic

Goran Cetkovic

Janko Paunovic

Tijana Delevic

Natalija Paunovic

Damjan Delic

Milan Petrovic

Butrint Deshishku

Vesa Pupovci

Aleksandra Durkovic

Andrej Rancic

Sadbere Fazliu

Viktor Reljic

Daria Gayoshko

Egzon Sadiku

Zana Gojani

Floran Sahiti

Aleksa Golubin

Nita Skenderi

Patrik Glodzhani

Vanya Stoyanova

Rina Hajdari

Sophia Stoycheva

Dina Hajrullahu

Dea Tahiri

Claire Hayère

Robertino Teodorov

Mimoza Hoxha

Milana Tosic

Aliaksandra Ivanova

Desislava Tsekova

Jelena Jankovic

Rrona Zhuri

Jovana Jankovic

Faculty

Nita Kepuska

Sandra Earley

Deniza Kryeziu

Jeng-Tyng Hong

Ana Lekic

Special Thanks to:

Andjela Lekic

Krenare Lleshi

Dora Lila

Ashley Soltis

Rrita Limaj

Abeth Spencer

Stanislava Madoleva

Tony Spencer

Milena Matkovic

Neil Starzynski Kellen Utecht

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students aged 14 to 18 from Belarus, Bulgaria, France, Kosova, Kyrgyzstan, Montenegro, Ukraine and Serbia.

Eight different countries.

Eight different cultures.

For the first time this year, the three-week camp offers five different academic courses – business, computer skills, journalism, performing arts and writing skills. Every student is allowed to choose three classes, a different one each week. The five teachers are Peace Corps volunteers from America, currently serving in Bulgaria, helping students improve their English. The courses run from 9 a.m. to noon. The remaining afternoon and evening hours are filled with a variety of activities including swimming, bowling, basketball, soccer, volleyball, cooking, arts and crafts, board games, card games and movies.

Eighty-two students gathered at the American University in Bulgaria, beginning July 6, for a summer camp to improve their English through fun and study. Over the course of the next three weeks, the different nationalities connected and began to form friendships, rooming together, learning together and playing together.

“The first five days were maybe the best days of my life,” says Daria Gayoshko Vistorovna, 18, Ukraine.

The camp is five years old, and this year, attracted

We 8 magazine talked to a camper from each country for their thoughts on the experience.

BELARUS

Alexandra Ivanov, 16. Sasha, as she is called by her friends, is the only camper from Belarus. She traveled from Mogilev by plane and then for 12 hours by car. ”I like everything organized by the teachers,” says Sasha. She also likes the classes and the atmosphere that the camp has recreated. They will always be in her memories.

BULGARIA Rumen Bojidarov Stoynev, 16, likes almost everything about summer camp. “Everybody here is great,” he says. “There are a lot of friendly people.” The food is delicious, he adds, and the “teachers rock.” It’s fun because “everyday is something new. It’s impossible to get bored.” His roommates are outgoing, crack jokes much of the time and the three get along with one another quite well, he says, even though they are all from different countries (there is only one Bulgarian in the room). Rumen misses his bedroom at home, because he does not have a set bedtime there and can spend nights playing on his computer until 3 a.m.

FRANCE Claire Hayère, 15, is a French camper living the life of a typical teenager. To get to camp, Claire travelled by plane from Munich to Sofia and then by bus to Blagoevgrad over a total of six hours. She’s the only camper from France so she misses everything about her country -- the language she can’t speak with any other camper, her family and her friends. But when everything’s over and she returns to France, Claire says that she will miss the camp activities, too, and her new friends and even speaking English 24 hours a day.

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K O S O VA

Egzon Sadiku, 16, says he likes “the melding of the nationalities, the way they all communicate in English.” It’s the food he doesn’t like so much – the same ingredients over and over again at supper, he says. The trip from Kosova was long -- 11 hours on the bus -- and he was very tired. But camp was worth the journey. Egzon enjoys the ballet lessons at camp a lot and he will miss them when he gets home.

K Y R G Y Z S TA N

Duishen Orunbekov, 18, says that even though campers are from different nationalities, they understand each other very well. When he first met his roommates, Alexander, from Bulgaria and Feston, from Kosova, they were so friendly and they helped him with his SIM card so he could call home. He misses his mother’s meals, especially because he attends military school in Turkey and isn’t at home very much. He says that he will always remember camp because it’s the first time he has tried bowling.

MONTENEGRO

Lazar Yovičevič, 15, travelled for more than 15 hours by bus in pursuit of English knowledge. Lazar heard about the camp from a friend. ”I thank Nikoleta for coming here,” he says. Lazar misses his friends at home a lot, but when asked what he’d miss most about his summer experience, he says it’s his new camp friends.

SERBIA Milana Tosić, 17, has made a lot of new friends, mostly from Kosova, Bulgaria and Montenegro. She likes camp meals because the canteen serves lots of potatoes. The only problem for her at camp, she says, is that she has to go to bed too early. She would like to stay up later and party with friends. Milana likes afternoon camp activities, especially bowling. She says that she’ll remember the friends she made here and also the married couple who taught at the camp – Tony and Abeth Spencer. “They’re a sweet couple and they’re always smiling,” she says.

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UKRAINE

Daria Gayoshko Victorovna, 18. “It’s interesting learning about countries that I had never even heard of,” said the camper from Ukraine. ”I thought I’d be alone and the oldest one in the camp,” but after only a few days, she had already found new friends. She came to Bulgaria by plane, accompanied by her parents and she misses them a lot. But when she has to leave camp, Daria will happily remember everything here, including teachers, friends and special moments of the time she spent in Blagoevgrad.

Reported and written by Floran Sahiti, Dea Tahiri and Rrona Zhuri Cover illustration: Claire Hayère

JOKE CORNER

COMPILED BY : MILANA TOSIC

Blondie to her astonishment: “This clerk also says that she doesn’t serve blondes.” Sadbere Fazliu, 16, Kosovo. Squeal was walking through the forest. She forgot to breathe and she died. Damjan Delic, 16, Montenegro. A blonde goes into a nearby store and asks a clerk if she can by the TV in the corner. Donika Gojani, 16, Kosovo.

Why did the blondes stand in front of the window during the thunderstorm? Because they thought they were being photographed. Alexandra Ivanova, 16, Belarus.

“What a coincidence!” the man said with some obvious pride. “I work for the Minnesota Twins baseball team.” Duishon Orunbekov, 18, Kyrgyzstan.

Two sand flakes walking in the desert said to each other: “I think we are being followed.” Rumen Stoynev, 16, Bulgaria.

Q: Why did the chicken cross the road? A: To show the armadillo that it was possible. Q: Why did the dinosaur cross the road? A: Chicken hadn’t evolved yet. Andrea Mancic, 16, Serbia.

Two oranges are going across the street. A truck runs over one orange, and second one says: “Juice, come on.” Vasilije Perovic, 18, Montenegro.

Two ice-creams are walking in the street. A truck runs over one, and the other one melts laughing. Arber Bakalli, 16, Kosovo.

A duck came to the book shop, and the shop assistant asked him what he wanted, and the duck said: “BUK”. Shop assistant gave a book to duck then the duck went away. Half an hour later, the duck returned to the shop and said: “BUK, BUK”. The shop assistant gave the duck two books and the duck went out. The third time, when the duck came, it told the shop assistant: “BUK, BUK, BUK”. He gave him three books, and the duck just went away. The shop assistant was curious about where the duck took all the books. He followed the duck, and he saw as the duck came to the lake. There was a frog there, and the duck was putting these books in front of the frog and the frog was saying: “READ IT, READ IT.” Daria Gayoshko, 18, Ukraine.

How much do campers really know about the town that has become their home for the last month?

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OUR NEW HOME— AN INSIDER’S LOOK AT BLAGOEVGRAD Written by: Stanislava Madoleva and Georgi Mihailov

Few campers had ever stepped foot into Bulgaria prior to attending the AUBG educational camp; even fewer had walked the streets of Blagoevgrad, a city rich with history and culture as well as clothing stores and fancy cafés. Though most of the campers do not speak Bulgarian, they have been able to explore the town that has become their new home for the month of July.

The town is divided into two sections - “the old city” and “the new city.” The old city is called Varosha, which was formed during the Bulgarian Renaissance, a time of economic and social reconstruction from the late 18th century to the earlier part of the 19th, a time when Bulgaria was under Ottoman rule. Houses are decorated with old architecture and cobblestones line the streets showing signs of an earlier time.

Blagoevgrad is located between two of the largest mountain ranges on the Balkan Peninsula—Rila and Pirin, which hold the records for the tallest and second tallest points in Bulgaria respectively. Due to its location between these two mountains, the climate in Blagoevgrad varies from sweltering heat during the day to brisk winds that blow through the town after sunset.

