New Year's Resolutions!

1. Love myself-because I don't really love him right now...
2.Stop every contact with my ex's-for reasons I have already explained
3.Stop complaining and focus on the good things in ly life, because there are plenty!
4.Start each day with a big smile
5.Stop letting people and situations ruining my day, especially when they don't really matter
6.Go out more
7.Don't compare my life with the life of others
8.Find something I'm truly passionate about and make it a hobby

Been there, done that!

I think it's the most carefree christmas holidays...it's nice to be back at home just for a few days, everyone spolis you because you will be soon leaving again!I sleep until noon, watch TV, eat without my mom telling me that it's enough-I HATE IT when she does that-and I drink coffee with my friends, at least with those who are not attached to the hip to their boyfriends....
Called N. today to see how she spent christmas with her bf and I immediately could tell by her voice that something was going on...Sshe finally admitted that once again she felt like she was following him around like a dog and that he didn't seem to care much, that he is always flirtatious with other beautiful girls, that they see each other only on weekend...Same complaints I have been hearing for the past few months, nothing new about it.And ofcourse she wanted to go out for coffee with M. and me, because that's what you do when there is something wrong with ur bf and he hasn't called you yet on a Sunday morining to say good morning, because you had a misunderstanding last night.And of course while we were onthe phone he called.And ofcourse N isn't coming finally for coffee because she's going out with her bf and..."you undertand how it is".
Yes, I do understnad how it is. Maybe a few months back I would be angry or sad but now I just don't care. I guess it's normal to give priority to your bfr when things arent's working out.But seeing situations like this I can fortunately say "been there, done that", I'm pretty sure that in the future I won't be facing any more problerms like that because now I know better what suits me and what doesn't. Even though it sucks big time being alone in christmas time, it would be even worst to be with someone and cry/complain about him a lot.
Whenever I had a bf on christmas it was always great, except with the french guy, that was my worst christmas holiday ever. He had already started cheating on me and I could tell something was wrong although he wouldn't say anything and made me believe that I was the cazy one. Then again, it's easy to pull off something like that when your gf is madly in love with you and 3.000km away. So comparing that period, two years ago,with this year I can proudly say that it's better being alone than crying over a jerk.At least now I cry for my self, for the male prostitute I saw last night begging for some change at the metro station, for the situation in Greece, for my family that I will miss very much when I m back to strasbourg. But not for someone who makes me miserable, even if he's doing so by accident.
I don't enjoy exactly when I see couples fight or having problems and I find it difficult to say to a friend of mine to dump her bf, I always try to propose other solutions or find some nice remarks to make about him. But in my present situation, I just need to see that not every one who's in a relationship is necessarily happy and that singles also have fun and can be much more accomplished and happier than non-singles.
When I hear about couples in christmas, i always imagine them giggling throughout the holidays, dining at restaurants, snuggling, having sex all the time and generally being...happy-i dont know how many times I have used this word inthe same paragraph but I just can't describe the feeling in any other way. But I start realising that it's the wrong perception. I just think singles are miserable because I want to believe it. I'm a mazochist. I have to start thinking in a more mature way if I ever want to be feeling good about myself and my marital status:P
I hope N.works out her relationship problems, but I doubt it. It's her first bf, first kiss, first lover...first everyhting, so I guess someone can be very scared of loosing something tha took her 23 years to find...Thus ending putting up with crap that normally she wouldn't put up with-I'm so glad that this period of my life is finished!


