LINK M AY 1 5 t h 2 0 1 8
N°114
May LEGENDS Editor & Designer : OphĂŠlie Cottier
Cover photo : C. Schwartz
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#LINKEXPLORE
CONTENT Contact 5 About us 6 Youth Center - program 14 One legend from your country 16 Your favorite legend 19 The scariest legend you know 22 Urban legends: Thessaloniki 25 style Sandra Queirós 26 Antía Fernández Martínez 28 Ophélie Cottier 30 Maïlén Malengreaux and 32 Nicolas Jaouen Blagovesta Georgieva 36 Valentina Argiolas 38 Sheila Gómez and Maria 39 Nadja Schädler Majka Dokudowicz 41 Angelina Kaysina
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EVS, K.A.NE.
Legends Legends Legends Legends Sintra: Myths and Legends From the Legends to the Rock! Mythology and Psychology Immigration policy/Crisis in Greece My project Sending organisation: Nur Association Past Event: Seminar Past Event: Printmaking exhibition Future Event
K.A.NE. EVS: Angelina Kaysina Antía Fernández Martínez Blagovesta Georgieva Carolina Minaya Castejón Majka Dokudowicz Maria Nadja Schädler Mina Duma Ola Kaczurba Ophélie Cottier Paquita Couppey Sandra Queirós Sebastiano Bravi Sheila Gómez Valentina Argiolas
Staff members of K.A.NE.: Afrodite Katsichtis Antonia Vrioni Filaretos Vourkos Jelena Scepanovic Nancy Kanellopoulou Nantiana Koutiva
ACT Volunteers: Nicolas Jaouen Maïlén Malengreaux @kane.kalamata
WHO ARE WE?
OLA
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PAQUITA
Angelina
Hello there! My fool name is Aleksandra but you can call me Ola. I’m 19 and I just finished my high school. I come from capital of Poland – Warsaw. I love chocolate, amazing harmonies, good guitar riffs, totally crazy hairstyles and classic rock. I’m a dancer therefore I will be teaching contemporary dance in the Youth Centre but my primary job will be in therapeutic horse riding centre. See you around!
Hi ! My name is Paquita, I'm 26 years old and I'm from Marseille in France. I will stay here for eleven months. My mission will be to work in the therapeutic horse-riding and in the KEFIAP Center to assist people with disabilities. I just finished my studies in the Art-therapy and I'm very enthusiastic to begin my EVS. This will be a great experience for me :)
Hello! I’m Angelina an I’m 26 years old. I decided to come to Kalamata as a volunteer because I already knew about this kind of opportunities and it was time for drastic changes in my life. You can find me at the Youth Center where I’ll be leading the Russian language and the fitness + stretching workshop. Can’t wait to meet you at Kentro Neon.
Mailen
OPHELIE
AntIa
Hello there ! My name is Maïlén I'm 25 years old. I come from Brussels in Belgium and I've graduated a few months ago as a social worker. This year is my volunteery year : before Greece I was in Bénin for 2 months where I worked with abused young girls, now I came to Kalamata for 6 months to work on the ACT Project helping refugees. In my spare time, I'm a musician (singer and violinist), I love to read, art, watch series and movies and have a drink with friends.
Bonjour! My name is Ophélie, I come from France. I am in Kalamata for 11 months and volunteer at the Day Care Center for children with autism. Living abroad is a wonderful opportunity to meet fascinating people and to learn about cultures. It allows to become independent, open-minded and to avoid ethnocentrism. I can’t wait to discover the greek way of life and to visit the country. I’m also excited about tasting the food (of course!). I like to exchange and discovering so… see you soon around Kalamata!
Καλημέρα! My name is Antía and I come from Galicia, in the northwest of Spain. I have arrived in this city because some years ago I made the “mistake” – but, who chooses these things? - of falling in love with Greece and with the Greek language. So, after finishing my university studies in Humanities and Literature, I decided to start my Greek periplus, periplus that, after Thessaloniki and Crete, has found its new stage here in Kalamata. Να μας δούμε στο ταξίδι! 7
MINA
NICOLAS
MAJKA
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I’m Mina and I’m 28 years old free spirit. I don’t like routine and I think that everything that seems interesting is worth trying. I’m fascinated about human interaction and being part of K.A.NE. gives me the opportunity to meet and work with many beautiful people. I'm into science-fiction and superheroes, and I guess that shaped me into an idealist who believes that there is beauty and courage in everything, no matter how small. Therefore, our duty as human beings is to highlight it.
Hello, my name is Nicolas, I'm 25 years old, and I come from Lille in the north of France. Last years, I worked as a volunteer in an association, in Lille, for a civic service. There, I worked with families in precarious situations, to help them save money and, at the same time, raise their awareness of sustainable development. I am in Kalamata for 6 months to work on the ACT project to help migrants and refugees. I also hope to improve my english. In my life, I like music, reading books, watching series and having good times with friends.
Hello! I’m Majka, I’m 27 and I’m coming from Poland. I grew up in Warsaw, but the last 8 years I was living in Poznan, Wrocław and Thessaloniki. I’m a printmaker and graphic designer, I’ve finish Academy of Fine Arts and I’ve participate in more than 50 exhibitions worldwide. In Kalamata I will work in the office and I will also create my own projects.