The people of Blagoevgrad are very educated, finding themselves surrounded by two large universities – the Southwestern University and the American University in Bulgaria. The American University in Bulgaria (abbr. AUBG) is a private, selective, residential liberal arts college located in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria. The University has assumed a unique and critical educational role in the dynamic region of Southeastern Europe through its American University in Bulgaria emphasis on preparing students for leadership, community involvement, careers, and advanced study. Educated in the spirit of the liberal arts tradition, AUBG graduates become competent professionals with a broad and integrated vision of contemporary society that enhances their capacity as citizens and future leaders of the region. Annually, the city draws around 17,000 students from Bulgaria and abroad.

Center of Blagoevgrad— cultural Other attractions in the city of Blagoevgrad include the National Museum, the Opera, the Theater and many other forms of entertainment like bowling, going to disco clubs, sitting in nice center of southwest Bulgaria cafes, watching movies at the cinema and swimming at Aqua Park. Blagoevgrad is also the birthplace of Dimitar Berbatov, a famous Bulgarian football player who currently plays for

Manchester United.

Street Dogs Written by: Rina Hajdari, Egzon Sadiku, Photos by: Nita Skenderi, Interviews by: Dina Hajrullahu, Desislava Tsekova You're driving your car and you see a dog on the side of the road. With disappointment, you realize he's alone. What should you do? Throughout the centuries, dogs have been considered man’s best friends. They are used for herding sheep, protecting the household, leading the blind, providing companionship and even doing tricks. They loyal, intelligent animals that have the capacity to express different emotions. Why then is it that these beautiful creatures are frequently left at the side of the road to fend for themselves? Bulgaria unfortunately, is rampant with stray dogs, who have either run away from their homes or have grown up in the wild. And the treatment they subsequently receive is unforgivable. Teenagers kick them and

A stray dog, resting in the center of the city.

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treat them as carriers of diseases or toys that can be messed with. So in addition to having to finding food and shelter in the streets, the stray dogs of Bulgaria have to learn to fend themselves from the rowdy and sometimes belligerent teenagers. Not everyone likes stray dogs, and that’s why they get left out to fend for themselves. In general, dogs younger than four months old are killed because they are too young for sterilization. Females that are grown are killed because of the higher amount of anesthetics that have to be used in relation to the dog’s mass. A large number of dogs die due to unprofessional medical treatments, and others die from infectious diseases after they are returned to the streets.

“It’s too cruel to kill them, though it’s not good for them to be on the streets. They should be gathered in a special place and locked there, so if someone wants to have a pet they can go and adopt them there. The female one’s should be sterilized,” said the camp counselor, Edita Bekteshi.

By: Patrik Gllogjani, Kosova

Writing Skills Class By: Abeth Spencer Over two-thirds of the summer campers took part in this class, which took students on a quick tour of different creative writing exercises – including short stories, poetry, drama, essays, and the ever-popular free writes.. A total of 64 notebooks were filled with works that ranged from witty and clever, to terrifying and exciting, to sad and contemplative. Interestingly, although the exercises were the same all three weeks, each class of students put their own unique spin on the assignments and took them in new directions. For example, there was one assignment where writers took only a simple title and created the outline of a novel and a passage from that story. One of these titles was “The Republic of Good and Evil,” which became a story about a love triangle the first week, a medieval Robin Hood-type story the second, and a battle for humanity between angels and devils the third week. Similarly, giving students the first line of the poem “Roses are red” and letting them finish the next three lines led to poems that were touching, funny, spiteful, silly, sad, exciting, happy, and even seductive. Writers were also not afraid to introduce the random element into their works, whether it was creating a short story with three random words chosen from the back of a book, or deciding whether to free write about speed or Antonio Banderas. Throughout the magazine are some of the writings of our talented authors. Enjoy!

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CONFESSIONS OF A POTATO CHIP ADDICT BY: MARCEL ATANASOV Today I will introduce you to the terrible and macabre world of a potato chip addict, a tater fiend, a true spud maniac. For his and your safety, I will just address him simply as “Gonzo.” Mars: Good afternoon Gonzo, you seem a little shaky. Gonzo: What are you talking about man?!? I need some chips! At that point I reached into my trench coat and pulled out a large cellophane package covered with colorful decorations and silvery lettering that read “Sour cream & Dill” and tossed it across the table. As he reached for it, his face became calm and content. G: Sorry…It’s hard to control myself sometimes. It’s a life I wouldn’t wish upon anyone. M: It’s fine, man, I’ve seen tougher cases. His voice was muffled and wet with chewed chips. Spewing and cracking at the same time: G: How do we proceed then? You’re the experienced guy. A moment of awkward silence ensued. M: We can just continue with some questions. Let’s start with your age; How old is the person I am looking at? With a mouth still overflowing with saliva he answered: G: I’m not like I used to be, ever since I developed this addiction 8 years ago, I have become a different person. I’m 15 now. M: So, you have been eating chips for 8 years then? Since you were in first grade? Why so early? I was astonished! Was it because of the bad school environment? Peer pressure? Or was it simply because he was curious? G: Yup. First grade, that’s when everything started. His expression went from blissfully content and grinding on a mouthful of chips, to a face riddled with regret and sorrow. A loud gulp. M: I hope it’s not too much trouble if I ask for the story? A sigh echoed the small room we were sitting in for the interview. G: Hey, I knew I had to, when I agreed to being interviewed… okay. So, you know that Japanese cartoon, Pokemon, right?? I nodded slightly G: So, it was a huge hit when I was in school and there used to be these cards that everyone was collecting and trading, but the catch was you could only get them from packages of potato chips. M: I’ve heard of that story, 8 years ago, almost a whole generation got hooked on chips, because of these “collectibles,” but I thought it was just a myth. G: Believe me, it’s no myth. At first people bought the chips for the cards, but it was not long before you started buying a few packages twice a day, at least. Worst part was when you realized you’re not doing it for the cards anymore and you can’t stop either.

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A pure sign of addiction and obsession were my thoughts. G: Eventually I started eating even more and more, if I don’t have chips every hour or so, I start going into withdraw. I start sweating, my limbs feel numb, yet with constant muscle tension, after the third hour I feel like a walking corpse. The addiction also messes with my sleeping patterns. M: That sounds horrid. Maybe you’d like to stop now? He shoved another fistful of chips into his mouth. His voice was muffled again. His teeth grinding and smashing the potatoes. G: Nah, it’s alright, what else would you like to know? M: Maybe I should ask you something less traumatizing now. What about flavor? G: Flavor? He asked confusedly. M: Yes, your favorite flavor of chips. G: Oh! That’s easy, hot peppers! He said with glee in his eye and a few chips flew at my face. As I wiped them with the back of my hand with slight disgust and I asked: M: Why hot peppers? G: It’s an euphoric mix of sweet and spicy. When you put the very first chip of a package on your tongue it’s as if a divine power has reached and grasped your taste buds. With my lower jaw hanging slightly and my eyes wide open, I needed a few seconds to comprehend what he just said. M: Interesting comparison… G: You’re just like the rest. You think I’m nuts, don’t you? At this point I felt that everything was going down hill and I tried to mend the situation. I tried saying he was wrong, but before I had the chance to speak he had a furious look in his eyes and looked very aggressively at me. I felt that was the cue to bail and I just shoved my tape recorder in my pocket and headed to the door. I was passing right behind him, feeling his angry glare staring at me and suddenly, he grasped my wrist. At that point, my primitive instincts acted out, so I just pulled my hand away hard and ran for it. As soon as I slammed the door behind my back, I heard glass breaking against the wall, perhaps it was the tall glass of water that neither of us touched during the whole conversation. Gladly, he decided not to chase me. You know, I’ve seen the horrors and atrocities of addiction, but you know what? I could sure use some “Sour Cream & Dill” Pringles.

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“ ISN’T

SHE THE CUTEST PERSON EVER?” ASHLEY SOLTIS: UP-CLOSE-AND PERSONAL Name: Ashley SOLTIS Age: 24 Birthplace: West Virginia, USA University major: Painting & Drawing Camp Activity: Arts and Crafts

Everybody looks at Ashley and you can hear all of them asking: “Isn’t she the cutest person ever?”

She’s also kind about answering campers’ questions. When asked what she thought about being so popular, especially with the boys, she said, “I think it’s funny and flattering. I’m 10 years older than the boys in the camp. I was in middle school when they were born!” Then she flashed her trademark smile, the one a lot of people talk about.

One of the students, Nita Skenderi, 14, from Kosova, said: “She’s the best teacher ever. She makes your days funnier and happier.”

In the end, Ash was just hoping to be a source of inspiration and motivation. Well, we just wanted to assure Ash that she’s already a source of inspiration and motivation for us all.