I like the last days of the year. For thw last two years I think of the morning of the 1st January and I always picture it a bit like Bridget Jones. After the end of a shitty year but with a lot of hope that this time I will meet THE ONE and I will become someone new, better...and ofcourse a lot of new year resolutions. Last year I dont remember if I made any, but this year I have to and I have to stick with them, just to break the routine of forgettin about them after a few days (maximum):P:P:P
Resolution no 1: cut EVERY KIND of contact with my ex bf's (except N).
My first bf has proven to be a real jerk in the past few months and he really doesn't know what he's looking for...I spent 3 months last summer (after we reunited almost 5 years after we broke up) trying to figure him out, but I finally gave up , he is way too complicated for me, that's why I call him a jerk, even though I dont think he is...but he gave me a very hard time from may to august.
My second bf recently started dating a friend of a friend, with whom I had gone out several times during the past 2 years and who I introduced to him, but just by accident,because we happened to be at the same concert. My problem is that because she's a friends of N. I may have to be at some point inmy life at the same party or bar with them and I loathe it. I don't want to know about the ex's or the current girlfriends of my ex bf's. I never want to see them in front of me as a couple. Ignorance is bliss.And what is really stupid is that he didn't tell me about it(my ex)but he let his gf do the dirty job. What a coward!Just for the record, we had a great time when we were together, until we started not to, or at least I started getting bored and then I broke up with him 3 years ago and then we had a couple of reunions during the last 2 years that I hava always ended because it just wasn't working. So I have been talking about someone I "dumbed" 3 times, someone I could be dating if I wanted to , someone with whom the sex wasn't that great. But he was a great guy, sweet, tender, attentive, treated me inthe best way.Unfortunately , I cheated on him and I have regretted it a lot. But bottom line is I have rejected him many time s inthe past 3 years, I never thought a lot about him after we broke up the first time and now just because he's dating a girl I know I have been havng dreams about them, I fear no to bump on them on the street and the fact they are dating ruins some of my christmas holidays. I AM STUPID.And that's why one should cut every contact with ex's, so that when they have a new gf one will never know about that and more important, one wouldn't be the person who introduced them to each other,as I am right now.
The 3rd ex is the french guy I was so in love with, we don' t talk anymore and I'm fine about that, I don't need to remember more often than I already dowhat a wrong, catastrophic choice he was.
The last ex is N. but I don't think I m ready to stop talking to him, he hasn't pissed me off at all and the situation is different, we broke up because of the distance, but I believe we could have had a nice time if we lived inthe same country:P
At some point I know I 'll have to stop. Just not yet.

Holiday expectations have gone down the drain so far...

I m tired of complaining and feeling miserable but I just can't help it. And to make things worst, it's Christmas, I mean I should be smiling all the time, singing carols and loving everybody.And I dont. I dont feel like smling, hearing carols makes me angry and there are very few persons at this moment that I love.
Being back at home for the holidays is not as great as i thought it would be.Except for my family, i think i adjusted back to being in the same house with 3 other persons -and not alone anymore-very weel and immediately.For the rest...it sucks.I missed my friends, but not all of them missed me and that's what bugs me the most. I feel that for the past few years i have been giving a lot, in every aspect, and i now realize that i m not getting much.Now that i need to see them and i need to feel loved, not lonely any more, no one cares.
Everyone has their boyfriend, job or i dont know what and in theory say they missed me and "how long will u stay there?(sad face)!" but what's the difference?I mean, i ve been gone for 3 moths, we have had barely contact-barely meaning one mail and one sms-, although P.does have internet at work every day and now I m back i have to almost beg M. to see her alone.Her boyfriend is ok, i like him, but sometimes i just want to see my friend ALONE.
They are together almost every day for the past 3 years, they stay together a lot,so how hard can it be to make plans to do something with your best friend(as she calls me)when she comes back just for two weeks???And i have said that i dont know when i ll be coming back to Greece.
I dont want to be mean, but what will happen if they break up?M will be left all alone, because she now only has 2 friends, one of which(me)is in France for an undefined period...Hasn't she thought about that?I mean , realtionships fall apart all the time, even long ones...
For P. i dont mind that much, she is too reserved i now realize, after 3 months she has nothing new to say, she shares nothing form her life and i share everything.I dont need that, i want warm people, who now how to be friends,how to give, not only receive.
They are both attached to the hip with their boyfriends, since they started dating they do almost nothing alone, i find it horrible and in the beginning it was really hard to get used to that because i m not at all like them.Ofcourse i do a lot of stuff with my bf-WHEN I have one-but i want some space for me and my friends. I finally decided to let it go, because I can't expect everyone to be like me and i considered them my friends, so I decided to love them with their faults.And everyone was tired of hearing me complaining about the situation.
But now i feel it's different, i need my friends, well i need M. and ithink i have made it as clear as i can, without complaining.I wont beg anymore to do stuff together like normal friends, without dragging her boyfriend with us, because i m sick and tired of that.Really.I have started losing patience.I just wont say anything anymore, but at some point i know i ll explode and i may react in an ugly way.
But i just cant understand her.Doesnt she feel the need to spend time with the only friends she has left?Is her boyfriend fullfilling every need ?Doesnt she get it that i feel lonely and i need my friend?I s she a real friend at the end of the day?
And that's why this holiday sucks.I have too many second thoughts about my frineds, i just broke up with N. and i miss him much more than I thought I would, i feel lonely and that noone really loves me except from my family, i dont want to go back to Strasbourg.I am focusing in what I dont have and not on what i have and it's a pity.I have a really nice life and for the past weeks I can't help it but feel miserable.
Maybe I need really good new years resolutions.Really strong ones. Like stop contact with persons i feel are not giving me anything, even if that means cutting off those i used to consider friends of mine and however hard it maybe.Or stop talking with my exes, completely and for good.Never again be angry or even bother with the stupid one from my classroom, even if we are eating inthe same table and I can't avoid him.And always, always smile and focus on the good stuff.
God i really need a good start for 2009, a really good start, but i dont see it coming...Or at least a really great year, even if the start sucks-i want new friends, an internship and a really, really good boyfriend!

