Every Goodbye is a new Hello

Dear friends,

It is often said that in life every end is a new beginning. The semester is close to its end. So is my Multimedia Journalism class.  Is this the end of my blogging adventure, though? Not at all!

Three months ago I started an exciting journey through time. I met with people from seven different countries, who grew up in the 90’s and experienced their childhood in seven different ways. They played different games, read different book, watched different movies, enjoyed eating different meals…but they were united by something so much stronger! All of them were children of the 90’s. Childhood back then was not about having the coolest iPod or the newest computer game…It was about acting, creating, feeling…exploring reality with all your senses. As Norma from Mexico said:

“I am glad that I learnt to have fun just by being close to nature, running around, playing in the park and riding my bike.”

Indeed, things seemed to be so much simpler back then. Domestic animals, grandparents’ garden, the fresh air… This is all I needed to have fun. After I interviewed Makhina Mirzoeva from Tajikistan, I knew that I was not alone.

“During my childhood I was visiting a kindergarten and most of the time I was with my grandparents in our home outside the city and it was pretty good, I would say – the big house, a river, fruit trees and a lot of raspberries and strawberries. We had domestic animals and I was taking care of them. I was usually collecting eggs or picking carrots and bringing them to my grandmother to prepare some meal. “

Perhaps all these feelings are quite subjective. Perhaps we glorify the past, just because back then we were too young and inexperienced and childhood seemed to be so much more interesting and exciting. As Marion Gottlieb from the US said:

“When you are younger, emotions and experiences are seen more intense and more overwhelming, because you can put them in perspective of the experiences you have already had and the knowledge you have already gained. When you go through experience you haven’t been through, it seems so much more epic.”

However, it seems to me that our childhood years actually taught us the most important lessons in life.  My blogging journey helped me identify three of the most important ones:

1. No matter the cultural differences, we are all the same in our essence.
2. If we want to be happy, we gotta learn (or better remember) how to appreciate small things in life.
3. Always keep the child in you…And don’t take life too seriously! It is not like you are getting out alive! 🙂

I really did enjoy and learned a lot from my first blogging experience! I hope that you enjoyed it too! Have a wonderful day and keep following me, because my journey DOES NOT stop here! 🙂

With love,

Nikoleta

Growing up in Bulgaria

Every now and then, when we hear on the news that Bulgaria is threatened by an economic crisis, my mom starts laughing and joking.

“Have we ever been out of crisis, starting from the 90’s?” she says.

My parents often told me that after the falling of the Socialist regime in 1989, people were quite confused. They did not know what to expect, but hoped that it might be for the better. When I was a kid, I often heard my grandparents talking about politics…. They were always mad at those people in the government, who were “robbing the nation.” In fact, they had some hope, when Simeon, the former King of Bulgaria came back to rule us as a prime minister…I remember that when he got elected,  we went out of the living block to celebrate and dance Horo in the yard together with the neighbors. Then…when he disappointed them like everybody else, I came to the conclusion that all politicians must be bad people… I still don’t know if I was wrong or right.

Back then I had no idea what the word “economics” means, but I heard people complaining about it. I knew that my parents did not have much money…But I didn’t really feel it. They did everything possible to ensure that I had a happy and fulfilling childhood. Things seemed to be so much simpler back them…

I would get up at about 8 am and have my breakfast. My favorite one was a slice of bread with lyutenitsa and cheese on it, served together with a glass of ayran! Just like all Bulgarian kids in the 90’s, I also loved having banitsa and boza in the morning!

Then, it was time for games and entertainment. I would go out with the kids from the neighborhood and spend hours playing with them. We always had something to do – riding bikes, rope jumping,  playing football, hide and seek, battledore and shuttlecock and all other kinds of games…The local playground was like a second home for us!

When I came back home, it was time for my afternoon nap. Isn’t it funny that when you are a kid, you hate sleeping during the day, but once you grow up, you would die for a nap! What was interesting about me is that the only way my father would ever make me take a nap was spending at least 15 minutes dancing Sirtaki with me in the living room…until I fell asleep in his arms.