SANDRA
My name is Sandra, I have 23 and come from the North of Portugal. I will be volunteering in Daycare Center for Autistic children. I’m very excited about this change in my life. I’m passionate about travelling, science, books and a TV series addicted. I decided do EVS for a new challenge in my life and I think that Kalamata will be a great place for it.
Sheila Kalimera, I am Sheila from Spain, I love Kalamata and sharing moments with amazing people. I am a volunteer in Kefiap - center helping people with dissabilities. I studied environmental sciences. I like nature, animals, travellig, dance salsa, capoeira and to have fun!
MARIA
Hallo! I’m Maria from Liechtenstein and I’m 19 years old. I finished high school this summer and now I’m doing EVS to take a break before attending university and hopefully studying social education. Working at my parent’s restaurant and now at the dog-rescue-center is going to be a nice experience before my normal life routine begins. Because it might be interesting, I’ll answer some often-asked questions about Liechtenstein. Yes, we are a very small country (37000 people in 167km2) and we do speak German. It’s a pleasure to meet you all. Lots of Love, Maria. 9
VALENTINA
CAROLINA
BLAGA
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Hello, I'm Valentina, I'm 27 years old. I come from a beautiful island called Sardinia, in Italy. I'm a curious woman. I love meeting new people, new cultures, discovering other realities and learning new languages. In the free time I love reading, doing yoga and meditation . I have just ended my studies in midwifery. Now I'm enjoying this Erasmus experience before introducing my self in the obstetrician working network During my Erasmus experience I'll work in a natural farm with Blaga. It's the first time that I work in a field and I'm very happy to work with her in nature. Hello. My name is Carolina and I live in Spain. Now I'm in Kalamata doing a project with people with special needs in Kefiap. I like: sports, travel, nature, stay with my friends‌ I'm happy with this new experience and I think that I can learn a lot about my job, about the people and the country.
Hey! I am Blaga, from Bulgaria. I am here in Kalamata to work in the environment field and I will be really happy to learn more about nature and life in Greece. Exploring new ways of thinking and living is a huge part of my life and i am always interested in diving into new realities and creating new dimensions. I am more and more concerned about nature and how can I interact with it in the most sensible way. So here i am for you people and our wonderful mother Earth. :)
SEBASTIANO
Ciao! I'm Sebastiano, but usually people are calling me "Seba". I came from a small city in the middle of Italy and I just finished a 3 year course in Video&Graphic design. So basically I was working as a freelance videomaker before I decided to come to Kalamata as a volunteer! If you don't know me I can seem shy (I'm definitely not), but I just like to listen when I don't have anything interesting to say. I love music, movies and arts in general, being open air, travelling and of course making new friends!
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K.A.NE.
FILARETOS
jelena
NANTIANA
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Hello, I am Filaretos Vourkos. For the last 10 years I am working in the field of Non-formal education as a volunteer, youth worker and youth trainer. 6 years ago, I decided to create the Youth Centre of Kalamata, in order to initiate youth work in Kalamata and promote active citizenship as factor for change.
Hi, I’m Jelena Scepanovic, an EVS coordinator in K.A.NE. and a volunteer of the Youth center. I came from Montenegro in 2012 as an EVS volunteer. I really liked the idea of the Youth center and the work that KANE does, so I decided to stay and be part of it.
My name is Nantiana! I’m 25 years old. I live in Kalamata! I was living for 5 years in Patras! I was studying there greek philology and now I’m teaching greek to the youth center in Kalamata.
Nancy
ANTONIA
AFRODITE
Hello World! I’m Nancy and I’m doing my internship in K.A.NE as a Project Manager. I am really excited to be here because I was always admiring their work especially the Youth Center and Street Festival. I’m passionate about meeting people and exchange knowledge, experiences and ideas. I love the fact that many young people visit every year my hometown Kalamata and contribute in our society.
Hello, I'm Antonia and l'm 23 years old. I studied business administration in Athens and now I'm doing my internship in K.A.NE. as an office manager. I'm really enthusiastic to be a part of this team and work together so that young people have more opportunities to meet different people and cultures, exchange ideas, travel the world and OPEN their minds!!!
Hello, I am Afrodite. I studied Psychology and Human Resources Management and I have been working with volunteers for the last few years. I just arrived in Kalamata and started working in K.A.NE as an EVS Coordinator. I am really excited to be here and to be working with you!
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LEGENDS oNE LEGEND FROM YOUR COUNTRY MARIA - LICHTENSTEIN The Wildmandli (something like wild small men) were creatures in the mountains that helped farmers to care about their cows in summer, everyday, except when the wind was too strong. One Summer, the wind was very strong in the mountain but not in the rest of the country and so lots of cows almost died of hunger. After this summer the Wildmandli disappeared.
VALENTINA - SARDINIA (ITALY) The cave of viper (Cagliari) is the Attilia Pomptilia's tomb. Attilia Pomptilia was the wife of the Romanian knight Cassio Filippo exiled in Sardinia in the imperial age. The legend tells, as Cassio Filippo was dying, Attilia Pomptilia offered her life to divinities to save her husband’s life. Cassio Filippo recovered and expressed his gratitude by erecting his wife's grave and gave disposition to Sardinian poets to celebrate Attilia Pomptilia with poems
CAROLINA - SPAIN The Mountain Monserrat of Barcelona is for some people a magic mountain. There are many legends. For instance, it is said Hitler sought the Holy Grail in this cave, as well as the energy that emanates from the caves favors the UFO phenomenon. There are paranormal episodes in which the virgin of Montserrat "La Moreneta" appears.
