ISSUE 2
presented by:

 little thistles:

• Monsters
• Picture dictionary
• Lingva zoo
• My family and me
• There's no place
  like home

 and the older ones:

• Diaries
• Polemics
• People around us
• That wicked music
  by Van Gogh
• Come to my place!
• Echoes of my country
• 2 cool actors
  and a movie
• Give us a chance
  to travel
• My favourite magazine
• Buildings in Valjevo -
  beauties or eyesores
• Family festivals

Echoes of My Country

There is a lot of love, but also some dissatisfaction when we talk about our country; we wish our history and our present situation were not so tumultuous. Order, decent living conditions and dignity are the values that we stand for.

Marija Jankovic, 17:

I live in Yugoslavia. It consists of the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Montenegro. It is located on the Balkans peninsula.

Serbia has a population of about 10 million, in an area of 88,361 square kilometres. The majority of population speak Serbian, but there are many national minorities such as:Hungarian,Albanian and Romanian.They are bilingual; they speak their native language, but they also use the official Serbian language.

The capital of Serbia is Belgrade. Belgrade is also the largest city in Serbia, it has a population of about 2 million.The head of state is the president. Our national emblem is double-headed white eagle, and our national currency is the dinar.The longest river is the Danube. It flows from Germany to the Black sea.The part of the Danube which flows through Serbia is 588 kilometres long.There are many other rivers besides the Danube which are important for water traffic and fishing.

Serbia is a great exporter of fruit, vegetables, machines, and electrical goods, especially to Central Europe. It imports oil, textile, precious and unusual metals and tropical fruit. The agriculture is important mostly as regards the grains and industrial plants.

I love Valjevo, the place where I was born. I like the nature: the mountains, rivers, and lakes of Serbia. I like our language, and people. I think that our people are more friendly than people who live in other parts of the world. I like our history and our past. Our ancestors, who are discended from the Old Slavs, were very brave. Serbia has had a very turbulent past. Many nations try to conquer its territory, and now after all those wars, victims, the miserable Serbia is an independent country.I think that the other people should respect us, and our past. But I do not like the Serbs who do not respect this beautiful country, who are stealing from others. They make fortune for themselves and they do not care for others. I do not like people who are destroying nature. I do not like crime and misery.

The most beautiful place in my country is Valjevo.I like it because I was born here, and I like its countryside, all those beautiful rivers, such as the Gradac.The Gradac is a good place for fishing and swimming, children like to go there for their holidays.

Bozidar Nestorovic, 17:

My country is Serbia, because I don't believe in Yugoslavia, and Serbia is also the country that I like the most. Not long ago, Serbia was made up of Vojvodina, Central Serbia and Kosovo and Metohia (South Serbia).But now, its area is becoming smaller and smaller every day thanks to our republic and federal governments.The population is also getting smaller and smaller, because of many different wars, the general economic situation, and the like. In Serbia there are many nationalities with their own languages: Hungarian, Croatian, Albanian, Bulgarian and many others.These people are bilingual because they also use Serbian, which is the main language in Serbia. The capital of Serbia and Yugoslavia is Belgrade, a two million people city, which lies on the rivers Sava and Danube, the latter being the longest river that goes through Serbia.The biggest Serbian river is the Great Morava.The national emblem of Serbia is a double-headed eagle, the traditional emblem of Serbian monarchs. Serbia has some industries which are not doing very well now. Agricultural products are the only ones that could be respected abroad, but not until we start to work about it as we should.

I like almost everything about my country, except for some people that lead it. I like its geographic position, religion, tradition, art,nature, sky, smart people, history, movies...

For me the most beautiful place in my country is my hometown Valjevo on the river Kolubara with all its people, sights, streets, rivers, mountains, houses, buildings. I have very nice memories of this town in my childhood; I was the most relaxed then and that's why I like this place the most. The reasons for loving a certain country and a certain town are probably similar all over the world. But this country and this town could be better, and that's why I'm here.

Marta Sekulic, 17:
SOME BEAUTIFUL ECHOES FROM THE PAST

To be honest I haven't seen see many historic places besides those in Valjevo or Belgrade - I've been in only two; one of them is in Krusevac and the other is near Kladovo.

The one in Krusevac is the tower where the Serbian emperor Lazar used to live with his family. Now it is a ruin which stands on the hill in the middle of the city. Near the tower there is still a church whose name is Lazarica.That church was built some time in the 14th century when Lazar ruled and that was the place where the Serbian army took communion before they went to Kosovo to fight the well-known battle against the Turks.

Another famous ruin is Golubac. I don't really know who lived there and when it was built, but I know it must have been very beautiful. Golubac also stands on a hill, near the road which leads to Kladovo. Across the road the Danube spreads out which makes a very nice sight. I think that it is the place where the Danube is the widest. I could say that Golubac was a big city with huge walls around it.At one point I saw something which could be a tower but it is pretty damaged.The whole city is badly spoilt by the ravages of time which cruelly passes and that can't be changed.