amilahibic

[amilahibic]

My trip to Albania

This september, I decided to step out of my comfort zone and apply to a few youth projects in Albania. Mostly Tirane and Durres. I didn’t want to be sad if I got rejected so i didn’t really have high hopes.

But, then i woke up one morning and received an email which said that i was accepted to my very first youth project in Durres. It was called “Media (red)using stereotypes and divisions among youth”. And that is when my little journey began.

To make it short, I traveled alone from Bosnia to Montenegro and then stayed a night at my friends house there, and the next morning I got accompanied with 3 boys to Tirana and then to Durres.

The place where we stayed was pretty spacious. Huge hotel with a big backyard and in the middle of the backyard was this place where we gathered for every meeting. It looked like an oval cupola. They also had cages with dogs, birds and monkeys in front of the hotel. When we arrived, it was already night and everyone else was already outside exploring Durres.

First day was interesting. We got to meet each other and i was surprised that even after our meetings we still hung out with each other. I thought everyone is going to divide into smaller groups but that wasnt the case, fortunately. We spent nights blasting music from different countries and just chatting with each other. We visitied and hung out on the beautiful beaches of Durres. We sang together and had an awesome time. Shoutout to this amazing group of people that i have met.

We had meetings every day in this cupola where we did various of different things. We learned about media and how it has a huge impact on our everyday lives and how it can come to these divisions and stereotypes especially between younger generations.

For examle, one day, we got to make our own country with our own rules, money, language etc.It was fun working in groups and chatting with everyone in different languages. That was also how i got to know everyone and learn more about them.

Other time, we made our own blog website and got to present some of the news that we posted there. I had a rough time with wifi and finding my way on the website ngl. But it was nice that we had someone we could ask for help, and even after they provided another wifi box for us!! <3

And what is the best way to learn about society and media controlling us than to watch the famous “The Truman Show”. It was the best night and best way to wrap up our meeting. 

One night, we had an intercultural night where we brought goods from our country. We all came from various countries : France, Albania, Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia, Montenegro, Kosova, Macedonia, China, Belgium, Greece, Romania and so on. My fellow Bosnian and I brought coffee and 3 kinds of cookies, because in Bosnia you HAVE to start your days with those!

Shoutout to the amazing organizers for the whole project. They were truly amazing and made every meeting fun and lively! They also equipped us with lots of cookies and coffee which we could take on our breaks! Thanks for that !! :)

And now, this mini blog of mine comes to an end. I just want to tell you, if you are debating wether to apply to a project or not, trust me, do it. It definitely pays off in the end! :)

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