LINK #145 by NGO K.A.NE.

LINK #145

Ja nu a r y 2 2 t h 2020

RECIPE

N O I T A C U D

Content

EDITION P. 3

LINK’s Edition

K.A.NE P. 4 - 6

Volunteers & Collaborators

KNOW US P. 8 P. 9 P. 10 ARTICLES P. 12 P. 14

“What do you appreciate about the education system in your country?” “What would you change about the education system in your country?” “Which one is the most important form of education for you?”

P. 12

The Education The Education and Problems

INTERVIEW P. 16 Interview with a local volunteer P. 18 Interview with a Erasmus+ volunteer ADVENTURE OF THE WEEK P. 20 “The French’s excursion” PLACE OF THE WEEK P. 21 Kelefa Castle EVENTS P. 16 P. 17

P. 21

Previous events Future events

PLACE TO VISIT P. 22 Polyliminio waterfalls QUOTE OF THE WEEK P. 23 Alber Einstein’s quote SONG OF THE WEEK P. 25 “Rude Boy” RESTAURANT OF THE WEEK P. 26 Platea RECIPES P. 26 P. 27

P. 23

EXTRA P. 30 - 36

Spaghetti with cacio and pepe Tiramisù 2

The Educational System in Different Countries

Anja Trobec

Editor

Roque Ribeiro

Designer

@kane.kalamata +30 272 108 188 2

Editorial

www.kentroneon.worpress.com www.ngokane.org info@ngokane.org Salaminos 8 24100 Kalamata Greece

LINK 3

Volunteers My name is Anja and I find describing myself really awkward and Anja Hi! difficult especially because my personality is a product of a 25-years

long and complex story and is evolving every second of the day. At THAT moment I can say for myself that things that make my heart sing are: when random strangers are super nice to me, diving deep into symbolism or mythology of movies, experiencing the art of being ‘’here and now,’’ reading books and making different types of art (poetry, painting), music, being mommy to green plants and being sister to two dogs.

Celia

Hello! I am Celia, I come from Montpellier, a city in the south of France. Creative and volunteer I offer two months of my time to help a dog shelter association. Enthusiastic about learning every day through my work but also through new encounters and cultural sharing. So, I came to start my twentieth year in the Greek sun.

everybody! My name is Elisabetta, I’m a 22 years old itaElisabetta Hello lian girl who hates Italy and just wanted to escape for a little

bit from the ignorance and racism and homophobia and sexism typical of my country. I really have strong ideals about equality and respect towards people who are different from me and I love meeting new people and learn new things. I really enjoy music, singing and dancing even though I’m a very bad singer and dancer and I also love horses. I love being around them, I love riding them and I love taking care of them.

Lea

Hallo! :) My name is Lea and I am from Griesheim, a small town near Frankfurt. I am eighteen years old, just finished school and now I am going to spend an entire year here in Kalamata. I am volunteering in the Youth Centre and hopefully will hear many different stories from totally different people. I am fascinated by the art of literature, stars and other people and really enjoy sitting on the balcony with friends and enjoying unwinding music. I’m Lise, i’m from the south of france, i’m yo. I really love all Lise Hi, the animals and want to be an animal keeper as soon as possib-

le, so the work with the dogs in the shelter it’s just perfect for me. I love nature and discover new landscapes . Also meet new people and learn a lot of new things.

Lucas

Hi! My name is Lucas, I am 23 years old, and I come from France. Due to family problems, I had to take a break from my studies a few years ago and I hope to resume them after my little pearl in Greece... I am here to discover new people, maybe another culture and especially to clear my mind, I work at the dog shelter for 2 months or I hope to learn a lot from others and a lot about myself.

Marlene

Hey! I’m Marlene a.k.a. Karen, from Portugal! Being in a constant process of discovering myself, I would say that, most of all, I consider myself as a very empathetic person, who loves to try to understand others. This comes with a lot of curiosity and willingness to learn and discuss about our human nature and the physics and metaphysics of everything. I am also very adventurous and a true hungry for discovery! I really love to dance, sketch & paint, and have efficient sleep time. Oh, and I am working at KEFIAP!

Marta

My name is Marta. I’m 25 years old. I’m from a small city of the southeast of Spain. I’ve recently obtained my College Degree in Social Work, and now I find myself looking for a job or a great and fruitful experience. I’m a tolerant, open-minded and passionate girl. Some interests about me: I love reading, music, tea, poetry, animals, having a time between the nature, rollerblading, and I’ve recently started climbing. I’m interested in discovering the world with my own eyes and in creating new bonds with different people. I’m a sensitive person who is also concerned and cares about environmental and social issues which are happening everyday in our reality.

Patrycja

Cześć! Jak się masz? I come from Poland. I love travelling and one day I want to be a professional traveler. I like to take photos, to film, meet new people from all over the world and to learn more about foreign cultures and history! My other passion is everything concerning Latin America: speaking Spanish, the latin dances... I also study English and Portuguese. Now I’m in Greece for 6 months to do an EVS project and hopefully discover this country in the best way possible!

I’m the short guy with dreadlocks who is coming from Roque Viva! northern Portugal. For the next 10 months I’ll spend my time

in Kalamata as a volunteer in K.A.NE.. I came into this adventure so I could meet new people, a different and new culture and to learn Greek. I’d to share with others all my knowledge, interests and beliefs. If you like sunsets, swimming, nature, hiking and listening to music, what are waiting for?! Join me!

