The
EU: A Reflection of a Girl in a Purple Dress
I was a small
girl with a purple dress, and I liked to swing on swings
and eat vanilla ice cream. I loved to play in the park,
and nothing could overshadow the smile that adorned my
face all day long. I was born in Bulgaria and I grew up
in the capital, Sofia, where I went to school and learned
to play tennis. There, I took classes in national folk
dance and strolled up the Vitosha Mountains where trees
and rocks raced up the slopes, as if jealous of each other.
When I was ten, my mother and I departed from Sofia. I
can still see my grandfather and grandmother waving us
goodbye, a look of fear in their eyes. My father had traveled
to the United States to work, and my family had decided
to begin a new life there. They later told me that they
strove to provide me with new opportunities--to open up
a new world for me. Not without struggle and hardship,
I gradually began to absorb the new way of life. I found
something more than a new language, a new school, or even
a new culture. What I found was myself. I no longer belonged
to a certain nation—I was the embodiment of possibility.
I saw and reasoned as a citizen of the world—one
willing to understand and endeavor to find global compromise
and peace.
The European Union means just that to me. It is an attempt
to bridge different cultures and provide a singular unity
that allows for greater understanding and peace. It is
a body of nations willing to submit to a plan that will
make them stronger and increase their common prosperity.
It is an attempt to create a future free of strife and
a world more stable with the EU’s presence. Economies,
policies, and culture mix to unify the continent—to
give it a broader identity and create new outlooks. The
member nations are provided with fresh prospects and a
wealth of possibilities and ideas. The youths’ perception
of the world is magnified as boundaries are lifted and
international educational opportunities are created. Future
hinges directly on youth. By building an environment where
students are not hampered by national restrictions, but
are allowed to grow and develop—the EU nurtures
global citizens. It nurtures peace, and it nurtures willingness
in international cooperation.
It is with the EU’s initiative that the common wellbeing
of Europe lays. Correspondingly, it is to Nicolas Sarkozy,
the leading figure of the EU for the last six months,
that the task of upholding that initiative has been entrusted.
With carefully designed policies and ideas, he has brought
the EU one step closer to its ultimate goal. He has managed
its growth and influence—one that promises an improved
global view – a view that a little girl in a purple
dress has daringly challenged the world with.
