Balkan Beats 36 - The Body by Balkan Hotspot

Balkan Beats

The body

#36

FREE PRESS

A BIMONTHLY MAGAZINE BY THE VOLUNTEERS OF THE UNITED SOCIETIES OF BALKANS

Editorial

The 36th Edition

The body by Michael Magee

The human race has come a long way if we con-

sider attitudes towards our bodies. From the widespread biological racism that was common up until the mid 20th century, to the modern day goal of normalizing gender transitioning, our generation and our parents’ generation have been witnesses to a huge change in how we understand the human body.

Many

health related limitations which would have been a death sentence for a caveman are now manageable not just with modern science, but also with modern attitudes. This is one thing we humans can be proud of: our ability to completely change our understanding of things taken for granted in culture, science, and ethics.

Drastic advances in science have helped with this; hormone treatments, new surgical tech- So, with our 36th edition, we at Balkan Hotspot niques, prosthetics and medicine for the body present to you our attempt to contribute to a and mind have allowed for previously disadvan- spreading wider understanding and acceptance taged groups of people to surpass their physi- of The Body. cal limitations. Balkan Beats, a part of Balkan Hotspot

Balkan

Hotspot is the European Solidarity stant changes in the Balkan and Eastern EuroCorps (ESC) of “United Societies of Balkans”, a pean region and under the need for the creation NGO founded in Thessaloniki in 2008 by a team of a better social environment. of active young people. Key areas of the organization’s activities conThe Balkans and Eastern Europe are geograph- cern the defense of human rights, the organizaical regions with many cultural features which tion of youth exchanges and training courses, offer a broad spectrum of actions and youth which will bring young people from Balkans and involvement initiatives. The organization was Europe together, the organization of local educacreated as a response to the pressure of con- tional seminars and multimedia production. United Societies of Balkans is a Non Governmental Organization, founded in Thessaloniki in 2008, by a team of active young people. The organization was created as a response to the pressure of constant changes in the Balkan and Eastern European region and under the need for the creation of a better social environment. Key areas of the organization’s activities concern the defense of human rights, the organization of youth exchanges and training courses, which will bring young people from Balkans and Europe together, the organization of local educational seminars and multimedia production(webradio, videos, documentaries).

Main goals of the organization • To promote the values of non formal le- aring,volunteering, active citizenship and democracy for the creation of a better future for European youth. • To promote human rights, solidarity and respect for diversity. • To build healthy cooperation bridges between countries of the Balkan area and that of Eastern Europe with the rest of Europe. • To locate and multiply the special cultural attributes of our societies. • The break down of prejudices and stereotypes between Balkan countries.

UNITED SOCIETIES OF BALKANS, NGO

9, Alamanas str., Agios Pavlos, Thessaloniki

Property of Balkan Beats The United Societies of Balkans, NGO, does not necessarily share the opinions expressed in Balkan Beats. It is illegal to reproduce any part of this publication without referring to the source.

www.balkanhotspot.org

This magazine is distributed free of charge.

Tel./Fax: +30 2310 215 629 | www.usbngo.gr

Contents

Contents Volunteer Life HEALTH

Impact of the pandemic on the body and mind

The Yogi Way

Local Life

CULTURE AND HISTORY

SELF-IMAGE

Human body in the Greek Mythology EXPRESSION

Infinite Genders

Out Of The Borders

The virtuous circle of dance

Stretch marks that tell body stories

Body positivity-real change or empty slogan?

Am I the “girl from jail” because of my looks? MEDICINE

“When you donate an organ, you donate a part of you”

Mix Fix

TECHNOLOGY

Dystopian Bodies ART

The Body

artist: Luisa Greta Vilo instagram: @vilokas @luisagretaphotos webpage: https://www.luisagretavilo.com/

Volunteer Life Health

Impact of the pandemic on the body and mind

by Zofia Nyka

Does anyone remember how beautiful those times were when you didn’t have to wear masks,

there were no restrictions in shops, restaurants, all shops, and entertainment centers were open, and that you could travel everywhere without testing or checking if you are vaccinated? At the moment, I feel as if the above-mentioned examples were fiction, some imaginary reality. The coronavirus has changed the entire world and the lives of millions of people. Due to the pandemic, people became afraid of going out, going into the city, meeting friends, and a significant part of the population either lost their jobs or changed their working mode to remote work. I, as a student and volunteer, belong to this group because I have been studying online for almost two years, so I think that I have some experience in remote work that I would like to share. The pandemic has had an effect on volunteers as well. Helping refugees is much more difficult when social distancing is required because teamwork and communication is heavily affected.