Collaborators I am Filaretos Vourkos. For the last 15 years I am working Filaretos Hello, in the field of Non-formal education as a volunteer, youth worker

and youth trainer. 10 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.

Jelena

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 K.A.NE. does, so I decided to stay and be part of it.

Nantiana

My name is Nantiana Koutiva and i am working in K.A.NE. as a project manager and EVS coordinator. I have studied greek philology and I am teacher of greek language as well. I love travelling and organizing festivals.

Nancy

Hello World! I’m Nancy and I’m working in K.A.NE. since 2017 as a Project Manager and EVS/ESC coordinator. I’m passionate about meeting new people and exchange knowledge, experiences and ideas. I love the fact that many young people visit every year my hometown Kalamata and contribute to our society.

my name is Georgia Griva. For the past few years I am a youGeorgia Hello, th worker and project manager. This journey in youth field started

in 2014 with my first youth exchange and my EVS in Istanbul. I am proud to be member of K.A.NE. which represents my vision and my values as human and as an active citizen.

Lise

st Q U E S T I O N

I don’t really appreciate the education system in my country, I think it’s too old and we learn so many things that will not help us in our life. At 15 we have to decide the study for our future work and I really think that’s too young to know.

What do you appreciate about the education system in your country? Anja

I appreciate the fact that in Slovenia education is free and also that the government encourages young people to find something they really like doing through different kinds of media (newspaper, television, …).

Lucas I don’t really know if I like something about the actual system of education, I think the knowledge-sharing system goes against what young people need, which is to move, discover and see for themselves, to imagine, design, try out, and not sit on their asses in a chair stupidly absorbing information for years to end.

Celia In my country, I appreciate that knowledge is open and accessible to all and free. Elisabetta I really appreciate the importance that they give to the humanities subjects such as Latin, philosophy, Italian literature, etc. I think that in Italy a huge part of the educational system is based on giving the students cultural baggage that includes not only linguistic and scientific knowledge but also classical and human knowledge.

Marlene I like the fact that we are introduced to a lot of subjects until the 9th year of studies. Marta Something that I appreciate about the education system in my country is the big “tree” of different options that exist in the moment of choosing a branch of studies. And the fact that even in high-school, you also have the option of choosing that path if you have preferences in some kind of art. Patrycja Polish education system can be accused of a lotI appreciate that it is free, that everyone can find something for themselves and that at various stages you can go on exchanges to different countries and see how it looks like somewhere else.

Lea The fact that our education system is free. Also, for me, the concept of school, in general, is really nice because you can learn so many new things with the support of a professional. Plus, I think the level of education in Germany is quite high, I really appreciate that school - or better education- is being taken seriously.

Roque The fact that it is mandatory, for free, and accessible to everyone. 8

Lea

nd Q U E S T I O N

I would not offer three different types of school forms after primary school. That is leading to a huge inequality of opportunities at the end of school. Also, I would try to introduce more life-near classes. And, besides paying attention only to the final grade as access to university, more specific exams for those studies should be introduced.

What would you change about the education system in your country?

Lise I would change the way to learn (it should be more fun). Lucas

Anja

I would like to change everything, with more possibilities, more choices and more time.

I don’t like the fact that you need a certain amount of credits when you’re choosing high school/ UNI/… It would be better if in some cases there would be different kind of test that would show if you’re appropriate for that school (for example it is usual that someone has enough credits to apply for psychology but no sense for people).

Marlene The evaluation system, which is mostly done by exams. Also, the way of transmitting the information. It’s now in a one-way direction (professors - students) but I think it would be better in a three-way discussion way (professor - students, students - professors, students - students). University wise, there is an huge problem in Portugal with our teachers: most of them teach because they are very good researchers. Marta Teachers of Primary and Secondary school, and even of the university, once they get their job, they get it until the end of their professional career. Because of this, we can find a lot of teachers who have lost, forgotten, or maybe who never had the vocation or a real interest in teaching. So I would create a way or a method for evaluating teachers every year or every two years.

Celia The training of teachers who currently have access to content without any social pedagogy. More and more teachers are coming out of the big schools and are applying their knowledge without ever having been in front of the classroom. They are often do not know how to deal/manage with young people with their different profiles.

Patrycja I’d have undone the latest education reform, which has done much more harm than good. I’d also change the fact that in High School students still have to waste their time on subjects that they are not interested in and with which they do not have a future. I also don’t like that everyone keeps telling children that they have to be the best from every object.

Elisabetta The students are submitted to a lot of stress and pressure. When they finish school they have a lot homework and most of the kids spend the nights up to study or they wake up in the early morning to finish it. They should care more about student’s mental health.

Roque The way that the classrooms are organized and also the way that the subjects are being passed to the students. 9

Lea

rd Q U E S T I O N

I think the most important thing about education is to learn to be critical and to always see different points of views. I think there are a lot of amazing ways besides school to broaden your horizon with different points of view - either through reading books, non-formal education or also having discussions with others. As long as education is not closed-minded and not only accepting one â&#x20AC;&#x153;truthâ&#x20AC;?, I support most forms of education I think.

Which one is the most important form of education for you?

Lise I think that the most important form of education that exists is learning by yourself.

Anja

Non-formal education. Through non-formal education, I learned much more about life, people and things that matter for me (how to actively help someone or how to actively act in certain situations) than in school. Through non-formal education an individual can also develop skills/ competencies for team work, for empathy, ...

