there are a ton of stickers on my laptop, and there have been even more on my previous one. i want to look into these stickers today and probably try to tell you a little bit more about myself, my past and my aspirations. overall, most of my base layer stickers (you can hardly see them) come from various universities. it was admissions and applications season, so i was just collecting stickers as both manifestation and escapism. i was looking at my laptop, thinking it can’t be very bad, as i have lots of options, and it turned out ok (in ok) at the end.
let’s devise some of the stickers together. there is a “uwc area” in the middle. i call it this way because i have a sticker from my best friend who still studies at uwc adriatic in italy, and we met each other when he came to my uwc, one in armenia, for the model united nations. i also have the sticker with the quote of mahatma gandhi. “be the change you wish to see in the world” – my life motto, i am trying to envision every day, trying to go at least one step further per time. i strive for sustainable change, so i am doing everything so that the change comes gradually.
the upper left corner i would characterize as armenia and a piece of potterhead. i have an almost invisible sticker with the symbol of slytherin from harry potter – as sneaky as a true slytherin student should be. a sticker helping to hide it – one about printmaking, is the merchandise of the project i was part of during my two years spent in armenia. yerevan international print biennale is a major printmaking convention, and i had a chance to work with its archives to organize and structure them. there is also a sticker with the flag of artsakh, a historically armenian territory, which was annexed by azerbaijan following a blockade of all connections to the main armenian land for more than 10 months. this is a symbol of crime and genocide happening now, and another reminder to live by my true values. and the last one, but definitely not the least, the logo of my high school, uwc dilijan. it is a place that gave me unforgettable memories, gave me the opportunity to meet amazing people and defined my international future.
the next one is the one i bought myself. i bought it during my solo trip to georgia. it says “love you” in georgian. i keep it as a reminder of unconditional self-love i am supposed to have, even though i struggle with it a lot. my name in russian means “beloved one” and i am working hard on learning how to love myself. it is also a reminder that i don’t need someone else to be self-sufficient and worthy and i have my own strengths. this solo trip was quite hard but i am grateful it happened the way it did and i met some more wonderful and interesting people.
the second-to-last one i want to draw your attention to is this one, it says “homeland is my nest” in armenian. this one helped me during my identity struggles. every day i was looking at it thinking where my home is and do i even have one. i came to terms with the idea that i had one and i will once have one, but for now my home is where my people are, so it is everywhere.
and the last one, but not the least, is a sticker from my favorite coffee shop back in russia. the coffee there costs 3 bucks per biggest cup (which is even larger than venti we are all used to), and it is so delicious, so i go there every day when i am back. it is also the coffee that took me through my russian high school, challenging classes, special physics lessons and solo coffee dates. i love this shop and can’t wait to get my usual order – flat white with a pump of mint syrup. try it if you have a chance to order it somewhere. because of this chain, my love for coffee is infinite, and i am willing to share it with everyone around me.
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