Dear my friends from/in Europe,

Nobel Peace Prize 2012

Dear my friends from/in Europe,

Congratulations on your Nobel Peace Prize winning!
I know that there are so many problems happening among you guys, and some of you may doubt if EU has a right to get awarded at this moment. 
But I just want to say "Good Job!!" for the EU's decades-long historical role in promoting reconciliation, and PEACE.

I remember the conversation of exactly two years ago.
I have traveled to Vancouver with my study-abroad Engineering-Major friends Timo from Germany and Giorgio from Italy.
We were on the way to Vancouver on Route 5, Giorgio and Timo driving, I acting as a guide.
We talked a lot, from our backgrounds to future dreams, how weird and nice it is to study in states where our grandpa's generation battled against and lost to, and our nationalities.
I asked them,
"What do you think about EU? Do you guys have any idea about being a member of EU?"
Timo or Giorgio(I forgot who said) told me,
"Yes... I think I have a feeling that I'm a member of Europe over my nationality, and this kind of feeling among our age should be stronger than our father's age."
From this comment, one strong feeling came up in my mind that I'm a member of world which is changing at a slow speed, is wandering up and down, and is trying to get together.

Two years have passed since then, and found that it is not so easy to be one than I thought. Euro Crisis, Conflicts between countries, religious and tribe problems... those on-going problems are insinuating that world cannot be a global, but be a international.
However, I believe that the world will be a global in the future. It could be a 50 years later, 100years later, or 1000 years later. But I hope and believe that we can achieve it.
EU is a very first step of that. It could be a step in the wrong direction, but it is okay. We can step back and think about it again and again.

“The EU helped transform Europe from a continent of war to a continent of peace.”
Thorbjoern Jagland, Council of Europe Secretary-General, said.
I don't know politics much, I'm not an International Relation or Economics Major student, and I don't care who will pick up the gold medal of the Nobel Peace Prize.
I'm just happy to hear that EU got awarded, because there are my friends in EU members of 500 millions.

Again, congratulations! I would like to see you guys someday again;)
Take care, and peace,

Ryu