Lucas I think that the most important thing is that the transfer of knowledge takes place perfectly- that everyone can have access to what they need for their personal development, and not only to memorize information in order to make a career in society. Marlene Discussion of ideas and communication between all interested parts! Whether it is from a YouTube video, a Radio Podcast or a University class. Marta

Celia

The most important form of education is non-formal education or education through dynamic activities. This kind of education where students can practice team-work, and cooperation, test themselves and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get bored so easily and also get motivation for learning about different subjects, but also about their partners and about themselves.

The alternative education, because it is more accessible to pupils and it is formatting to his future place as a good citizen alone in the state. I find that they progress quicker by doing what they love, and that leaves much more room for their imagination, development, and fulfillment. Whereas today, the school only programs us to become a good citizen integrated into society - according to the state.

Patrycja

Elisabetta

The most important thing in education is to develop my interests and passions, to find out more about topics that interest us.

I believe that school and university are not only forms of education. We learn to listen to people that surround us and we also teach people around us. We should use more that kind of learning process by being more open about what people (especially minorities) have to tell us. Listening is the key and by listening to different opinions and points of view we can learn a lot of things. Every approach that we have with other people is an opportunity for us to increase our cultural and human baggage.

Roque Discussion and questioning without pressure would be the best form of education for me. I believe that exams make us learn things just to be evaluated and not to actually understand and know them. 10

How to say? “My name is… What is your name?” Ich heiße… Wie heißt du?

Je m’appelle… Quel est ton nom?

Mi chiamo… Come ti chiami?

Mam na imię… Jak masz na imie?

Me llamo… ¿Cómo te llamas?

Το όνομά μου είναι… Ποιο είναι το όνομά σας;

O meu nome é… Como te chamas?

Jeg hedder… Hvad hedder du?

Benim ismim… Adın ne?

Ime mi je… Kako ti je ime?

Author: Marlene

The Education

“

Children with a different personality (...) are treated with contempt.

I’m sorry but in this article, you will not be about the good points of education, but only about the bad things. All the things that everyone knows but nobody talks about. I hope you will enjoy my list.

”

3. The thinking pattern “There is only one right answer to each question” The best example in school is the exam where the student has to enter a box perfectly which specifies which of his interpretations is correct, and which is not. Any other idea or response full of creativity is, de facto, the subject of criticism by professors who have been frozen for many years in these strict and rigid schemes. Students are forced to give only “valid and correct” answers - they are forced to have this state of mind predetermined by boxes. Children with a different personality, who break this strict pattern, become bad individuals and are treated with contempt.

The main shortcomings of the French school and education system: 1. The school prepares children to live in a world that does not exist. The current education system was created to meet the needs of the industrial economy of past centuries. It aims to train an army of brainless robots that will work while obeying existing economic conditions.

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Obedience and subordination are required (...)

”

4. The scheme: “You must obey authority” Obedience and subordination are required of children - from the start of their educational journey. At school, it is obvious that the teacher or teacher is always right, and the student cannot argue with her/ him. Indeed, almost everything the teacher says is for the child or young person as a prophecy. Often this affects the life path of the child, who believes blindly and without any criticism, in every word spoken by the teacher. Any sign of lack of obedience to authority (even the desire to discuss, express one’s own opinion!), Is immediately punished, considered as bad behavior and scored in the class newspaper or worse - it is awarded a point of behavior. If the young person has collected more than X of these famous behavioral points, he risks exclusion from school ...

2. The way of thinking that “ It’s bad to make mistakes. “ This hypothesis is the pillar of the current education system. From the first elementary school, children are victims of a fear policy, where teachers treat errors as a sign of being “less good” child. This way of thinking destroys children’s creativity and builds up a strong sense of fear before they act and experiment. This is the reason for stress and stage fright before exams or any future test. Making mistakes is an integral part and is necessary for learning. Every human being should be ready and even interested in the famous “chess” - it is the best way to learn quickly based on your own experience rather than on a meaningless theory.

5. The way to understand human talents It is very limited to think, “either you have a talent or you don’t have it.” The worst part is that a single statement by the teacher can shape the child for life. Once is enough, the child hears: “You have no talent for math. It is better that you do something else.” How do you think the child’s psyche will be influenced if he believed these words? And in most cases, he believes in it because the teacher represents to him natural authority and power. Of course, to have talent you need certain predispositions. But the key is precisely the investment of time and hard, persistent work. The school also tends to extract talents and separate them: drawing, music, mathematics, writing ... Teachers tend to forget that wealth lies precisely in the fusion of these disciplines. Leonardo da Vinci was a painter, architect, philosopher, musician, writer, explorer, mathematician, mechanic, anatomist, inventor, and geologist.

6. Each child is measured with “the same meter” All children and young people must know absolutely the same thing and learn in the same way. The education system completely ignores the fact that every child is different. Each child has their own way of learning, of understanding the world, of assimilating and memorizing information. Each young person is different and each has different dreams and passions. At the start of the school adventure, children and young people should, each independently, or with the help of parents, specify their educational needs. The choice of studies should be based on the skills of each. Each student should take a personal path of development, designed to allow them to develop their talents, skills and qualities.

7. Teach young people unnecessary things Objectively, we are unable to specify which knowledge and skills are useful or practical. It depends on what our youngster will want to practice and experience in life. Consequently, the resources that we show or transmit to the young person should depend on their individual needs. The school will never adapt to this universal truth. No one at school knows how to answer what exactly will serve us all the knowledge that is crammed in our heads. The teachers say “it will serve you one day”. It is not surprising that young people are not motivated to study all these arid and useless formulas.

“ ”

The school ignores the skills that are essential for us (...)

