school has begun

The real life in Thessaloniki as a student has finally begun. Last week we had our first classes. We had to choose 5 courses out of the 8. However 1 of them we couldn’t take anywayz because you have to be technical for it. So there wasn’t really much choice. This is my schedule

Monday: FREE (that’s how it’s supposed to be!!)

Thursday: FREE (also nice)

Wednesday: 10-12 Globalization and the arts
We had our first class last week and it was BOOOOOOOOORING! At hebo we have already done a globalization course, so I know quite a bit about it. This course will be a bit different though. I have already forgotten what the class was about last week. All I remember was that he had some lame useless research report about how many publications are on the internet about globalization. Let me check in my book what else he spoke about…. Ah yes, about the statement that globalization doesn’t really exists and that it might be a conspiracy; that there are some people controlling the world. Hopefully the next class will be more interesting. To get a grade we have to write a 3000 words essay about something…I don’t know yet what.

18.00-21.00 (they’re friggin insane, this is not a time to go to school!) Media Management. We haven’t had a course about this subject yet. But the guy, mr Souvlaki, is really nice so it will be ok probably.

Thursday: 9-12 Interviewing
Interviewing is being taught by a Greek lady in her 50s with blue highlights in her hair. She is very nice and quite funny and the course seems to be interesting. We’ll learn how to write a personality profile for the print media.

Friday: 17.00-20.00 (who the … has decided this?!?!) Language of Documentary
This course seems to be interesting as well. We will learn about the history of documentary. However, the teacher speaks in a rather annoying way. Furthermore, from next week on the Greek students will join and then he will teach them first while we have to wait outside. And the Dutch students of last year changed to another class because of this. So we’ll see what happens. If I don’t like his class I will maybe switch to another class, namely International relation in the 20th century. At first, during the introduction day, we didn’t want to take this course because we didn’t like the teacher and because we would have to write a paper and go to every class. However, Flip went to his course last week and he told us that the guy is really relaxed and that you don’t have to write a whole paper but that an oral exam is ok as well and that there is a very small chance that you will fail. Therefore, me and Peter are going to his class tomorrow with Flip and see if we like it better than the documentary course.

My fifth course is TV&entertainment and this course is simply a big joke!! Last week we all had to come to her office and we had an introduction and this is what we have to do:
We have to write 4 essays; 1 about a Dutch reality show, 1 about a Dutch soap, 1 about a Dutch kids programme and 1 about the difference between Dutch and Greek TV. In this essay we have to analyze the programme and give our opinion. We will have to meet her 4 times for a little while to get some info about the kind of programmes and then we have to meet her some time later to hand in our essay. There are no requirements on how to write your essay; no word minimum or maximum, nothing about referencing….. Is this a useful course; no way!

Thursday morning we were told that the students had decided to stop striking. Good news! And if the students would decide to strike again it wouldn’t be a problem for us coz they would allow our teachers to teach us. However, Thursday evening there was a big demonstration again! As we walked to the student canteen in the evening Egnatia street was being cleaned and things seemed calm again. And then suddenly we walked into this big cloud of tear gas; not nice! That gas goes right into your mouth, throat and nose; horrible. The next evening we were told that there were big fights between students on the street. Greek students are the best, ahum :S