ANGELINA - RUSSIA Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin is a complex of several towers installed in 1221. During construction works, the wall built one day was falling apart the next day, several times in a row. The solution advised by an old men with dark forces was to build the wall with the first passer-by blood. It was young pregnant woman which ghost now may be seen by visitors and guests of the city. 16
SHEILA - SPAIN The girl on the curve is perhaps Spain’s most famous ghost story. A driver picks up a young woman who is hitchhiking late at night on a dark highway. The girl warns the driver to carefully go around the next curve, as it’s especially dangerous. The driver asks her how she knows this, she explains she was killed on that curve. During her chilling response, she slowly vanishes. The legend originated in Illinois and later ended up reaching Spain in a time long before internet.
SANDRA - PORTUGAL Many years ago, the south of Portugal was governed by muslims. One muslim prince married a princess from the north.He loved her but couldn’t understand her endless sadness. One day, he thought she may miss the snow. He decided to secretly plant numerous almond trees. When they opened their flowers it looked like that a snow mantle. He called the princess to show her. She smiled for the first time and thought the prince had bring snow for her. This is the reason why Algarve have so much almond trees.
NICOLAS - FRANCE One of the most characteristic characters of the flanders' is the Giant. Every first Sunday of July, for five centuries, the "Gayant" ("giant" in Picardy) and his three children are going around the city of Douai. Legend comes from the 9th century, when a blacksmith named Jehan Gelon, a man of high stature and Herculean strength, accompanied by his three sons, miraculously saved the city besieged by the Normans. In my region, the giants recall this heroic act as well as the legends attached to the character.
SEBASTIANO - ITALY One of the most known legends of my region is about the “Ponte del Diavolo” (Devil's bridge) of Tolentino’s city, that derives from a legend common to many European bridges. Legend tells builders and Devil made an agreement for the construction of the bridge in just one night (very important for the town of Tolentino) in return to the soul of the first passer-by.The devil, at the end, was deceived because they threw a whole cheese along the bridge so that the first passerby was a dog! 17
BLAGOVESTA - BULGARIA Samodivas are beautiful young girls with long hairs and white dresses. This is how I pictured, as a child, these enigmatic creatures from the balkanic mythology (cf. my childhood drawing). In Bulgaria, you often find them in fairy tales or maybe in forests. They are girls who died before being marryiied. Still virgins in the afterlife, they enchant males in the nights. Whoever goes in a forest, which is home for samodivas, in the night, never returns back. Samodivas love to dance in a circle and the music from the shepherds' flutes.
MAÏLÉN - BELGIUM Liège is one of the oldest cities in Belgium and has a folklore of its own. Its population is best known for its conviviality and, in particular, for its penchant for drinking. These characteristics are idealized in the image of Chanchès. According to legend, this disgraceful man never lost his humor and only drank genievre (or "peket"), and befriended Roland, Charlemagne's nephew. They would have fought alongside in Spain and at the famous battle of Roncevaux, where Roland died. This legend less known than the Manneken Pis' is ,in my opinion, better representative of the Belgian spirit..
ANTÍA - GALICIA (SPAIN) One of the most known legend from Galicia is the one referring to the Santa Compaña, a procession of death people across the path during the night and which you have to join inevitably if you find it. You might think it is something of the past, but we still have actual witnesses who swear to have seen it! One of my favorite explanations for the most recent testimonies is that probably, during the dictatorship, the smugglers whom exchange products with Portugal at night, have been confused with the procession.
OPHÉLIE - FRANCE Between and 1977 and 1978 in the Vosges mountains, 200 animals has been mysteriously killed. Despite numerous beats, the serial killer has never been found. More than 40 years after, questions stay without answers. A wolf? A dog? A insane human? An animal trained to fulfil a desire of revanche? Nowadays the mystery remains, people still looking for explanations by drinking the craft beer “La bête des Vosges” (“The beast of the Vosges mountains”). 18
Legends YOUR FAVORITE LEGEND CAROLINA In one of my city's libraries (Elche), which used to be a convent of Franciscans friars, people said there is a ghost. Years ago, a security guard heard noises and saw the specter of the ghost. This ghost might be a friar stuck in the walls of the library.
MARIA The crying boy painting curse is a story about a painting of a crying boy that completely survived when the house, it was hang up, was burning down. This phenomenon happened again: multiple paintings of crying boys survived fires. Later, thousands copies were sold.
ANGELINA One can't deny St Petersburg's extraordinary atmosphere since the city has numerous anormal zones. Yet it has enough guides - sphinxes defending the North Capital from enemies and floods. However beware of looking at them in the evening - faces are changing from peaceful in the morning to threatening in the night!
SHEILA El Coco, the bedtime boogeyman from Spain. While this particular boogeyman (there are hundreds throughout the world) has roots in Spain, it has become a unique legend in Latin America. In Bolivia, Colombia and Guatemala, he´s depicted as a large-headed monster waiting under the beds of disobedient children. I was believing in the cooc as a child. 19
MAÏLÉN My favorite legend is a fairy tale movie that rocked my childhood: "FairyTale: a True Story". This is the story of two little girls taking pictures of fairies. The film is based on real facts: the Cottingley Fairy affair of the early 20th century. Of course, the photos were hoaxes, but the film gives a more romantic ending: fairies actually exist. As a little girl I believed it and when I was walking in the woods, behind my house, I liked the idea that these little beings were watching me and protecting me in my adventures.