8. The omission of key skills The school ignores the skills that are essential for us to live in the modern world. The education system does not include subjects such as: emotional intelligence, financial intelligence, interpersonal skills, communication skills, entrepreneurship, problem solving, wellness, meditation, future management, time management and many, many others. Author: Lise

Education and Problems

here is no need to convince anyone that education is very important and that being a well-educated person has a lot of advantages. Educated people often find it easier to find the job they want to do than they need to support themselves. In addition, people after school/studies are more often more aware and less susceptible to manipulation. Nevertheless, many people are discouraged from going to school and learning from an early age. This is because the school system still requires many improvements, but above all a great change of mentality.

From primary school we are taught that we have to get good grades and being bad in a subject is a shame. Come on, this is absurd because everyone has different interests and predispositions, it is still the school system and many teachers want us all to be the same and to be good at the same, and preferably at everything. It forgets the good old proverb that whoever is good at everything is not really good at anything. It is better for a person as well as it is better for society as a whole to know one area that he loves-but very well. Not everyone has to be a mathematician if they are passionate about e.g. history, just as not everyone has to speak perfect and flawless

English if they speak perfectly in another or even several other foreign languages. Of course, we need to know the basics of each field, for our own sake, but also for our own sake we should stop putting pressure on ourselves and on others. Pressure from the environment, parents, teachers, and school stress such as the fear of getting a bad grade from a test, is most often the reason why children and young people stop enjoying learning and start neglecting it more and more.

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(...) school system kills our passions by underestimating them (...)

Ministers of Education themselves do not know how to get rid of it yet. The most important thing is to discuss and break the taboo. Of course, when there is a discussion there are also various, often very extreme points of view. Some will say, for example, to completely ban grades, and others will say that this is an absolutely bad idea, because then these young people will stop learning altogether. And as usual, in most discussions of this kind, the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

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(...) school system kills our passions by underestimating them (...)

“

It would also be worthwhile to change the attitude of some teachers who mock and humiliate a pupil who has some lack of knowledge (...)

Another aspect of this problem is also the fact that the school system kills our passions by underestimating them and taking our free time to learn a subject that we don’t like and that we do not like and that is going worse, only to fail it, anyway we know that after leaving school we will never come back to it again. School stress can be an excuse or something not too dangerous, but many people forget that prolonged stress can be bad for both mental and physical health and cause many diseases as well.

”

Perhaps it would be useful to think about grading only on subjects that are important for the section, and organise the rest of the class as complementary, where there will be no grading or where grades will be weighted and given differently, for example, for some projects or presentations from which the student will still learn more than from the test he or she simply downloaded. It would also be worthwhile to change the attitude of some teachers who mock and humiliate a pupil who has some lack of knowledge, instead of explaining and teaching him/her again. But the most important thing in all this is to understand that we learn for ourselves and not for others, especially the things we love. Author: Patrycja

Interview Interviewer: Hello! Could you please introduce yourself? Sotiria: I My name is Sotiria. I am 31 years old and from Greece. I am a volunteer at the Youth center of Kalamata.

Local Volunteer

Interviewer: What do you enjoy the most about your work there? Sotiria: The youth center is a place where you can meet people from all over the world. It is a place for exchanging knowledge, for meeting many different people and cultures. I love that everyone there offers their knowledge and exchanges ideas and experiences.

“ ”

(...) the educational system in Greece doesn‘t really help children (...)

Interviewer: What is your motivation to be a volunteer Sotiria: I believe that volunteering gives you more things than you do as a volunteer. You learn so many things, not only for the world, but for yourself too. It makes you a better person. Interviewer: Three words that describe yourself? Sotiria: Sociable, Optimistic, Patient. Interviewer: What is your favorite dish? Sotiria: Pastitsio. Interviewer: Which is your favorite word? Sotiria: Empathy. I believe that we would live in a better world if everyone knew and felt that word. Interviewer: What do you appreciate about the education system in your country? Sotiria: Not much... I have to say that the educational system in Greece doesn‘t really help children to increase their critical thinking. Not until the university! So if I have to say something, it would be that, at least, we have good universities. Still with so many problems also there.... if I start with that, we will never end this interview.

Name Sotiria Organization Kentro Neon Kalamatas Type Youth Centre Volunteering Coordination Place Kalamata | GREECE

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What would you change about the education system in your country?

”

Interviewer: What would you change about the education system in your country? Sotiria: So many things... For start, children should learn by experience. Now we just take a book, we read it and learn, as we are parrots. Thankfully, there are some people who tried over the last years to make schools a better place and more interesting for the children. For now, these tries are mostly in the kindergartens. Hopefully, in the next years, this pedagogical practice will be transferred to all the educational forms.

“ ”

I believe that early childhood education is the most important.

Interviewer: Which one is the most important form of education for you? Sotiria: I am a kindergarten teacher, so... Of course i believe that early childhood education is the most important. Because at these ages, 3 to 6 years old, the children learn how to be social, how to interact with each other, how to communicate and accept their feelings, but also the feelings of their friends. They learn the basic values of life. Then, they can go and learn about math and literature!

Interviewer: Lea

Interview Interviewer: Why did you decide to become an EVS volunteer? Lea: I wanted to do something good and help others. Ever since my sister did a voluntary service a few years ago, I was really impressed by everything she had experienced. So, after finishing school this summer, I decided to do a voluntary service abroad in which I can combine working in a social sector and still experiencing a totally different lifestyle than the one I was used to.