Transition to remote work

I remember the day when the faculty authori-

ties told us that my university would be temporarily closed due to COVID-19 and all students “have a goiter.” Back then, there was no case of coronavirus infection in Poland, and I felt as if the students were really having a vacation. During the first days of March, the students had no classes at all, and no one really knew what to do next.   After a week off, we received information that teachers would try to conduct their courses via the Internet. At the moment, I couldn’t imagine what it would look like; I did not believe that we would have classes conducted via the Internet because I knew that many professors could not turn on the projector, let alone organize online meetings for 150 people. I just thought that in two weeks, everything would be back to normal, and I would be able to go back to my university without having

to enter online classes. Of course, this was not the case, and the small classes began - it was something completely different for me and my friends, something strange and unnatural. At first, I liked it very much, because I had to travel to the faculty an hour before the introduction of remote classes, and after the introduction, I could wake up 5 minutes before class and lie in bed in my pajamas and attend the lecture at the same time.   After a week, the first case of the coronavirus was registered in Poland, and from that moment, all my friends (including myself) were terrified. Everyone stopped leaving the house, and my family and I did a lot of shopping just to leave the home as little as possible. We sat locked up and terrified to hear in the news every day how many new infections were added every day. Due to sitting at home and not having to travel to school, I had more time at the beginning of the pandemic, as most people, I was very motivated to do new things - I start-

Health

ed reading more books, exercising at home, cooking, watching more series, with pleasure I wanted to clean the house. For entertainment and because of longing, we called each other over the Internet to laugh and drink beer together. At the beginning of the pandemic, life for a young person was not so bad, problems began to appear after a few months. I consulted a doctor and a psychologist who confirmed that the changes that took place in the psyche and the body of young people were caused by a pandemic.

The impact of the pandemic on the body and mind

Volunteer Life

Many of my friends lost their jobs, each of us was under stress about the future and whether someone from our loved ones would fall ill, would be able to return to work, or would they be able to afford to support themselves. Many of my friends admitted that they had depression and various types of anxiety as a result of the pandemic. Additionally, due to the constant work on the Internet, sleep problems started to appear, and it happened that some people did not sleep after a few days, or because of the lack of sleep, they were constantly irritated and reflecting on the whole situation. By spending 24 hours, 7 days a week always connected to the Internet, virtual reality has become our everyday reality. My and my friends ‘meetings’ started to take place online, we also partied online, weddings were hosted over webcasts, we started using dating apps just to meet new people and just chat with someone. After a few months of the pandemic, it got really hard, and everyone started to lack exercise, trips, parties, meetings with friends, just everyone suddenly felt lonely and unsure about their future.

The pandemic has undoubtedly had a huge impact on the human body and mind. After talking to the psychologist Frank Fanslau, I found out that most often young people come with three types of problems - The first group are problems with violence (physical, but also psychological). The second group is problems related to stress and uncertainty about the future about the financial situation, because many young people have lost their jobs. People react very By switching to remote work and continuous differently in such situations. The third group of work in front of the computer, people stopped problems are those that already existed before leaving home. Their lifestyle became a sedenthe pandemic and are now getting worse under tary one and the only entertainment for a young stress (because the pandemic may exacerbate the existing problems). For example, under certain circumstances, some physical health problems will never materialize if we live in a good environment. However, under unfavorable circumstances, these health problems can be exacerbated. We do quite well under good, normal conditions, but when stress occurs, ailments of various kinds can become extremely bothersome. Certain problems - unnoticed or those that are only in embryos - can now prove particularly troublesome. The above describes what happened to me and my friends. Due to isolation and lack of contact with our peers, we began to feel lonely.

Volunteer Life Health

man at the beginning of the pandemic was to go to the store, or if someone was more fortunate, go for a walk with the dog. Living in a house full of volunteers was difficult as well, since opportunities for leisure are really limited and there was a curfew that forced us all to be in the house at certain times. The doctor told me that this lifestyle has significantly increased the percentage of obese people, and hence muscles weaken, and the body is more prone to any kind of injury. Working at the computer is the most strenuous for the spine and eyes. Long-term work at the computer poses serious threats to eyesight. In many people, it causes short-sightedness, which is not always temporary, blurring of the image, double vision, or tearing. I learned that long-term work at the computer could cause injuries such as:  Carpal tunnel syndrome (the most common cause of this ailment is inflammatory edema of the nerves leading to a reduction in the area of the carpal tunnel by prolonged use of a computer mouse), De Quervain’s syndrome - as a result of prolonged clenching of the hand into a fist, tendinitis, blood circulation disorder, arthritis, or postural defects.

