The fast-paced lifestyle, constant race against time and money, and balancing personal and professional life can be exhausting. At the beginning of June, 20 of our colleagues from Institute Mihajlo Pupin – Automatika decided to take a break, gathering together and embarking on a pilgrimage to the Hilandar Monastery and Mount Athos. Our engineers, managers, technicians, and trainees demonstrated solidarity. They breathed as one throughout their stay on Mount Athos, and as they say, this sense of togetherness continued in their everyday lives back in the city. Although it may not seem so, our colleagues say organizing this trip was simple.
“With the help of the abbot of Studenica Monastery, Tihon, we managed to secure our stay on Mount Athos. Accommodation, transportation, and all necessary logistics were arranged with just three phone calls. Some people may not have intended to go initially, but when they saw the opportunity, they joined with pure hearts and wanted to come along. We’ve known each other for a long time, but this trip brought us even closer. The support of the director of IMP Automatika, Bojan Papic, meant a lot to us”, says Bojan Bogdanović.
The colleagues visited the Hilandar and Esphigmen monasteries, the Skete of Saint Andrew, and the hermitage of Saint Sava, learning about the rich history of this holy place. The bravest among them climbed to the summit of Mount Athos (2033m), the second-highest mountain in Greece. According to some records, the first Serb to climb Mount Athos was Saint Sava.
“The ascent itself was very challenging; the terrain is rough, and the climb is constant. However, in a team where collegiality, solidarity, and unity prevail, and of course, with blessings, everything was easy. We spent the night at the summit, waited for the clouds to clear with the first rays of sunlight, took photos with the Pupin flag, and then started our descent,” says Aleksandar Tomić.
Colleague Ivan Kapor adds that they received continuous support and encouragement from the rest of the team who had returned to mainland Greece. “We attended all the liturgies, akathists, and matins; sleep there is not like at home. It physically drains you, but it strengthened us spiritually. After all that, we bravely started the ascent, stayed together, and helped each other. We were friends before, but now we are brothers,” concludes Ivan Kapor.
