An Abandoned Relic

My Photo scholarship 2010 entry

Bulgaria | Saturday, October 16, 2010 | 5 photos

The wind blew the clouds of fog up the mountain, and as we inched forward, the outlines of the structure on the top of the mountain came into view. The general excitement in the air among the explorers was evident as we reached the top and gazed at the giant spaceship-like monument. The inside was full of rubble and the concrete walls were cracked and crumbling. It was an arena, a place for the Bulgarian Socialist party to gather. The fact that this monument exists—isolated atop a mountain, with so much work put into the construction and design, now abandoned and crumbling—is just incredible to me. It is a living representation of the changing national identity of Bulgaria, and how the Bulgarians are trying to “Forget their past.”
Visiting the monument of Buzludzha was one of the most vivid and powerful memories that I have. Several students and I stopped there one rainy day this summer as I ventured on my first study-abroad experience in the country of Bulgaria. The weather that day really affected my perception of Buzludzha and I attempted to portray that tone through my photographs.
Upon returning home from my program, I realized that I now had many new modes of thinking that I did not possess previously. I came back with a new awareness of culture and national identity—both of my own and of other countries. A few weeks into the fall semester, I declared an International Studies minor in addition to my study of Mass Communications. Completing the World Nomads Scholarship program would allow me to not only continue to follow my passion of international study, but it would also grant me a learning opportunity that would enhance my photography skills and my potential for a future career in the field of mass communications. I wish to one day possess the skills to tell the unspoken narratives that exist throughout our world through my photography, much like the narrative of Buzludzha.