All this is due to working with the computer and incorrect body posture during this work.

Do not forget about exercises while working in front of the computer

As we also had PE online, we had to practice every part of the body even while sitting in front of the computer as part of PE. Interestingly, each computer station allows you to perform a few elementary exercises, stretching practically all parts of the body. It is very important to find a few minutes during work that can be used for physical exercise. They will improve circulation and blood supply to muscles and internal organs, preventing inflammation, and also improve conduction in peripheral nerves.

I present a set of easy exercises for everyone

that will stretch and stabilize your spine, relax your wrists and relax during long work at the desk, which will make you feel better:

1. side bends   2.  twists of the spine   3. stretching   4. garudasana while sitting   5. shoulder stretching    6. relaxing wrists 7. chest thrust   8. spine twists   Hold these positions for a few seconds and re-

peat on both sides. I do these exercises every day and feel better after them. Remember to take breaks while working in front of the computer, physical activity, and remember to take care of your mental health in these difficult times.

Health

Volunteer Life

The Yogi Way by Carolina Covelli

”Yoga is the dance of every cell with the music of every breath that creates inner serenity and harmony.”-Debasish Mridha

The yogi way ! A pretentious title, don´t you think ? The truth is that there is not such a thing as

three stories of very unlikely people that found “the way” in yoga, this spiritual discipline that themselves dragged into this practice for disaims to bring harmony between mind and body tinct motivations. has been part of humanity since the very dawn of civilization, long before the first religions or Let’s start this journey with Laurynas: belief systems were born. A lot of times it is understood as a therapy or exercise for health Yoga to me started as a very personal jourand fitness but it’s main purpose goes further ney. It allowed me to really fall in love with than that. yoga and not the teacher if that makes sense because a lot of the times we can get intro“Yoga is about harmonizing oneself duced to things that we really like or we enjoy with the universe. It is the technology because of people, but to me was more the of aligning individual geometry with yoga itself, like doing it and experimenting the cosmic, to achieve the highest and trying different things and treating it like level of perception and harmony” a game in a way. Treating it like when you’re a child and you’re exploring something new (B.K.S. Iyengar) and you’re not fully sure what it is but you’re So in order to honor the different paths that trying anyway and you fail and you do it again connect us with yoga, I want to share with you and you fail and you get up so that’s been yoga for me. I think it’s a fun and amazing thing because even to this day, I discover new things or I challenge myself or I practice something that I´m not fully capable of yet.

And It would now be around a year that I’ve

been doing it sort of consistently and I think I don’t notice the changes in me as fast, for example, as when I was going to the gym, but I think I´ll grow up and change as a person from inside out more, and then physical changes will come along as well, but they are not the motivator for me if that makes sense, it’s having a clear mind and loving myself that I really cherish and that’s basically what yoga does to me.

Laurynas is 24 years old and was born in Lithuania. Currently he´s a volunteer of the European Solidarity Corps in Thessaloniki Greece.

Volunteer Life Health

My story with yoga basically started with acro yoga. I´m more an acro yoga practitioner than an actual yoga practitioner although it motivates me to do sometimes, even daily, some small exercise in the morning. I’ve studied theater education and there we had acrobatic workshops that I really enjoyed. I really like “flying” which is the word in acro yoga, and other movements related to acrobatics, at one point I found out that there was something called acro yoga and I was really excited to try. There was a really nice class in my hometown, and the teacher was really good in combining elements of yoga as a warm up, and partner exercises with support from other people as main dish, with a cool down massage. I was really loving these classes.

Miriam was born in Germany. Currently she´s a Volunteer at the project management department of United Society of Balkans in Thessaloniki Greece.

As we established before, there are several

reasons that can pull someone into practicing yoga. Sometimes it grows like a curiosity for the corporality, the movement, a necessity to connect and explore with our bodies either alone or in company. That’s how this journey started for Miriam.