FACE IT—YOU JUST LOVE HIM!!! AN INTERVIEW WITH KELLEN UTECHT

Name: Kellen UTECHT Age: 26 Birthplace: North Dakota, USA University Major: Business & Management Camp Class: Business There are many males at this summer camp, but it’s Kellen, the business teacher, who’s got the attention of all the girls. It’s not just about being handsome. It’s about being friendly, talkative, supportive and a good lesson planner. The interview we got from him was very surprising. When asked about his feelings on hearing he has the attention of all the female students, he said: “It’s a nice compliment, but I’m more concerned about what they are learning, how to speak better English and understanding business concepts.” While the students didn’t mention English improvement or business concepts, Ana, a student from Montenegro, said: “First, I just thought he was handsome. Now I think he’s sweet and cool and everybody loves him, not because of his looks, but also because of his personality.” We just hope that after all these compliments Kellen won’t let it get to his head.

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LIFE IN OUR COUNTRIES Written by: Rudina Morina, Information provided by: Dunja Odalovic, Jelena Jankovic, Photos by: Dunja Odalovic, Jelena Jankovic The AUBG Educational Summer Camp has brought together students from different countries, everyone with a different way of life. The cultural intersection between groups of students from Kosova, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Serbia and one representative from Kyrgyzstan, France, Ukraine and Belarus, has brought us even closer. Kosova is a small country which just recently became independent. The most celebrated day is the National Day of Independence, when the streets of Kosova are full of people holding flags, dancing on the streets and singing folk music. Every shop and every house has a flag, showing the patriotic feeling of Kosovars. Although the National Day of Independence is on 17th of February, the citizens of Kosova celebrate a second Independence Day, when they join together with Albanian citizens for the recognition of Albania’s Independence Day on 28th of November, also called Flag Day.

France has amazed millions of tourists with its old European culture. There, right in the center of Paris stands the glamorous Eiffel tower and some blocks away, The Louvres, which gives people the opportunity to explore the art world and learn about the greatest artists who have ever lived. It’s an opportunity to see Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, Van Gogh’s self-portrait, and Monet’s famous roses.

Montenegro is a country whose people are proud of its beautiful coast. Montenegro has a lot to offer to tourists. The town of Ulcin, which used to be a pirate town, is now one of the most preferred places of tourists. Bar is a city which gives tourists the opportunity to see the old architecture and style of life of a Montenegrin, as well as its magnificent coast. Most people find Montenegro to be a perfect place for great relaxation.

Every year, the greatest exporter of roses in the world, Bulgaria, Bulgaria organizes the traditional Rose Festival. The Festival is organized in Kazanlak and is held the first weekend of June. The main events that take place during this festival are very interesting to the visitors. They include the selection of the “Queen Rose,” the harvesting ritual, which takes place in a rose garden and a parade that goes along the streets of the town. The festival is a ritual that started years ago to scare the evil eye away and have a successful harvesting season. Kyrgyzstan is also referred as the “Switzerland of Asia,” as a result of the huge space that mountains cover. It is a unique place of special animals and plants of central Asia. The flora of Kyrgyzstan numbers 3676 plants of lower species and 3786 numbers of higher species. The 10242 insects, 1.5 thousand invertebrates, 75 fish species, 386 birds and 83 mammals are the representatives of Kyrgyzstan fauna. To preserve its wonders, Kyrgyzstan has a total of 83 specially protected national parks. The main idea about this is to organize tourism that is not harmful for the nature. Kyrgyzstan also has many festivals to celebrate its nature, such as “At Chabysh” in November, which celebrates a unique, local breed of horse.

EXIT is an annual summer festival that takes place in the Petrovaradin Fortress of the Novi Sad, Serbia. Serbia It usually lasts four days. EXIT’s mission is providing entertainment for Serbians youth, through concerts, parties and performances. Although very few people believed that this concert idea would be successful, the first concert held in July 2001, visited by 200,000 people from all over Serbia, was a proof of its success.

Every April Fool’s Day, the streets of Odessa, Ukraine are full of people dressed in the funniest way. Humorina, as it is known, is has been celebrated since 70’s. The first few Humorina festivals were actually pretty funny and sophisticated, but as years past by, Humorina became more of a tourists event. Nowadays Humorina is a non-organized costumed “parade” across the Odessa streets. The International Festival of Art “Slavianski Bazzar in Vitebsk” is an annual festival held in Vitebsk, Belarus under the supervision of Belarusian Government. This festival is devoted to Slavic music and its main participants are celebrities, mostly singers from Belarus, Russia and Ukraine and celebrities guests from many countries, both Slavic and non-Slavic.

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AN INTERVIEW WITH ALEXANDER THE GREAT-EST WRITTEN AND TAKEN BY: DESSYSLAVA TSEKOVA AND TIJANA DELEVIC PHOTOS: THANKS TO VANYA STOYANOVA Dessy: Hey, Alex. Thank you for giving us this interview. So, could you tell us your full names? Alex: My name is Alexander Acosta. My nickname is Alexander the Great! Dessy: The Great? Alex: Yeah…No! The GREATEST! Dessy –laughs- : Where are you from? Alex: I’m from Bogota, Colombia. Born and raised. Dessy: How old are you? Alex: I’m 28 years old. Dessy: I see a ring! How long have you been married? Alex: 2 years in September. Dessy: What were you like when you were a teenager? Alex: I was shy. I was cute. I was sweet… Dessy: And you’re so modest! Are there any interesting moments from your teenage years? Alex: Oh,yeah! I played basketball professionally when I was 17 for my team.

Dessy: How about from your adult life? Alex: Uh…I went to the states and I was in New York for six years!! Dessy: What are your greatest strengths? Alex: My smile Dessy: And your weakness? Alex: My smile? Dessy: Oh, yay! It’s random questions time! Alex: Random, random! Dessy: Which do you prefer-chocolate or vanilla? Alex: Chocolate. Dessy: How about coffee or tea? Alex: Coffee, of course! I’m from Colombia! What are we talking about?! Dessy: Do you play any instruments? Alex: I play the computer? Dessy: Have you ever stuck gum under a desk? Alex: You mean my new desk or the desk I had? Always! Dessy: Have you ever had a near death experience? Alex: Yes. Dessy: Um…What are your future plans? Alex: I’m going to take my SAT and TOEFL and be an AUBG student! Dessy: Wow! I hope you pass your exams! Finally, do you have any questions for us? Alex: Why are you asking me so many questions? Geez!

INTERVIEW WITH ABETH AND TONY Written by: Tijana Delevic and Dessyslava Tsekova Could you tell me your full names and nicknames, please? T: My full name is Anthony Thomas Spencer. My nickname is Tony. A: Elizabeth Kelly Marie Briggs Zaborowski Spencer. People call me Abeth. Where are you from? T: I am from Nebraska, in the United States. A: I was born in Phoenix, Arizona. A long, long time ago.

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Which classes do you teach? T: I teach computer skills. A: I teach the writing skills course. Why did you decide to join The Peace Corps? T: To serve our country in a different way, and to see and experience more of the world. A: We wanted to live in another part of the world, we wanted to serve our country… How long have you been a couple? T: Married for 5, but together for 8 years. What were you like when you were teenagers? T: I was the Geeky kid in class. A: I was pretty well behaved and very busy. I had a lot of activities. T: I was not busy at all…haha Are there any interesting moments from your teenager years? A: I snuck out of the house once. I got in big trouble for that. It’s probably the worst thing I ever did. I only did it once. How about your adult life? A: Ohh, every day is an interesting day with Tony! I wake up every morning, thinking: ”Is he going to buy me a chocolate bar today?” “Is he going to leave his socks on the floor today?” It’s an adventure… What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses? T: Oh, my God! What kind of interview is this?! I think my biggest strength is that I am good at working very well in details. My weakest point is that when I work in such details I forget the other things around me. How do you handle classroom discipline? T: I’ve tired to be as strict as possible but I haven’t really had the chance to use my discipline skills. A: Here at camp? I didn’t have any problems with classroom discipline at the camp. Random questions time! Which do you prefer – chocolate or vanilla? T: Vanilla. A: Chocolate. Winter or summer? T: Neither. Spring! Salty or sweet? T: Salty. A: Sweet and then when I’m done with that, some more sweet. Do you play any instrument? T: Yes, I play the trombone. A: No. Do you have any questions for us? T: Salty or sweet? Winter or summer? Facebook or Myspace? Money or love? Coffee or tea? …random questions.. A: Do I look pretty? –makes a cute face-

MESSY IS GOOD! BY: ZANA BUÇINCA

Do you like mess? Well, there are some students in our camp, who REALLY like it. We took a look at some rooms and took some pictures of the mess and talked to campers about it.