A few hours later...

Went for dinner at TGI Fridays, then watched on TV a really sweet film-i think it's called Dan in Real Life-and i'm officially feeling much better, much closer to my old self.
I went out dining with the above mentioned couples(P+A, M+G) and I had fun , thank God!Well,P+A continue to be boring, but they are kind and the other two are funnier, so it's OK.Still have those second thoughts about our friendship, but maybe i can put it aside for the holidays and think about it later.
On Monday, i might be going out shopping and having coffee with M and I didn't have to beg about that, so that's more OK!And coming home, i found two sweet messages on my facebook from a friend and a friend of a friend who also lives in Strasbourg and i was happy, some people still think about me from time to time!
Oh, that sounds sooo lame:P
Food at TGIs was great as always, what wasn't great was the waitress, she was the most obnoxious I have ever come across at a TGIs.Maybe she was having a bad day.Or maybe every waiter there is like that because they are working at the chic quartier of Athens.Shop keepers and sales men/saleswomen have the same atitude there and i despise them for that. I mean there is nothing wrong with being a salesman or a waitress, but if u think that because u r working at that particuliar quartier gives u the right to be rude with customers...it forces me to think that u r really stupid.I just wanted to yell at her "YOU ARE ONLY A WAITRESS!GET A GRIP AND LOOSE THE ATTITUDE!" . But i will probably never do it, i fear confronting people.However, sometimes i play in my head scenes where i am confronting someone and then i say a lot of cool and mean stuff...pity i ll never use it in real life:P
The film made me feel a lot better, one of those american feel good movies, but it had something different, it wasn't too corny or too pink, but it still gives u hope and i actually believe there can be families like that.
I know what i want for next christmas:to spend it with someone really special, laughing , drinking hot chocolate and making love by the fire, in a wooden house in Rhode Island, just in front of the sea!And crosswords are a must!And if he had a big, sweet and funny family would be nice, but i thik that this would exclude haveing sex by the fireplace...Oh i just want a really warm christmas, with lots of love and christmas carols and happy faces and pancakes and...