From there I got motivated to buy myself a yoga mat and afterwards I traveled to South America to visit my sister who used to live in Bolivia. I took the yoga mat with me, and started to do yoga exercises since it is something that you can perfectly do during travels. Every other sport activity is really hard to conduct in a trip, so I started doing yoga in the morning on the hostel’s rooftop or anywhere where there was space and I started to go as well more into acroyoga because, as a theater educator, I learn to conduct my own classes. I also practiced some dance classes so it was not to farfetched to introduce acro yoga elements or rather even going to some free classes that I could find during my travels through South America. In

Health

my last city, I used to live in Germany, and I didn’t do much because there was a group but they were not really well guided, and the good thing about acro yoga is to have like a guided session which is super beautiful when you can have those elements together, the warm up, acroyoga and then massage. The group there was just more like a jam session and I think I really enjoyed the process more. Now here in Thessaloniki I’m pretty happy that we managed to continue with our acro yoga classes.

And the last part of our story is my own jour-

ney. For some of us, yoga started more as another kind of physical training, focused only on the progress of the body rather than a practice connected to self reflection, but I guess you have to start somewhere and Hatha yoga can be the preparatory path. First body, then breathing, after mind and finally inner self.

My journey with yoga began when I was 15, it grew from the admiration and probably attraction that I felt for a yoga teacher in my gym. I was going every morning to train, watching him doing all his classes and admiring the strength, flexibility and capacity of his body. One day he invited me to a trial class, I´ve never been a strong person but I´m very flexible and I realized that my body was capable of doing almost all the poses, not holding them for too long, but I could actually do it and I felt very powerful and proud of my ability. After that I started to go regularly to his yoga studio and slowly I started to improve, my body became stronger and I replaced any other physical training with yoga. But my practice was very linked to only that person, to the way he was teaching, to the environment of that school and outside of that place I never practiced it. After some time, I started experiencing some uncomfortable situations with that teacher and when the situation became

Volunteer Life

heavy for me I decided to quit the school and cut off all my strings with yoga.

With the passing of the years I had different periods of my life where I came back to yoga for different reasons, sometimes it was a friend that invited me to spontaneous clases, other times some medical problems that found relief in that practice. Yoga has been for me that constant company that comes and goes, helping me to reconnect with my body and make peace with any situation that I’m facing, but the self reflection part for me is always the most difficult to find. Recently I rediscovered my practice some months ago once again with the help of a friend, and this time I’m trying to focus my attention into finding a harmony between my mind and my body but also a connection with the environment around me and that has been taking me to explore outdoor yoga in places where I can feel connected with nature. “Yoga takes you into the present moment. The only place where life exists.“ — Patañjali Quotes

So I guess the reflection now is that it doesn’t

matter where your motivation to practice comes from, as long as the kind of practice you choose to follow helps you to reach a state of wellness and self awareness. The word yoga was derived from the Sanskrit word yuj which means “to join” or “to unite” referring to the connection of mind and body, humanity and nature and the link between our individual consciousness with the collective recognition that we are all somehow connected.

Sources https://mea.gov.in/in-focus-article.htm?25096/Yoga+Its+Origin+History+and+Development

Volunteer Life Health

Carolina is 25 years old and was born in Colombia. Currently she is a volunteer of the European Solidarity Corps in Thessaloniki Greece.

Culture and history

Local Life

Human body in the Greek Mythology by Marco Scarangella

The human body has always been a source In classical and Greek culture in particular, the

of inspiration for myth and human storytelling human body represented beauty and perfecsince it’s the first point of reference, the original tion, so any kind of deformation was considsource of sensations and emotions that gives ered a kind of malediction. rise to all questions and attempts at answers. Following this type of imagery, those who repThis applies in particular to Greek mythology: resent evil and darkness, mythical opponents dozens of stories and legends from ancient are often represented with an unusual number Hellenic culture focus on the aesthetics of the of body parts, as in the case of the Cyclops who protagonists. Young and beautiful characters, only have one eye, or are even hybrids between monstrous beings, incredible metamorphoses human and animal anatomy, as in the case of and hybrid creatures have animated the myth- the Sirens, the Centaurs and the Minotaur.

ical sagas of Greece and elsewhere for centuOn the contrary all the great heroes of the ries and have subsequently entered the collecmyths, from the blond Achilles to the muscular tive imagination of modern culture. Hercules, and the young protagonists such as

The ancients lived in a world where the un-

known ruled and were terribly afraid of all that they couldn’t explain.