WITH PHOTOS BY: MIMOZA HOXHA “As for me, I don’t like the mess, I’m just lazy,” says Tijana Delević, 16, from Montenegro. Tijana’s roommates don’t mind the mess either. Mess doesn’t mean that Tijana doesn’t have an organized life, even though she’s messy both at camp and at home.

Genc Dauti, 16, from Kosova organizes his daily schedule, he says, but he doesn’t mind if his room is messy, and the chaos doesn’t really reflect his entire personality. His roommate tried to clean the mess, but then he gave up, and just got used to the untidiness. At home, Genc’s mom cleans up after him. That, he says, is why he’s lazy now. Tijana Delević’s room

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“When it’s messy, I can find my things easily, because when I clean, I think they just disappear,” says Korab Kosova, 15, from – guess where? -- Kosova. And, yes, he has a messy room. His clothes are in the wardrobe, but dropped on the floor, not hung on hangers. His roommates don’t mind the mess, he says, because they are messy just like him. And, he says, the disorder shows nothing about his character. Korab Kosova’s room Andi Selimi, 15, Kosova Genc Dauti, 16, Kosova

“MESS DRIVES ME CRAZY!!!” BY: ZANA BUÇINCA WITH PHOTOS BY: MIMOZA HOXHA

But……in this summer camp, there are also students who HATE the mess. “Mess drives me crazy” said a tidy girl from Serbia, Milana Tosić, 17. She loves being orderly because she knows where her stuff is, so she can find her things easily. She is always tidy, not lazy at all, because she cleans her home also before her mother tells her to do so. And what she hates about her roommates is THE MESS that they make.

Another camper feels uncomfortable whenever there is mess around. She is Flaka Sokoli, 14, from Kosova. Tidiness makes her feel better and more organized. She can’t stand the mess, so if one of her roommates was messy, she would tell her to clean up. Flaka is not lazy at all. Her t-shirts are stacked like books on the shelf of her wardrobe. She loves her life that way.

Butrint Deshishku,16, from Kosova is one of the few guys that are tidy and willing to talk about it. “When my room is messy, I get mad,” he says. He just can’t stand it, so if he had a messy roommate, he would try to convince him to clean. But, luckily, his roommates are just like him.

Not to be sexist, but it appeared from this research that girls are more likely to be tidy and boys messy. If a girl is messy, she doesn’t want anyone to know. If a guy is tidy…well, you know. So, thank you, messy girls and the one tidy boy. And always know: You are not alone.

CINQUAIN POEMS—By: Andrea Mancic

Sunset.

Night.

Day ends.

My ally.

Descends, floats, disappears.

Incoming, crawling, falling.

It’s fascinating each time.

My mind is opening.

Twilight.

Darkness.

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HOMEWARD BOUND

BY: ANDREJ RANCIC & ANDREA MANCIC

BULGARIA Sofia is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city by population in the European Union, with 1.4 million people living in its municipality. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and is the administrative, cultural, economic and educational center of the country. Sixteen-year-old, Rumen Stoynev is from Sofia. This citizen of the nation’s capital said he doesn’t actually like his city and that the people from Sofia are rude and impolite. Razgrad is the hometown of sixteen-year-old Desislava Tsekova. It’s located in northeastern Bulgaria, 330 km from Blagoevgrad. Dessy was asked to compare Blagoevgrad with her city. “Blago is much bigger than Razgrad and has a lot more places to go and hang out with your friends, St. Sofia, patron saint of Sofia I love it here.” But she told us she missed her hometown. “Even though it’s small, it gives you this feeling of being welcomed and accepted, even if you’re a weirdo.” Also Dessy mentioned that her city wasn’t that big and if she were asked by a tourist to be taken out to visit places, she would only have three or four places to send them to. “It’s a small city, come on! Well, maybe the Clock Tower, and also the Abritis museum, I find these places interesting.”

The Razgrad clocktower

MONTENEGRO Most of the campers from Montenegro came from the capital and largest city – Podgorica. The city is close to winter ski centers in the north and seaside resorts on the Adriatic Sea. Eighteen-year-old Vasilijie Perovic, a citizen from the capital, said that people from Podgorica are very polite and friendly and that they can help you any time you need it. If you go to Podgorica, they would definitely show you the beautiful bridges over the Moraca River, the shopping mall, Delta city (where you can buy anything and watch films), café “Carine,” discotheques like Ambis, Rio Grande, and Excalibur, and a lovely hill called Gorica, which is near the city. Aleksa Golubin is a sixteen-year-old from Herceg Novi, Montenegro. Herceg Novi was founded 600 years ago (in the year 1382). He said that we should definitely go to the Square, and to Topla. And he made us promise to go to the pancake house Roda, because they make the best pancakes in whole Herceg Novi. ”We have two Museums, The house of Ivo Andric, The school in which Njegos studied. Go to the Blue Cove, it’s the prettiest cove in the Adriatic sea. And there is also an Old city in Herceg Novi, that stretches out across the whole town, so you cant miss it.” KOSOVA There are a lot of students in the camp from Prishtina. It’s the capital of the newborn state, Kosova. When asked why he loves his city, Betim Bryma (15) answered, “Definitely, the great night life. More than half of Kosova’s population is under 25 years old. So when you go out at night you get a chance to meet people. You might think it’s not safe for our age to go out at that time of the night, but it’s really not that dangerous,” he said, considering the laws in Bulgaria. Prishtina was described by Betim as having a “vibrant community life.” There are a lot of people on the cafes or the town center. “There are a lot of places to visit! I would give the visitor a tour of Prishtina by showing them the ethnographic museum where they would learn about our culture and our lifestyle through the ages. They would also love the Gërmia Park; we go there often to enjoy the nature.”

Prishtina’s night life

BELARUS

Mogilev’s Leninskaya Street

Mogilev

The only Belarusian camp participant comes from the city of Mogilev, which is located in the eastern Belarus. It’s Alexandra Ivanova, a sixteen-year-old who is known to us as Sasha. She describes her city as “small and quiet, but sometimes it gets interesting.” Since it’s the third largest city in Belarus; we were confused why Sasha told us it was small. She explained, “Because in my country there are only six cities and all of them are small.” She said that the city has a lot of cafes and restaurants. “I really enjoy going to the Drama Theatre and Leninskaya Street (where all the youngsters hang out), and that’s where I would send a tourist.”

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SERBIA Belgrade (meaning "White City" in Serbian) is the capital and largest city of Serbia. The city lies on two international waterways, at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where Central Europe's Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. Viktor Reljic, a seventeen-year-old from Belgrade, said that what makes him love his hometown most are his family and friends. When asked where would he send a tourist, he said that he would send them to splavovi, to the centre of the city, and to malls like Delta city, Zira, Ushce, and Merkator. According to him, most of the people from Belgrade hang out in front of their buildings, in cafes (Banovic Strahinja,Obilicev Venac), in centre, discos. Sixteen-year-old Nemanja Pejcic is from Pirot. He said that his town has an old medieval fortress, as well many clubs and discos. “If you come to Pirot you Narodna Skupstina Republike Srbije in Belgrade must go to the old fortress Kale, and you must take a walk down our river Kej. And if you come during the summer we have a huge swimming pool. There are also two squares where you can sit and enjoy the sunset over the nearby hills. After doing that you’d probably love to relax, and the best place to do that is Planinarski Dom, situated a few km from the city in the mountains, or the lake Zavojsko, which is a bit further off, but worth the trip.”

Entrance to Pirot’s medieval fort Pirot’s Kej

USA Jeng-Tyng Hong, the journalism teacher, is from New York City. New York is the most populous town in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. The city is often referred to as New York City to differentiate it from the State of New York, of which it is a part. Jeng said that the best part of her hometown is the West Village, because in a city that is constantly moving there are still remnants of an earlier period in NY where live bands play accompanied by aisles of people dancing. She said that you should definitely visit the Central Park, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Broadway to see some of the shows, Her reasons for visiting New York are: “First of all, because Jeng lives there, and, because there is no other place in the world like it. You can never get bored. It’s the city of endless opportunities.”