Well, we finally broke up...It's sad because it could have worked out ifi we were in the same city, maybe the age difference etc wouldn't matter...I miss him a lot, though nothing has really changed after "breaking up", even before we didn't see each other(that was exactly the problem:the different continents we ar eliving in) and we still talk on msn.Maybe we shouldn't for a while, just to get used to the idea that "officially"we're no longer together...A burden is off my back, not N. but the fact that I finally found a way to tell him, I have been thinking about telling hime for about a week, maybe more and now it's finally done and we're delaing with it quite nice I'd say, no quarrels, no anger, nothing.Maybe the best breakup I ever had, maybe the most mature also.
But I'm getting old!I actually told him(and it's quite true)that I'll be 25 on May and I want to start thinking about having a serious relationship, meaning a relationship that may lead to familly, children etc.Wow!Is it me speaking???At least I think that made him understand a bit better where I stand, that I have absolutely no problem with him, my feelings haven't changed, it's just the distance that makes me to break up with him.I hope it will be a bit easier for him after telling him all that stuff...
Today we went out to buy christmas presents for family and friends in Greece and then ate at a brasserie.Finally we ordered the famous croque monsieur and we understood why it's famous...it's huge!!!Drank christmas beer(don't know why they call it christmas beer, it seems as normal beer to my untrained eye but anyway it was great)and then went for some more window shopping...
The only thing I got for me was a pair of really cheap gloves(it's a necessity here in Strasbourg, if you are on the bike, your hands risk of freezing and falling off:P) and very expensive black ink for my printer, grrrr, I just hope it will last for 1000 pages,as it says on the box it does!
Had a phone interview yesterday about an internship here in Strasbourg, I think it went quite well...It would be great if I got it, it's in the UN and I won't have to move.Sometimes I really like the idea of leaving and going to Geneva or elsewhere, because Strasbourg seems boring , but then I would love to stick around until summer, I think the city will be at its best then and I will really enjoy it!Well, in 3 weeks maximum I'll have the anwser...
Oh my god, it's almost 10 o'clock at night, I am sooooo tired, not inthe mood to study at all and tomorrow I have to finish writing the paper on the UN Special Procedures, T.maybe coming by to join all the chapters together, write bibliography, print etc.And I have to do the AI translation for Tuesday from English to Greek and it's huge...I am now working in 3 languages, thinking in Greek and speaking/writing/reading sometimes in French, sometimes in English, it's fun but quite difficult also:P
And the chair I use to sit and read at my desk is broken, so I use one who's not very comfortable, I hate it:(I went at the ...accueil yesterday, to tellthem that hte chair is broken because of...old age and they told me to go back on MOnday so that they will note that it has to be replaced and they will replace it...well, i guess later, after new years...French people move so slowly and so by the book that I often want to scream at them "move your asses, work a bit,think outside the box!!!". But I just have to put up with them until June and anyway it's not that bad.Just...I don't think anymore I want to come and leave in France for ever, as I used to say:P At that point, Greece seems a much more attractive option or Germany or the Netherlands...maybe i misjudged them first time I was there, everyone says Dutch people are incredibly nice, I dont know why I had the impression that they are unfriendly. The Strasbourgeois here can be reaaaaly unfriendly, especially salesmen and my colleagues at the university -although technically they are not from Strasbourg but from all over France...so maybe that means that "unfriendliness" is not only a characteristic of people in this region but of the French in general.Where am I???????

Interesting days

It's been quite a few days since I last blogged, I thought I could do the 365-a-year posts but it finally requires too much discipline:P Not for me i guess, hi, hi, hi!
But on the other hand,those last few days were full...
Saturday got up quite late,wasted time on facebook and msn and later went out with N. for chrismas carols in a protestant church and then for hot soup at the Artichaut, one of my favourite coffee shops-bars here:)And then ...chez Corina for vin chaud, we improvised a lot for the recipe but it turned out to be great!

The protestant church in Strasbourg: we were among old people mostly , it's so sweet to see that they are still active and try to enjoy life-I think I'm going back next Saturday:)







Artichaud a very boheme cafe,with bio-food and giant bowls with hot chocolate...I think the fact that men there are also very good looking add to its reputation:):):)








Sunday we took the train with other friends from university and went to Heidelberg-Germany that is. It took as about 3 hours and we changed 4 different trains but it was worth it, especially considernig the tickett just costs 7 euros aller retour!Heidelberg is cold, beautiful and boring from what Robert told me. The christmas market was nice, lots of people, nice coffe shops, bratwurst and vin chaud(hot, sweet wine), served in a beautiful christmas mug which is now standing proudly in my cupboard!!!!The view from the castle was also great,there were also people singing christmas carols, took great fotos, saw the biggest wine barrel (!!)in Europe etc.