Perhaps that’s one reason why I have always loved dancing… I remember I wanted to be a ballet dancer when I was a kid. My mom even started taking me to modern ballet when I was five…I was the youngest one in the group, so the older girls considered me their talisman.

Since the 90’s were a transition period for Bulgaria, I remember I liked both Soviet and Western books and movies. The Russia production Nu Pogodi was just as favorite to me as the Disney characters Aladin, Timon and Pumba, The Lion King and Bambi. The American fiction series ALF was another huge hit at the time. However, as I was spending lots of time with my grandparents, I was also quite familiar with all the Latin American telenovelas flooding the airwaves at the time. I remember I knew all those long names of character, such as Branca Letícia de Barros Motta and even corrected my grandma, whenever she mispronounced them.

When I think of the 90’s, the songs of Aqua, Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, La Bouche and Vengaboys echo in my years.  Mr President’s Coco Jambo was probably one of the greatest hits at the time, which you could hear at any kids event, even when the 90’s were long over. Whenever I heard my favorite songs on the radio, I would hurry up to record them on a cassette, using my father’s old cassette recorder.

The natural world has always been a passion of mine, since a very early age. I loved going to the natural museum and listening to my father reading to me about animals from his books… I liked animals so much, that I have barely had a period in my life when I didn’t have a pet at home.

Visiting my grandparents in the countryside is another beautiful memory of my childhood. Actually…a thousand of memories! The crowing of a rooster in the morning, the smell of grandma’s freshly baked Patatnik, the joy feeling so tall  on my grandfather’s shoulders, the black-and-white pictures in the paper albums,  the long hours spent walking in the mountain and exploring all those amazing trees and flowers, learning how to dig the soil and plant seeds, how to pick the ready carrots and potatoes, how to cut the parsley without damaging its root…

Today’s kids might consider those things too simple and ordinary…too old-fashioned and boring. They wouldn’t understand. They wouldn’t find them magical and exciting. Childhood back then was not about having the coolest iPod or the newest computer game…It was about acting, creating, feeling…exploring reality with all your senses. It was all about the natural beauty of simplicity. 🙂

Growing up in Mexico

Being one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world, with 16 boroughs and more than 300 neighborhoods, Mexico City is a fascinating capital that provides its visitors with plenty of opportunities for sightseeing, entertainment and cultural experiences.

Now, as she is far from her hometown, Norma Casillas Pitol, an exchange student from Mexico reminisces about the place where she grew up.  Norma was born in Mexio City in the 1990s and she remembers this period as extremely favorable both for the country and for herself.  Similar to many other countries in the 90’s, Mexico was going through a transition period.

“At that time we were changing our president. We had a party  that was ruling the country for over 70 years, so people were hoping for good things and positive changes. Most people were kind of employed and we did not have as many problems with unemployment as we do now. Generally, we were economically stable.”

Norma loved living in the big city and she remembers spending her childhood years playing in the park outside her house and riding her bike around the neighborhood.

Every morning she would get up at 7am and walk to her kindergarten. After her classes, Norma enjoyed going to Hawaiian dances in the afternoon. Then it was time for games and entertainment. Apart from the mainstream hide-and-seek, Mexican children enjoyed playing games such as Pisoton – trying to step on other players, and the so-called “Stop” game.

“There are a lot of people in a circle. They usually choose the country that they want to be. One of the players declares war on another and then they have to run. When the person who has declared war says “Stop!” the other needs to stop. Then the first person has to reach them by calculating the steps in advance. If they manage to do it, they win.”

Norma liked Mexican music, but she was more fond of performers, such as Queen and Robby Williams.

Her favorite books and movies in the 90’s were The Little Mermaid, Anastasia and “everything related to princesses.”

When it came to food, Norma was a great lover of traditional Mexican cuisine.               Meals prepared with tortilla and tacos, Chilaquiles and Fajitas were and still are among her favorite tastes.