OPHÉLIE The heart of numerous legends: the forest of Brocéliande (Brittany, France). Figures of arthurian legends contributed to the mystical renowned of Brocéliande : Merlin prisoner of the forest, the Valley of no Return where Morgana traps unfaithful men... A spring which tells the future, giant, gobelins, evil spirits, wild men, fairies are also hosted there.
BLAGOVESTA Mesmerized by the magic of legends and myths, recently I was interested in ancient Egypt. Cats were worshiped and referred as the mau, or miu, or mii. Each cat was a representation of the spirit of the goddess Bastet, the protector of family and home. In Bulgaria, we have this mysterious place, believed to be her tomb. No one is permitted to enter, the energy is way too strong for humans. Every single time someone tried to dig it, something strange happened and people who are going there have visions or intense feelings...
NICOLAS During my childhood I loved reading mythological stories. One of them is about Icarus, the son of a craftsman named Daedalus, who built a labyrinth for Minos (king of Crete) to trap the Minotaur.Theseus, another hero, managed to kill the minotaur and escape the labyrinth. Furious, the king decided to lock father and son into the labyrinth. Daedalus managed to fly away thanks to wings glued with wax. As they were escaping, Icarus disobeyed his father's advice and flew too close to the sun, which made his wings melt. The young man feltl and lost his life in a sea that now bears his name. 20
SANDRA My favorite legend is about the formation of the lagoons of 7-cities on Azores. This amazing view results of an impossible love between a shepherd and a princess. They fell in love but her father did not allow it and made her marry a prince. Before the wedding she visited him and they cried together. From their teers born two lagoons. One blue, from the tears of the blue eyes of the princess and the other green, from tears of the shepherd's green eyes
ANTÍA Few summers ago, my family and I met a neighbour in the street. He told us about “Maria da manta”, a woman drowned in the river some decades ago. He told she appears once a year, a the point of her death. He adviced to gather this night in the shore of the river with the rest of the neighbour to see her. I love this story because it was the perfect way to spend one night all the neighbors together, eating and drinking like in the old times. If we saw Maria this night, this is another story…
VALENTINA In Sardinia, there is the famous the legend of Janas. They were little magic women living in pre nuragic graves “domus de Janas” digged in the stone. Janas are the main character of many community tails, fables, fairy tales. In different lands of Sardinia, they acquire different names and moral values: sometimes they are good fairies, sometimes witches or vampires. Janas represent the prosperity of Sardinian cultural heritage.
SEBASTIANO My favorite legend is about “Monte Conero”, the biggest mountain I can see from my bedroom window. This mountain is in front of the adriatic sea. If you watch the “Conero” from there at sunrise, you may see strange lights somewhere. The legend says Archimede’s burning glasses were transported in one of Conero’s caves after his death by his disciples! 21
LEGENDS tHE SCARIEST LEGEND YOU KNOW MARIA Kuchisake Onna is a japanese myth about a ghost with a surgeon mask. She might appear next to people to ask them if she is pretty. If you say no, she kills you. If you say yes, she takes of her mask, showing a joker split face. She asks you again. If you say no, she kills you and if you say yes, she cuts your face to look just as her.
SANDRA Years ago a blind little girl, who lived in the castle of Saint John, fell into the ocean and died. The place was offered to an institution of solidarity and during some time hosted blind people. Few years ago, it was sold to a private owner but since then, nobody wants the house because of common reports about the girl walking around with her rag doll.
CAROLINA The girl of the stairs. Years ago in a countryside, lived a family of three children with their mother and her new companion. The stepfather mistreated the children. He had hatred for the older and one day he pushed the girl who fell down the stairs and died.
VALENTINA Sa femmina accabadora was a feminine position who managed euthanasia until few decades in Sardinia. The sick person was suppressed through a pillow or a blow in the forehead with “su mazzolu”: a olivaster bat. The word “accabadora” comes from the spanish “acabar: give on the head”. As it exists the midwife who helps to come into the world,it existed s'accabadora who helped to die. It is said that often it was the same person. The assignment could be recognized by the colour of the dress: black if she delivered the death and white if she delivered the life. 22
ANTÍA The majority of legends from Galicia are connected with death and spirits… so a large number of them are pretty scared! One example is the one in which the “lavandeira” has the leading role. The legend said you can find her at night (with bad consequences for you) cleaning her sheets stained by blood (of her dead sons or of her labour). Actually, it is more a sad legend than a scared on, but, as I said, for us the death is not exactly something scared… We are used to coexist with it!
BLAGOVESTA Whenever I didn’t want to go to sleep as a child, my mother told me “Be aware! Karakondjul is probably coming to take you. All those who doesn’t sleep are taken by him.” This is how I probably learned the ability to fall asleep even if i am not so tired. Karakondjul, in my visions, was an ugly and scary creature with brown or greenish hairy skin. He was carrying a big bag, to put into children who did not want to sleep. I was often pressing my ear on my bed to hear strange vibrating sounds that I pictured as his footsteps on the rocky street next to my house. As soon as I was hearing it, I was escaping in the world of dreams, not to find myself inside of his bag.