In this sense the body in Greek mythology was

mainly used to create antitheses, a kind of confrontation between opposite worlds, the known and the unknown.

For this reason in most cases, Greek myths

deal with the categories of the natural and the supernatural, and employ a corporeal vocabulary of missing or extra body parts, and of creatures whose identity is poised between human and animal, mortal and immortal, physical and spiritual.

Minotaur

Local Life Culture and history

Helen of Troy and Ariadne, are all characterised by an extraordinary, almost divine beauty. It’ s no coincidence that the gods and demigods, benign creatures and protectors of mankind, were represented not only as anthropomorphic, but even with the same qualities and defects as human beings. Indeed, according to Plato’s Symposium, man at the dawn of time was a perfect being even better than the Olympian gods. These extraordinary beings were beautiful and had no gender difference. The gods Zeus and Apollo, fearful of the strength of these entities, divided them in half, and since then men have felt the desire to be united with their other half, for which they strive and struggle, some desiring members of their own sex, others those of

the opposite sex. A separate issue is that of myths based on body change. Ancient Greek tradition produced hundreds of tales centred on this subject. The Latin poet Ovid tried to collect and rework over 250 Greek myths of this kind in his masterpiece, the Metamorphoses.

The causes of these mythical transformations

are numerous and of different types. Mutation can be a punishment, as in the case of Arachne, the young girl who was turned into a spider for daring to challenge the goddess Athena in a weaving competition.

In other cases, however, metamorphosis is a real salvation, as happened to Daphne who, trying to escape the carnal desires of the god Apollo, transformed herself into a laurel tree. There are also many examples of catasterism, the process by which a hero or deity is transformed into a star or constellation: Andromeda, Perseus, Cassiopeia, Orion and Callisto are just some of the most famous mythological characters to have turned into celestial asters. The huge number of myths based on the trans-

formation of the human body into objects or animals can be explained by the ancients’ need to explicate nature, to bring it closer to mankind by humanising it and giving a name (usually the name of the transformed character) to what until then belonged to the world of darkness and the unknown.

Daphne, pursued by Apollo, is transformed into a laurel tree

Thus Greek mythology used the body as a vehicle to show or express the underlying tensions, contradictions, problems and dilemmas we face as conscious living beings inhabiting an alternately generous and hostile physical world. A hostile and dangerous world where

Culture and history

men often appear weak in the face of the force of nature. Weakness of the body, but this can be overcome with the mind and the power of thought as shown by some of the most famous characters in Greek mythology.

Local Life

Although

physical strength and beauty remained fundamental qualities in the myth, intelligence was just as important, if not more so, perhaps the main tool mankind can use in times of difficulty.

Faced with numerous monstrous creatures of We have therefore seen how the human body unlimited power and strength, Ulysses manages to survive above all thanks to his own cunning. Theseus managed to defeat the Minotaur and escape from the Labyrinth having thought, thanks to Arianna’s advice, to use a roll of thread. Oedipus managed to defeat the Sphinx, a horrifying creature with the body of a lion and the head of a woman, by solving the riddle she had set him.

was used in ancient Greek culture and mythology mainly to explain, to clarify what was unknown about man.

The body in a certain sense became the unit

of measure for knowing the world and making it less wild and obscure, underlining the centrality of the human figure in the universe conceived by the Hellenic civilisation.

Ulysses blinds Polyphemus

Local Life Expression

Infinite Genders by Livia Kallmeyer

Three insights by trans people about their trans Body and Gender experience in this society

So what are genders? What do they mean, and

how does it feel to not fit in traditional boxes? For sure there is still a lot of work to do to stop discrimination against those who don’t fit in and break the norms and standards of our society. So let’s find out how cis-people can be more supportive and real allies and see how this gender debate can actually help everyone.

Realizing you are trans

Being trans and starting to realize and finding

words for the feelings you are having can manifest differently and is not tied to a specific age. People can come out at 14 or 52 and every age before, after or in between. And no matter at which time people come out, they should be taken seriously because, as Mike says, people tend to think that, “If you are a teenager, you are too young to know. And if you are 30/40 years old nah too old for it“

To understand trans people we have to first Furthermore, every journey of a person to find understand, that our society assigns people a specific gender when they are born because of their biological sex. Meaning depending on which genitals you have (biological sex) society will treat and your parents will probably raise you in a different way. They will raise you with a gender of you in mind. In current western society that means as female or male. Gender is complex and influenced by society and culture. And not specifically determined by ones biological sex.

out about their gender is just as individual as humans are in general.

