THE 7 BRIDGESIssue 1

August 4th, 2011

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EDITORIAL

ADRIANA DÍAZ MARTÍN-ZAMORANO & MARIA CHALHOUB

Destiny, Fate, “Things happen for a reason”, Maktub. . the list is long and fact is that these words have been known to people for centuries and perhaps even used by us for longer. While the meaning of these words convinced those of faith that their date of death was already set and thus making the religious men the greatest warriors as to their lack of fear of death, destiny today comforts those who see doors shut-ting in front of them as they believe one door needs to close in order so

for another to open; it is said that things happen for a reason. It is also said that everyone needs something to believe in to carry on. Some people believe in God, others believe in themselves, oth-ers believe in football teams and some others, like us, believe in fate. People who surround us can say it is our personal way to justify bad experiences in our life or that it is just a philosophical trendy belief, but, in fact, it is something more than that. In the end, believing in

fate is in fact a choice that condi-tions one’s actions.Having that said, we believe that you are in Girona today for a rea-son, and although you can’t see the end of the path just yet, your choice of coming here in good faith con-vinces us that although this might not be where you were meant to be going it might just be where you’re supposed to be.

Maktub

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LOCAL NATIONAL

INTERNATIONAL

OPINION

letters from readers

ENTERTAINMENT

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4 6

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CONTENTS

3 EDITORIAL

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LOCAL

Thanks to who?For more than a year now they are working day and night to make this forum happen. The one is complete-ly broke and the other desperately in need for some spare time. Meet the Head Organisers of the Iberian

Forum 2011: Lluis Solervicens Mactley (22) and Georgina Alvarez Morera (21).

To start with, how do you know each other and how close are you?Georgina: We’ve been together in the National Committee for 5 years, which means a lot of ses-sions, coffees and beers together.

Why did you want to headorgan-ise this forum?Lluis: Because I felt like challeng-ing myself and doing something good for EYP España.

When did you decide to go for it?Georgina: When I came back from Zaragoza National Selection (2010), which I was headorganis-ing together with Adriana (one of the Editors of the session), I de-cided not to headorganise again. Afterwards, Lluis started to talk to me about organising a second Ibe-rian Forum. I still don’t know how he convinced me, but here we are!

What was the biggest problem you had to deal with?Lluis: We still didn’t have any bus-

es until a couple of weeks before the session. There were municipal elections recently so we had to wait for the new mayor to officially step in before we could meet with him, which meant that loads of impor-tant stuff had to be left until the last minute.

The first Iberian Forum took place in Girona. Why did you choose for it again instead of moving to another city?Georgina: “Girona m’enamora”. I think the only way to under-stand why we chose Girona again (and we would chose “her” again and again) is to find an adequate translation to the previous Cata-lan quote. Besides, Girona is what I call my “EYP City”. At least 3 of my TOP-5-EYP-Moments happen to be in this city.

What makes this forum so good/special/different?Lluis: It’s the only forum held in Spain in the middle of the sum-mer, which gives it a really cool at-

mosphere. Spanish sessions tend to have a lot of EYP spirit - we don’t really plan it, but that’s what people say.Georgina: The smiles that the orga’s will have for you anytime you see them.

What would be the worst thing that can happen?Lluis: Disappearing delegates, drunk delegates, pregnant del-egates, sunburnt delegates, hungry delegates,...

And the best?Lluis: Winning the lottery and be-ing able to return everyone’s par-ticipation fee and have a chocolate fountain at the Farewell Party!

When will the session be a success for you?Lluis: When everyone has gone home safe and none of the organis-ers are in jail.

How well do you know Gillian O’Halloran (President)?

BRAM VAN MELDERT

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Georgina: I can say that I know her better after every email, but the only chance I had to see her was in my first International Session (back in Kyiv 2006). I can remem-

ber her singing very beautifully in the Euroconcert.

Finally, on a personal note, what does EYP mean to you?

Lluis: It means never having to use couchsurfing because you’ve al-ready got a friend in every Euro-pean country.

LOCAL

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national

Take a quick look at GironaCEREN HAZAR

As the name of the forum suggests, Iberians were the first inhabitants of Girona.

The Jewish people started to live in Girona in the 12th century and ended in 1492, when the Catholic Kings expelled them from Catalo-nia. However, Girona has a beau-tiful “Jewish quarter”, in which the buildings are all made up of stones and where you can visit lots of mu-seums. Later on, after the Jewish, Girona was ruled by the Frenchs in the 18s and became the centre of Ter Department. During the war, the defensive city walls were demolished, however now in the Eastern side of the city, the city walls are reconstructed.