“ ”

Erasmus+ Volunteer

(...) the best thing is (...) helping others.

Interviewer: What is for you the best part about being an EVS volunteer? Lea: I think the best thing is that there are so many possibilities to develop yourself while doing something good and helping others. As EVS volunteer you get to know so many new people from other European countries and that’s really amazing. Plus, for me, it is also really nice that I can live in a totally different country (next to the sea!!) and that I can really be a part of the Greek culture.

“ ”

(...) I think it’s a really useful experience (...)

Interviewer: And the worst part? Lea: Uff. For me, until now, it was being away from my family and my friends, especially the first two months. But I think it’s a really useful experience for me in order to become more independent. But it can be really rough sometimes. Another thing I really noticed while coming back for Christmas to Germany: it is really nice to understand the whole day long what people are saying around you.

Name Lea Krueger Nationality French Hosting NGO K.A.NE. Volunteering Kentro Neon Kalamatas Place Kalamata | GREECE

“

I really don’t know how to decide, life here is pretty amazing and full of laughter.

”

Interviewer: Would you recommend this experience to other young people? If yes, why? If no, why? Lea: Yes, I would absolutely recommend it! Why should be clear through my former answer I guess. Also, I think a big advantage of the ESC program is the financial support which makes the volunteering possible for everyone, regardless of their socio-economic background. Interviewer: Tell us a funny story about your experience here in Kalamata. Lea: Ohhh, no idea. There are way too many. Some I remember: the whole Aristomenous house dancing like crazy to some techno-stuff. Catarina doing a headstand at 2 am. Hitchhiking to Stoupa and dancing like crazy again with some 60-year-old fellas. I really don’t know how to decide, life here is pretty amazing and full of laughter.

Interviewer: Elisabetta

Adventure of the week The Frenchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s excursion

From the sweetness of nature to the adrenaline dose.

s all the volunteers abandoned us to visit Athens, we found ourselves among French people. Therefore we decided to travel 8km by electric scooter to rent a car at Kalamataâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s airport. We embarked at the end of the morning in Suzy - the Suzuki - the excursion was launched.

The wind is blowing but the sun is carrying us to the sea. One hour drive and we reach the Voidokilia beach. This famous bay, which stretches out in the shape of a perfect hemicycle like a half-moon or a scallop shell - below Palaiokastro, fills us with wonder. Green, blue and turquoise water, and white sand which, despite the algae, projects us into childhood where we play, run and laugh on this long beach. It is time to rise to the occasion. A few minutes walk and we find a small archaeological site where a ruined tower overlooks the horizon. Finally, we take a break in front of an impregnable panorama perched above the sea: splendid view! We take the road again, full of images at the head of this magical place, with the wish to enjoy other strong sensations with the idea to play Mario kart in real life. Between Messini and the house, we land at Kart Track Kalamata. We had a lot of fun in two sessions. Each one of ten minutes, enough to be comfortable on the circuit and race with each other. At the end of the day, we return to Kalamata to taste our best vegetarian pita in the Ladolemono. This restaurant is a safe bet, I recommend it. Author: Celia

Place of the week

Κάστρο Κελεφά “Kelefa Castle”

enting a car turns out to be so fun as it is unexpected and challenging! It was on a trip to the nearby towns of Kalamata that I found a place that completely caught my heart. On the East of Kalamata, we were driving our Renault Clio through the cost of Mani Peninsula when our driver decided to go to some distrusted castle, out of our path to Aerolopi. We were passing by Oitylo, a village mentioned in the Iliad by Homer as Oetylus (Οίτυλος). With this decision, he turned to a road, going up the mountain, in the opposite direction of the sea. I had already seen how this place was in the Google Maps previews but I didn’t give any importance to it. Fortunately, I wasn’t alone! As we were going up, the landscape began to feel more and more beautiful! At one point, we saw some goats eating some grass extremely close to our car. They were so surprised by us, as we were by them! When we arrived to the top, we stopped the car and climbed the top of the walls. I later learned that these walls were part of the Kelefa Castle, built in 1679 by the Ottomans, in order to contain the Inner Mani region.

Climbing to one of the towers, the magic happened when I set in the cylinder right in the middle of the tower. The wind was so strong that we had to balance ourselves to not fall! I closed my eyes and felt that strong uncontrollable force. I loved that moment! Author: Marlene

Events

Previous CHARITY

Nights of Financial Aid to the Cell Organizer: Kyttaro Rock Bar Place: Amfias 12, Kalamata Date: December 20th

LIVE MUSIC “78 Speeds” Organizer: Bassaviola Place: Papazoglou 29, Kalamata Date: December 28th

Organized Evening of Financial Support for SOS GREECE CHILDREN’S VILLAGES.

George Adamopoulos, Eleni Katsoulis, Dimitris Harlepas and Vasilis Koutivas will be with us on Saturday 28/12 with an Explosive “music proMUSIC gram in the most aristocratic hangout of the city.

Disco night and cult Organizer: Brooklyn Live Stage Place: Ithomis 5, Kalamata Date: December 27th

PARTY Rock Panther - Trash Party & More / X-mas Edition

Disco Night and Cult last Friday 27th December with music by Dj Jimis Kostantopoulos and Panos Vatzhs.

Orgaziner: Route 66 Place: Amfias 26, Kalamata Date: December 30st Holidays are pink with the most frantic party in town. Trash party and more with Greek Rock, Trash, 80s-90s-00s and Disco.

