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VOICES May 2025
Dawid: As my time in Skopje slowly nears the end, I find myself naturally becoming more reflective about my volunteering journey. Stumbling upon the opportunity, struggling to write an application, accidentally missing the interview (thanks to my poor judgement of time zones) and arriving at the airport, all of this seems like it happened a…
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reflections
All these mirrors around me reflecting what’s inside. These parts I wish to hide. All these mirrors around me, reflecting. Magnify. All these people around reflecting me. These fears of being left behind. I go. One step at a time. Knowing that the competition is only imaginary, the thoughts are loud. I sit. Observe. Let…
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Cooking as a love language
Some people feel like it’s a chore, while others will love to do it, but it’s always something very intimate. You show your culture, your personality, your skills, and also your feelings. Sometimes, it remembers your childhood, the time you spent with your family. Especially at big family meetings. What am I talking about? FOOD.…
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Skopje youth scene #1
This time, I want to take you into the depths of the youth music scene in Skopje. I have the pleasure of introducing you to bands from two completely different sides of the scene. Lost In Reverie(post-hardcore/emo/metalcore/extreme noise) They don’t believe in genres. “It’s just bad music or good music. If it’s good, it’s good,…
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Poznań, the City of Goats and Croissants
Taking the last bite of a toast with caramel and banana, you move an empty coffee cup out of the way and get up to leave the café. After stepping outside, you look one last time at the sign above the door – Czarne Mleko (’Black milk’) – and feel the excitement of exploring a…
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Modernist Skopje narrated through cartography
Skopje’s architectural landscape is far from modest. It is no surprise that its location in the heart of the Balkans manifested a confluence of various timelines existing adjacent to one another. We can see towering prefabs next to Ottoman hammams and new neo-classical façades and statues lining the Vardar. Some call it ‘kitsch’ as the…
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In Macedonia don’t be a tourist…
…be a driver. Or better yet, a passenger princess like my friend who I drove around highways, narrow alleys, uphill serpentines and lawless town streets for five days. Because hidden gems of Macedonia are sometimes random stops along the road between set destinations. Coming to Macedonia, excluding Skopje, your first and possibly only stop is…
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Balancing the scales of life
Alone time vs. social time, overthinking vs. underthinking, and work vs. life… All these things require a certain balance in your life. In my view, life is a lot about finding balance: if it’s regarding spending time, thinking, features, or social interactions. For most people, none of the extremes work or are good for them.…
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Travelling alone, but never lonely
As I write this article, I’ve been living in Skopje, Macedonia, for 8 months. During this time, I started reflecting on how I ended up moving abroad alone without knowing anyone… It made me question whether traveling alone is really being alone? Since I have never been afraid to travel or do stuff by myself,…
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A full glass of optimism
Interview with Simona Soleva, psychology graduate 1. In general, optimism is defined either as the belief that in the end everything will be alright or as the conviction that there is always the possibility of positive change. Which one do you prefer? I think, in the core of these two beliefs lies the same thing.…
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Give voices to the cats!
Badem: Zdravo! My name is Бадем (Badem), which means almond in my native language. My favorite daytime activity is coming to the office for cuddles and expertly distracting volunteers. Whenever people try to work, I make sure they maintain a proper work/cat balance, because that is very important. I will nap on their lap for…
VOICES 