It is more likely for everyone to visit Barcelona and never get to see or even hear about Girona, the city that is found in 79 BC. Therefore, as journalists, we will try to help you to find out about Girona and give you some tips. First of all, the city is the synthesis of both new town and old town, consequently it gives us a chance to experience both at a time. The old town has an antique image with cobblestones and long and never lasting stairs, so be prepared.By the way, as you are now in Spain, when you go out at 4 pm you might not find any store that is open and ready to serve: siesta time is on.

IF you need more information, you need to go through the IFs.

IF...

you have more time to visit and see; you should defi-nitely walk around the narrow streets and end up next to the river and the pretty houses that are placed nearby the river.

you want to buy some gifts for your family and friends, there are lots of touristic shops in the old town.

you want to eat good; tra-ditional food you should go to old town and order menu del día (menu of the day).

your skin is white -not necessarily needs to be-, use creams and drink plenty of water during the day. Girona can get really hot and you should take care of yourselves.

Thanks for travelling with us, we wish you a pleasant day.

We are going on trip in an ancient city in Spain, placed in Catalonia, which has a population of 100.000 people. The city where the Iberian Forum is going to take place: Girona.

THE 7 BRIDGES | 7NATIONAL

The flies of St. NarcissusLAURENS KRAIMA

Whereas it is common for cities or countries to honour powerful creatures who are be-lieved to have helped them in their worst battles, this is not exactly the case for Gi-rona. Here they have a legend of flies defending their city against the French invaders.

The myth’s origin is from 1285, when French troops were marching through

their newest and recently acquired city, Girona. In order to humiliate the Gironians and celebrate their victory, they wanted to desecrate the body of their city’s patron saint, St. Narcissus, when all of a sudden a huge crowd of flies appeared and attacked the invaders.After the French retreated and set camp outside of Girona they thought they’d be safe there, but

the next day a new wave of flies came. This time the flies were coloured and poisonous and bit the occupants and their animals, which gave them such a terrible and transmittable virus that even killed the non-bitten soldiers.This was not the only time the flies helped the Gironians out against the French. Apparently it took them roughly 400 years to forget the flies of Girona, because in 1653 they lay siege to the city again. There it became clear that they were the

only ones who had forgotten about the legend, as the Gironians put St. Narcissus’ coffin up on the wall as soon as they knew the French were coming. In documents from the French officers it is written that blue and green flies came out of the coffin and made the French retreat yet again.From now on, when you’ll see im-ages of flies everywhere around Girona, you will know the reason why.

Gironian Tales

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international

Madrid, Barcelona and Europe:

a very Messi historySCOTT BENSON

Looking back through recent history, it is easy to under-stand how developments on

the continent have helped to shape the conflict between Madrid and Barcelona. In opposition to Fran-co’s regime, which sought to sup-press local Catalan culture, mem-bership of a European community represented an opportunity for de-mocratization and modernization. Europe, therefore, acted as a unify-ing symbol for resistance against dictatorship and for the resurgence of regional nationalism.Economic integration on the con-tinent has also had profound im-plications for local autonomy de-mands. The Catalan Generalitat has attempted to capitalize on the

common market to reduce its de-pendence on the Spanish state. For example, the Catalan government has been able to form a trade and technological alliance with Würt-temberg, Lombardy, and Rhône-Alpes through the ‘Four Motors for Europe’ project. In other words, an autonomous Catalonia has be-come an increasingly viable option because it is no longer reliant on the traditional advantages of the Spanish market, such as market size or economies of scale for pub-lic goods.The ultimate goal of Catalan na-tionalism, however, remains un-clear. At the moment it is impor-tant to stress the word autonomy rather than secession because suc-

cessive governments have been content to extract greater powers from the Spanish state and to ob-tain stronger levels of influence in Madrid. Certainly, any demands for Catalan independence will fall on deaf ears in Brussels. With the EU refusing to provide greater rep-resentation to the regions, Catalan secessionists may find it difficult to obtain any political capital within Europe to support their demands. For now, however, we can pre-occupy ourselves with more simple dilemmas: “Bar-the-lona” or “Bar-se-lona?”; “por favor” or “si us plau?”; Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi?

The history of Catalonia, the host region of the second international forum of EYPE, is intrinsically con-nected to Europe with the emergence of the EU helping to enhance demands for local autonomy.

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OPINION

Don’t let the Norway attacks deter young peopleREBECCA FARKHOOYThe massacre in Utoya has created headlines all over the world. Young people who chose to volunteer for democracy had to pay with their lives. It could have been young people in EYP. The responsibility to coun-

ter fear and encourage involvement is now in our hands.

