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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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.…
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Welcome Lucile, our new volunteer from France!
Hello everyone! I am Lucile from Bretagne (the best region in France!). During my studies in international business, I had the opportunity to live between six to twelve months in Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, and Vietnam. After my Master’s graduation, I went back to India for 2 years to work as a Business Manager in…
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To feel is to live
Some tell us to follow our heart. “The truth lies beneath” – they say. But what do we do if the destination of our heart is foreign to us? Where do we go then? Others say that the brain should be the one in the driver’s seat. They say that feelings are the cause of…
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VOICES October 2020
Hello again, Greetings from downtown Skopje! Back in 2003, the talented composer Matthew Bellamy from Cambridge wrote “Our time is running out”. For this October edition, we invite you to think of the time in its wide meaning with us and our cross-border fellowship of writers. Angela brilliantly highlights the fascinating nature of seasons: familiar…
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Mama Miti – Mother of Trees
Wangari Maathai – eco-warrior, activist, Nobel Peace prize laureate. Can planting one tree really make a difference? It can, if you let it grow into a movement to preserve nature, protect forests and livelihoods of rural communities. If you plant more and more trees in the backyard of an authoritarian government, to bring about change…
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Why Earth? Because of you
We have heard a lot of stories and theories about Earth. Some voices say Earth is a special place, unique in the whole galaxy, other voices instead say that it could be like any other planet. We are different, that’s why we have our own opinion about what Earth means for us. For me, it…
VOICES 