A friend of mine used to joke that her skin tone was “library-pasty”, and I had to sympathise. Life as a literature student means that for nine months of the year I potter around library shelves, sit at my desk for eight hours at a time with several books and a laptop open in front of my nose, or contentedly amble in and out of … Continue reading Living In and Out of Time/ Ζώντας εκτός χρόνου
A couple of weeks ago I helped my cousin move to a new apartment. It was while folding some of his clothes to pack in a box that I realized this was yet another summer I was involved in a move. Seeing the packing tape, the cardboard boxes, the empty shelves, it all brought back memories from when, not so long ago, I was the … Continue reading Wet Hot Stressful Summer Moving/Καλοκαιρινά Ραντεβού με Μετακομίσεις
One cold—or to be more precise, freezing—morning of last February, 16 km outside of Luxemburg, while I was stoically waiting at the bus stop, I was hit by an overwhelming sense of despair. I wondered why I was so many miles away from home, away from my family and friends. Every day I had to wake up at 7 in the morning and walk all … Continue reading Should I stay or should I go? / Να μείνω ή να φύγω;
After the imposition of capital controls in the Greek banking system, my relationship with ATMs has grown much fonder than it used to be. Briefly, capital controls were imposed about three weeks ago to prevent an uncontrollable withdrawal of savings from the Greek banks, a subsequent cash flow deficiency and the eventual collapse of the banking system. Last Wednesday I stood in line in front … Continue reading ATM for Dummies
After many weeks of political turmoil and financial uncertainty, Greece has finally reached a deal with its creditors—a deal that pretty much seals the social, economic and political asphyxiation of my country. But that’s a story for another time. I spent these weeks monitoring the news, refusing to rely on the Greek media as it showed its true colours by constantly twisting events and changing … Continue reading The Power of a Hashtag
At the birthplace of democracy, strange things are happening. Since last Friday, Greece has been dominating the news worldwide as it has defaulted on the IMF. On Sunday (5th July), a referendum will be held, even though the question of the referendum is vague and everyone interprets it as he or she sees fit. The birthplace of democracy is crumbling and I’m here, unable to … Continue reading The Yes and Nos of a Democracy/Τα Ναι και τα Όχι μιας Δημοκρατίας
I’m Greek. Let me tell you a couple of things about life in Greece: Yes, the food is glorious. No, we don’t still worship the Olympians. Yes, My Big Fat Greek Wedding was painfully accurate. But there is one more thing that should be known about life in Greece: it has become exhausting. It is not “happy”. What is happiness? It is my strong belief … Continue reading Generation Without Hope/Μια γενιά χωρίς μέλλον
Sunny Sundays in May are the best kinds of days, especially if you find yourself somewhere outdoors. It is the perfect opportunity to take a walk through the city or the countryside and just enjoy the marvel of the sun. On such a wonderfully sunny day I found myself in Athens (Αθήνα), Greece. Not wanting to miss an amazing opportunity, I arranged to meet with … Continue reading Walking Reflections
In Greece we are about to celebrate Easter. Let me tell you, Greece is pretty messed up right now, and it has been for the past six years. It doesn’t feel like Easter, no one is feeling particularly festive and after a while you start thinking, “why bother?”. The way things are, Greece is completely de-intellectualized: literature and arts are a luxury no one wants … Continue reading Nikos Kazantzakis and the Meaning of Easter
BookNotes and FootMarks 