Iris, for example, said they heard about non-bi-

nary people on their first Pride of Thessaloniki as “In one of our seminars we were talking about gender and sexuality and when I heard about non binary people - that feels so warm, that feels so right to me and it was me. “

While Mike shared that he already felt that

something was off when they were really young 5 or 6 years old. And later on found his Now, let’s clarify what trans actually means. maybe own feelings especially reflected first in the inIt is an umbrella term for basically every per- ternet, which gave him the words to describe son that doesn´t identify with the gender they were assigned at birth.

I had the honour to talk to 3 amazing people about their relationship with their gender and society as part of the trans community.

Iris, 22 years old, non-binary, they/them Alex, 21 years old, non-binary, they/them Mike, 20 years old, transgender man, he/him

Expression

Local Life

what he feels and then with his trans friends with whom he shares many similar experiencmore connected to their body and themselves. es and feelings. But especially Alex and Iris talked about their In general, Alex and Mike explained how im- gender in a more fluid way. portant queer communities and especially their For example was Iris using a binder (a garment queer and trans friends are for them. that helps in reducing the appearance of a perAlex: “Apart from finding the words, it’s finding sons chest) a year and a half ago, and it helped people that are like you and who are maybe old- them to accept their body the way it is. “I was er and have transitioned, and seeing that these like I have this and this and this is me and this people exist and have lives and can be happy. It is me, I can’t change it, I wont change it I have is when you find these people in your area and to love it to make me feel more ok with me.“ meet them in real life you realize there is space for However, when I asked if they could imagine you everywhere. That is, I think, really important “ wearing a binder one day again, they answered:

“Gender is as much as any person on this earth. Any person has their own gender.”

With other trans people, they don’t just have

people who understand them in a completely different way, can relate to them and have full acceptance for their gender, but also have more freedom and comfort to discuss and question their own gender. Mike shared: “Friends really help, because we have the opportunity to experiment with ourselves. Like I could ask my friends to use for me they/them pronouns and see how I feel about it or try a lot of different names, because it is a journey to choose my preferred name. “

All three of them talked about how finding out

about their gender is a journey. That how they felt about it feels different today than 2 years ago. On the one hand because now they feel

“Yeah, possibly. It is like the way you feel . You

can’t decide that you want to feel this way this day and the other day something else. It just comes out of nowhere. And you will feel that way for a specific time. “

Breaking the gender roles

Iris went on to share their feelings about gen-

der roles:

“I don’t know, how a man, a woman or a non-bi-

nary person feels. There is not a specific way, we make it up.

We make it up so it is easier for us. That is

why we have the stereotypes and say that this is more feminine. This is more masculine. But it is not that, it’s just how you describe it. It is not how you feel. It can’t describe how you feel, because I feel some way, but you can’t know how I feel. And it’s the same for me about you. I don’t know how you feel about your gender. “

Local Life Expression

Iris says that these theories come from the fa-

somebody tells you straight up that they want mous scientist Magnus Hirschfeld and contin- to be called XX, they probably have thought about it. ues to answer:

“Gender

is as much as any person on this earth. Any person has their own gender. I have a gender on my own you have a gender this person has a gender, and he (Magnus Hirschfeld) wanted to say that genders are infinite. We don’t have a specific number of genders. If you are a person, you have a gender, your own gender. Not the stereotypical male or female because of your genitals. “

They mention that there are colours specifically associated with a specific gender and in the Greek language everything has a grammatical gender. Why? Furthermore, they talked about the so-called unisex clothing that is in their opinion actually stereotypical men´s clothing. Or can you remember seeing a skirt or a dress in the unisex section?

But it is not just the pronouns that can be

something people have difficulty with. Alex and Mike for example were telling me about hairdressers, that always cut their hair short, but in a feminine way. Until they found a LGBT-friendly barber who finally gave them the haircut they desired.

However, sometimes a simple haircut is not enough to feel completely aligned with your gender. Some trans people want to have surgeries. Also, the desired surgeries could be different, while one trans woman might decide to have top surgery, but not bottom surgery, another might not find surgery necessary at all. And both are equally valid.