ANGELINA One of the most mystical figure of the 20th century, Grigori Rasputin, left efficient print in Russian history. Saint Devil -as they called him- was killed, the body was burnt, ashes dispeled. Yet his waxwork figure in St Petersburg, Yusupov Palace museum, is making inexplicable: for several decades the wax statue kept perfect state, while the rest of the exhibits need regular renovation.
NICOLAS A character often presents in Breton tradition: Ankou. He does not represent death itself, but rather his servant, in charge of harvesting the souls of the dead to bring them to his master. He is said to walk around with a big scythe and an old damaged cart whose rumors still betray his arrival. When a living person hears the sound of the cart, he will die soon. His pace is dismal and frightening. He looks like an extremely thin and elderly man wearing a long black jacket with a disgusting face. The legend of Ankou is one of the most famous representations of the skeletal death and the mower. 23
OPHÉLIE If you see, the “White Lady”, a ghost dressed white, you will die soon. Who is she? We do not know but whatever the context of her apparition, the end is deathly always the same. How many stories of the “White Lady” I heard and told when I was younger, every time in late night, total dark, far away from adults. What was the most scary: the story itself, the dark atmosphere or the general contagion of fear? Another question without answer…
MAÏLÉN The legend that scares me the most is probably the werewolf one. I'm not talking about the fluffy, adorable ones to chew like in Twilight or Teenwolf. No, I'm talking about the kind of werewolf we see in "Wolf" with J. Nicholson and M.Pfeiffer. What scares me is the unwittingly turning into something cruel. Most of the time, they do not remember their actions in the morning; and the moment they realize that all the horrors they committed, they are going crazy. I will also be frank, the idea of this kind of beast pursuing me in the night does not reassuring me at all
SEBASTIANO The scariest legend I know tooks place in my city, Recanati. It’s a medieval city and like all the places of that period it’s surrounded by mysteries. It is said that it is possible to see strange figures dressed like monk walking in the city for apparently no reason in the middle of the night carrying big crosses. The legend says they make rituals in closed churches during night because they don’t want to be seen. When I was younger, I was really scared about this, but sincerely I’ve been in Recanati since I was born and I have never saw anything like that!
SHEILA The ghost of the nun of the University of Castilla la Mancha. The office of the president of this university, located in Ciudad Real, was a shelter run by nuns. Some people say they have seen strange figures walking through the building´s hallways. It seems doors also inexplicably open and close by themselves...This could also ust be caused by natural factors in the windy region of la Mancha.
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LEGENDS U R BA N LE G E N D S t H ES SA LO N I K I S TY L E A modern, vibrant cosmopolitan city, with a complex and fascinating history, Thessaloniki offers a charming set of solemn religious traditions, urban myths and legends of the paranormal. Most of them are inextricably tied to specific buildings, sites and landmarks, easily located and freely accessed. Here are some of the places you can visit to ponder the more mysterious aspects of the city:
The Utilities’ iron Caps: The look like regular utility steel caps, covering water pipes or electrical circuits, but the iron caps are carved with enigmatic symbols and quite often they are not connected to any known public grid. You can walk the historical center, eyes glued on the pavement, looking for these special iron caps and trying to decipher the meaning of their mysterious carvings. A good place to start is the so-called “All-Seeing Eye” symbol in front of the Municipal Library. Vasilissis Olgas 263 Everybody knows that the abandoned house at 263 Vasilissis Olgas street is haunted, plain and simple. Don’t lose sleep over it. No one else does, except, of course those who have heard the shrieks and ghoulish chants of the lost souls who… well, you know the rest. There are hundreds of variations of the story. Drop by for a visit and let your imagination do the rest. The Dervish Guard: Speaking of ghosts, the medieval, octagon-shaped building in Terpsitheas Square (Ano Poli Area) is neither a church nor a mosque; it is a mausoleum, dedicated to the holy man Musha Baba of the Sufi mystical order. His remains were ceremoniously relocated to Turkey, but the guard of the tomb, an old dervish warrior (some say the Saint himself) is still making the rounds of the sacred burial site. He is a solemn, but otherwise benevolent ghost.
Ophélie Cottier from www.greece-is.com 25
LEGENDS SINTRA: mYTHS AND LEGENDS
Sintra is a small village full of forests and palaces that since very early in history has been associated with mysticism. You can feel the strange atmosphere only by arriving there. Maybe spirits, maybe a bigger stranger power... It is impossible to enumerate all legends but I will share some of the more commons.
The Legend of the Fairy’s Cave In one cave of Sintra, every night, a fairy mourn her fate. Nobody knows exactly where is the cave but everyone who walks into the forest can hear her crying. People who listened her say that she is crying for her lost love. 26
The Legend of the Yellow Rock In one remote part of Sintra, there is a large stone protrusion that springs very strangely from the ground. Beneath this rock, it is said, lies a treasure that will belong to whoever can topple the rock with an egg. The legend goes like this: An elderly woman who wanted the treasure armed herself with as many eggs as she could and approached the rock. Egg after egg, she threw with all her might, laying siege against the geological formation that nonetheless was impervious to the assault, until she ran out of egg. To this day, the yellow moss that grows on the rock comes from the woman’s yolks, which, much like her dreams of treasure, were shattered against the stone.
