The Greek summer

The most beautiful season for me is summer. The summer in Greece is wonderful and all Greeks are looking forward to it, to close schools, to take time off work and to go on vacation. So, they rent a room in a hotel or a rented house for a few days, others go to their village, their place of origin, their parents, their friends, their best men or their relatives.

What almost everyone is looking for is the sea. Young and old are poured out on the beaches to swim for hours in its cool and clear blue waters. The sea revives us, creates our well-being and joy, cools us, relaxes and rests us. Access to the beach is always accompanied by a coffee in a plastic cup: frappe, freddo cappuccino, freddo espresso. Ice creams, beers and soft drinks also have their place of honor.

Sunscreens are essential accessories, as well as buckets with shovels, balls, rackets, masks and flippers. Children make the castles of their dreams, which after a while are usually destroyed by the feet of an angry child, to avenge his friend in the game or may be leveled by the waves of the sea.

The beach bars are full mainly of teenagers and young people who want to have fun with their friends or make new acquaintances. The summer music that sounds from the loudspeakers, creates a happy mood and the rhythms become more relaxed. Others prefer the seafood taverns to whet their appetite for lunch.

In summer, even the clothes are lighter and often unnecessary, since you can walk around all day in your swimsuit and barefoot on the sand, without caring if you get your clothes dirty or if you have to change them to do something else or go somewhere else.

The carefreeness and well-being we feel in the summer near the sea, is an important source of positive energy, which we store as a valuable supply for the remaining days that will follow, when the schools reopen, the employees will go to work and everyone will return to their daily activities.

Anthoula P. Veziri

Το ελληνικό καλοκαίρι

Η πιο όμορφη εποχή για εμένα είναι το καλοκαίρι. Το καλοκαίρι στην Ελλάδα είναι υπέροχο και όλοι οι Έλληνες το περιμένουν με ανυπομονησία και χαρά, για να κλείσουν τα σχολεία, να πάρουν άδεια από τη δουλειά τους και να πάνε διακοπές. Έτσι, νοικιάζουν για μερικές μέρες ένα δωμάτιο σε ξενοδοχείο ή σε κάποιο ενοικιαζόμενο σπίτι, άλλοι πηγαίνουν στο χωριό τους, στον τόπο καταγωγής τους, στους γονείς τους, στους φίλους τους, στους κουμπάρους τους ή στους συγγενείς τους.

Εκείνο που σχεδόν όλοι αναζητούν, είναι η θάλασσα. Μικροί και μεγάλοι ξεχύνονται στις παραλίες, για να κολυμπήσουν για ώρες στα δροσερά και καταγάλανα νερά της. Η θάλασσα μάς αναζωογονεί, μας δημιουργεί ευεξία και χαρά, μας δροσίζει, μας χαλαρώνει και μας ξεκουράζει. Η πρόσβαση στην παραλία συνοδεύεται πάντα από έναν καφέ σε πλαστικό ποτήρι: φραπέ, φρέντο καπουτσίνο , φρέντο εσπρέσσο. Την τιμητική τους έχουν επίσης τα παγωτά, οι μπύρες και τα αναψυκτικά.

Τα αντηλιακά είναι απαραίτητο αξεσουάρ, όπως επίσης τα κουβαδάκια με τα φτυαράκια, οι μπάλες, οι ρακέτες, οι μάσκες και τα βατραχοπέδιλα. Τα παιδιά φτιάχνουν τα κάστρα των ονείρων τους, τα οποία μετά από λίγο συνήθως καταστρέφονται από τα πόδια κάποιου θυμωμένου παιδιού, για να εκδικηθεί τον φίλο του στο παιχνίδι ή μπορεί να ισοπεδώνονται από τα κύματα της θάλασσας.

Τα μπαράκια στην παραλία, γεμίζουν κυρίως από έφηβους και νέους που θέλουν να διασκεδάσουν με τους φίλους τους ή να κάνουν νέες γνωριμίες. Η καλοκαιρινή μουσική που ακούγεται από τα μεγάφωνα, δημιουργεί χαρούμενη διάθεση και οι ρυθμοί γίνονται πιο χαλαροί. Κάποιοι άλλοι προτιμούν τα ουζερί με τους μεζέδες, για να τους ανοίξει η όρεξη για το μεσημεριανό φαγητό.

Το καλοκαίρι ακόμη και το ντύσιμο είναι πιο ανάλαφρο και πολλές φορές περιττό, αφού μπορείς να κυκλοφορείς όλη τη μέρα με το μαγιό σου και ξυπόλητος πάνω στην άμμο, χωρίς να σε νοιάζει αν θα λερώσεις τα ρούχα σου ή αν πρέπει να τα αλλάξεις για να κάνεις κάτι άλλο ή να πας κάπου αλλού.

Η ανεμελιά και η ευεξία που νιώθουμε το καλοκαίρι κοντά στη θάλασσα, αποτελεί μία σημαντική πηγή θετικής ενέργειας, που αποθηκεύουμε ως πολύτιμο εφόδιο για τις υπόλοιπες μέρες που θα ακολουθήσουν, όταν θα ανοίξουν ξανά τα σχολεία, οι εργαζόμενοι θα πάνε στη δουλειά τους και όλοι  θα επιστρέψουν στις καθημερινές τους ασχολίες.