The reasons why people choose to have sur-

gery or hormone therapy can be different. An important one would be to feel more connectbreaking those gender barriers. Even in the ed with their body and complete. Another one day to day life of the two non-binary people I met, people actively do not want to gender (call someone the pronouns they want and/or think of the person in one gender) them the way they want. In Greece, both Alex and Iris found out that they feel most comfortable with the neutral pronouns that are used in greek. Though these pronouns are mainly used for things that are neutral in the Greek language. Therefore many people say, “Oh, but it isn’t right “or “I don’t feel comfortable, “While Alex feels, “I just want you to use the pronouns I want you to use for me “.

But many people don’t seem to be open to

Because in the end it hurts people in a completely different way if you refer to them with pronouns they do not feel comfortable with. If

Expression

Local Life

might be to more easily pass as your gender (to pass is to be perceived by others as the gender that you are). This could also help for safety reasons; people would not realize you are trans, and this could have advantages in many areas of life. Other people might also choose to not physically transition because of safety reasons. Or they just do not have enough money to afford surgery or just do not want to go through the whole process of making themself emotionally naked for a psychiatrist.

something to our bodies that we won’t eventually like and I am like and? What is your problem? I´ll do that and if I won’t like it, it’s my problem not yours! “

Alex

The very first thing would be acceptance. Just

But doctors having more knowledge and a dif-

ferent understanding of the trans reality would be helpful, also in general therapy. Mike told us with his experience with many psychologists , that didn’t know anything about trans people and used Mike the whole session to get their private lesson about trans realities. Instead of Because gender confirmation surgery is possi- knowing about the matter and being able to ble in Greece, but only if you have a paper by a specifically help. psychiatrist that proves the necessity. And this can take a lot of time and effort. How to be good Allies states out how important it is to see those surgeries as a medical necessity, because as they say “It can be lifesaving for trans people, because bodily-dysphoria can really affect one´s mental health a lot of the times.“ And passing as the gender they are can help them in all areas of their life.

as you identify as the gender you were assigned at birth, others are a different gender than what they were assigned at birth, so no need to question that. And just know some things about the community. It shouldn’t be the case as in Mikes that you go to a psychologist you explain one hour what trans even means Mike is questioning the whole process of and furthermore have to pay for this. needing to go to a psychiatrist: People should understand that some ques“Hormone therapy and surgery are our decision tions are just disrespectful. Like “Why are you ok, but being Trans isn’t. Now, many people dressed like this “or “Why do you want to use don’t like that but, in comparison to someone those pronouns“. who wants to change their nose for example, they don’t have to have a paper saying they “They just make you feel more and more bad have “nose dysphoria” they can change it and about your body “(Iris) sometimes they don’t even like the outcome of the surgery, so why do I need to have a paper?” “It is very important to listen to those people they have something to tell you and you have And he continues: to listen to it”

“That’s what I think because they think that “And talking about it because most people don’t they’re doing that to prevent us from doing know about non-binary people or other genders. “

Local Life Expression

This way, the topic would be understood bet-

ter, and if a huge part of society understands and supports, the laws could also be changed to make it easier to change your name and pronouns and give a third gender option. Furthermore, making it easier to get surgeries paid by medical care. Because it does influence mental health and the safety of trans people to not be able to change parts of their body if they feel that they need to.

It shouldn’t be needed to search for LGBT*

my pronouns, there wouldn’t be any resistance. And if the person decided to change those pronouns, or if the person decided to detransition that would not be a big deal. Everything would just be acceptable and there would not be stigmas surrounding it. Being able to just exist and not consider gender in terms of the ways other people would treat you would be very helpful. “

To see gender as a spectrum and not be so

closed in the ideas of what is male and what friendly professionals in every way. But it would is female. be especially helpful if doctors and psychologists would know more about the topic and “I don’t like this idea to be the one to give your could therefore seriously help. newborn a name, a religion, a gender; let them pick. Just let them pick when the time is right.” Iris It would also help if pronouns and perception of gender would not be so closely connected Alex was also mentioning the portrayal of to the bodies or expression of gender. Mike trans people in media as mostly always sufferfor example stated that it would help to pass ing. They stated that this is creating a kind of as masculine (to pass means being read and traumaporn for cis people to get enjoyment out treated by society as the gender you actually of, with the message “Look how hard their life are) even without binder (binder a product or is, but they are so strong. And that is why they binding as an action is a way to reduce ones are wonderful “ chest appearance often used to reduce body dysphoria.) in summer because it is super hot. Alex “I think we are strong people regardless, just that trans people have to prove that constantly “ As Iris said, the neutral clothing is actually traditional male clothing. Why can’t we see dress- But when you just see suffering trans people, es as unisex clothing? Just because people it makes it hard for oneself “especially when we read others as a different gender, they are not don’t have trans people in our lives, it can be right and should respect the actual gender of like oh, so, if I am trans then my life is just going the person. Otherwise, one can feel hurt and to include a lot of suffering. Which makes it so much harder to come to the realization that you not seen as who they actually are. are trans and to come out because it seems What else would help? like it is just going to be painful “, shares Alex.

