Running out of time

It may sound ordinary but it’s true – sooner or later everything comes to an end. Without even noticing it we spent a whole week in Bulgaria discussing different religions and the co-existence and cooperation between them. It was an interesting, inspiring and enriching experience, which helped us discover new paths of knowledge and get some unforgettable memories.

The last days of academies are usually a bit sad, it is the moment when the group has already grown together and knows that it will have to split soon. In order to fight that sadness we did our best to keep busy.
We started with an intense discussion in the morning, where we covered all elements we have discovered throughout the week.

Not only that we discussed the co-existence of religions in Bulgaria critically, we also got to compare the situation with the one in our home countries. Afterwards it became more personal, questions like “how important is religion for the (national) identity” or “how children should be educated spiritually” appeared in the discussion. That brought all into the right mood for the last task of the academy: preparing the final presentation. The participants decided to prepare a short movie, a play and a game show and were splitted into groups.

The movie group filmed a love story that depicted conflicts inside a religious family, on one hand, and on the other- a conflict between representatives of different religions. The theater group managed to make us all laugh by their play which showed Jesus Christ as a woman that couldn’t find her place in the modern world. And finally the quiz group made an overview of the whole week. The team created games that included pictures, pantomimes, drawing and associations.

EUSTORY and the Values foundation awarded all participants with a certificate and a nice dinner in a Bulgarian traditional restaurant. Everyone danced the Bulgarian dance horo while some of the best folklore songs were played. The party continued in the hotel until early in the morning when Mara and Meta were the first who left to catch their flights. Bring all the best to your home places, Eustorians, and never forget that you have to be open-minded and ready to move boundaries if you want to achieve your dreams!