Category Archives: Writing

21 Oct

Ayers Rock Tour, Australia – by Ivan Beljic

Uluru Sunset, by Prince Roy

To the Editor

I am writing concerning the commentary on the Anangu opposition to tourism development in Uluru in the local paper cutting I received from an Australian friend. I want to express my disagreement with the criticism expressed. In my opinion we all should respect Anangu people and their tradition.

The Anangu people who have been there over 20,000 years call Ayers Rock as Uluru. It is their sacred site to which they are so attached that they never climb it and that is why they do not like when tourists do that. On the other hand, everybody realises that they benefit from tourism, and it is in their interests to increase visitor number to the rock. I think this can be solved by involving controlled tourism, which will ban climbing, but at the same time provide more seasonal work around the site and education to visitors.

I suggest that there is better cooperation between the goverment and the Anangu. To achieve this, the Culture Centre should have more jointly organised activities such as: educating visitors about aspects of the Anangu culture and explaining the spiritual importance of the area to their people. Visitors to Uluru are currently 400,000 a year. This is low compared with many other National Parks, and numbers could be increased. That is why Anangu should have a greater role in promotion, because then more profit will go to them.

All in all, the local people are right when they ask for a ban on climbing and for more control in tourism. I believe that this is the only way how this problem could be solved to make both sides satisfied.

Assignment from Advanced Expert CAE

 

09 Oct

SLOW AND FAST CITY LIFE IN VALJEVO by Marko Lazic

Are we lucky or unlucky to live in a relatively peaceful city?

Tesnjar by Lj.Ljiljak

 

Although Valjevo is one of bigger cities in Serbia you can still say that it’s a peaceful city.

The best thing about Valjevo is that there are not many people living in the town’s centre, and that is where the beauty of Valjevo lies. Pople like to linger there in cafes after their work.

Tešnjar is another good place to relax owing to its interesting architecture, in which old crafts and small shops are still preserved although the local government prefers to subsidise big supermarket chains. All these old houses, quiet streets and small shops make Valjevo one of most peaceful cities in our country, and we should be happy because of that.

Pople are always complaining that there are not many things to do in Valjevo but I think that in most cases they should blame themselves.

27 Sep

Are we lucky or unlucky to live in a relatively peaceful city? by Katarina

Photo by Lj. Ljiljak

As a person living in Valjevo, I am of course automatically going to say I am not a great fan of the way of life ’round here, but thinking about it for a second makes me reconsider what I have just said.

From a point of view of a person living in a big city with all the hustle and bustle, noise and hectic work, I’d say Valjevo is a real little heaven on Earth. Although it sometimes seems that there are no things to do, and no places to go out to, it is actually not quite like that. People are just too lazy to create things to amuse themselves. Comparing a small peaceful town to a big city makes you realise how much you enjoy walking through the non-crowded streets, sitting on a bench in a quiet park while watching the world slowly drift by, even if you always bump into someone you know anywhere you go, which can sometimes be really annoying.

So, depending on the kind of a person you are and the things that interest you, you are the only one who should choose where to live. I, personally find myself lucky to have spent my childhood here in Valjevo, although I now can’t wait to leave it, but I am also sure that will change and I will want to come back when I’m older.

26 Sep

Slow and Fast Life in Valjevo by Ivan Beljic

Photo by Ivan Beljic

We live in a peaceful city. Some say that’s good, while others say the opposite. Those who like this city are usually older people, who like to have a peaceful morning or time for sleeping, without noise from local pubs and cafes. But, on the other hand, young people who are full of conviviality tend to have some places to go out and have fun.

What can be said about our citizens is that they tend to linger over coffee and gossip, which is not very clever. I think that’s a waste of time, but when I look deeper I believe this may be the one of the reasons which connects the people, so no wonder if you come across neighbourliness almost everywhere. Our people are very hospitable, especially to their neighbours.

Although there are young people, subsidies are not very much popular in our area. In my opinion, that may be the breakpoint for young people to choose to leave Valjevo, so they go to more developed cities in order to seek for a job. What could be interesting  here is the fact that there are some shoemakers and watchmakers who actually still have jobs.

As for the cuisine, Valjevo is known for dishes made from fishes caught in the river Gradac. By the way, Gradac is a favourite picnic area of citizens during hot summer days (this includes not just older people, but also the younger ones).

So, all in all, Valjevo is a city full of diversity. It can make young people feel fulfilled, but I believe it’s more suitable for life of older people.

25 Sep

Slow and Fast Life in Valjevo by Milica Cvetinovic

Old town

Photo bz Lj. Ljiljak

For all my life I have been living in this city. It has always been a small and slow town, but as the time changes so does our time. I remember, when I was a child, there were no hypermarkets, and now they are being opened everywhere. It is the same with big stores which sell branded goods, and I am still not sure whether it is a good or a bad thing. It definitely has some upsides and some downsides. For example, now there is a big choice of low-priced things, but the small shops are being closed because they can not compete with the sales that big shops offer. Also there are not enough people which could buy these things.
As for the people of my time, they have always been convivial and I believe that this will never change. Although they do not have good salaries and maybe they have not paid the rent for their apartment, they will always laugh cheerfully and be ready to help you find yourselves around. Also, people who live in the suburb are known for their neighbourliness and willingness to help. Sometimes Valjevo’s citizens are closer to their neighbours then to their family.
All in all, Valjevo is a small, warm town, with the aspects of both slow and fast life. It is changing but I believe that it will always keep its mentality and hospitality.

25 Sep

Slow & Fast City Life Assignment

Old Town Tesnjar, Valjevo

1. Are we lucky or unlucky to live in a relatively peaceful city?

Discuss this question first with your partner and then with the whole class. This activity will help you with your vocabulary for this task:

Slow and Fast City Life 1

2. Write a 60-70 word paragraph about the way of life in Valjevo and whether you would like to change anything about it. Post your writing to Lingva Journals.

3. Read other students’ work and make some comments/questions. Whose work do you like best?