by Diana Rusu
[cd] What does Europe mean to you? We keep asking this question to young Europeans. This time Diana (17) from Romania told us about her feelings towards Europe.
For me as a young European teeanger who dreams of a bright future Europe means above all EQUALITY and FREEDOM. In this big world you’ve got unlimited possibilities but their are as well dangers at every step. Personally I would never leave this continent (even if someone say that America might be „the land of oppertunity“) because I am an European.
Europe consits of many countries and each is amazing in it’s own way. For example through beatiful tourist attractions or through people who are helping each other to develop a better economical and political situation to become an ENTIRE community. I think we can characterize Europe as SUPRINSING. You can find so many UNESCO World Heritage Monuments here that it makes me more curious about every day: villages with fortified churches in Transylvania, the Cathedral of Cologne, the historic city centre of Vienna, the Mount Etna….. There are so many dialects and linguistic differences, cultures and traditions of which lots are still unknown to me until today. But i will have as many OPPURTUNITIES as other Europeans to discover and learn about them.
It’s great that after so many years Europeans have a common goal. They work TOGETHER but everyone can do it in their own way. The base of the European Union is formed by PEOPLE. Europe taught me not to judge and to accept all kind of people. I learned to understand that everyone here can have a DIFFERENT way of life.
Talking about ways to contribute to a common European Future a good example that I could give to young people today would be the EYP, the European Youth Parliament. It’s a project where young Europeans of any race, color or in whatever they believe in get the chance to discuss the major issues of the EU. By participating in such a project, I learned about things I have never heard of before. It moved me to the wish of making a difference and changing something.
All in all I’m happy with daily life in Europe. I can’t imagine being outside this place because here I have everything: DREAMS, FUTURE, and most important, FAMILY.
Diana Rusu (17) is a high-school student and participant of the program „Devotional Humans“ at GESW .