One of the most precious memories Norma keeps of the 90’s is going to interactive museums together with her parents.

“These museums are specially designed for children, because they don’t just give you information, but also encourage you to do and arrange things with your hands, so you learn while having fun.”

Norma finds it a little bit disturbing, as she sees all those children unable to entertain themselves without their iPods and computers in the technological era that we live in.

“I am glad that I learnt to have fun just by being close to nature, running around, playing in the park and riding my bike.”

Growing up in the United States

Marion Gottlieb, an exchange student from the United States, remembers the 90’s as one of the most peaceful and fulfilling periods of her life.  That was the time when she grew up as a happy and carefree child in the small town of Falls Church, Washington DC. The period was also a prosperous moment for the United States history.

“We were going through a boom time economically through the majority of the 90’s. We pulled out of the Gulf War in 1991. We had Bill Clinton as a president. He was a president for eight years and we had a surplus in economy, so we were able to spend on improving domestic and international trade.”

Marion’s day started at 9 am, when she would wake up and prepare to go to school. Kindergartens were half-day open at the time, so children only stayed there for four hours.  They spent the rest of the day playing outdoors.

“I liked my little neighborhood. It was very nice and kid-friendly. I had a yard that I was able to play in together with the children from the neighborhood.”

Marion’s favorite game back then was “fugitive”, or “an updated version of hide-and-seek.” During the summers she enjoyed swimming in an outdoor community pool.

“I was in a summer league team. It wasn’t really very competitive. However, it was great fun. I was going there every summer for many years until I was 16.”

When she was in 1^st grade, Marion really got into reading. Apart from Harry Potter that Marion was a huge fan of, she liked reading series.

“There was that American Girl series. It was like a franchise – they made dolls that were based on characters in books.  I got the magazines too. “

Marion was also interested in historical fiction. She was particularly fond of books in the form of diaries. She remembers reading about a young Native-American girl who lived during the 1850’s and underwent a lot of struggles. Another interesting book she remembers was about the colonial period of the US, when they were a colony of Great Britain.

When it came to movies, Marion was not a huge fan of cartoons.

“I enjoyed seeing real actors. My favorite movies were Jumanji and Honey, I Shrunk the Kid.”

When Marion thinks of the 90’s, the songs of Spice Girls echo in her ears.

“Ginger  was my favorite one. I even made my parents get me that Spice World movie. I recently rewatched part of it… It was absolutely inappropriate for kids with all those sex jokes.”

Similar to many kids, Marion was a picky eater. She was not fond of all types of food, but she pretty much liked all kinds of sweets.

“I liked cakes. And I really liked yoghurts. I used to get these yoghurt custards. My mom used to pack one with my lunch every day. “

Another vivid memory that Marions has of the 90’s was the celebration of Halloween. She
remembers dressing in all kinds of ways during the years – from a little pumpkin to a mediaeval-type princess.

                                                         “I dressed up every year until I was 11. My last year I dressed as Galadriel from The Lord of the Rings.”

Marion smiles as she remembers all those moments of joy and the excitement that she felt when she went trick-or-treating in her neighborhood.

“When you are younger, emotions and experiences are seen more intense and more overwhelming, because you can put them in perspective of the experiences you have already had and the knowledge you have already gained. When you go through experience you haven’t been through, it seems so much more epic.”

Like it or not, we all grow up. The world changes, our values and perceptions change, we change… However, it depends on us to what extend we will let time erase the child inside us. While I was shooting a video of Marion playing hide-and-seek and eating chocolate cake, something in her smile told me that her young self was not completely gone… She enjoyed re-experiencing her childhood. Perhaps we all need to do it from time to time… Perhaps we will never be completely ready to grow up…Perhaps we don’t need to. 🙂

My Journey Till Now

Dear friends,

It has been five weeks since I started my journey, and it is time for me to summarize and share with you what I have learnt so far.