The Statue of Liberty

Two of the other teachers are Ashley Soltis and her “better half” Neil Starzynski. Ashley is from Inwood, West Virginia, located south of Martinsburg. Neil is from Hamburg, New York, a town south of Buffalo. Ashley’s town is small, and she said that they have a really good Mexican restaurant and a few small bars, and that there is the first house in the state with electricity, which is actually a log cabin. You can spend your free time walking along fields and streams and look for Civil War relics. Neil’s town is much bigger, but also very cold. According to him it’s freezing there, but people embrace it. “We grow up throwing snowballs,” he said. Neil urged us to go to Niagara Falls when we get there, which is a 30 minute drive from his house, so be sure to ring his doorbell when you’re around. He also said there are some nice beaches along Lake Eerie. Jeng with her dog at Coney Island on the 4th of July

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HAIRSTYLES By Alexandra Ivanova and Aleksa Golubin When walking in the park or just sitting on the bench, you see hundreds of different people with different hairstyles. Sometimes it depends on their gender, age, subculture to which they belong, but sometimes it doesn’t. It also depends on their mood. Your hairstyle shows what kind of person you are and it expresses your inside world. And what about the participants of the summer camp?? It’s like a cultural melting-pot here, but still we are all young and this article will show the hairstyle preferences of the young…..just read it!! Erza Mekuli from Kosovo really likes her curly hair because in her opinion it looks better than straight hair. She said she doesn’t have much time to go to the hairdresser so she seldom changes it. You have to pay 10-15 Euros in Kosovo to have your hair cut or dyed. Ashley Soltis, who is 24, comes from the USA…’I have had the same hairstyle for a long period of time, for about 5 years, it is easy and it keeps you warm in winter says Ashley. She says that she didn’t often change her hairstyle. Moreover, she prefers not to dye her hair. Ashley likes the fact that in Bulgaria she has to pay only 3-4 BGN, whereas in America it is 25-30USD for the same cut. Tijana Delevic is a 16-year-old girl from Montenegro. She really likes her hairdo. That is why she doesn’t change it often….’the price is low: 5-10 Euros,‘ said Tijana. A Serbian boy Victor Reljic who is 17 has gone bold!!! ‘I did it because I think I look more handsome. I like it very much!!! It is so simple!!! I don’t need to go to the hairdresser any more!!!...I didn’t pay anything...I did it myself!!!’ says Victor and laughs. And the last person interviewed for the article is Robertino….He is 16 and he is from Bulgaria. It is in his blood to be an adventurer and a rocker or something like that. This is the reason for having long hair and Robertino is not keen on changing his hairstyle a lot. He feels very good with this style. He usually goes to the hairdresser once a year. Robbie said he cared a lot about his hair and this is probably why it is so shiny and smooth.

RANDOM WORD STORY {France, Moon, Diary} The only wish she ever had, could never be fulfilled. Poor girl. She always worked hard, never took breaks, always finished her job on time, like she was taught since she was little, but that couldn’t help her… One day, having finished her work early she decided to go out for a little walk. As she got out the sun struck her face, and she wobbled for a bit. Her skin was so pale, that in comparison to her a piece of white paper looked dark. That was the aftereffect of sitting at her desk during most of the daylight. She started wandering around the town, but looking the way she did, everyone avoided her. After a couple of hours, the sad girl found herself walking along the beachside. The beautiful beach extended beyond the horizon and was littered with palm trees. There was a road nearby, but no cars used it that night, so it was peaceful and quiet. With the moonlight reflecting off her hair she looked really beautiful. For once during the whole day she seamed really happy. She took her diary out and started writing under the moon. One more day passed and she still hadn’t gone to France… --Andrej Rancic

I miss you is all I can say By: Rudina Morina

I write this poem to you

Is this the way it has to be?

Showing how much I cared too

I feel lost in this storm

It’s about how blue I feel

But the thoughts of you keep me warm.

And how my soul is trying to heal.

I miss you is all I can say

Why your smile I shall never see?

Each and every day.

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Fashion around summer camp

Donika Gojani, 16, Kosova

Hana Buçinca, 17, Kosova Vesa Pupovci, 16, Kosova

Skinny jeans are so in!

Dayana Atanasova, 15, Bulgaria

Are you ready to have fun?

Aylin Ahmed, 16, Bulgaria

T-shirt and shorts, perfect summer wear

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S P O R T

Nemanja Pejćić, 16, Serbia

Y L O O K

Anđela Lekić, 14, Montenegro

Hot pink nails, Hot look!

Check out these trendy accessories, of the summer campers! Erza Mekuli, 16, Kosova

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LET THE GAMES BEGIN: PHOTO SCAVENGER HUNT!! By: Daria Gayoshko, Genc Baruti and Egzon Sadiku “I think it was funny and amazing,” says Genc Dauti, a 16-year-old Kosovar, who dressed like a woman for the sake of team spirit. His team idea made him the funniest camper of the evening. This was not his first time, dressing like a woman; he had previous experience at a birthday party. “It was very uncomfortable, but I made everyone laugh,” remarked Genc about his womanly appearance. Everyone liked the grouping of students from different nationalities, so they shared many funny and wonderful moments together. One team was running from the security guard, who became very angry after they took a picture of him. “It was a real challenge,” agreed Alexandra Ivanova. “I’m not used to seeing myself like that.”

Campers were separated into 8 teams and received great results, but two teams tied for first place – Red Dragons and Grasshoppers.

Some teams paid money for other people to take photos for them while others created a plan as to where to go first and what to do in order to be successful. There were no teams that stood around doing nothing.

The photo scavenger hunt is a teambased game and the goal is to bring photos of things or places on a list delivered to them in a sealed envelope. On Monday, July 13, 2009, AUBG campers played this game and took many funny photos. By doing this activity, campers had a good time and gained experience working as a team.

Karaoke Night Written by: Rrita Limaj, Contributions by: Viktor Reljic and Andjela Lekic On Saturday, 18th of July, from 7:30 PM to 10 PM, the campers of AUBG’s, sang and partied like they had never done before. It was “Karaoke Night” at a very popular bar called Bacardi which is located in front of the American University in Bulgaria. Almost all the students participated in the party, but only a few had the guts to sing in front of the crowd. The show opened with Rumen Stoynev, Stoynev a 16-year-old from Bulgaria. He sang the song “It’s My Life” by Bon Jovi. “I was a bit nervous,” he claimed when asked to describe how he was feeling while singing. “The location was great, but if I could change anything for the next time, it would be without me performing, so the party would last longer.” After Rumen’s performance, came Vasilije Perovic, Perovic 18, from Podgorica, Montenegro. “I felt pretty good on stage. I was very excited! And the location was nice, too.” he said. When asked what he would change if he could, he said he would sing more songs. Photo caption: Sadbere, Dea, and Donika warming the stage up for the next performer. The party wouldn’t have been as much fun without Kellen Utecht the handsome 26-yearold business class teacher from North Dakota, who was the Master of Ceremonies. Kellen added a certain flair to the whole show. On a scale from 1 to 10, Kellen would give the night a solid 9. “I liked the location” he said, “but if I could change anything I’d wish we could stay longer!” Another AUBG employee, Ashley Soltis, Soltis 24, from West Virginia, gave a perfect 10, but if she could change something, she would change the stage layout and lower the drink prices. About the location, she said, “The location was very good, because it is near our university.” The first duet of the night was performed by Korab Kosova and Andi Selimi, Selimi both 15 years old and both from Kosova. They performed the song, “Californication” by Red Hot Chili Peppers, but you could not really hear them singing because the microphone wasn’t working. “I felt a moment of happiness when I stepped onto the stage,” claimed Korab Kosova, while Andi said that “the whole feeling was very good, but sadly the microphone wasn’t working properly.” On thoughts for the location, the two friends had completely different ideas. Andi liked the location a lot, but Korab would definitely change it for the next Karaoke Night.

Photo caption: AUBG campers awaiting the Karaoke night to start.

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Neither a performer, nor a teacher, party guest Genc Dauti, Dauti 16, from Kosova, said that on a scale from one to ten, he would give the party a “2, or on second thought… maybe a four!” The location according to him was a bit small, but still pretty cool. The thing that really bugged him was the Karaoke part that went wrong. “For the next Karaoke Night, I’d definitely fix the Karaoke part and add more songs to the playlist!” Party Fashion Much the same as for every other party, girls spent the minutes between lunch and the party choosing the perfect partying outfit. Some started planning what to wear even before lunch! On the other hand, when boys were asked how long or how much importance they devoted to their outfits, they claimed that they did care how they looked, and it only took them 5-10 minutes to pick the outfit. The exception was Genc Dauti who said that it took him half an hour to choose what to wear. Photo caption: AUBG campers clapping for the current performer.

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AUBG’S GOT TALENT: STUDENTS SHOW THEIR TALENTS Written by: Vesa Pupovci, Nita Skenderi Photos by: Zana Gojani Interviews by: Zana Gojani, Rina Hajdari

On July 14th, the auditorium was filled with students, talents, and teachers who showered the performers with applause and emotions. The students displayed their talents in front of everyone, so they could all get to know each other better. The show was opened with the sweet melody of the Turkish March, played by Nemanja Pejčič (Pejča), from Serbia. All were amazed by his talent, especially when they found out that he’s only 16 years old. He started playing the piano, even before reading and writing at the age of 6. When asked about his greatest influence, he replied: “I sincerely thank my Ukraine teacher Tanja, who would be proud of me, especially after two months hard work”. He also said that it was difficult for him, because he was a bit nervous, but he hoped the audience liked it.