The Girl on the Road This is a modern legend that has recently been debunked, though there is still a shred of mystery, enveloped in the paranormal. A group of friends was traveling through the Sintra Sierra, filming their trip as they went along. At some point, they came across a confused-looking girl waiting on the side of the road. The girl had a bewildered look on her face that creeped out the person filming the ride. They decided to pull over anyway and picked her up. She started to feel sick and then screamed. What followed is unclear, but they had an accident that took the lives of the two passengers, the survivor was never able to explained what happened. The body of the girl on the road was nowhere to be found. Sandra QueirĂłs 27
LEGENDS fro m th e legen d to th e rock
Galicia is a region full of legends and where still the superstition and the supernatural coexist with the daily life. There, we used to say that “meigas habelas hailas inda que eu non crea nelas” (the witch exists even if I don’t believe in them). The “eldricht” is something present in our daily life, so, of course, we even make songs making fun of ourselves, our scares and identity conditions. One example of this contemporary way to talk about ourselves can be found in the song of Ruxe-Ruxe “Non temos medo” (We are not afraid), included in the disc of the same name published in 2000. The song talks about San Andrés de Teixido, a famous spot in the Galician collective memory. San Andrés de Teixido is a little church situated in the West coast of Galicia, where the pilgrimage is mandatory at least one time in life, because, like the saying said: “A San Andrés de Teixido vai de morto quen non foi de vivo” (To San Andrés de Teixido you are going death if you didn’t go being alive). In another words, if you don’t peregrinate to the church before dying, you will have to do it after death or joining the Santa Compaña death procession or under the shape of an animal or a rock. 28
This band takes all this legend elements present in the Galician society to answer them in a song. The refrain of the song only says: “Non temos medo” (We are not afraid), showing in this way how the compositors perceive the Galician society. But for understanding this fact, this projection of the Galician like a people used to face with the scare and with the death; we have to say some words about the “rock bravú”, the musical movement to whom the bands belongs. The “rock bravú” was a social and artistic (especially musical) phenomenon that emerged in Galicia during the 90s, after the musical explosion of the 80s. This is not the place to expose the causes and development of the movement, but at least we need to explain superficially its main characteristic: the use of the Galician language for the lyrics, the vindication of the rural and traditional lifestyle and, in the musical field, the mix of traditional and folk musics with more contemporary styles like rock, punk, etc. So, we must understand the meaning of this song also in this ideological sense. With these lyrics, "Ruxe ruxe" reclaims the value of our legend and popular superstitions to bring them to the most contemporary reality and to shout with the rhythm of the guitar: we are not afraid!
ANTÍA FERNÁNDEZ MARTÍNEZ 29
LEGENDS myth o logy an d psych oanalysis
Through this article we will explore the relations between mythology and psychology and especially one of its sub-fields, psychoanalysis. Myth and Legend two faces of the same coin? A legend is a folkloric story with probable roots on historical events, but with time, details are added. The "word of mouth" leads to fancier stories. The same legend might be different from place to place in order to fit with needs of each community. A myth is also a narrative with superhuman and supernatural aspects but instead of speaking about historic events, it tries to explain the origins of the world and the natural phenomenon the community ,in which they belong, has to face. Mythology gathers all the myths of one particular civilization. Myth and Legends are part of the word of mouth tradition, which affect cultures, this is the reason I made the decision to speak about Mythology into the “Legend� edition 30
Mythology and Psychoanalysis
From figures of the Mythology to theories Into Sigmund Freud’s work , the father of the Psychoanalysis, mythology, history of religions and Greek tragedies (which came from the mythology) have an prominent place, as well as in others psychoanalysists’ works like C.G Jung, O.Rank,…
rom two figures of the Greek mythology, emerged the most emblematic concepts of the psychoanalysis: the Oedipus complex and the theories of narcissism. Freud managed to highlight the Oedipus complex after having studied Sophocles’ tragedy “Oedipus the king”. As Bowlby stressed, Freud “drastically reinterpreted the Oedipus legend, making it into a common pattern in which each individual can and has to ‘recognize’ a long-suppressed part of themselves”. To make it short, the Oedipus complex is a hypothesis, which highlights that all children (universal validity), at some point, are feeling in love for one parent and have a rivalous hatred for the other.