Author: Marta

CINEMA 6th International Peloponnese Documentary Festival Organizer: Peloponnese Int.Documentary Festival y Kalamata Creative Documentary Center Place: Amphitheater “Theodoros Angelopoulos” Date: January 17th - 27th Cost: Free The 6th International Peloponnese Documentary Festival is back! The creative initiative of the Institution’s Creative Documentation Center will also launch this year with a focus on Kalamata, while part of the program will be presented in 8 other Peloponnese cities: Patras, Argos, Tripoli, Sparta, Dimitsana, Xythio, Gythio, Gythio. The festival will kick off on January 17th with the launch movie of the highly acclaimed Dolphin Man by Lefteris Charitos.

Future TOURNAMENT Beer Pong Grand Tournament

Organizer: Kyttaro Rock Bar Place: Amfias 12, Kalamata 241 00 Date: January 22th Time: 22:00 Every Wednesday until 27th May, a Beer Pong Tournament is happening in Kyttaro Rock Bar Kalamata. There will be many surprises, including a giveaway gift. A period of 16 weeks, with 16 winners from 1 championship. The prize is a whole barrel of beer.

LIVE MUSIC City Kids - A tribute to Motorhead

Organizer: Brooklyn Live Stage Place: Ithomis 5, Kalamata CELEBRATION 241 00 Date: February 1st New Year’s cake Time: 22:00 Organizer: Kentro Neon Cost: €5 Kalamatas The City Kids, the Athenian Tribute to MotörhePlace: Kyttaro Rock Bar ad, are coming to Kalamata on January 25 for the Date: January 22nd first time at the Brooklyn Live Stage (Ithomi 5). Time: 21:00 Sharing the board with Motörhead founding memCost: Free ber Lucas Fox, and successfully completing a numEverybody is waiting for you to celebrate the New Year ber of tributes to British legends, City Kids confirm with a party, cutting our cake at the Kyttaro Rock Bar their reputation as the most dangerous Motörhead Tribute on a daily basis, with a unique sense of respect and uniqueness. Original materials guarantee even the most demanding Motörhead fan! Author: Marta

Place to Travel Πολυλιμνιο καταρρακτεσ “Polyliminio waterfalls”

We visited Polyliminio waterfalls and it was beautiful! It looked like several superimposed basins, into which the water flows successively. Then we walked on small hiking trails that go up to the top of the torrents. The water was turquoise but unfortunately, there is some plastic waste in the water. We crossed, many, many, many people, which is not at all usual for a secluded corner like this one, but it turns out that these waterfalls seem to attract a lot of people because they are really beautiful. We walked a long time to discover all the surroundings. We found a very strange path when we drove by car, where we had to do ‘’zig-zag’’ to not damage wheels. I wanted to take a shower under the waterfall but fortunately, my friends reminded me of the temperature of the water! We threw a coin in the water because in France we do that for good luck; well, normally it’s in a fountain but everyone can see what he wants. We balanced rocks while getting drunk with a bottle of bottle champagne. It was beautiful and catastrophic at the same time but well nobody drowned, that’s the main thing.

Author: Lise

Quote of the week

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The value of an university education is not the learning of many facts, but the training of the mind to think.â&#x20AC;? Albert Einstein

Song of the week “Rude Boy” By Dub inc

LYRICS Call me say Rude Boy In a Dance all reggae music, I Ouh watcha the test I give you big boy contest now? So would you tell me now? Ne cherche pas un test meme si ton gun est rangé, Tu ne sais jamais ce qu’il peut t’arriver, Car Babylone te rend mauvais, car babylone te rend mauvais, Engrainé dans le vice tu commence à manquer de respect, C’est dur de faire face à la vie quand elle ne ta jamais aidé, Elevé dans un 25m carré, Elevé dans un 25m carré, Tu passe tes journées dans un decor de beton armé, Un quotidien synonyme de morosité, Droit chemin ou réalité, Tu crois etre bon mais t’est mauvais, You’re dreaming of ruling illegally, That’s when you start fucking around, By easy money you were tempted, By easy money you were tempted, Some guy misspoke you his words broke your solidity, Easy for you, you chose the easy way out, You started to sink, The bars will only remind you of that,

Wayaya yo yé yéyé no Haya yé yéyé no. Wa yo yo Hou ho wo no Non non non Babylone system met en manque, Les fans du reggae, Mais sa ne sert a rien de généraliser, Tout les enfants de Jah ne virent pas au cliché, Quand certains musiciens sont simplement inspirés, Un simple hommage à Jah sans joint ni faux rasta, Simple message au roi que je sent si prés de moi, Fondateur d’une famille unissant tout les miens, Je suis fou du messie mais Rasta je ne suis rien, Rude Boy je n’en suis rien Author: Lucas

Restaurant of the week Platea

Coffee Shop · Restaurant · Bar 4,6 Average cost: $$ Address: Vasileos Georgiou Square, 241 00 Kalamata Contact: 697 028 5555 Openning hours: 07:00 - 03:00 Monday 07:00 - 03:00 Tuesday Wednesday 07:00 - 03:00 07:00 - 03:00 Tuesday 07:00 - 03:00 Friday 07:00 - 03:00 Saturday 07:00 - 03:00 Sunday

he restaurant this week is Platea. Me and Celia went to a restaurant on the big street on kalamata, It was a place where the food was quite ordinary, like pizza, pasta, salads, This restaurant, like Greek restaurants in general is not really different from restaurants in France, the outside heaters are really cool, they keep you warm, they are big and gas operated, we were installed in kind of small comfortable sofas. When we arrived, the waiter brought us two glasses of water and some peanuts, apparently that’s what they do here. I’ve never tasted the carbonara pasta in Italy, but anyway, here it was incredible. The waiters are really friendly and smiling, we had a great time.

