Petnica Science Center

After I gained courage in October last year and applied for the Petnica Science Center, I had a lot of expectations, but I also hoped that I would be invited to the seminar I had wanted most. I put a lot of effort into writing the application, and Serbian language teacher Jelena Stefanović, Biology teacher Dunja Nastasić, as well as the psychologist Jelena Đukić Radivojević from my school Kreativno pero, helped me a lot in this. The good news arrived at the end of December. I was invited. 

That is how I spent the period from the 20th to the 26th of March 2019 in Petnica at a winter biomedical seminar. There I met many people from different parts of not only Serbia, but also the Balkans. I faced many things I did not know and gained new knowledge every day. Petnica offers very interesting lectures at a very serious level, as well as a unique experience of writing and defending seminar works, which provides the basis and instructions for further writing of scientific papers.

In addition to the extensive lectures and obligations related to seminar papers, there is always time for social activities everyone is enjoying. Friendships made there are completely different from those made in school, everyone says that most survive for a very long time. The rooms are clean, the beds are comfortable, and the food is good (unless you are spoiled).

I would love to have the world of Petnica in my heart and for myself but at the same time I want more young people to experience what I did. Therefore, be honest with yourself and apply for the seminar you are most interested in. Don't lie to yourself that you are, for example, interested in physics just because the Petnica Physics Laboratory is incredible or because your parents think that you are very talented for that. You will spend most of your time in lectures, and unless you enjoy them, nothing will improve your overall impression. Also, you must prepare yourself for hard work and very little sleep. The fun fact is that I slept very little there (on average two hours). This is how you learn the importance of good organization as well as persistence and endurance in what you do. 

Of course you don't have to rely on my experience completely. Why? Because I don't know what it is like on other seminars. People at the biomedical seminar, associates and executives, were incredibly friendly, pleasant and interesting, just like guest lecturers from various faculties. Nevertheless, all the stories I hear about Petnica only confirm my own.