The study of Mythology through the psychoanalysis’ eye J.Chemouni, French psychoanalysist, is seeing inside myths the manifestation of the mind, but the unconsciencious part. Myths can be seeing as the expression of the inside (unconscious) mind to the outside world. Chemouni considers mythology as a description of the human mind but not as an explanation. From that point of view, the excessiveness we find into myths is not pathological. The author describes mythology as a language of the mind about the mind. Myths are trying to give a sense to the psyche, to transcript the mind. If myths seem to be irrational, the author explains it is because sometime they are speaking to the conscientious mind, sometime to the unconscious. According to the author’s point of view, psychology was build on the basis of mythology, because both of them are trying to understand “the truth” about the human mind. Sources • Bowlby, R. (2006). Family Realisms : Freud and Greek Tragedy • Chemouni, J.Mythologie et psychologie. Le mythe ou l’impossible pathologie OPHÉLIE COTTIER
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ACT youth i n m ovem ent I M M I G R AT I O N P O LI CY CRISIS IN GREECE AND EUROPE
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Europe has always been a land of emigration before being a land of immigration. This change is mainly due to the Third Balkan War (1991) and the crisis of Albanian embassies (from the 90s). From there, Europe began to develop common policies among member states and has released funds to help states manage these migratory flows. In 1995, the Schengen area came into force (the Convention having been signed 10 years earlier), by abolishing border controls between its member states and reinforcing this control at the external borders of space. 32
It is with the Albanian immigration that Greece began to receive financial aids from the EU to modernize the structures for border surveillance because most migrants come from neighboring countries, and are easier to expel. One must also know that a Greek law dating from 1929 has still not been reviewed. This law regulates departures from the country but not arrivals. Moreover, during the 90s, with the arrival of Albanians, the government passed a law (in 1991) allowing immediate expulsion of irregular foreigners and reinforcing border controls. This law is based on the idea that the regulation of immigrants is a matter of law enforcement and public health, tarnishing the image of migrants who are now considered as criminals. But things get complicated from the 2000s, with the new wave of migration from the Middle East, Africa and Asia, which makes it difficult to expel these migrants as the country of origin is too far away and there is no readmission agreement between Greece and these countries. Following these events, the policy of confinement was born with the law n ° 2901 of 2001, which systematizes a prison sentence of maximum 3 months with, at the exit, the obligation to leave the territory within 30 days. Also, like all member states receiving financial support from the EU, Greece prefers to use these funds to strengthen border controls rather than handling asylum applications and taking care of migrants. Indeed, when migrants arrive on the Greek territory, nothing is planned to welcome them in good form. It is often local volunteers who help the people arriving by giving them water, a little food and necessary information (location of refugee camps, police stations ...). But when the migrants arrive in the camps in Greece, there is no help and they are completely left to their own devices.
Faced with all these new difficulties, migrants are trying to flee Greece by all means. However, since the Dublin II Treaties (dating from 2008, provides that the first country reception should consider asylum requests but no paper is delivered) and Dublin III (dating from 2013, states that the first host country must process the asylum application in order to obtain papers) migrants who have managed to leave Greece are often obliged to return there in order to regulate their status; but the lack of means (financial and human) condemns them to return to their country of origin. 33
What did Europe put in place to cope with this important migratory flow? The issue of migration has given rise to many confidence crises between states members of the EU because of differences in views on refugees: some say they are a threat, others that they are victims. This fracture poses a problem of distribution of newcomers to the EU: some countries like Sweden have welcomed many people, unlike others countries as France. From 2015, following the death of a hundred migrants in the Mediterranean and the shock after the picture of the dead little Aylan, the EU established financial solidarity mechanisms (about 2.4 billion euros have been released) to compensate asymmetry between host countries and also planned relocation quotas across Europe. Clarification: relocation is the transfer of people in need of international protection from a state member of the EU to another EU Member State. The program planned to relocate 160,000 migrants throughout Europe. But according to Amnesty International, member states have achieved only 29% of the original target. In fact, only 46,000 people were relocated across the EU and other volunteer countries such as Switzerland, Norway and Liechtenstein, including 28,000 across 24 EU member states. It should be noted that some countries like Hungary, Poland and Slovakia were against the quota law and refused to welcome any asylum seeker between 2015 and 2017; while other countries like Germany host the largest majority of migrants. The money that would normally be used to decently accommodate asylum seekers and respond to their demands, is mainly used to strengthen border controls. Moreover, the European commission estimates that the establishment of a total border control would cost between 5 and 18 billion euros per year to the EU. It does not make sense for the EU to put so much money into border security, while the processing of asylum claims would be much cheaper.
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It is also important to clarify that the right of asylum is a fundamental right in the Declaration of Human Rights and in Article 21 of the EU Treaty. The member states, who have ratified these documents, do not seem to take this right into account in their policies. For example, border closures within the Schengen area should normally not exceed 2 years, and this delay is only granted in the event of a failure of a state to control its external borders; however, since 2015, many countries still have their borders closed, this is the case of France, Austria and Hungary.
However, the EU does not lack solutions to the problem of migration: first, by putting the financial means in the right structures for the integration of migrants within the EU countries; secondly, it is imperative that the EU member states restore their mutual trust, because only solidarity will enable a responsible migration policy to be adopted. The EU also needs to review the Dublin Treaties with a view to give more freedom to migrants, which would lead to a better distribution of individuals within the EU.
MAĂ?LEN MALENGREAUX and NICOLAS JAOUEN 35
MY PROJECT n at u r a l fa r m i n g
It seems Mirto and her farm is well known by people in Kalamata. The farm is on the road that leads out of Kalamata. It is beautifully kept with a lot of flowers, lemons and orange trees. She lives with her partner Kostas and two nice dogs - Odesus and Maya. Besides them, there are also four cats. For now, I remember the names of Ozzy - the white ruler of the castle, Elektroshock with his long furr and Kuzo Frizko. It is a big family and if we consider all the plants as family members you can imagine that this place is really vivid and full of natural energy. 36
I am there with another volunteer - Valentina from Italy - together we are volunteering to keep this paradise place. To do so a lot of work is required. Every week children from kindergarten and school are coming to learn about connection with nature. On weekends big parties often take place for birthdays, sometimes even weddings. So, there is a lot you can help with if you are volunteering at the farm, especially during parties when there are children everywhere running and playing freely on the grass. Mirto organizes workshops for children to create art from recycled objects - plastic bottles, cups, napkins...She has an unique way of creating simple but so beautiful things out of every material. Children get involved easily with this activities. A local teacher, Fotini, is also helping with all of this because Mirto is expecting a baby next month so you can imagine this is a lot of work only for two people. Me and Valentina are always doing something either with scissors either with paint or gardening tools. After this project, for sure, I will gain more knowledge about how to operate and manage a farm and a lot of skills to preparate parties. As for now, I am looking forward to learn more about plants and I am waiting with open heart for new tasks around the farm. And most importantly I am looking forward for the new member of the farm family.