Right now students in Matsi are changing rooms. All the students have arrived so that means that if you aren’t satisfied with your room you can choose another one. It’s gonna be lonely on my floor because Mieke, Levinia, Judith, Alex and Peter are changing rooms. I’m not gonna change my room because my room is rather big, as well as my bathroom and I have a small balcony. I’m fine where I am. The others had some issues though so they are moving. That leaves me and 2 other girls plus one Hungarian boy, which we never see, on this floor.
In Matsi things are still cool. Most of the students are really nice and fun. It is usually rather busy in the kitchen; people are cooking and later in the evening we just sit and talk. We did have a problem with the kitchens though because the electric cooking plates weren’t really working. We have two kitchens in the basement and they both have 3 electric plates. However, in both kitchens only 1 worked. So every time you wanted to cook you had to take that into account and it was a real hassle; you could only use 2 plates in a different kitchen so others would have to wait. And even boiling water took ages. Sunday I cooked macaroni and it took me 45 minutes to get it ready!! That’s just absurd so I decided to talk about it with mr Happy. We were told by our coordinator and by other students that when something is broke in the flat it wont get repaired unless you do it yourself. However, I believe that we as students have the right to have good cooking equipment so I went to have a chat with mr Happy last Friday. Because his German is better than his English I decided to throw in my Austrian accent to get the job done; and yeaaah, yesterday (Monday) two new sets arrived!!

What else is left to tell. Well, ehm this week it’s documentary festival in the city. We took a booklet and there are actually quite many documentaries that seem to be very interesting. There are also some Dutch documentaries that will be shown, however I’m afraid those are not really intellectual ones, let me quote: Jan, 73, is exactly as flat as Groningen’s landscape where he lives. …. Farm…..100% normal, 100% Dutch.
Another is about some elderly home in Amsterdam and one about pidgins or something. Today we went with a group of people to the documentary ‘Oil’s dirty business’; it is about the oil business in Nigeria and how it affects the population in the Delta area and the guerilla fighters etc. It was really interesting; I was the only one out of us 10 who has managed by struggling to stay awake. This was, however, not because the documentary was boring but it was so warm and dark and most of us have a chronic lack of sleep. Yesterday evening we went to visit ‘War zone: diamond slaves’; about the civil war and the diamond business in Sierra Leona. We were waiting for the bus and when we asked someone if the no. 24 would go to Aristotelous square he told us to get on. Well, we didn’t quite end up at Aristotelous square; soon we realized we were heading the wrong direction and we got out in the upper city. Since we would never get on time we just sat there to enjoy the view and I ordered my first hot chocolate in my life! And right now I can still feel my burned tong ;) But it tasted good though!

Aah yes another thing to tell. Last week Marco went back to Holland. He has chronic hyperventilation and ever since he got here in Greece he didn’t feel well. He spent a lot of time sleeping and being dizzy etc. So he finally decided to go back to Holland. So we bought a big Greek flag and the students that he spent time with all wrote something on it. Saturday morning all the Dutch people accompanied him to the airport. Poor guy. After this the girls went to Ikea and Lidl since those are nearby. To be cheap and healthy we decided to eat at the Ikea. I ate rice with broccoli and gehaktballen!! Marijn had something else with broccoli. However, she also had some extra unexpected meat; on her broccoli there was a graveyard with dead tiny beast. DISGUSTING!! Thank god she saw it on time! When we went to show it to the staff the woman was first like; aahyah and looked at us with a face that said; owh, so what should I do? Then the chef came and apologized and asked if she wanted another meal; well no, thank you. Soon I will put a photo of the delicious meal on my site. On the broccoli it already looked awful, but the magnified photos was even much worse..

So I think this is enough for now. I’m having a really good time still; the weather is great and owh yes I’ve been to run on the track 3 times this past week. Last week Wednesday night we went with a few people to run in the really nice modern stadium. Coz we’re all kinda getting fat down here ;) And Friday and this morning I have been to the little track where you can run for free the whole day. I also played some soccer with the guys last week. I do miss my soccer matches, so it was nice to play.

Aah yeah, another thing. This morning me and Levinia always went for a walk in the forest that goes uphill behind Matsi. We walked for about 2 hours and the view over the city was awesome! Unfortunately, we forgot to bring our photo cameras, but we will go another again anywayz. The forest itself kinda looked like the Veluwe; so that wasn’t really spectacular, but it was nice.

This is really it for now, because it’s friggin long. I don’t know if anyone will manage to read this whole message. If you did, thanksss!

Yassas!!