Ανθούλα Π. Βεζύρη

Βίνσεντ Βαν Γκογκ

"Βάρκες στη θάλασσα", Βίνσεντ Βαν Γκογκ

"Η Θάλασσα στην Αγία Μαρία", Βίνσεντ Βαν Γκογκ

"Καλύβες", Βίνσεντ Βαν Γκογκ

                  "Ανάχωμα με πλοία στην Αμβέρσα",
Βίνσεντ Βαν Γκογκ

"Ροδάκινο στο Bloom", Βίνσεντ Βαν Γκογκ

"Βίνσεντ Σπίτι στην Αρλ (Κίτρινο Σπίτι)",
Βίνσεντ Βαν Γκογκ

"Δύο παιδιά", Βίνσεντ Βαν Γκογκ

"Old Mill", Βίνσεντ Βαν Γκογκ

"Farmhouse", Βίνσεντ Βαν Γκογκ

"The Sower", Βίνσεντ Βαν Γκογκ

"Σέιντερ", Βίνσεντ Βαν Γκογκ

"Ελιές", Βίνσεντ Βαν Γκογκ

"Αυτοπροσωπογραφία II", Βίνσεντ Βαν Γκογκ

"Κυπαρίσσι", Βίνσεντ Βαν Γκογκ

"Μπρουκ", Βίνσεντ Βαν Γκογκ

"Undergrowth II", Βίνσεντ Βαν Γκογκ

"Old Yew Trunk", Βίνσεντ Βαν Γκογκ

"Φορτηγίδες 2", Βίνσεντ Βαν Γκογκ

"Boulders and Oak", Βίνσεντ Βαν Γκογκ

"Δύο καβούρια", Βίνσεντ Βαν Γκογκ

"Ηλιοτρόπια", Βίνσεντ Βαν Γκογκ

"Αυτοπροσωπογραφία", Βίνσεντ Βαν Γκογκ

Πώς πέθανε ο Βίνσεντ βαν Γκογκ;

Esami Panellenici

Chiunque abbia terminato la scuola in Grecia ha sperimentato, non solo se stesso, ma anche la sua famiglia, l’ istituzione degli esami panellenici. Anche coloro che non hanno sostenuto l’ esame sono stati influenzati in una certa misura, anche se indirettamente, dall’ atmosfera dell’ esame.

Dalle prime classi della scuola elementare, il sogno di ogni studente, ma anche dei suoi genitori, è crescere ed andare all’ Università. La scuola greca è infatti strutturata in modo tale che l’ ammissione dello studente all’ Università o al Politecnico sia una strada a senso unico, non essendovi corrispondenti scuole di educazione tecnica riconosciute in vari campi, dove gli studenti possano studiare ed avere una laurea che fornirà loro la riabilitazione professionale.

In questo modo, gli studenti greci sono ansiosi ed agonizzanti ogni estate per gli esami che garantiranno loro il titolo di studente o di studentessa, in modo da premiare i loro sforzi e quelli dei loro genitori, che hanno pagato, per almeno tre anni, il liceo, un sacco di soldi in tasse scolastiche. Perché senza il tutoraggio, nessuno riesce ad arrivare all’ Università o al Politecnico, tranne qualche eccezione.

Ma quello che bisogna dire ai ragazzi, per non rimanere delusi, se non si riescono, è che la loro vita e il loro progresso, o molto più la loro felicità, non sono determinati dagli esami panellenici. Le opportunità per imparare cose, per acquisire conoscenze, per cambiare professione, esistono per tutta la vita. Soprattutto nel nostro tempo, la conoscenza non si ferma mai e siamo costretti ad imparare costantemente cose nuove. Inoltre, nella nostra vita dobbiamo avere delle scelte e non essere intrappolati in una situazione come:  questo o niente.

Un giovane che inizia la sua vita ed ogni scelta è possibile, non dovrebbe privarsi dell’ opportunità e del diritto di scegliere e cambiare idea sulla professione che svolgerà, quando per qualche motivo, non riuscirà a fare ciò che inizialmente pensava.

Ci sono molte opportunità nella vita, non solo una, molte possibilità e diverse opzioni, se abbiamo l’ umore e la volontà di cercare ciò che fa per noi e ottenerlo. È un vero peccato che i ragazzi, che hanno tutta la vita davanti a loro, siano intrappolati nel dilemma: Università o niente. Inoltre, nella nostra vita diamo esami ogni giorno con i nostri comportamenti e le nostre scelte e questo non si ferma mai.

Anthoula P. Veziri

Panhellenic Examinations

Anyone who has finished school in Greece has experienced, not only himself, but also his family, the institution of Panhellenic examinations. Even those who did not take the exam have been influenced to some degree, even indirectly, by the exam atmosphere.

From the first grades of primary school, the dream of every student, but also of his parents, is to grow up and go to University. The Greek school is indeed structured in such a way that the admission of the student to the University or the Polytechnic is a one-way street, as there are no corresponding recognized schools of technical education in various fields, where students could study and have a degree that will provide them with vocational rehabilitation.

In this way, Greek students are anxious and agonizing every summer for the exams that will secure them the title of student, to reward their efforts and those of their parents, who have paid, for at least three years of high school, a lot of money in tuition. Because without the tutoring, no one manages to get to the University or the Polytechnic, except maybe a few exceptions.

But what we have to say to the children, so that they do not get disappointed, if they do not succeed, is that their life and progress, or much more their happiness, are not determined by the Panhellenic exams. Opportunities to learn things, to acquire knowledge, to change profession, exist throughout our lives. Especially in our day, knowledge never stops and we are forced to constantly learn new things. Also, in our lives we must have choices and not be trapped in a situation like: this or nothing. A young person who starts his life and every choice is possible, should not deprive himself of the opportunity and the right to choose and change his mind about the profession he will follow, when for some reason, he fails to do what he had originally thought.

There are many opportunities in life, not just one, many possibilities and several options, if we have the mood and the will to look for what suits us and get it. It is a great pity that the young children, who have their whole life ahead of them, are trapped in the dilemma: University or nothing. After all, in our lives we give daily exams with our behavior and choices and this never stops.

Anthoula P. Veziri