2023

The referee blows the whistle to kick off the second half. It’s FC Rabotnichki vs. FC Shkendija. Tied so far. Riste Zlatev is at the goal. Shkendija’s striker receives the ball. He runs towards Riste, who gets ready to jump. Darkness. 

Riste wakes up under glaring hospital lights. His head hurts.

2013

Having freshly moved from Kavadarci to Skopje, Riste and his mom are on a Skype call with his dad. Ljubica shares that Riste is an active kid, full of energy. To tire him out she suggests activities: taekwondo, swimming, basketball. But he likes football training the most. The coach lets them run until they drop. His dad, calling from the US, tells him to be a striker. But Riste knows that one day he’ll be a goalkeeper for Bayern Munich.

2014

I go to the first activities fair at UWC Robert Bosch. I don’t even glance in the direction of the football stand. I pick frisbee, which I believe to be the least sporty of the sports on offer.

2019

Riste is in eighth grade and he likes math and physics. His grades are great. But other than football training, he doesn’t go out much. He watches TV at home. He hasn’t talked to his dad in a while. 

2014

Breathless, I rue the day of the activities fair. At least the football players have an audience. No one bothers to come and watch frisbee games. 

2023

The coach brings him pastries to the hospital. His friends come to visit. Riste is sure that, when the headache lightens, he’ll be back on the field. The doctor doesn’t agree. 

To take his mind off the injury, his friend Borjana invites Riste to a debate class. It’s two weeks before the national championship. Even with limited training, Riste and his team make the semifinals. The next year, Riste is the 11th best speaker in the country. 

2016

Two months after graduating, I come back to the campus of UWC Robert Bosch. We’re organizing a Short course -- three weeks, ~30 students. A mini UWC experience. 

2024

Riste gets an email that he isn’t accepted to UWC, but he is offered a spot at a Short Course. The one in Germany. 

2025

Riste applies to UWC again. This time, he sees himself as calmer and more inspired. He talks to his mom, driving through Skopje. They listen to Toshe Proevski (and Jon Bon Jovi, and Zheljko Joksimovic). He thanks her for all the support.  

In March, Riste responds to my email after only a few hours. “I am honored to be nominated and to become a part of the UWC experience.”

 

***

Riste is the fifth Macedonian to attend UWC Robert Bosch College. He’ll join a campus that last year celebrated its tenth birthday. I can’t wait for him to leave his mark on RBC’s second decade.

 

Bobo Stankovikj, august 2025