Blogging turned out to be an exciting thing to do. Some of the people I interviewed were my close friends. Others I thought I know well…and still others I met for the first time. What I realized was that until you ask a person about their childhood, you cannot claim that you know them at all.

I knew that my Vietnamese friend Hieu is really passionate about mathematics. I knew that in addition to majoring in Math and Economics at AUBG, he is a devoted tutor teaching both Calculus and Linear Algebra…However, I never asked myself where this passion comes from… 🙂

It turned out that back in the 90’s, Hieu was an enthusiastic reader and subscriber of a kids’ journal called Math and Kids.

“I had almost all the issues and there is still an extensive collection of these issues in my home.  We usually solved problems from each issue. We were very excited about sending them to the publishers and then we got little monetary rewards for our work. That was pretty amazing.”

I also knew that most Albanians are polyglots… The ones I have met at AUBG speak 3 or 4 languages, and Italian is usually one of them. However, I never asked myself what helped them learn to speak it so well. It was Ili who gave me a hint that 90’s cartoons played a big role in learning.

“The major part of my friends can speak Italian mostly because of this – because they used to watch Italian TV, when they were kids.  I also have friends who speak German because of this.”

When I met Alungoo I virtually knew nothing about her…and very little about Mongolia. I was one of the ignorant people who related Mongolian history just to Genghis Khan …and Mongolian culture to the breeding of their famous horses.

I did not know about the severe economic crisis in the country during the 90’s

“In every 2 weeks or so, people were forming long lines in front of food shops and waiting for hours in order to get bread.”

I had no idea how creative Mongolian children could be, until I heard that they were playing with colorful sheep knucklebones, each combination of which had a different symbol.

And, of course, I had no idea that Mongolian hip-hop was sooo good!

Listening to Alungoo talking about her childhood years in the 90’s gave me a deeper insight into her country’s history and culture, and made me realize how many things I can learn, if I just ask people about their own stories…even when it comes to your closest friends.

I have always felt my Tajik friends Sheroz and Makhina very close to me. … At first I found it strange – after all Tajikistan and Bulgaria were located on different continents, separated by almost 4000 km, and belonging to different historical and cultural backgrounds… Or at least we were supposed to be different.  The more I talked to them, however, the more I realized how much we were alike. We often had the same preferences for food, movies, music and activities… But why was that? After asking them about their childhood, I realized that when we were kids, we liked the same games, such as klasiki, the same books, such as “Doctor Aybolit”, and we had parents concerned with the same issues…

“And we were forced to eat our breakfast– otherwise we would not go anywhere.”

In fact, my journey so far has taught me that no matter where they grew up, what the situation in their countries was at that time, what kind of games they played – klasiki,  Meo Duoi Chuot, soccer or sheep knucklebones, and what their parents wanted them to eat for breakfast…90’s kids share a lot in common.

All of us experienced our childhood on the threshold of transition – historical, political, economic, technological and social…We loved exploring reality, even though it was not a virtual reality. We enjoyed playing games, even though they were n0t high tech games, and we learnt to be social, without being in a social network…It seems to me that we were the last generation that had the chance to do that… And in a way that makes us reminisce those years, remember them with a smile and nostalgia…

In the first short movie I created, you will see me experiencing part of the childhoods I described in my previous posts… I had the feeling that at least for a day, I could go back in time and play, taste, listen and feel what children around the world did in the 90’s.

I hope that you enjoy it. 🙂

 

My First 5-shot Video

Hello, everybody!

I am excited to announce that I just created my first 5-shot video. It is composed of five 5-second shots and it shows the creator of Bad Habits at AUBG smoking and shooting at the same time. :))

From now on, most of my posts are going to contain such videos. Let’s hope that they will be much more successful than this one! :))

Growing up in Mongolia

Rolling grasslands, galloping horses and the glorious Genghis Khan – these are the first associations that come to people’s minds, as they think of Mongolia. Alungoo Bellezza, Political Science student at AUBG, finds it funny that so many people still associate Mongolians with nomadic horsemen…Especially as she knows how much things have changed during the years. Heavy traffic, fancy cars, Western European fashion and cuisine are now integral part of the capital Ulan Bator – the place where Alungoo was born and raised in the 1990’s.

