Crossing the Language And Cultural Bridges in Istanbul

Ioannis Ntountoumis │ ioannis_doudou@hotmail.com “¿Cómo te llamas? Wo wohnst du? Vad talar du? Quel âge as-tu? Tι κάνεις;” “Mi chiamo Yannis, I live in Istanbul, eu vorbesc greacă, je mi 27 let en Ik ben goed!” Istanbul constitutes a case in itself. It is a unique metropolis which offers, more than any other city, different … Continue reading Crossing the Language And Cultural Bridges in Istanbul

Brussels – more than an ‘EU hub of interns’

Susanne Wander │ susanne.wander@gmx.de New Town? I have to confess that before coming to Brussels for an internship for the second time in my life, I did not have much of an idea what a ‘New Town’ was and how many of them could be found around Europe. Neither could I have imagined how much … Continue reading Brussels – more than an ‘EU hub of interns’

The European Commission and my Luxembourgish(!) Experience

Rumen Halachev │rumen.halachev@gmail.com If as an MA Euroculture student you are interested in European affairs, there is no better place to do your internship than a European institution. This is why I was so happy when I was told that I had been selected as a trainee at the European Commission in Luxembourg. The Directorate … Continue reading The European Commission and my Luxembourgish(!) Experience

Feature Story − A homeward bound X-mess

Most Euroculturers are multiple-identity-layered beings. We have studied, worked, lived and loved in different places, and frequently we call more than one place our home. But when Christmas comes closer, it claims our full commitment to the used-to-be traditions and the one-family, one-home cliché – a real challenge when trying to get into the Christmas … Continue reading Feature Story − A homeward bound X-mess

The Nobel Peace Prize as a Reminder of Peace for the European Union

Ioannis Ntountoumis │ioannis_doudou@hotmail.com “The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2012 is to be awarded to the European Union. The Union and its forerunners have over six decades contributed to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe”. Thorbjørn Jagland (Chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, … Continue reading The Nobel Peace Prize as a Reminder of Peace for the European Union

The Christmas Spirit: between malls and memories

When did the ‘exotic’ become more available than the traditional, and how did we move so quickly from dial-up internet connections to Wi-Fi on high-speed trains? While sipping from an extra-sweet coffee, subconsciously aware of the fact that the coffee beans must have been picked by impoverished women and children in remote plantations somewhere in South America, … Continue reading The Christmas Spirit: between malls and memories

Christmas in Sweden − Living in a snowball: Do not shake It, please

It usually starts every 13th of December after I ‘release’ myself from the library where I was studying for my final exams. It is time for Saint Lucia’s Day, or Santa Lucia as we call it in Sweden, and with a lussebullar in my hand I join the Lucia celebration in Stora Torget, Uppsala’s main … Continue reading Christmas in Sweden − Living in a snowball: Do not shake It, please