One of the other performers, maybe the one that was most talked about after the show, was Sadbere Fazliu (Beli), a 16 year old from Kosovo who performed differently from the others. She showed her talent in hip-hop dancing, but then blew everyone away with her belly dancing, which was unexpected by everyone. It was really interesting because of the fact that hip hop and belly dancing are not very closely related, but that question was immediately forgotten after everyone saw her dance routine. “It was hard, since I had only one day to practice but, I thank my friend Nita Këpuska who helped me pull the routine together,” said Beli, after she was asked about her difficulties. “I liked it a lot, because it reminded me of my country, Colombia” said Alexander Acosta, the executive camp assistant. “She is a great dancer, and she dances like Shakira” he later added.

Nita Këpuska, a 15 year old Kosovar, was another rare talent who performed in AUBG’s talent show. She touched everybody’s heart with her passionate voice and the enchanting melody of the song “Killing me softly” which was originally sung by the Fugees. In fact, she was a ‘whole package’ - she was confident, looked great, and she really was killing the audience softly with her performance. “Even though I was a bit nervous in the beginning, with their warmth, the audience helped me conquer my fears.” was Nita’s reply when she was asked about whether she was nervous. “I liked Nita’s performance the best, and I think she deserves to be the winner.” said Damjan Tufegdzić

Even though there are a lot of talented male singers, Egzon Sadiku, 16 years old from Kosovo was the bravest to face the campers in the auditorium. The song he picked out was “Creep” by Radiohead which he sang in a ‘so VERY special’ way. In his words, “Radiohead has had a big impact on my life. Their mysticism and their passion for music make me want to be a rock star.” Other campers also thought that “He had guts to stand in front of us and also has talent for singing.” as said by Andrej Rančič (18).

After those touching performances, there came the scary part. Metodi Deribanov (18) from Bulgaria, decided to come up with something different. He told a scary story, which in the beginning didn’t seem that scary, but in the end everyone was scared to death. The story was about how spirits try to communicate with human beings in different ways. But the most commented part about this act was when the whole auditorium was concentrating to look for “the face” of a spirit, when suddenly a terrifying face appeared which brought a lot of screaming. “It scared the hell out of me, it was really really terrifying!” claimed Rozafa Maliqi (15) with a ghastly look on her face.

The show was ended sensationally by another singing talent who brought tears to the crowd’s eyes: the 16 year old Albanian Dina Ahmeti. Because she sang perfectly, no-one would have ever guessed that it was a last-minute decision. She chose “Foolish Games” by Jewel because it is her favorite song. “This song was dedicated to someone special.” claimed Dina in her interview. “I was not nervous about the show, since I’m close to nearly half of the audience.” she acknowledged when she was asked about her feelings during the performance. “It was very very touching, and I really loved her voice.” said Jelena Jankovič (16), one of the campers. “If I had a chance to vote, I would definitely pick her.” she added.

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But not only students have talents. This was confirmed by the teacher’s sketch, ’Being beautiful’ and Alex’s dancing routine with Donika Gojani(16) from Kosovo.

The sketch ‘Being beautiful’ was played by Abeth Spencer, Kellen Utecht, Jeng-Tyng Hong and their so-called assistants; Emma Garcia, Ashely Soltis and Tony Spencer. They were hilarious with their performance and a lot of voices laughing were heard in the auditorium. “I think it went fine, I liked the part with the lipstick but we spilt water all over the place!” said Abeth, the writing skills teacher. Everyone wondered how much time it took to prepare the sketch, so Tony, the computer skills teacher, replied “It did not take a lot of time. We just took the props and we improvised”. But the funniest one was Kellen a.k.a. Charlotte, dressed as a woman. “I thank Ashley and Emma, who helped me with my boobies,” claims Kellen.

The salsa routine was a performance that was not on the list, an unexpected and brilliant piece of entertainment. “I liked all the performances, but if it was up to me, me and Donika were the winners.” explained Alex with a bit of humor in his voice.

They’re great students and well-behaved teenagers, but on this evening, their talents were discovered as well. The AUBG community, composed of 82 students, 5 teachers and a handful of other staff members got an insider’s view of what a group of talented high schoolers are able to do with a little bit of work and an endless supply of energy. Who knows? Maybe they were witness to “the next big thing!”

SLIP AND SLIDE: AFTERNOON AT THE AQUAPARK BY: JANKO PAUNOVIC, DAMJAN DELIC AND ROBERTINO TODOROV On Wednesday, the fourteenth of July, students from the AUBG camp had a chance to have some fun by going to Blagoevgrad’s biggest summer attraction - the Aqua Park. “It was cool and I really liked it,” said Tijana Delevic. It was the coolest place to be on a sweltering day. After not being able to go to the pool for a week, the students were very excited because of the fresh water that was waiting for them at the end of a 20 minute walk from their student dorms. After getting in the water, everyone was very happy. The atmosphere was full of excitement and in the water smiles decorated the campers’ faces, as they swam peacefully with one another. When asked whether the Aqua Park was accessible to all campers, Egzon Sadiku, from Kosova, replied, “I think it’s quite available to everyone, but it’s a bit expensive and far from the dorms.” After an hour, campers were exhausted and ready to go home; that was before they saw paradise on Earth - a long aqua slide. They jumped on and all had a great time once again. When asked why people usually go to the Aqua Park? Robertino Todorov remarked, “because it’s FUN!!!”

Boys and girls going for a dip to escape the sweltering heat of Blagoevgrad’s summers.

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10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU: HOW BOYS AND GIRLS VIEW THE OPPOSITE SEX It's fun to talk about boys - boys with gorgeous eyes, groovy hair, cute smiles and ripped stomach muscles. But what do they say when they talk about you? Here are some things we came up with after surveying some boys. Having complexes about their looks. “They are never satisfied with themselves and they’re always trying to be someone else.” says Ivan Ivanov (15) from Bulgaria. He has a point. Why won’t most girls go out because they have a bad hair day? Relax, girls!!! Looks are not always the most important thing guys look for in a girl. Overusing make up. “It’s alright to have a little make up, but if you look like a Picasso masterpiece, kissing you is like huffing paint.” says Mars Atanasov (17) from Bulgaria. “Why do girls think they need so much crap in their faces? Do they think that it will get them a guy?” But not all girls put on make up just to “get them a guy”. The makeup thing... It's more fun than anything. Right, girls? Being around too much. What’s the point of all these text messages, phone calls every single minute? Yeah, it’s good showing that you care, but not acting like their moms. Why are you with him, if you don’t trust that he’s not with another girl? “Yep, it reminds me of my mom when I was 10,” says Ivan “but still, behind every strong man, there’s a woman.” Gossiping Have you ever heard of “minding your own business?” What do you benefit from talking all day long with your friends about the latest fling? It’s all just a waste of time. Smoking Most of them don’t even like it. They smoke because they think that they look cool. Believe it or not, most of them hate to see a girl smoke. “A girl smoking, is not my type at all and they look so ugly”, says Rumen Stoynev from Bulgaria. “I hate to see a girl smoke, but now I’m used to it,” adds Georgi Mihaylov from Bulgaria. Being Late A girl on time is difficult to find. 10..15..20 minutes maximum, is sometimes acceptable. But being late 30 minutes? Isn’t that something very hard to handle? Even if a girl starts getting ready 2 hours before a date, there will definitely be something she forgets to do. “I even turned my watch back ten minutes so I’m not waiting around so long. That’s the only thing I can do and it works,” says Vasilje Perovic (18) from Montenegro. Jealousy “What is this text message?”, “Why is SHE calling you ’baby’?” “Are you sure she’s just a friend?” It’s a creepy habit girls do all the time. What’s the point of controlling their boyfriends like policemen? It’s a thing that guys find extremely annoying. But not all the guys hate jealousy. “I don’t mind jealousy, I’m jealous myself,” says Rumen. Ego “I hate it when a girl claims 2000 times that she cannot be reached,” says Vasilje. “They are in love with themselves,” he adds. How about girls who are naturally shy? Does that count as ego? “She will never say I’m sorry!” most of them claim, but you have to understand - it’s girl PRIDE! Provocative outfit “I don’t hate it when a girl wears a miniskirt, short tops, unless she’s my sister” says Rumen, Genc Dauti (Kosova) and Betim Bryma (Kosova). So, yeah they look hot. But will they be taken seriously by most of the guys if they continue wearing that stuff? Don’t think so… If you like him, just tell him There is one major statement that keeps being mentioned, it’s "Girls should not flirt and act like they like me, and then later ignore me." You're just flirting to feel him out, and it doesn't have to mean anything serious. We get that.

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BY: ZANA GOJANI, NITA KËPUSKA, VESA PUPOVCI, SOPHIA STOYCHEVA, MARSEL ATANASOV AND GEORGI MIHAYLOV Ok guys, we’ve come here to shed some light on the matter of utmost importance: Girls! And, in particular, what they don’t like about you. Start taking notes!