All these changes and transformations, of course, happened due to key moments in Mongolian history. Alungoo’s childhood years were one of those moments in history.

“The 1990’s were the end of the 70 years of socialism in Mongolia. The Democratic Revolution, which was started by young people, overthrew the Mongolian People’s Republic and one of the leaders was our current president …  Mongolia was transformed from a utilitarian regime to liberal democratic one. The economy in Mongolia was liberalized too. Even though political and economic situation were transformed, things were still in a very bad condition.”

Ration cards were still being issued and stores shelves were depleted. In every 2 weeks or so, people were forming long lines in front of food shops and waiting for hours in order to get bread or what is left there.

Despite the severe crisis in the country, Alungoo keeps many nice memories of her childhood. Going to the kindergarten, for instance, was a very exciting experience for her.

“I used to go to a French kindergarten. It was also like a gymnastics school. We used to do stretching and speak in French. “

In addition to going to the kindergarten, Alungoo also enjoyed playing outdoors. Something more, she was allowed stay out till later than many other 90’s kids could even imagine!

“I would stay out till 2 am in the morning. It was always safe. I also had a nanny, so she was always by my side.”

As a kid, Alungoo enjoyed playing many different kinds of games. Yo-yo and “elastic illusion” (rope jumping) were among her favorite ones.

Traditional Mongolian brain benders were also very popular among kids.

“It is a puzzle that you have to put together.” she explained “It takes time and concentration.”

The sheep knucklebone (Shagai), however, is probably the most unique and memorable game of all. Four knuckles of sheep bones are painted in different colors, jumbled and then thrown on the table. In the Mongolian version of the game each knucklebone symbolizes a different animal – a camel, a sheep,a goat, and a horse. The different combinations of animals have a different meaning. Four sheep, for instance, mean that you will be lucky.

“Each combination has a symbol. It is really popular in the countryside.” Alungoo said.

When she was at home, Alungoo enjoyed different types of entertainment.

“I loved tamagotchi! It played a very important role in my life!

However, I often killed my “pet”, so I had to buy a new one.” she said. “I also loved animals, but my mother would never allow me to get a real one.”

Similar to many 90’s kids, Alungoo was a great Harry Potter fan.

“I used to go online and take some courses on Potions class. At that time I used to know all the spells that were in Harry Potter.”

Alungoo was also passionately interested in the history and culture of Ancient Egypt, so she had a huge collection of books and CDs on this topic.

Since she studied in a Russian high school, Alungoo’s movie preferences were quite affected by Russian culture.

“I liked Russian cartoons, adaptations of Pushkin fairytales…everything connected to Russia!”

When it came to music, however, Mongolian kids were quite patriotic.

“We really liked Mongolian hip hop. It was always about love. I remember all the lyrics even now.  “Ice top” was one of the most popular hip-hop groups at the time.”

When it comes to the taste of the 90’s, the first association that Alungoo makes, are her favorite pirozhki, which she used to buy from her secondary school canteen.

“There were many different kinds” she said. “My favorite pirozhki were with potato stuffing.”

Pirozhki…Well, they certainly were one of the tastes of my childhood too! I ate them with strawberry jam and marmalade, however…. Isn’t it funny? 🙂  Despite the distance of almost 6000 kilometers separating Mongolia and Bulgaria, the love for pirozhki is one thing that unites us…or at least if we do not consider the stuffing. 😉

Have a wonderful day, everybody! And do not forget to smile! A smile is the most beautiful accessory you can wear! :))

Growing up in Vietnam

When you meet Hieu, the first thing that will strike you in him is his radiant smile. Whenever I see him, I have the feeling that he is the happiest person in the world, who is simply unable to get depressed or angry with somebody.  I have always wondered where his amazing positive attitude comes from….until I asked him about his childhood in Vietnam. 🙂

The 90’s seemed to be like a fairytale for Hieu. As he described this period:

“Well, I would say that my childhood was pretty blissful. I was lucky enough to be born in the 90’s, when peace had already been achieved in my country for 15 years.”

