Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Lithuanians about Greeks...


IN COLOURFUL COATS

Let me introduce myself. I‘m 18 years old girl, named Ieva (translation: Bird-cherry tree). I will become one of the new volunteers at „K.A.NE“ organisation. Soon, I‘ll step my cold Lithuanian feet on mysterious land of Greece for the first time in my life. Ελλάδα. What is it? How does it look, smell, sound?? What kind of people live there? All I have is dry facts and preconceptions, but do they match the reality..? Probably not all of them. We all have different views, so I decided to interview eight young Lithuanians (aged between 17-20 years) and ask them few questions about Hellenic Republic. None of them was there before, their opinions are influenced only by school, media and their own imagination.

Furthermore, I also asked them to share what they think about themselves and Lithuania. I‘m pretty sure that other people have lots of false/funny/weird prejudices about my country, too. It‘s a good opportunity for them to see how we - Lithuanians (ones who know how everything works and looks there better than anyone!) view our home and ourselves.

So, now...time to introduce you to Lithuanian youth and their interesting thoughts.



LITHUANIANS  SPEAK  ABOUT  GREEKS:


What are you jealous for Greeks?
PAULIUS:  Weather, Mediterranean sea and all the fun they have
POVILAS: Super long and awesome past
AGNĖ: Antique culture: architecture, the basics of philosophy, also mythology
JŪRATĖ: Warm climate and their beautiful beaches

How do you think Greek youth spend their free time?
RŪTA: Same like everywhere else - hang out with friends, read books, watch movies. And somehow I think, they like to party and go to clubs more often than Lithuanians:D
UGNE: Go to clubs
AGNĖ: Maybe because of different climate they spend more time by the sea, travelling to other islands, similarly like we travel to other cities
PAULIUS:  Probably same like everywhere else – hang out with friends:D

What character features you would expect Greeks to have?
AGNĖ: „Burning“ temperament, more free and less conservative than us
UGNĖ: Persistent, „strong “ character
PAULIUS: Greeks, like other southerners, quickly „burn up“, ignite. They‘re rebellious and emotional. From other southerners they may stand out with their laziness (like their wish to live well without doing a thing)
RŪTA: I guess they are cheerful, passionate, sociable, outgoing

What do you think people eat in Greece?
POVILAS: A lot of canned food?
AGNĖ KATMANDU: Mostly „Greek nuts“ , then various weird living beings wich they catch while fishing. Also, they eat a lot of fruits, vegetables and drink vine instead of water
PAULIUS:  I would guess that Greeks prefer rice, various vegetables, pastries and vine. And, of course, olives!
RŪTA: Lots of seafood and feta, lamb, olives. And I think they should eat Greek salad:D

Imagine how Greeks look like...?
JŪRATĖ: Long, curly, dark hair, big expressive eyes, soft tanned skin
POVILAS: Like Hercules and Xena
UGNĖ: Very tanned, dark haired, brown eyed, with big noses
AGNĖ KATMANDU:  Nose. Black curly hair. Shiny skin (because of olive oil). All men handsome like Sakis Rouvas

Would you like to live in Greece? Why?
RIČARDAS: Maybe. Need to go meet Greek people and see the places first
RŪTA: Yes, but not for a long time. After few years i would start to miss colder climate, especially snow.
AGNĖ: I would love to. I like antique culture and I would be curious to see the things I read in books in reality. Plus, I would enjoy landscapes, warm weather, sun.
PAULIUS: No. There are many reasons: too many differences in nation‘s mentality, collapsed economy.



LITHUANIANS  SPEAK  ABOUT  THEMSELVES:

What do you think Greeks should be jealous for Lithuanians?
AGNĖ: Economic situation.
RŪTA: Forests, cuisine, beer
POVILAS: Beer and Cepelinai
UGNĖ: Our diligence, beautiful girls, snow, green nature

How do you spend your free time?
PAULIUS:  I spend my leisure time hanging out with friends, going to our popular „meeting points“ in my city, local shows.
AGNĖ KATMANDU: Last two weeks I‘ve been playing games on Facebook:D Also, I like to go for a walk, read, sometimes write, fallow my interests, be with friends (people with whom it‘s just good ‘to be‘), be lazy, eat, sleep, et cetera..
UGNĖ: Hanging out with friends, singing, playing music, travelling
RIČARDAS: It depends on my mood. I enjoy fishing, hanging out with friends, playing football and basketball

Define character/mentality of Lithuanian people.
AGNĖ KATMANDU: I could define Lithuanians to two parts: old generation, which experienced Soviet times and young generation, as their views and values differ a lot. „Old ones“ often lack self confidence, tolerance, they are distrustful of others and don‘t have enough of „nation consciousness“. While young Lithuanians are braver, more open to the world and changes. However, there still are some things that unite us all, such as Lithuanian modesty, jealousy, diligence, beer and victories:D
JŪRATĖ: Majority of Lithuanians are selfish, materialistic, angry at government and whole society, but you could also find  good, conscientious, funny people, especially youth
AGNĖ: If I compared Lithuanians to other nations, I would say that we are more constrained, conservative, we have deep connection with our home and we don‘t like to be spontaneous. As for positive side, we‘re more responsible.
PAULIUS: Lithuanians – nation which is never content about anything. Majority of people care only about their own good (even if they try to hide that). However, our young generation, which hasn‘t experienced the effects of „Soviet school“ is more open-minded and little by little try to change the situation.