Lying to them No girl appreciates you lying to her face without even the slightest sign of remorse. You probably want to go to that movie with your friends, but there’s no need to lie and tell her that you’re visiting your grandma.

Cheating If there’s anything worse than lying with no proper reason, it’s definitely cheating. If you can’t focus on a single girl, don’t even try. “Being betrayed by the person you love is the worst pain in the world,” says Mina Slavkova, 15, from Bulgaria.

Being childish & silly If you have a hobby that some may classify as childish, just keep it to yourself! There’s no need to talk about your level 80 warlock on the first date. And don’t act silly. There’s no bigger turn off than a guy whose sense of humor is worse than making fart noises with his mouth.

Selfishness You like chips? Sure you do, but so does your girlfriend, so don’t just shove that stuff by the mouthful. Same goes for thinking only about your own convenience. “My ex used to think only about what suited him best, it was terrible, like I was his slave!” remarked Victoria Angova, 17, from Bulgaria.

Your overinflated ego You’re not THE BOMB. Stop acting like you own the world, just cause you think you’re cool.

Gross Girls don’t like it when boys are dirty, smelly and when they don’t take shower. They also hate it when you pick your nose, so please stop doing it while you’re reading this, guys!

Fake Nobody likes people who pretend to be who they’re not, especially when that person wants to be involved with them.

Jealous Ok, let’s say that you’re with an awesome girl that every one of your boyfriends wants to steal her. That’s JEALOUS!

No Respect No girl likes it when you treat her like an object. Most people have stopped doing it since 800A.D. You should do it too, Mr. Caveman!

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SUMMER MUSCLES Story and photos by: Milena Matkovic, Sanja Mracevic and Natalija Paunovic Afternoon activities in summer camp are based on spending quality time -- and nice time -- together. One of the best activities is afternoon fitness. An instructor helps campers buff up and get into the good form.

Campers can work out when they’re not busy with other activities. The equipment is available from noon to 5 p.m. and campers can stay there as long as they want.. The opportunities are huge, everything from running on the track and cycling to kickboxing, tai-chi and yoga.

Enjoying…

Robertino Todorov is 16 and from Bulgaria, but his muscles make people think he is much older. It is that because he exercises four or five days at week? This guy likes being fit and he likes the equipment camp provides. His favorite is the running machine, like most campers say. Robertino said he has no routine when he is working out. He does it free, without any rules.

“Maybe you can’t see, but I feel so refreshed now.”

One of the most active women at camp is Marija Lopusina, 23, who is chaperoning campers from Montenegro. She trains because it helps her feel better. Marija likes using camp facilities, but she said she has been to some much better. After an exhausting two-hour workout, Marija said, “I would like to have an aerobic instructor and balls for pilates. It would make this program more interesting.”

Entering heaven’s door.

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1

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SUPERSTITIONS

Written by: Hana Buçinca, Alexandra Durkovic, Erza Mekuli Interviews by: Hana Buçinca “Oh! A black cat crossed your road! Go three steps back if you don’t want to have bad luck today!

Well, a lot of people believe in these kinds of superstitions and different countries have different superstitions. Imagine in our camp are 8 different countries, which means 8 different nationalities, which MEANS you will have a lot of interesting superstitions to read about!!! Zorana, a 16 year-old from Montenegro, told us that in Montenegro people believe that if you walk under a ladder, someone from your family will die and if you break a mirror than you will have bad luck for 7 years. She truly believes in all of these superstitions because her mother believes in them too. Why is it a bad luck to walk under a ladder? This superstition arises from early Christian teachings which show that an object with three points represents the Holy Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Not all Christians are Trinitarians; therefore, to walk under a ladder, according to its origin, would only be bad luck for a Christian who believes in it. The only way to save yourself from these superstitions is knocking three times on something that is made from wood. “You can save yourself watching where fully and don’t open umbrellas indoors.” – from the USA told us that she sometimes there are almost the same superstitions as that if you see a black cat or open umfor 7 years.

you are walking, handle mirror careAshley Soltis, a 24 year-old volunteer believes in superstitions. In her country in Montenegro, also people believe brella indoors you will have bad luck

We also asked Feston Idrizi about superfrom. People in his country believe that it see a black cat or break a mirror. Howtions. Things that Feston told us about tions were really funny, like eating onions

stitions in Kosovo where he comes is bad luck if you walk under a ladder, ever, he never believes in superstisaving yourself from these superstiand garlic.

Nemanja Pejcic, a 16 year-old camper town they don’t have any superstitions and lieve in superstitions; black cats or mirrors

from Pirot, Serbia told us that in his he thinks that it is really stupid to becan’t play any role in your destiny.

The only camper who represents Ukraine is Daria Gayoshko. In her country they do toe, you have to step back on his toe or the history behind these superstitions in someone had from something and spread believe in some of them she has a simple self: “just do not believe in superstitions!!!”

and that believes in some superstitions believe that if somebody steps on your you will have a fight. Daria thinks that Ukraine comes from the fear that them around. Even though she does advice for others about saving your-

Mimoza Hoxha, one of the 35 campers from Kosovo thinks that superstitions are very stupid old gossips and she doesn’t believe in them. In her country, if you see a black cat crossing your road you have to go three steps back, you also mustn’t cut your finger nails and your toe nails at the same day because that will cause the death of someone of your family. She also thinks that some people believe in superstitions just because they are insecure and some superstitions make them feel better. Bulgarian camper, Dimitar Dimov thinks superstitions are not true and he doesn’t believe in them. In Bulgaria if you walk under a ladder, spill salt or open an umbrella indoors it is considered bad luck. To learn more about different superstitions or the similarities of superstitions of our countries, the business teacher, Kellen Utecht gave more information about the superstitions in North Dakota. He told us that if you open an umbrella indoors, walk under a ladder or break a mirror brings bad luck; these are very similar with superstitions in Kosovo, Montenegro and Bulgaria. He doesn’t believe in superstitions, but he believes in lucky charms. Kellen doesn’t know much about the history behind these superstitions, he just thinks that some people were bored and made things up. In his opinion the best way to save yourself from them is by using your gifts to serve other people. “Some people believe in superstitions because they are mentally retarded “– says Metodi Deribanov from Bulgaria with a bit of humor in his voice. One of the superstitions that Bulgarians believe is that if you stay between an open window and an open door you will get sick. Our computer skills teacher, Anthony Spencer isn’t superstitious and he thinks that nothing can cause bad luck. “People believe in superstitions because they want to believe, because it is better to think something happen for a reason instead of by chance”- claims Tony. Alexandra Ivanova, the only camper from Belarus doesn’t believe in superstitions, but she does pay attention to them, since people in her country truly believe in them. In Belarus if you see a person holding an empty basket or if you see a dead animal on the road while you are driving it is considered bad luck. People believe in superstitions because they had bad experience for coincidence and that is the reason that they start believing in them. She doesn’t know anything about the history behind superstitions in Belarus and the best way to save yourself is to be positive.

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F E AT U R E : A D AY I N T H E L I F E O F A N A U B G CAMPER Written by: Dina Hajrullahu, Butrint Deshishku Interviews by: Vanya Stoyanvoa, Stasi Madoleva The sun rises and students wake up. Outside is a cool and fresh air that blows from the river of Bistrica. Most of the students get ready and by 8 o’clock, they go to the AUBG, but some of them are left without food in the morning. Then it’s time for classes (Performing Arts, Journalism, Writing Skills, Computer Skills and Business). Everyone learns something, works together with other campers and has fun. After 3 hours of classes, there’s lunch. Usually, the restaurant serves soup, potatoes, rice, meat, salads, fruits, etc.

Trying to wake up.

After finishing lunch, students have to go to the activities for which they have signed up earlier that morning. Some options include arts and crafts, fitness, basketball, football, baseball, billiards, bowling, board games, swimming, volleyball and reading books. Then they have free time and they can use it to talk with parents, to walk around Blagoevgrad, shop, or if they are hungry, go and eat pizza, snacks, wherever they want (well, Retro is a good place for eating pizza as well as Napoli). And at 6, everyone has to go back to the AUBG to have dinner with friends. Then comes the last activity… it’s the night activity where people work in teams and have to do many interesting things like (board games, movies, team competitions etc). Patrik in the afternoon. UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH ONE OF THE CAMPERS– AILEEN AHMED

After

What is the first thing you do after you wake up? Lyn: First thing I do is to prepare for classes in the University. Which class are you in? Lyn: I’m in writing skills Why did you choose that one? Lyn: I chose it because I like writing different [things] and I especially like writing essays because they are interesting and I [can] express my opinion [on] different topics. And what do you think about the teachers? Lyn: The teachers are really nice, friendly and caring. What do you think about the food here? Lyn: The food is good actually but, I don’t really enjoy having the breakfast cause it’s kind of the same thing every day.