Hieu is grateful that he had the chance to spend his childhood in such a peaceful and stable period for the country, especially as he is well aware of what his ancestors went through before.

“As you might know Vietnam underwent three wars – one with China, another one with France, and finally – with America.  The last was concluded in 1975, and Vietnam officially opened its doors to the world in 1986. The diplomatic relationship with America was normalized in 1995. So basically during the 90’s our country’s political and economic situation was pretty favorable and safe. We were lucky to be born and raised during that time”

Hieu grew up on the outskirts of Hai Duong – a Vietnamese province in the Northern part of the country. He spent most of the time with his grandparents, as his father was working far away from home and his mother was taking some advanced courses in education at the time.

“Sometimes my brother and I felt a little bit lonely, but that made us love our parents even more when we saw them back.”

Even though his parents were far from him, Hieu grew up in a close community.

“The town where I grew up was a very nice community. Everybody knew everybody and they were like our family.”

Apart from spending time with locals, Hieu enjoyed going to school, even though he had to wake up very early in the morning…The young boy usually woke up at 5 or 6 am.

“Well, don’t get shocked, because most Vietnamese schools from the elementary to the college level start at 6:45 or even earlier, so it is pretty normal for us to get up a way earlier than that to prepare for school stuff.” he explained.

Similar to other 90’s kids, hide-and-seek and soccer were quite popular among children in Vietnam. However, Vietnamese kids also came up with more creative kinds of games, one of which was Meo Duoi Chuot, or “Cat Catches Mouse”.

“First a group of players use rock, paper, and scissors to decide who will be the cat and who will be the mouse and the rest just form a little circle. There are like 10-11 people in one game, so the rest form a closed circle to separate the cat and the mouse. The game starts when the cat starts chasing after the mouse and everybody else chants a theme song. The challenge for the cat is that it has to follow exactly the same route that the mouse has taken and if the cat fails to catch the mouse during the song, then it has to take another round. With another mouse, of course, as a punishment.”

When he was a kid, Hieu was not very fond of books. However, he was an enthusiastic reader and subscriber of a kids’ journal called Math and Kids.

“I had almost all the issues and there is still an extensive collection of these issues in my home.  We usually solved problems from each issue. We were very excited about sending them to the publishers and then we got little monetary rewards for our work. That was pretty amazing.”

That explains why Hieu is so passionate about mathematics nowadays. In addition to majoring in Math and Economics at AUBG, he is a devoted tutor teaching both Calculus and Linear Algebra.

The movie, which according to Hieu is emblematic for the 90’s is Journey to the West, created by a Chinese director.

“I have watched it about 10 times, but I never get bored. It is about the journey of the four monks to India. It is an adventurous story.” Hieu said.

As for their music preferences, Vietnamese 90’s kids liked fast-beat pop tracks, such as the songs of My Tam, who was quite famous at the   time.

“Most of us did not like old songs that were favored by our parents.” Hieu explained.

When asked about the taste of his childhood, Hieu seems to be more than excited.

“I loved my grandmother’s stir-fried rice with eggs and chicken so much. When I was a kid, I just couldn’t imagine one day without it! It is called Com Rang in our language.”