Norway is a small nation. Per capita, the country lost twice as many people dur-

ing the terrorist attack and mas-sacre on July 22nd as the United States on September 11th 2001. The Norwegian Social Democratic Youth (AUF) will bury almost 70 young members, in other words Anders Brehvik executed a politi-cal generation. While the summer camp at Utoya where the massacre took place is limited to members of the AUF, the camp and its political workshop are very similar to the sessions we have all attended in EYP. Just like the European Youth Parliament, the Utoya summer camp has been a source of inspiration for hundreds of Norway’s future politicians and provided young people with an op-

portunity to engage democratically and express ideas with which they aim to change the world. Just like EYP, Utoya is synonymous with ideas, inspiration, intense discus-sions, joy and maybe even falling in love. An act of terrorism by one man turned this amazing experi-ence into a nightmare. We must ask ourselves: how can we provide young people with confidence and courage enough to continue their engagement in politics? The answer is simple: by encouraging them. It is extremely important that the commitment, strength and passion among young people is promoted. As Norwegian Prime Minister Stoltenberg said during his first speech after the at-tacks: “We will never give up our values. Our answer is more democ-

racy, more openness, more human-ity”. After the massacre in Norway, adults and we ourselves must en-courage young people to continue their desire to support democratic values. Let us honor the young vic-tims of the Utoya attack by making sure no one is deterred from hav-ing the same commitment they had. In moments like these we must protect our valuable willingness to contribute to democracy which has made us travel across Europe to meet in Girona, and discuss po-litical issues during our summer holidays. No one should feel afraid to get involved. After all, this com-mitment is our peaceful weapon against the hatred that will always threaten us.

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letters from readers

Latvian expectations

With the sun breaking through the clouds above a terrace in Riga, we hear from a member of the Latvian delegation about her expectations for the session. Einstein, comedians and all of the other delegates are the ingredients that should make this an amazing session.

“So you are going to Riga, what do you plan to do in Estonia?”. This re-sponse from a friend illustrates how little Dutch people know about this region of Europe. Riga, after all, is the capital of Latvia, not Estonia. This afternoon I meet Kate, a 19 year old delegate from Latvia. Hav-ing just enlisted for Civil Engineer-ing in university, this math-lover tells me that what we can expect from the Latvian delegation at the Iberian Forum and sheds a lit-tle light on what Latvians are like.

After introductions, the conversa-tion turns to the session. “Latvians are a little bit shy, we do not find it easy to stand on a stage and per-form”, she admits. Therefore, it does not seem likely that the Latvi-ans will rock the stage during Eu-roconcert. Nevertheless, this event is one of the things that Kate is looking forward to the most. That is why, she says: “I really look for-ward to hearing good music, but I hope that it will not just be mu-

sic. It would be great if there are also some comedians going on the stage.” Maybe some of our readers can an-swer this call?In another highlight of the session, the Latvians are planning to show their culture at Eu-rovillage with local sweets and a local drink called Balsem which you should really go and try. The same evening might be suitable for one of the most impor-tant things Kate wants to do dur-ing the ses-sion: meet new people.What about the programme dur-ing the day then? Well, with Ein-stein as her historical hero, Kate seems to aim to use expertise from all kinds of different scien-tific fields in the discussion. That

It does not seem likely that the Latvi-ans will rock the stage during Euroconcert

WIM VAN DOORN

”“

is, after all, what she admires in the 20th century scientist.

As a final advice, Kate wants to tell you all to remember the fol-lowing: “We are the ones who make the session. It doesn’t mat-ter if something goes wrong dur-ing the session, just make sure you have the time of your life!”

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The face of experience

After two years, Marijke is not only ready but thrilled to be a del-egate again. “I think it was part of the reason for why I decided to go for delegate again: “It just made sense to me that if I wanted to be a delegate again it would be here” she says. Having been a journal-ist and a chair before, Marijke only hopes that switching back to being a delegate won’t be too strange for her. When I ask about her expectations, she answers very honestly:”I am just look-ing forward to attending another EYP session. It has not been that long, but it is so addictive that it is time for me to come back”. Knowing that the organising

team is a bit worried about com-parisons made with the 1st Iberian Forum, Marijke admits that eve-ryone is expecting a repeat of the crazy and legendary session. Nev-ertheless, that does not mean that -as we say in Spain- “sequels were never good”. She has been think-ing back on how it was two years ago but she still recognises that it would be silly to expect the exact same thing. According to her, as long as Lluis and Georgina do not forget that not all vegetarians eat fish, they are probably doing a great job and the session will surely live up to everyone’s expectations. When I ask her about what makes this session special, she does not

hesitate: “EYP sessions are always amazing, and a Spanish one in summer can only be better”. Also, she adds what most of us think but only a few dare to say: “The main thing I am looking forward to is seeing my friends again.”Finally, I ask Marijke about the country she was born in, Bel-gium, and what we can expect from its delegation: “the Belgian national committee might not be very big, but when we are at a ses-sion, you will know!” I can’t help but thinking that she is right but at the same time I ask, will they be able to cope with the Span-ish summer sun? We all hope so.

