Category English
First day of school – COVID-19 edition
In Bulgaria, the first day of school starts on the 15th of September. I was told during my first few days in Blagoevgrad that this day is like no other because the whole city becomes very vibrant and active. While reminiscing my days in primary school and high school, I was excited to see the […]
Training course in Durres – Albania. Youth and volunteering
Between 2nd and 11th October 2020, a training course on structured volunteerism, conducted by the Beyond Barriers Association, was held in Durres, Albania, as a fourth activity of the Erasmus+ supported project “Volunteering connecting communities (VCC)”. The main goal of the TC was to support the professional development of youth workers and youth leaders working […]
Calmness and serenity: the charms of Chinese Traditional Painting
Have you ever heard about Chinese traditional painting? Have you had the chance to see an artwork of such a tradition? If not, doesn’t it bother or intrigue you that, studying art history at school and through our lives, we stay so far away from and so ignorant about Oriental (or indigenous, or African) forms […]
Failure is the key to success
This is a commonly said phrase to many successful people, a way to say that making mistakes makes it easier to make the right decision over time, and it encourages you to feel better about your errors. But what’s important is to determine how to use our failures to learn, grow, and change. It teaches […]
The beauty of seasons
Many parts of the world have four seasons, each one with its special characteristics and landscapes, with colors and patterns of weather. I am talking about spring, summer, autumn, and winter. In Europe, we have all of them in different periods of the year but not all countries have seasons. Why we have seasons? NASA […]
Quarantine in Finland
I returned to Finland after 10 months doing my ESC – project in Skopje, Macedonia. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Finland has listed countries which are in the red zone – meaning when you return, you need to stay in home quarantine for two weeks. And Macedonia was one of these countries.The quarantine was without […]
Modernity and the perception of reality: surrealism as utopia
Have you ever had an idea that popped into your head and it felt like something lightened inside you? That is what happened to me in the past few days, after I remembered of these two marvelous namesake paintings “The Human Condition” from René Magritte. Eager to dive deep into the various possible meanings of […]
Imagine trains crossing the borders of your imagination
In these unusual times, we are living in, there will never be too many opportunities to see beyond current difficulties and catch a breath of fresh air to foster our imagination and look ahead. Currently, transportation services are in standby, or at least significantly decreased in terms of frequency. Gaining a glimpse of insight into […]
The golden ratio φ
Life is all a matter of proportions after all, don’t you think? By the way, are there “perfect” proportions you could use in various fields? Let’s dive into the mathematics to reflect a bit together on this allegedly unanswerable question. So, mathematics might appear as a surprising choice to think about such a philosophical topic, at […]
The soul of old items
How do you describe your job?Excellent, thrilling. I love it. What is the hardest point of your job?The hardest point of my job is when people don’t appreciate antiques. For them, it’s just an old object, so they throw it away. The hardest one and I don’t like it but it’s what it is. How […]
Welcome Paul, our new volunteer from France!
Good morning everyone! My name is Paul (Pol for close friends) and I come from France, the little city of Dijon.I got my diploma in Literature and in addition, I have worked in different fields of activity: factory, farming, shop. However, what has changed me the most was doing civic service in a retirement home. […]