In addition to his favorite home-made dish, Hieu liked tasting the fruits of his neighbors’ fruit trees. Something more, this is related to one of his dearest childhood memories:

“As children, we stole fruits from the farmers. (Laughing) But the funny thing is that when we got caught, we weren’t punished at all. We were even rewarded with more fruits, and you know, they gave us milk, even chicken and fish. As I said, everybody in the community was very close and they liked us. “

That last quote made me smile…and laugh…and then think. 🙂 It must have been a wonderful community, indeed.  In fact, Hieu’s childhood seems to me so simple, peaceful and delightful that it is like a fairytale –  in a land where all people live in harmony and happiness, ready to help each other and forgive the small mistakes… Because they feel like one big family! I wonder if such families still exist…I don’t know. One thing is certain, however – they did in Hai Duong during the 90’s. 🙂

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Growing up in Albania

It is said that you cannot claim that you know Albania, until you have visited Elbasan. Located right in the center of Albania, on the north bank of the picturesque Shkumbin River, Elbasan consists of a variety of different landscapes; objects and stories coming from Roman times to our days. Despite its relatively small size, the city is considered one of the most important historical, cultural  and commercial centers in Albania and a place worth visiting.  To put it briefly:

“It is a nice place… and warm, really warm.”

These are the first words that come to his mind, as Ili Muzhaqi, sophomore at AUBG, thinks of the place where he spent his childhood.

Even though the history of Albania encompasses thousands of years, the 1990’s will always be a particularly significant period both for the country and for Ili’s life.
After the falling of the Soviet regime, The People’s Socialist Republic of Albania was dissolved and in 1991 the Republic of Albania was founded.

“It was a transition period, so many people experienced a disruptive change.  Most of them didn’t know what being politically and economically free was, so a lot of uncontrolled changes happened. That made people poor, even though they were free. “

Similar to other Balkan countries during the 90’s, Albania was in a state of serious economic crisis.

Ili describes this period as being both “a nice and a difficult time to be a child.”

Although the overall situation in the country was not easy, Ili remembers the days of his childhood as being quite carefree:

“My father would take me on his bike and take me to the kindergarten. I would stay there something like till after lunch. We would sleep there, eat and everything. Then my mother would finish work and come and get me.  We would get home. Kindergarten was a fun time so mostly it was about playing. I didn’t really do chores.”

In addition, Ili finds that childhood back then seemed to be much simpler:

“There weren’t so many cars, there wasn’t such a big influence on kids…You know, like “don’t let them play on the street”, “don’t let them do this”, or ”if he watches this movies, he is going to be afraid”. There was no such thing back then.”

Kids were also playing simpler games – together, in the physical world, and not in a virtual reality. Hide-and-seek was the most popular game among Ili’s friends. Boys were just as interested in soccer, however. They could play it for hours in all possible kinds of places, even in “a field of stones” if they had to. What really mattered was to play.
From a very early age, Ili already knew how to get what he wanted. He would refuse to eat anything, unless his mother read to him from his favorite books. He liked to hear the stories of Harry Potter and those of the Disney characters, while he was having a meal.
As for his favorite taste at the time… Well, it was simple                            as a piece of chips.

“I loved potato chips. Lays at the time was the best thing you could give me.  And each time I would get out of kindergarten with my mother, I would beg her to buy me chips.”

The music which Ili relates to his childhood includes the songs of pop groups, such as Aqua and Blue, as well as the super hit
“Makarena”,  which he describes as “the top one”.

During the 90’s Albanan children had the opportunity to follow Italian TV channels and see a lot of Italian movies.  Ili himself was a huge fan of Italian TV productions.

“It was this Italian TV channel which had a lot of cartoon movies for kids – that was my favorite channel.  Then, they wouldn’t broadcast it anymore, because it was outside of Italy. I remember I cried at that time.”

In addition to enjoying the nice cartoons, Albanian kids also learnt a lot from foreign-production movies.

“The major part of my friends can speak Italian mostly because of this – because they used to watch Italian TV, when they were kids.  I also have friends who speak German because of this.”

That explains a lot of things. No wonder that most of the Albanians at AUBG are real polyglots, speaking 3 or 4 languages. It seems that it all started with 90’s cartoons! 🙂

Growing up in Tajikistan

I met Sheroz in my freshman year, as we were dining in the university canteen.  When he told me that he is from Tajikistan, all that I could picture in my head was a small country somewhere in Central Asia…  I did not know Sheroz very well either.  In fact, all that I could tell about him was that he never missed to greet me, hold the door for others and let ladies go first. He had manners. And even more importantly, he was taught to treat people with respect.