LETTERS FROM READERS

SÍLVIA SUSACH

Born in the tiny country of Belgium, Marijke Saenen feels that it has been an eternity since she last attended an EYP session as a delegate. Curiously, that was during the first Iberian Forum of EYPE back in 2009.

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ENTERTAINMENTENTERTAINMENT

Autocrat of Humor

It is a typical lazy day in a summery city of Espoo, Finland. Me and my friend are walking towards my car as we just left home and decided to go for a little cruise. “You did get the car keys, didn’t you?” she asks and reaches for the car door. “No actually I thought it would be fun-nier to just flush them down the toilet and hang out next to the car all day.” We both look at each oth-er and after a little giggle I open the car door and we get in. This is basically how I communicate with my friends. There rarely is a direct answer to any question. And why should there be? Who needs jokes when we got the addictive sarcasm?Until this summer I had never even realised how big of a role sarcasm plays in my life. I remember my mother get-ting annoyed when I was five and answered her “no” when she had just asked me if I was brushing my hair as

she watched me

brushing my hair. I still have the best laugh when thinking about it. I would even do sarcasm mara-thons with my friends; just one sentence is not enough. I had lived my whole life learning the art of sarcasm and honestly thought I was soon becoming the mas-ter until this spring I got fooled. I felt the doubt and uncertainty that sarcasm will kick you with if you are not concentrated enough; I got distracted by technology.The thing with mastering sarcasm is that one must always without exception be capable to read the attackers face. How else could you possibly know if the person you are interacting with really truly means what he says? For example, once a friend of mine said some pretty

offensive things to me online. It was not until I really started

getting angry that he told me that he meant it in a sarcastic way and it was

supposed to be funny. Well

it was not and I was hurt. Not be-cause he called me names but be-cause I believed it. Online chats are the modern world’s humor killers. Even with a good friend having a discussion online that feels natu-ral to me is almost impossible. The thing that I loved had turned against me. I needed stronger measures. In order to eliminate the distrac-tor I turned to a fellow EYPer and together we found a solution: mark every sarcastic sentence with S. It still will not be as surprising and thrilling as face to face but a com-promise will do. Sarcasm is more powerful than we thought: it can be-come a part of your personality in a way you never expected. It will rule humor of the future. Were knock knock -jokes ever this complex?

ANNI MARTTINEN

THE 7 BRIDGES | 13ENTERTAINMENT

The ultimate contestsGIANMARCO BATTISTINI

One winner, all the others will be nothing but losers. You better get ready.

You might be wondering how it is going to be possible, but I am afraid you won’t be satisfied just yet. One thing I can say is that we are going to hide a secret message in each is-sue. The first to reveal it will receive stratospheric rewards. This surely

sounds too vague to completely catch your attention, which is why we are providing you with an ex-ample, right here right now. There are a couple of more things you should be aware of before you throw your heart and soul into this

initial quest: first, the complexity of the encryption will increase as the days go by (as well as the im-portance of the rewards); second, everybody will be allowed to par-ticipate, which means that you will have to compete with your friends, with your chairs and with our or-ganisers. Who will be granted the honour that comes with victory and the impressive prizes?Now that we are done with the premises, let us introduce you the rules of this first game. As you can see, it is a normal crossword, ex-cept for the fact that some boxes are coloured. All you have to do is to fill the crossword with the right answers and extract the letters en-closed in the coloured boxes. At this point you will have to arrange them in order to form the secret sentence. As this is the first time we will provide you with an additional hint: (7,2,3,7,5).

Note: The number refers to the amount of letters composing each word.

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Submitted by;Adriana Díaz Martín-Zamorano (Editor, ES), Maria Chalhoub (Editor, SE), Marta Valls (Video Editor, ES), Gianmarco Battistini (IT), Scott Benson (UK), Rebec-ca Farkhooy (SE), Ceren Hazar (TR), Laurens Kraima (NL), Anni Marttinen (FI), Alexandros Politis (GR), Sílvia Susach (ES), Wim van Doorn (NL), Bram Van Meldert (BE).