Europe is a state of mind: Is Croatia there yet?

On July 1st 2013 Croatia became the 28th country to join the European Union. It was the end of a long road that Croatia has been on for over a decade. Even though Croatia had to make many reforms to be able to become a member state, certain countries argue that Croatia was ready to join. Europe is a state of mind, being part of the Europe Union needs to be felt as a privilege by every Croatian citizen. Also, it is important to embrace differences between cultures and people and respect them. Lately Croatia has been struggling with the latter. LGBT and minority rights have been in the focus of the Croatian public in the last months. The implementation of the Cyrillic alphabet on signs of state institutions in Vukovar brought up the ghosts of history. Vukovar, a city completely devastated by war, after it underwent a three month long occupation by the Serbs, feels as if it is not ready to accept the Cyrillic alphabet, which is the alphabet of the Serbian language. The people of Croatia decided on a referendum that was conducted on Sunday that marriage is a bond between a man and a woman and as such should be written down in the constitution. What does that tell us about Croatia respecting the rights of homosexuals and minorities? Another important issue is corruption on all levels. Though reducing corruption rates was one of the requirements on joining the Union, tremendous progress has not been made. All these examples lead us to the question whether Croatia has left its past behind or is it still affecting its present and future? The aim of this academic paper is to bring closer the Croatian culture to other people, to explain why Croatians are behaving the way they are and how that is affecting their progress as a country. I hold this topic very dear to my heart because I am Croatian and because I sometimes feel ashamed of how my fellow citizens are behaving, but on the other hand I can see why that is so. Many people dealt with this problem before me and have published papers on it so finding the sources for it should not be a problem. All in all, I think that this is an important topic since it can give the reader a different perspective on the youngest EU member and its struggle to become a true European state.

"Croatia is an amazing place" Jean Reno

XOXO A.

Stuffed mushrooms *.*

Although pasta is my favorite dish ever, I cannot deny my love for stuffed mushrooms. I discovered my love for mushrooms a couple of year ago. Before that I did not really enjoy eating them. The pizza I had for lunch in school was always covered with mushrooms, but the mushrooms looked bad and dry. Then one day my mom made stuffed mushrooms at home and practically forced me to try them. That is the moment I started liking them. Today I want to share a recipe with you, my mom's recipe. The recipe is very easy to make and it does not take a lot of time to do. It is really convenient for us students who live alone and have little time for cooking. I also like to make them when my friends come over since we do not need plates or forks to eat them.

You will need (the amount depends on the number of people you are cooking for):

1) mushrooms

2) ham

3) cheese

4) half an onion

5) 1 egg

6) salt 

7) pepper

8) cooking cream 

9) oil

Method:

1)  Clean mushrooms with a paper towel (do not wash mushrooms!) Carefully break of stems. Chop stems extremely fine.

2)  Put oil in a frying pan and wait until it gets warm. Chop one half of an onion extremely fine and put it into the pan. Add mushroom stems to it. Sauté for 5 minutes, stirring often.
3)  Meanwhile shred the cheese and chop the ham into small pieces.

4)  After the mushroom stems and onions are done mix the shredded cheese and ham into it. Add cooking cream, 1 egg, a little salt and pepper. Mix it all up.

5) Fill each mushroom with the stuffing.
6)  Bake for 20-25 minutes on 220C.

I hope you find this recipe as easy as I do and that you will try it out. Let me know if you have any questions. Bon Appetit :)

“I cook with wine; sometimes I even add it to the food.”   W.C. Fields

XOXO A.

Why Serbia should join the EU?

Hi!

Me and my friends Tiana and Dajana had to write an essay about Serbia and its relation to the European Union. We chose to write about why Serbia should join. If you are interested in politics, the European Union and its enlargement process, take a look at it. You can find it on Tiana's blog. I hope you will find it interesting. :)

http://tiana-afterglow.blogspot.co.at/2013/12/serbias-requirements-for-joining-eu.html


"You're not to be so blind with patriotism that you can't face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who does it or says it." Malcolm X