A whole year has passed since those first impressions and the same Sheroz who I barely knew at the time, now I feel and refer to as “my Tajik brother”.  I had the chance to learn a lot about Tajik history and culture and even try their delicious national cuisine. My impressions of Tajik people became even more positive when I met Makhina  five months ago, and she immediately stroke me as being extremely honest, kind-hearted and polite.

We spent countless evenings comparing our countries’ past, languages, values, traditions, and, of course, the way we spent our childhoods.  What were the conclusions that we reached? Well, we are quite different…but not as much, as we are alike.

Similar to other Post-Soviet countries, the 90’s were a difficult period for Tajikistan.      The collapse of the Soviet Union caused the country to go through dramatic political and economic changes. As Sheroz pointed out:

“The political situation was quite tense.  Starting from 1992, we had a civil war and the economic situation was not better. We were in a sort of crisis. People had money, but they had nothing to buy. Stores were empty, so it was pretty hard time. All this was happening amid the clashes of the Civil War. People were escaping. Some left to other countries like Russia. A lot of people migrated to the US. People were trying to move to a safer place. It was not only crisis in terms of economy, but there was also inner conflict inside the country, which created really big tension, which lasted for a few years.”

Despite the crisis and the harsh situation in the country, Sheroz and Makhina had a happy childhood. They were able to appreciate little things, such as being close to nature, playing outdoors, spending time with family and friends.  Makhina remembers those times with a smile:

“During my childhood I was visiting a kindergarten and most of the time I was with my grandparents in our home outside the city and it was pretty good, I would say – the big house, a river, fruit trees and a lot of raspberries and strawberries. We had domestic animals and I was taking care of them. I was usually collecting eggs or picking carrots and bringing them to my grandmother to prepare some meal. “

She still remembers some of the games that children were coming up within the 90’s. After all, it seems that the lack of iPods and computers was not a big deal for kids at that time. Something more, they even seemed to have more fun without them.

“One of the games I remember is “Klasiki”. You draw squares on the ground, then you throw the stone and then you have to jump forth and back.”

In addition to being very caring, Sheroz’s and Makhina’s parents were also strict with them. In the evening, children were supposed to come back home no later than 7 pm. As Sheroz explains:

“We were not allowed to play till that late, even in our neighborhood. It was not only because of security and because parents were worried about us.  Still, they considered us little boys and girls and they wanted us to be back home as early as possible. “

As a kid, Makhina was a voracious reader of Soviet literature.  Doctor Aybolit and   Dyadya Styopa (Uncle Styopa) were among her favorite books at that time.

When he was young, Sheroz enjoyed watching both Russian and US movie productions. His favorite ones were Operation Y and Other Shurik’s Adventures, as well as Home Alone and Ghostbusters.

During the 90s, music preferences in Tajikistan were dominated by popular groups such as Na Na, Laskoviy Mai and Ivanushki International.

Of course, it would be hard to imagine childhood in Tajikistan without mentioning the meals and tastes that Sheroz and Makhina associate with the 90’s.

“I liked sgushonka (condensed milk).” Sheroz said. “They are still producing it. They started during the times when the Soviet Union existed and Russia still produces it. It is a sort of dessert. You can put it in the tea, you can eat it with cookies. Whatever you want – it depends on your imagination.”

Another popular meal was the so called “mannaya kasha”. It looked like a condensed substance made of rice and as Sheroz remembers through laughter:

“We used to eat it for breakfast…And we were forced to eat – otherwise we would not go anywhere.”

The last quote reminds me so much of my own childhood and my own parents… Oh yes! Having stable home-made breakfast was also considered to be very important in my family…just like having good manners, helping with domestic chores and going back home before sunset… But no wonder! Despite of being separated by almost 4000 kilometres before we knew each other, Sheroz, Makhina and I have at least one big thing in common…We grew up in the 90’s.  :))