Ready for class.

Do you enjoy the afternoon activities? Lyn: I enjoy them, but, I think that they have to be a little bit more entertaining because some people don’t like doing them. And what about the free time. What do you do in the free time? Lyn: When I have free time I usually spend it in the dorm playing on a computer or I sometimes go out with my friends. Is it your first year here even though you are from Bulgaria? Lyn: Yes And do you enjoy it? Lyn: Yes it’s a very good experience because I have never gone to a camp where I haven’t known anybody before. Having a break.

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THE OFFICIAL AUBG CAMP DICTIONARY

I had a mission to find a few words in every single language that is spoken by our AUBG campers.— campers.— Goran Cetkovic

English

Hello

How are you?

What’s your name?

I don’t Understand Thank You

Albanian

tungjatjeta

si jeni ?

si e ke emrin ?

nuk kuptoj

ju falemnderit

Belarusian

zdravstvui

kak dela ?

kak vas zovut ?

nie razumieju

dziakuju

Bulgarian

zdravei

kak si ?

kak se kazvash ?

ne razbiram

blagodarya

French

allo

comment tu vas ? c koi ton nom ?

Je ne comprends pas

merci

Krygyz

kairyluu kundor

ishter qanday ?

atengez kim ?

tushunbodum

lakhmat

Serbian

zdravo

kako si ?

kako se zovesh ?

ja ne razumem

hvala ti / vam

Ukrainian

pryvit

yak mayetes ?

yar tebe zvut ?

ja ne razumiyu

spasibi

*

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1

Page 30

“Nobody can live without friends.” -Alexander Misselinov, 15, Bulgaria “The most important thing in the world is friendship.” -Zorana Perovic, 16, Montenegro

“Friendship is a good quality and makes us more socialized.” -Feston

Written by: Deniza Kryeziu Jovana Jankovic Milan Perovic

At the beginning, we arrived here and no one was our friend. We all looked at each other with different opinions. But the days passed and we began to like each other. W hat changed? Maybe because we liked and appreciated each other. We played together, stayed together and had fun together. We will miss each other and we all hope that these summer camp friendships will not end. We will stay in touch and will never forget these amazing times.

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CONTACT LIST NAME

COUNTRY

E-MAIL ADDRESS

CAMP STAFF

Nadejda Afendova

Bulgaria

[email protected]

Alexander Acosta

Columbia

[email protected]

Sandra Earley

United States of America

[email protected]

Emma Garcia

United States of America

[email protected]

Jeng-Tyng Hong

United States of America

[email protected]

Ashley Soltis

United States of America

[email protected]

Abeth Spencer

United States of America

[email protected]

Tony Spencer

United States of America

[email protected]

Kellen Utecht

United States of America

[email protected]

Miglena Drenska

Bulgaria

[email protected]

Maria Gergova

Bulgaria

[email protected]

Ventsislav Hrosinkov

Bulgaria

[email protected]

Radoslva Skenderov

Bulgaria

[email protected]

Edita Bektesi

Kosovo

[email protected]

Krenare Lleshi

Kosovo

[email protected]

Marija Lopusina

Montenegro

[email protected]

TEACHERS

CAMP COUNSELORS

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1

Page 32

CAMPERS NAME

COUNTRY

E-MAIL ADDRESS

Aliaksandra Igorevna Ivanova

Belarus

[email protected]

Aileen Issif Ahmed

Bulgaria

[email protected]

Victoria Ljudmilova Angova

Bulgaria

[email protected]

Marsel Martinov Atanasov

Bulgaria

[email protected]

Dayana Atanasova Atanasova

Bulgaria

[email protected]

Metodi Aleksandrov Deribanov

Bulgaria

[email protected]

Dimitar Nikolov Dimov

Bulgaria

[email protected]

Ivan Yankov Ivanov

Bulgaria

[email protected]

Alexander Georgiev Kiselinov

Bulgaria

[email protected]

Stanislava Georgieva Madoleva

Bulgaria

[email protected]

Georgi Mihaylov Mihaylov

Bulgaria

[email protected]

Mina Radkova Slavkova

Bulgaria

[email protected]

Sophia Stancheva Stoycheva

Bulgaria

[email protected]

Vanya Kircheva Stoyanova

Bulgaria

[email protected]

Rumen Bozhidarov Stoynev

Bulgaria

[email protected]

Robertino Teodorov Todorov

Bulgaria

[email protected]

Desislava Dilianova Tsekova

Bulgaria

[email protected]

Claire Hayere

France

clairehayè[email protected]

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CAMPERS NAME

COUNTRY

E-MAIL ADDRESS

Dine Ahmeti

Kosova

[email protected]

Arber Bakalli

Kosova

[email protected]

Jetlinda Bakija

Kosova

[email protected]

GencAgon Baruti

Kosova

[email protected]

Betim Bryma

Kosova

[email protected]

Hana Adnan Bucinca

Kosova

[email protected]

Zana Bucinca

Kosova

[email protected]

Genc Gani Dauti

Kosova

[email protected]

Kreshnik Deliu

Kosova

[email protected]

Butrint Deshishku

Kosova

[email protected]

Dea Drancolli

Kosova

[email protected]

Sadbere Fazliu

Kosova

[email protected]

Patrik Ibrahim Glodzhani

Kosova

[email protected]

Donika Gojani

Kosova

[email protected]

Zana Gojani

Kosova

[email protected]

Rina Hajdari

Kosova

[email protected]

Dina Hajrullahu

Kosova

[email protected]

Mimoza Rexhep Hoxha

Kosova

[email protected]

Feston Teki Idrizi

Kosova

[email protected]

Nita Kepuska

Kosova

[email protected]

Korab Kosova

Kosova

[email protected]

Deniza Roland Kryeziu

Kosova

[email protected]

Doruntine Mentor Lila

Kosova

[email protected]

Rrita Limaj

Kosova

[email protected]

Rozafa Maliqi

Kosova

[email protected]

Erza Mekuli

Kosova

[email protected]

Rinor Morina

Kosova

[email protected]

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1

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CAMPERS NAME

COUNTRY

E-MAIL ADDRESS

Rudina Morina

Kosova

[email protected]

Vesa Pupovci

Kosova

[email protected]

Egzon Sadiku

Kosova

[email protected]

Floran Sahiti

Kosova

[email protected]

Andi Armend Selimi

Kosova

[email protected]

Nita Skenderi

Kosova

[email protected]

Flaka Sokoli

Kosova

[email protected]

Dea Tahiri

Kosova

[email protected]

Rrona Gazmend Zhuri

Kosova

[email protected]

Duishon Orunbekov

Kyrgyzstan

[email protected]

Goran Cetkovic

Montenegro

[email protected]

Tijana Delevic

Montenegro

[email protected]

Damjan Delic

Montenegro

[email protected]

Aleksandra Durkovic

Montenegro

[email protected]

Natasa Durovic

Montenegro

[email protected]

Aleksa Golubin

Montenegro

[email protected]

Jelena Jankovic

Montenegro

[email protected]

Jovana Jankovic

Montenegro

[email protected]

Lazar Jovicevic

Montenegro

[email protected]

Ana Lekic

Montenegro

[email protected]

Andjela Lekic

Montenegro

[email protected]

Milena Matkovic

Montenegro

[email protected]

Sanja Mracevic

Montenegro

[email protected]

Nikoleta Nikolic

Montenegro

[email protected]

Dunja Odalovic

Montenegro

[email protected]

Janko Paunovic

Montenegro

[email protected]

Natalija Paunovic

Montenegro

[email protected]

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CAMPERS NAME

COUNTRY

E-MAIL ADDRESS

Vasilje Perovic

Montenegro

[email protected]

Zorana Perovic

Montenegro

[email protected]

Andrea Goran Mancic

Serbia

[email protected]

Nemanja Radosav Pejcic

Serbia

[email protected]

Milan Petrovic

Serbia

[email protected]; [email protected]

Andrej Rancic

Serbia

[email protected]

Viktor Reljic

Serbia

[email protected]

Milana Tosic

Serbia

[email protected]

Damjan Tufegdzic

Serbia

[email protected]

Daria Viktorovna Gayoshko

Ukraine

[email protected]

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1

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NOTES

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NOTES

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1

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NOTES

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1

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NOTES

JOURNALISM CLASS ROCKS!

Playing cards on a Thursday night.

Playing baseball on a real baseball field!

Playing tug-of-war on Monday night — GO TEAM!!! Photos and Captions provided by:

Dea Tahiri, Floran Sahiti, Rrona Zhuri

Jelena Jankovic playing billiards.

Monday night activity – “Grasshoppers” team presents the flag made to represent the group.