Best part was I saw Robert and his girlfriend, we already made a date for our next...meeting, he's coming beginning of january in Strasbourg for a couple of days!
Came back home only to open my pc and affront too much information I wasn't ready to process...My mother sending me an email telling me not to be afraid if I here anything about what happeining in Greece, that there are riots, people braking stuff in our neigbourhood, Athens in flames, but they are OK. Then read the news and haven't stopped since:the riots are continuing for the third day, the center of Athens is burned down, banks, shops, university libraries, car dealers, even the city's christmas tree...So sad...I looked forward to going back home for holidays, now I am a bit more reluctant now, since I doubt there will be any christmas spirit left...Will even the riots be over by then???How beautiful is Athens in christmas, with my friends we love going downtown for some window shopping, strolling around the christmas market and the tree, having coffee...I doubt there will be anything left this year, the fotos I've seen that far are...devastating, sad...I'm speechless, I almost cried earlier...
The cause of all this is even sadder:a policeman shot and killed a 15 year old Saturday night downtown, because he provoked him verbally or by throwing something at him, no one knows yet what exactly happened.But it was murder in cold blood neverhteless.Unacceptable for a police officer to pull out a gun, even just to intimidate...We 're talking about a minor here, u don't need a gun to intimidate him!!!!And u certainly don't open fire to make him go away.
I'm wondering what kind of training they receive in police academy.They are supposed to have seminars on human rights and when it is allowed to pull a gun etc but several incidents during the last years in Greece clearly show that all this is b*******.
I live in the center of Athens, my university is in the center, the language instituts, my friends, the palces I hang out...I remember all the times I passed by the special forces of police which are situated everywhere downtown(a trend of the last 2-3 years, it wasn't always like that), in every corner, at groups of until 3 persons with machineguns, armed etc.I have always been afraid of their weapons and I was wondering if they have any bullets and how easy it is for them to use them...I doubted that they would use them in public like that, without a really serious reason...Well, I was wrong and now I am even more afraid of them. I mean the policeman shot 3 times towards a minor Saturday night in a very popular neigbourhood, where there is always a lot of people, especially on a Saturday night, I go there a lot, my brother, my friends...You may be passing by, not provoking anyone but u might get shot at because someone else cursed or threw stuff at a cop...
I'm so sad for my country, they are all s***heads, the policemen and those who burn down the city, as if they really care about the kid or as if that would bring him back.They are just searching for an excuse to destroy and burn...they are the same persons who vandalize during student protests etc.
And then there are the politicians...using and abusing such a moment to talk about elections, to undermine the government...instead of helping to resolve the situation, to calm things down, some care more abut how they will finally take the power in their hands.OK, next elections are probably yours and you amy do a much better job than the current government, but my God!Are you human?Do u even care about your country?Or you are just like Iznogud???I m disgusted and afraid for my family and friends...
I hate that I call them every day worrying about where they are and if everyone is OK, it's not normal to have that kind of situations in democratic countries, we were not in a war last time I checked...
I should start studying for tomorrow at some point, it's already 7.40 pm...I have put on christmas songs in case I finally cheer up and think about something else than the crazy place I happen to be coming from, which I have recently realised that I just love it and that it hurts too much to see where it has come to...

Sooooo...I finally had an almost fun day yesterday:P
We went out after lunch with A. to buy presents for the birthday, strolled arund Christmas-Strasbourg and...ditched class! I bought presents for my friends in Greece (I'm going back in two weeks-yeahhhh!!) and earrings for me(I never have enough obviously), I decided that spending 5 euros on something that useless wouldn't make a big difference on taoday's economic crisis.
Got all dressed up, put on some make up, made my hair and went for my bike...flat tire...aggghhhhh!!!Made it in time though to the restaurant for the surprise(G. didn't have a clue what we were panning, hihihi)! He just turned 18, so young, wish I could turn back time when I was 19 or 20, relationships were easier or at least I thought so because I ALWAYS had a boyfriend next to me, in the same zipcode, unlike now:P
The boeuf bourguignon was great, the pinot noir even better and the cake just divine-good thing I ate vegetable for lunch:)We made many many many fotos and then made it back home on foot, enjoying Christmas decoration downtown.I have to say, Athens seems to me much more beautiful than Strasbourg in Christmas, or at least we don't brag that we are the capital of christmas...Here u can find this poster everywhere, so I had really big expectations that haven't been fullfilled yet:(
Great thing about living in west europe is , as I mentioned yesterday, that u can go from one country to the other easily and cheaply.Like today, we paid 2.70 euros for an aller retour ticket to Germany-Kehl tobe more specific-to do some cheap shopping!We took the city bus and just crossed over Rhine to Kehl, Europe today is so much more different than the Europe my parents saw when they travelled with Interail about 30 years ago...No visa, no borders, no police control...
Sunday we are going to Heidelberg, Germany again, with just 7.50 euros aller retour-we're just going on a one-day-excursion, but the christmas market will be there, decoration etc soI guess I ll make great fotos:):):)

How did I get into this?And how am I getting out without hurting anyone?

