I am a new volunteer here at CK13, and I thought it would be good for me to shortly introduce myself as your new resident blogger. I will be writing for CK13's website, sharing my thoughts on various topics, from music to local events to what it's like being a foreigner here in Serbia, and so forth.
But first: Why am I in Serbia and where did I come from?
I am from America, from Oregon, and I am taking a gap year between high school and college to spend nine months living in Serbia. My gap year is not a typical gap year, though; I was already accepted to a university back home (Princeton University), and I was planning on entering Princeton directly out of high school when I found out that Princeton had created a new program this year for 20 incoming freshmen to spend nine months doing volunteer work abroad prior to their freshman year. There were four country options for the program: India, Ghana, Peru, and Serbia. We were allowed to list our preferences in our applications, and after applying, I was one of the five students selected for the program in Serbia. So here I am!
For the first four months of my program I am living here in Novi Sad, and I will be moving to Niš in the beginning of January for the second half. I have been in Novi Sad for a month now, and I really love it here and I'm enjoying what Serbia has to offer. I will be blogging in more detail about my activities here at CK13 and about my impressions of and experiences in Serbia, so stay tuned for my next entry!
Ćao!
-Mariam
