insight into zuzka's life

one day of our life in Petrzalka

our household in April is very writing driven. Both of us are supposed to produce a lot of pages with more than decent content. Sami's working on his market research report and I am into typing my thesis.

Despite summer-like weather outside when even Petrzalka shows its beauty, we are sitting inside.




luckily, tonight, we are going jogging without computers that are stealing us from each other
i love those common moments of our days: moving, chatting, joking, being silly and especially enjoying our life together

simply, another typical day of our common life:)

posted by zuzka @ 4:32 PM 8 comments  

shrek 3 is coming

ladies and gentlemen,
mark May 18th in your calendars because the new Shrek is coming!

more info as well as previews and trailers here

aaaah, can't wait!
i wonder when it actually comes to Slovakia....

posted by zuzka @ 11:22 AM 0 comments  

litánie frustrovaného študenta

writing writing writing
my quest to discuss the possible future of EU enlargement took me through history of about 3000 years, different faces and policies of the EU starting from social policy ending with establishing the military units of rapid reaction, different law papers and original texts of the most important EU treaties, discussions of the EU identity and what it possibly comprises of...

writing writing writing
and i am still not done!
reading various articles, books, essays...
daily average of 5 (hopefully high quality) pages including research and formulation of scientificly sounding sentences
i can't focus for more than 10 hours a day

writing writing writing
structuring my thoughts, preparing arguments and searching evidence for it
came across interesting websites, such as this one, knowing the portal of the EU sturcture by heart and still finding it difficult to orientate myself there...
found an online information portal with concentrated EU related and quite interesting stuff, good background for quick orientation in the EU things


writing writing writing
... and still not done
everything else had to be cancelled from my agenda, including my visit to Switzerland to be part of this spectacular event and meet all the friends I haven't seen in ages...

writing writing writing
and going to sleep now

posted by zuzka @ 10:53 PM 10 comments  

EU eurocentrism

currently working on my thesis, i came across quite a few interesting readings. One of them being a book called Europe's Next Frontiers from Olli Rehn, the current Commissioner for Enlargement. Quite an interesting piece, if you are into EU issues, especially about its current challenges. Besides other information, it reveals that the author is a huge football fan :) But that's not what I got most concerned about - I am used to that as for example Sami is at the moment sitting in front of the TV screen and watching Bayern vs. Milano.

Anyways, back to business.

There is one big idea re-appearing all the time: European Union is based on common values, such as democracy, human rights, rule of law.
That's fine with me. Values I feel comfortable with, no problem.
These, together with functional market economy as well as institutional capacity to take up all the obligations and benefits EU membership brings are known as Copenhagen criteria. Each country with European ambitions is measured against them to be allowed to join the club.
Logical. EU needs some kind of objective criteria. And everyone needs to live up to them.

And then it comes: EU is very proud that through perspective of being accepted to "Europe" it managed to push reforms in CEE countries and now it is working on Western Balkans. It showcases how much have the countries changed to become as the EU wants them to be - Westernised. All the adjustments they've made to be "European" and "according to the EU standards".

This raises two big concerns in my eyes:

is it correct/ethical trying to Westernise everyone?
Well, the countries underwent the expected reforms out of their free will. They chose to be part of the EU, they chose the "European way". Fair enough.
But I wonder...

... why is Europe so "eurocentrist"?
The whole world has already been through a similar period. During the colonisation of the world, when European powers were building their empires imposing their values and norms on everybody. Being white meant to be considered more worthier than the others. Also the way how the society was supposed to be organised needed to be according to European standards.
Result - many civilisations lost, some loosing their order and not being able to adapt to new conditions (e.g. native Americans or Aborigines); culture, customs and traditional knowledge lost because it was not modern enough hence not good enough; so much diversity lost in order to comply to the rules and standards...
Who gave the European Union the right to say what is good and bad? Is it aware of the consequences of its actions? Can we learn from the past?

... what else could Europe be doing?
Certain common basis is crucial if the European Union wants to continue functioning. Setting the respect for commonly defined values and the ability to live up to them is definitely a big step that should ensure higher homogeneity of the Union and less controversy in taking decisions. Everybody would have the same bottom line, knew what is being expected of him/her. But still, why do the EU members feel the urge to create their own clones? Is it good to be all the same?

On the other hand, the EU can't be redefining itself with every newcomer joining. It would be too unstable and it would threaten continuity as well as integrity of the EU. It wouldn't be a trustworthy partner any more, as other states/entities wouldn't want to rely on the EU because one doesn't know exactly when the new info/circumstances come out.

... what is the EU finally going to do?
honestly, I don't know. Finding the right balance between harmonisation and individuality is not an easy question. For sure, the EU needs to become more flexible and learn how to master this process. Some of the member countries already do have experience with running a multi-cultural and multi-religious community. Let's see this time.


Secondly, are countries joining for the right reasons?
The EU expects them to join because they have the same values as the EU defined to itself in 1993. They are being tested on them and they do pass.
But, is this the real reason why they've decided to undergo all the whole procedure of applying for membership and the whole negotiation process? Are they really interested in joining the club of alike to share the values and the worldview?
Or are the reasons more "prosaic", such as hoping to reach the same level of prosperity, living standards and opportunities?
And what happens when the values are imposed on them? Will we respect and live up to them on long-term or did we just do our best to get in and then we come back to our "true" nature?
... I would like to know.



I don't want to be Westernised so much. Western values bring a lot of individualism into my society. It is not so natural over here. Belonging to your family, having certain expectations on you is strongly valued over here. It is a tax for having the security and home in your family. Western life style that comes with the Western values erodes the traditional society. It creates chaos and mismatch in expectations between generations if not managed carefully.

To be fair, it brings a lot of advantages to everyone's life - the quality of life has undoubtedly risen, more opportunities are available, etc.

I want to respect the EU for what it is but I also want the EU to respect me and my values that were shaped in partially different context. None of us has in my opinion the "patent for truth", both sides have something to learn and gain.

Maybe that's why the EU suffers from the "democratic deficit" and lack of "feeling European" among its population. It is supposed to be an organisation for everyone, with the values that everyone respects. Based on consensus and unanimous decisions. Did it end up being nobody's?
The future will show.
How will we act?

posted by zuzka @ 10:28 PM 1 comments  

What makes me tick?

hmmm, I just got a question in an e-mail from Majken:
"What makes you tick?"

I had sincerely not clue what that means, so I googled it and I came across a test. Obviously, I couldn't resist to take it. Here's the result:

Based on your answers, you're highly extroverted!

You tend to live in the here and now. More interested in the application of ideas than in the principals behind them, you enjoy applying yourself to the learning of facts, while taking prompt, rapid action.

A knack for interpersonal awareness, and genuine leadership potential, allows you to work well in groups. In fact, you prefer being with others rather than being by yourself.

Preferring manual, physical, and other concrete activities to idle thought - you're a doer. People and action energize you, so you throw yourself into life without reserve. The variety of life, as opposed to digging deeply into one or two aspects of it, has irresistible appeal.

You seek out colorful experiences, and can tolerate a high degree of excitement.

You don't wait to be told the latest news; you ask. You don't wait to be introduced to someone who can help your career; you introduce yourself. The result is that you can create a powerful, confident impression and are often rewarded by getting just what you want.

You also show a very high-end IQ. In combining intense thought with intense emotion, you reveal a dynamic personality that is capable of making creative leaps and discoveries.

Well, I still don't exactly know what "what makes you tick" means, but I quite agree with the test results... What do you think?

posted by zuzka @ 9:32 PM 11 comments