The beginning of March was reserved for the long-awaited BBICC, which took place in Belgrade, but I felt like I had traveled somewhere else. Everyone was talking about how this would be a truly special experience, but that the pace would be quite hectic, and indeed everything they said is true. Ten days marked by laughter, new acquaintances, unforgettable memories, and truly when everything is summed up, this project is a uniquely special experience.
If you were to ask me how it was, I literally wouldn’t know where to begin, and I could talk for days about everything that happened. And even though the pace was extremely exhausting, with only a few hours of sleep, somehow I remember every stressful moment as beautiful. I would say it’s because of the people, incredible people and constant good energy. The opportunity to meet the most brilliant students from four continents and their mentors is priceless. So much useful knowledge, information, and at the end of the day, the realization of so many different cultures, yet we are all somehow the same, we are all students. However, I think the word “student” is too ordinary because they are ambitious and inspiring young people who have amazed me with their presence, and I can proudly say that after the whole competition they were not just participants of the competition, nor our guests, but they also became our friends.

I remember the filming when we were showing on the globe the countries our team is from, and even then all of that somehow still seemed unreal and unimaginable to me. And then, a month later, here we are with them, in Belgrade. I might be a little biased now because I was born in Belgrade and grew up here, but truly this city has a special charm and will always be my favorite. So, the opportunity to show them Belgrade was one of the most beautiful days for me. “Amazing Race” to someone would immediately imply a race, a victory, considering that the participants are indeed competitive, but for me “Amazing Race” was the perfect opportunity for them to truly feel us, Serbs, our people, way of life, and the beautiful and rich city – my Belgrade. I was overjoyed when we were told that we could modify the tour a bit and we immediately headed to Skadarlija. They were thrilled with the music, rakija, and of course our irresistible cuisine. Also, the beautiful buildings, of which they were most fascinated by the churches, and above all the perfect Temple of Saint Sava.

In addition to city tours, there were also outings, but I would also like to reflect on the competition itself. That week I missed college, but I can confidently say that I learned more by listening to and watching their presentations than I would have learned that week at college. It’s fascinating how they solved very challenging case studies with so many details and attention to every little thing in a very short time. Everything exuded ambition, hard work, the desire to win, and take home the prize. I think my favorite memory is the duty, which was marked by the other ambassadors, and really each of us deserves the title of the best ambassador of this year’s BBICC. Twenty people who were like one for those ten days, and even though almost a month has passed, we are still one, we are still inseparable. Sleeping on hotel chairs in the hallway, specialties like grissini with Eurocream, constant laughter, and much more made the 8-hour shift feel like it lasted only 8 minutes. And truly when they say it’s not important where you are but who you’re with, they are absolutely right. We had a great time both in the hotel hallway and at the gala dinner at the hotel.

And I could write endlessly about the whole experience, but simply nothing would be enough to convey the overall experience and that week that I definitely rank as one of the most special in my life. BBICC is a meeting place for wonderful people from all over the world and definitely a life experience for which I will be forever grateful, as well as for every new acquaintance and lesson learned.