“

I’ve never tasted the carbonara pasta in Italy, but anyway, here it was incredible.

”

Author: Lucas

Recipes of the week

Easy 00 h 50 mins 4 servings

Spaghetti with cacio and pepe Ingredients:

- Spaghetti: 320 g - Black pepper - Pecorino cheese: 200 g - Sault

Preparation:

First of all grate the pecorino cheese, then put the water on a pot and boil it. Add salt and to the water and add spaghetti when water comes to the boiling part. In the meantime, add the pepper and the pecorino cheese in a pan and mix them. To the mixture add a little bit of boiled water and when the spaghetti are ready, drain them and put them in the pan. Mix the spaghetti with the mixture of pecorino cheese and pepper and when the ingredients are well mixed, your dish is ready to be served!

Author: Lucas

TiramisĂš

Easy 00 h 40 mins 8 servings

Ingredients: - Savoiardi biscuits: 300 g - Eggs: 220 g (around 4 medium eggs) - Mascarpone cheese: 500 g - Sugar: 100 g - Coffee: 300 g - Cacao amaro

Preparation: First of all, take the eggs and separate the egg yolks from the albumens. Then you have to whip the albumens until they form stiff peaks. Now take the egg yolks, whip them and 50 grams of sugar. Then little by little add the mascarpone cheese. Now take the albumens and put the remaining half of the sugar. Whip them again and now put the egg yolks and the albumens together. Take an oven pan and the cream that you created with the eggs and with a spoon create a layer of the cream in the oven pan. Take the biscuits, put them in the coffee for a few seconds and then add them in the oven pan and do a layer of biscuits. Then again another layer of cream, another layer of biscuits and the last layer of cream. At the top add the cacao and put the dessert in the freezer for a couple of hours. After two hours your tiramisĂš is ready!

Author: Lucas

The Education System in Different Countries FRANCE

he French education system is compulsory education for young people between the ages of 6 and 18. We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a lot of choice for high study; obligatory classes finish when you are 18 years old and at this time you have to choose your way, but young people donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really know what to choose because the problem is that they have too many options and are restricted to learn all they want.

Pupils study in school structures according to age: -Primary/elementary school (from the petite section to CM2); -College from 6th to 3rd grade; -Secondary school from second to terminale; -University (optional).

There are several types of establishments: -The most common being Public education which is free, secular and neutral philosophically and politically. -Private education under contract with the state, often in Catholic schools. It has to be paid for. -Private education not under contract with the state, or integrated students are chosen. You have to pay for.

The education system is directed and managed by the Minister of National Education and the Minister of Education and Research. The French school is accessible to all children regardless of age, gender, ethnic group, social status, etc. The school is open to all children.

Author: Celia & Lucas

GERMANY

ducation in Germany is free for everyone and obligatory for at least 10 years in total. After finishing primary school after four years, there are three different school types with a different duration and final degree. Your primary teacher writes a recommendation letter, but in the end, the decision is taken by the parents / children. In order to study, you need to absolve a total of 12 years of education with a final â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;generalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; degree. In this school type, called Gymnasium, you receive general education in the first five, sometimes six years. In the last two years the students have to choose two advanced courses from different fields (language, science and arts). Obligatory are German, Mathematics, English, History, Arts or music, PE, Politics, one science and either another science or another language. The final exams include all the topics of those last two years and are five in total, three written ones (your advanced courses + another one you can choose) and two oral ones. The final grade includes your grades of the final exams multiplied by four+most of the grades you received in the last two years. In the end, your final grade is the key to your access to university: The better your final grade is, the more opportunities you will have. Another thing that might be interesting is is that the education system is a bit different in all the 16 federal states in Germany.

Author: Lea

The education system in different countries... ITALY

n Italy education is free and obligatory until 16 years old. You have to do 5 years of elementary school, three years of middle school and in the last year of middle school, you have to take an exam. You have to write an essay for the Italian language, take a math test and an English test and also the oral exam with all the professors so they can interrogate you about every subject. In the last year of middle school, you also have to decide what kind of high school type you would like to attend. There are a lot of types, for example, there is the linguistic one, the scientific one, the classical one, the psychological one, the technological one and a lot more. High school is 5 years and at the end of the last year you have to do the final exam that is called “maturità” and consists of an essay in Italian, then there is the second test that changes based on the type of the high school. For example, the scientific address will have math or physic, the classical one will have greek or Latin, etc. Then there is the third written prove that is about 5 subjects but the students will know the subjects only on the day of the test. And then there is the oral exam where you have to do a thesis and explained it to the professors and they will also interrogate you about their subjects. For the maturità, you will also have half of the professors coming from a different high school so they don’t know the students. You can attend university only if you pass this exam- the majority of the universities in Italy have closed numbers so you have to take a test and pass it in order to attend the university.

Author: Elisabetta

POLAND

n Poland, there is compulsory schooling until the age of 18, but usually school ends at the age of 19. The whole learning cycle lasts from 12/13 years depending on which school you go to at a later stage of education. Education in Poland is completely free in schools and public universities, there are also private schools (and are not free) but have the same system as public schools.