I have spent about 5 days in a row in my room, studying, with minimum human contact (msn and phone don't really count as HUMAN contact)...Yesterday at night, I started feeling quite miserable but then A.came back from her long weekend at Paris, we chatted a little, I realised how much stuff I had done during my "emprisonment" for my ...personal development-red the economist, i am continuing the reading of I married a communist, i bought it beginning of summer but until this weekend I had never gone beyond page 20 and I also started this blog-and went sleeping a biiit better.
She really enjoyed Paris, she walked a lot around, went to museums and galleries, took some artistic fotos...I'm jealous now, I regret not going with her at Paris, now I'll probably have to go alone and I hate that:( As soon as my bank account starts looking a bit better I HAVE to go somewhere: Paris, Mons, Rouen...I feel that I'm not taking advantage of the fact that I'm in the middle of Europe and I can go almost everywhere relatively cheap and quickly.But then I remind myslef that I have already done my erasmus year where I did all the travelling etc and now it's time to study!
Today it's the same old routine:coffee, internet, paper on minorities, project on MDGs, courses n the evening..but then there is the surpsise birthday party for G.!Still haven't found a gift though...
Talked to N.earlier on msn and I really miss him...I don't know where this "relationship" will end up, we'll probably break up in a few months maximum because of the distance, but it's such a pity.I feel it could have worked out if we lived in the same city and not in different continents.And it's not just the distance,there is also the uncertainty of when we will ever be inthe same zip code...I mean I don't plan on moving to Tunisia for all my life and I don't really think he likes the idea of coming to Europe...
Next question is ofcourse: why did I get in this situation since I could predict those problems.I don't know. He is so sweet and romantic and the days we spent in Greece were so great and then the week in Tunisia...wow!In the beginning it was just a summer love but then we talked a lot on the phone and on msn and we missed each other and he's so innocent, it's impossible for me to tell him that distance,especially in this case, can't work inthe longterm.
I'm surprised we even got that far, I imagined that we would have lost contact maximum one week after he left Greece!And yet here we are, beginning of December, talking daily,exchanging "i miss u"and "i love u". In short, when we kissed on the grass that night, I thought it was something simple, no further commitments, no long distance relationships-despite the fact that i liked him a lot, I was drooling for him since the day I met him...And now I just can't explain to him that I can't continue...not because I don't have feelings for him but because it doesn't seem likely at all that we'll ever manage to really be together.And I don't want a relationship where you see the other person every 3 months for a week or something and then everyone goes back home and you talk on the phone or on skype...And in our case, I don't think that I'll see him in 3 months, not even close, try summer at best!Impossible.
But how do you explain that to a 21 year old muslim who says he's in love for the first time?How do you break his heart?

Talking politics once more...

Yeterday we went at N's for ...cuisine grecque.How could I say no to the invitation???
We ate stuffed zucchini with rice, meatballs, greek salad, feta cheese, mmmm!
As always happens with greek people-and even more greek law students-we ended up talking politics...I hate these conversations, mostly because we use the terms left, right, facist etc too much and too easily.I think it is extremely stupid to out labels like that on people:"She's Colombian, she doesn't like the FARC, she says it's the worst thing that ever happened to her country, so she must be a fascist". Maybe u should take into consideration the fact that she claims that the FARC have killed 4 memebrs of her family, including her 10 year old cousin?

I am not sure that in other european countries they are so obsessed with political labels as we are."Right" used to mean dictatorship and fascism in Greece, so many people still look at it that way even today."You don't like anarchists and you are willing to discuss private universities so you MUST be right wing." The reasoning is THAT simple in their minds.I DON'T know what I am. I have different views on different subects. I could be a liberal in economie, vote for the "right wing" party, not religious,be sensitive towards the environment and definately NOT a fascist regarding human rights...so what does that make me?

Is it that important to put labels?Do politics matter that much?Shouldn't be enough if we are good people, you know, love our family, help our friends, respect all humans...Isn't those the values that matter in the end, that can make a difference in our lives?

I admit it, I am pretty much ignorant about politics...I mean I know the basic stuff, terms etc and I have some ideas of my own, but I have nooo historical background whatsoever, so it's quite hard for me to discuss with people that have been doing that since high school, prefer to sit, listen and absorb the information. Lately, I have started doubting whether all those talking with confidence about their political views and the world today and all the possible solutions to the financial crises, human rights problems, society problems, actually know tha tmuch or they just make it seem like they do.

I hear people using legal terms here and there, with no idea of what they really mean, talking about important subjects based on information they have received/been fed from the media or from the student political party they belong to, without having been through the " I process info that is being fed to me and I do not just reproduce it in conversations to make me look smart" procedure and I just want to tell them to SHUT UP!