BLAGOVESTA GEORGIEVA 37
MY SENDING ORGANISATION NUR ASSOCIATION (ITALY)
Nur Association is a non profit association that promotes young mobility, based in Cagliari (Italy). Founders have common interests for culture and cultural differences. They are aware on the fact that tolerance and respect for cultural differences, interculturality and knowledge of one’s own heritage are the key factor’s for an harmonious multiethnic society.The goal is to promote these values among the youth against the idea of diffidence, racism and nationalism .The main fields of activity are: • the promotion of exchanges between cultures; • youth international mobility; • the fight against all forms of racism and xenophobia; • the recognition of the competencies built through experiences of non formal education. • working at language training and social inclusion projects for immigrants using skills built in over 10 years of EVS (European Voluntary Service) hosting, sending and training. VALENTINA ARGIOLAS 38
Past event
O N - A R R I VA L S E M I N A R
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Impressions from Sheila It all started with an e-mail and a really peculiar proposal about gathering strangers in the pure nature of a refuge called Bafi. There had been discovered a hidden treasure close to Athens: Mount Parrnitha. Hundred of endemic plants and flowers live there. The volunteers started to know each other better. As the team from Kalamata, we had to present our organisation, explaining strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, as well as the most important thing to us: to share skills, learn and to do personal development during our EVS. We also discuss about youthpass and played games in teams to evaluate our knowledges. It was very entertaining. In this link there is more information: https://www.youthpass.eu/en/
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We wanted to investigate beyond nature and we lost ourselves in the civilization center of Athens, where we investigated and deeper searching about habits in Athens. We interviewed local people to know better the culture and traditions, and after we shared it with the others volunteers. We spent the rest of the time in Athens visiting the most importants places. The accomodation for this training course was really comfortable, the staff’s support very kind,polite, and the food; pasticio, sufle, mousaka, greek salad, also coffees were delicious!! The rhythm of the program was manageable, we did many activities, all very enjoyable. I learned a lot, my involvement with the other was amazing. We also did little theater to present cases for cigna insurance in our Evs. The group atmosphere was the best. We were dancing and singing together, we shared our experiences, moments, vibes , we were watching movies. I think, this is the best idea of the National Agency to do this training course before to start the EVS programme. Feedbacks from Maria The week of the 23th of April until the 28th, me and Sheila were on the on-arrival training in Athens. The training took place in the Bafi refuge. The refuge is an amazing place in the middle of a forest on top of a mountain. Coming from Liechtenstein it reminded me a lot home. For other volunteers it was nice as well as it is a very refreshing place in the middle of nature, which is especially important for the volunteers that live in big cities. It was also very refreshing to meet new volunteers from all over Greece. Also one of the best aspects was the very funny trainers. Having the on-arrival training so late was obviously not ideal but they even changed the program a bit as most of us were already in the projects for multiple months. Talking about our organisations was good as we were able to compare and see what we might want to change to make the experience better. All in all, I was very happy I could participate and I wish I could see all those amazing people again.
SHEILA GOMÉZ AND MARIA NADJA SCHÄDLER 40
Past event
Similarities in difference POLISH AND greek contemporary Printmaking exhibition
What to say...A lot of events, a lot of visitors and a lot of people involved. And the outcome was fantastic. We presented 43 works of 44 artists, all of them inspired by the exhibition title. Along the works, we also presented artist's statements about their creation, as the message they wanted to pass to us. The exhibition was full of accompanying events - starting from opening, during which we had the opportunity to speak with two of the artists – Marina Bobou and Ioannis Anastasiou – that visited us in Kalamata. Presentations of printmaking and bookbinding workshops from Kentro Neon Kalamata, family workshop with secret missions and printing on jelly took place, as well as school visits in the mornings!
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The Opening Night the 25th of April
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Activities for kids
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Workshops for adults and schools
The Cultural Center was full of people interested in discovering Similarities in Difference.
I wanted to thank again all the people that got engaged in this project and without whom it would never happen. The curator, Majka Dokudowicz
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future event
en d o f t h e s e m e s t e r
Time flies fast even if we don't notice it. Seems that a week ago I welcomed our students in the Youth Center. However, one more semester is finishing. Wow, four months already! It was challenging but productive time, and the holidays didn't prevent our progress, both students and teachers! To prove it we are excited to invite you to the presentation of the current semester's workshops. The complete list of lessons we have is Russian, Romanian, Conversational English, Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, Serbian, German, French, Greek, Sign Language, Contemporary Jazz Dance, Yoga, Fitness, Salsa, Seviliana, Kick-boxing, Self-defence, Guitar, Crochet, Book-binding, Printmaking, Painting, Religious painting, Decoupage, Book club, Art history, Sociology and Creative writing. The 30th of May come at Othonos Square to enjoy the last event of the season: the workshops" presentation and find your favorite one! The beginning is traditionally at 19 until the "last customer"!
ANGELINA KAYSINA 45
LINK M AY 1 S t
2018
The volunteers responsible for this publication are hosted in Greece in the framework of the European Erasmus+ programme, KA1/youth - European Voluntary Service. This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.