Before the education reform, 3 schools had to be passed: - The primary school, which lasted 6 years and had two cycles - classes I-III (children learn mainly Polish, mathematics, English, computer science, art, physical education and religion, which is optional) and IV-VI (the subjects from previous years also include history, nature, music). -A Gymnasium (junior high school), which is a transitional school between primary school and high school or other post-gymnasium school. This school lasts 3 years and is compulsory for all. In this school, obligatory subjects are Polish, mathematics, English and other foreign languages, history, geography, biology, physics, chemistry, art, music, education for safety, knowledge of society, physical education and not obligatory religion or ethics. After middle school you have to choose one of these three schools: - High school - High school usually lasts 3 years, unless someone chooses the bilingual section, in which case the study is extended by one extra year to master the language at the bilingual level and have time for additional subjects related to the culture of the country of origin. In the first year, everyone has to learn the same subjects as in grammar school, including that instead of arts and music there is a different subject knowledge of culture. After the first year, some subjects end and only those obligatory for everyone (such as Polish, mathematics or foreign languages) are left, but there are also some extensions, i. e. subjects that we learn more accurately and on a larger scale. There are also supplementary items. At the end of high school education, final exams are written which are called Matura, and which open the doors to universities. - Technical school - the education in this school always lasts 4 years and apart from subjects such as high school you still have professional classes. To graduate from this school you have to do a mandatory internship. The technical college offers both the baccalaureate exam and university entrance as well as a certificate of preparation for the profession. - Vocational School - this is a kind of school primarily for people who know that they do not want to continue their studies at university later and want to start working as soon as possible. The profession lasts 3 years and after that you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t write your baccalaureate but you have a certificate of preparation for the profession. After the 2016 education reform, which applies to 2004 and younger students, a gymnasium (the junior high school) was abolished and the time in other schools was extended. Now primary school lasts 8 years, secondary school 4 (or 5 in the case of the bilingual section), secondary school 5 years and vocational school 4 years. After the reform, the same subjects still apply. Author: Patrycja

The education system in different countries... PORTUGAL

owadays, education is mandatory for twelve scholar years (finishing generically with 18 years old). In the last years, the government has been coming up with different strategies to bring people to school in order to educate the youngsters equally. Free access to school, free books (in the last year), specialized courses and scholarships are some examples of that! Some children begin school in the pre-primary school with 2 or 3 years (this is not being financed by the government).

With 5 or 6 years old, begins primary school (first cycle) with three main subjects: Portuguese, Mathematics and “environmental study” (natural sciences, geography, and history are introduced). Together with this, there is always physical education and English (more recently). With 9 or 10 years old, the second cycle begins and with it, lots of changes! Kids usually change schools and are introduced to more specific subjects. In the third cycle, when children are 11 or 12 years old, they get even more specific. It is in high school (14 or 15 years old) when they begin to make decisions! In Portugal, you have two options of the education system to follow: “professional courses” (practically oriented courses, in which the main goal is to prepare you to the labor market) and the scientific-humanistic courses (theoretically oriented courses, in which the main goal is to prepare your studies to university). In the first one, there is less deepening of the theoretical subjects (for example, they have Maths B and not Maths A) and more deepening of practical subjects. There is one big final project to end the course. In the scientific-humanistic courses, there are 4 options of courses to take: scientific oriented, languages, economy and arts. None of them has criteria for entrance and within the courses, there are no options for classes to take unless in the third year, where you can choose two main subjects. They all have national exams in the second and third years of high school, which are requirements to enter university and are about 50% of your final mark, depending on each university course you take. To enter university or “Polytechnic” (two biggest ways to enter higher studies), only your high school marks average matters and these final exams. Recently, higher education schools practice a fee of about 800€.

Author: Marlene & Roque

SLOVENIA

bligatory part of the education in Slovenia is primary school, which lasts from the age of 6 till approximately 15 (divided into 8 or 9 grades, each year is divided into two terms); when you finish with primary school everyone has to take a knowledge test- depending on how many credits you reach on that test, you can choose between vocational secondary education (lasts for 2-3 years), technical secondary education (lasts for 2-3 years) or general high school (lasts 4 years). After that, there’s another knowledge testing called ‘’matura ’’ exam which gives you less or more opportunities for university program you’re applying for. People who were attending general high school have more possibilities to be accepted to better universities not only because of generalized knowledge but also because of the social status you are ‘’given’’ if you are a high school graduate. We have 4 universities with 37 faculties, 3 art academies or professional colleges and 10 single higher education institutions established as private institutions. Obligatory classes in high schools are Mother tongue language, English language, third language by choice (German/Spanish/French are most common that are being taught in high schools), mathematics, biology, chemistry, history, physics, psychology (for at least 1 year), philosophy (for at least 1 year) and physical education. Our school system is Bolognial (Bologna process) so I think that the title you receive when you finish a certain level in education is the same or at least very similar in Europe. Public education is free of charge for native full-time students and for students from EU countries. Author: Anja

The education system in different countries... SPAIN

Chart of th Spanish educational system

n the first one, there is less deepening of the theoretical subjects (for example, they have Maths B and not Maths A) and more deepening of practical subjects. There is one big final project to end the course. In the scientific-humanistic courses, there are 4 options of courses to take: scientific oriented, languages, economy and arts. None of them has criteria for entrance and within the courses, there are no options for classes to take unless in the third year, where you can choose two main subjects. They all have national exams in the second and third years of high school, which are requirements to enter university and are about 50% of your final mark, depending on each university course you take. To enter university or “Polytechnic” (two biggest ways to enter higher studies), only your high school marks average matters and these final exams. Recently, higher education schools practice a fee of about 800€.

Author: Marta

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