What is your favourite food?
RŪTA: Everything made out of potatoes, noodles, milk.
PAULIUS: I like traditional Lithuanian cuisine with various potato dishes, Italian cuisine
RIČARDAS: Cepelinai! And everything that involves potatoes (smile)
JŪRATĖ: Everything that looks tasty:D

What are the main facts Greeks should know about Lithuania?
AGNĖ: The most important thing – we are not a slavic nation and we have no relation with Russians. Also, our capital is Vilnius, not Riga
RIČARDAS: Lithuania is a basketball country!
JŪRATĖ: They should know how Lithuania looks, that we have many rivers and greenery. They should try to understand what it means to be a real old Lithuanian – one who lives in a small village, surrounded by nature
AGNĖ KATMANDU: In the first place, I think that everyone should understand the fact that our country is not Russia, but L i t h u a n i a. When you learn how to respect other country and its culture, a sincere interest will appear and help you to see „deeper“ than only facts, statistics or numbers. Then all 3 millions of Lithuanians will become individuals: smiling, sad, genial, degraded, creative, dreaming, disappointed and so on..


.... these beautiful Agnė‘s thoughts that she said above are like a perfect conclusion for this article. We are all unique, all different, all special. We should learn to accept it and respect each other for who we are. BREAK all the prejudices, BREAK all the walls, BREAK all the masks! We are all people, creatures who can feel, communicate, perceive the beauty and goodness. We’re just wearing different cultural “coats”, outer detail made of diverse fabric..but, however cliché that sounds, our hearts are the same. If people are fast to judge, hate or laugh at others, it means they simply can’t see “deep enough”. PEACE!


Article by: Ieva Medinyte, Lithuania

Monday, August 20, 2012


Greek symbols: The fountain of Cybele, Madrid. Every single city has its own symbol or, at least, something to be recognized for. Curiously, most of those symbols have more to be with Greek culture than what at first we could imagine. The city where I grew up is Madrid, the capital of Spain as you might know, a huge metropolis of nearly 4 million people, shining with its own light.


“The city that never sleeps”, as it is called by its inhabitants, is full of life: parks, museums, theatres, cinemas, bars, pubs, concerts, parties, or any kind of activity you could ask for. And, as all the cities, it has its particular symbol: “The fountain of Cybele”.


The fountain was located in 1782 in the center town, near the famous museum “Museo del Prado” and close to the Royal gardens “El Retiro”. But… What is special in our fountain? The special is that, thanks to this, the goddess Cybele (Κυβέλη), an Anatolian goddess whose cult was adopted by Greeks around the 6th century BC, became the symbol of Madrid. She was recognized as the Earth-goddess, commonly assimilated to the Minoan Rhea, and related also to the goddess protectress of the cities as we can deduce for the walled-crown that is wearing above the head.
In the fountain, the goddess is depicted in a cart pulled by two lions as it is explained by the famous myth of “Hippomenes and Atalanta”, the two lovers who were metamorphosed into lions because they committed sacrilege when they had an unholy union within a sacred temple of Cybele. Due to this fact, Zeus condemned them to pull the cart of the great goddess eternally. 





 This fountain has been characteristic of the city of Madrid since it was built and it has witnessed many important moments in the history of Spain. One of the most impressive facts occurred during the Civil War when the statue was covered by an enormous structure of bricks and cement to be preserved from the bombs until being uncovered again in 1939 by the citizens of Madrid including children, as it is shown in the pictures.









Or the latest events that happened in the capital in 2011 such as the strikes and manifestations of the internationally known "Spanish Revolution" when thousands of people occupied the streets in order to ask for a more equal world and fairer solutions from the government to the cuts justified by the global crisis.







And so, the fountain will continue to witness the events of the history of Madrid as the Greek culture has seen all the subsequent events on which it has influenced over the centuries and over different cultures all around the world.

by Irene Peña Herranz, Spain

Friday, August 17, 2012


I am going to speak to you about TOULOUSE, the town where I live for two years.
Toulouse is situated in the southwest of France. It is the 4th biggest city of my country, with 400 000 inhabitants. Toulouse is my small treasure, I am really found of this town.
To walk in bike or on foot in the streets of Toulouse is an endless happiness. Follow the streets, and a surprise waits for you in every corner of street: a magnificent place, a small fountain, an old wine bar, a silent statue or a big monument. Toulouse is made of small and sinuous streets covered by pavements; the walls of houses are made of pink bricks, that is why Toulouse is called “the Pink city”.
There is always something happening in Toulouse: a street show, an artisanal market on a place, a music group installed unexpectedly, the fervor and the night party of a bar further to the victory of the Toulouse rugby team, a free concert … Toulouse sleeps only a few hours early in the morning, after the parties have ended, and before the workers get up.
Except for the rugby, the big parties and the pink bricks, Toulouse is known for its high level of equipment in aeronautics. The firm Airbus is the biggest employer of the town.
Well, if you have the opportunity to travel near from my lovely city, do not forget to lost yourself in the small streets. Tourists say that by closing eyes any seconds, listening to the jazz concert on the street and smelling flavor of an old grocer’s shop, you feel to be in a district of the 1930’s. A last point I didn’t tell you: although liking enormously parties, beer and red wine, Toulousians are adorable ☺












by Manuela Gascon, France