Open your mouth only when you are absolutely sure of what you are saying, when you have studied every aspect of it. I f that means that 99% of the time you won't be able to open your mouth, then so be it. I do it all the time, it is not that difficult and it can get quite interesting, when you are not in love with the sound of your own voice! Talk when you have an important contribution to make to the conversation and you don't just want to show off how "left" you are, as opposed to the other "right/fascist/conservatives/extreme right"sitting in the same table with you (or vice versa).

And always,always keep in mind that the most important of all is how we treat other people (but also the animals and the environment) in our everyday life, not what political label we are proudly wearing.

J-1!

So blogs finally caught up with me...I don't really know why I'm starting it, maybe out of loneliness...Living and studying in Strasbourg can be quite lonely finally, that is not to say that I don't meet people, I don't go out etc-I do all of that, but I miss a lot Athens, my family , my friends. I never thought I 'd say that, last time i studied in France, I was soooo happy all the time, I wanted to stay there forever!Maybe because I was erasmus...Studying for a Masters isn't the same I guess, plus a really difficult period has preceeded, maybe I hadn't fully "recovered":P

One of the greatest problems for starting my blog was the language:english, french or greek?Obviously greek wouldn't be very practical, too little people could understand what I'm writing about. French would be the reasonable option, since I am studying, talking, even thinking in french this year. It is an absolute chaos in my head, those 3 languages combined...I ended up with english I don't know why, I guess trying to make my blog even more "universal".
French people still think that everyone should be able to speak, write and understand in their language, but I think that they are not fully aware of the fact that their language doesn't have anymore the place in the international community it used to have.I wonder how much until they finally get it...
Don't get me wrong, I love everything french, but I find it really stupid not to be able to communicate in any other language than your own. How is it possible that 23 year old students in human rights can't speak or understand nothing else than french?Haven't they ever come across foreign bibliography throughout their studies?I don't ask about watching american films, because I know first hand that everything here is dubbed, I think this is the right word(meaning not subtitled, but eg you hear Tom Cruise speak in french in the movies...).
I have started liking living here-after 2 1/2 months, it took me quite long-though I don't want to do it forever, until June/July max. I like my small habits, turning on the computer a soon as I get up and then turning on the boiler for my morning coffee...I love riding my bicycle, it's the first time in my adult life I have a bike and it is actually useful, not just for exercise or for promenades, I take it to go to classes or downtown, t's the ultimate experience of Strasbourg for me! I like the fact that I can stay for hours in front of my vaio, browsing the intenret, without being distracted.I like filling my fridge with vegetabes and fruits and finally losing weight!OK from time to time there is a bar of dark chocolate or a pot nutella that enters the house (and they disappear in the blink of an eye unfortunately) but in all I manage to eat very healthy, very little meat/rice/pasta/sweets/bread, lots of vegetables, strong black coffe throughout the day...I am living the images I had in my mind before coming here!I love my small pink cyclamine, my boiler, my cafetière that I bought at IKEA as almost everything in my room, my printer, the small magnets on my fridge, the fotos on my wall...
Living alone and far from my family is surely quite lonely, but there are aspects I just love. Most important is that I finally learn how to spend money, I am not perfect yet, but I think I am getting a much clearer view of how expensive life can be or inexpensive if u r smart about it. It's a pity that I had to reach the age of 24 to do that, but blame the greek family (also) who doesn't encourage u to leave, to find a job and start making it on ur own. I'm not complaining, they have given me everything and even more, but I don't know if I would like my children to be as irresponsible as I used to be with money.I think I want to teach them the value of money and making it with ur proper means in an earlier age...
What else do I love?I love my subscription to the economist, finally forcing myself to read something else than cosmopolitan(in terms of weekly or monthly press, ofcourse I read serious books:P) and discovering that I actually like it! I like the book besides my bed, I bought it in the beginning of summer but never managed to read more than 20 pages. I am continuing reading it and it goes easily, I hope to finish it before holidays! I like my recycling bag, I am recycling at last and not just because my mother is doing it, I like my small box with sugars in different shapes, I like my essence burning...thing, my laundry bag!
What don't I like? I don't like that when I'm feeling lonely it's hard to find someone to talk to and almost impossible to find someone who understands you...I wish I had found persons that I am more compatible with.I wish I hadn't stayed in the beginning between the greeks. I wish some of my friends in Greece would remeber more often of me. I wish my ex hadn't started dating a "friend"of mine. I wish ...