Alex shares, “For me, it would mostly just be So it is important to create narratives for trans

the simple idea of someone coming out. The people and to also show the joy and happiness moment someone would say this is my gender, that one experiences as a trans person. To see this is how I want to be referred to as, these are them as humans. And to reflect for yourself

Expression

Local Life

Alex: “It feels weird to just say it gets better,

where these gender norms come from and why because it is like the most cliche thing “ you personally might take them so seriously. Mike: “Actually it does “ Then I asked them what Mike and Alex would tell a trans person that didn’t come out yet, and Alex: “But it does “ they first made clear, that you should never Mike: “Yeah. And I wouldn’t believe that, like push someone to come out. Because it can be ok it gets better, how? But now I can actually a threat to your safety, so people should just see that it gets better, you just have to wait and do it when they feel ready and safe enough, not be patient. Never stop trying to accept yourself because of the feeling to prove something to and help people to accept you. “ someone with the coming out. It seems like sometimes people feel the pressure to show Alex: “Yeah, and I don’t think either of us is that they are brave, but you do not have to saying that we don’t live in hell, but being able come out. to find people who will accept you is really im-

But after that both agreed to tell a closeted

trans person the following.

portant and those people always exist. There isn’t something inherently wrong with anyone you are always going to find other trans and queer people who will love you and who will support you “

Mike: “It is like living in hell, but having an air conditioner there “(Laughter)

And then I asked Mike and Alex if they would

have liked to be born in a different body. Mike answered that it might have been easier, but he wouldn’t have the whole trans experience.

“And even though it is sometimes hard, there

is the fun part of it. The opportunity of learning more about yourself and experimenting and experiences and getting to know people and having the ability to know how they feel. I wouldn’t change all of this just to be born male. “

Local Life Expression

The virtuous circle of dance

Connecting body and soul

by Marindi Halet

The contemporary dancer Ohad Naharin once As dance is one of my biggest passions, I am said “Dancing is about being in the moment. It

persuaded that it has many virtues. Virtues that is about listening to the scope of sensations have been confirmed even more during the panand allowing that listening to become the fuel demic. Indeed, the lack of movement imposed of all feelings, forms and content ». by teleworking created a new relationship with our bodies and negatively affected our social interaction with people. For some, dancing became essential to free their minds, move their bodies and keep the “sharing moments”.

I met professional dancers but also students,

asking them about their relationship with their bodies while dancing.

“Dancing can help you accept your body because you learn to listen to it. when you get rid of the mirror, you can read the feeling of the movement. it makes you appreciate your body, it’s like you are experimenting, you play with your body so you get to know it better and it leads to accepting it, loving it.”

“For me dance is like breathing. It’s my way to express myself and my feelings.” Mania Dança - Brazilian dance teacher

Expression

Local Life

“The combination of the rhythm of drums and dance is an extasis for me, when you don’t feel pain, you don’t feel nothing, you are in another world. For me it’s happiness.” — Mania

Mania Dança

Brazilian dance group

Local Life Expression

Ness, Brazilian dance student

“When I am dancing I feel connected, I feel freedom, I feel like I am exploring. Dancing it’s like a journey.” Anna-Brazilian dance student

Anna

Expression

Local Life

“When I am dancing I feel freedom, comfortable, I can forget all my worries. During the pandemic, it allowed me to connect to myself and to share with others something which give you joy”

Archontia- Bellydancer and bellydance teacher

Archontia- body and mind

“When I dance, what I feel becomes more clear, I can recognize it.Throughout movement, I can reconnect and reconcile with my body. It’s a circle.” Archontia- Ano Poli

Local Life Expression

“Dance is always about the body and the mind, but establishing good communication between those two is really important.”

Archontia- blue veil

Archontia- feelings

Archontia- orange veil

Self-image

Out Of The Borders

Stretch marks that tell body stories

by Wakila Otmani

Stretch marks sometimes cover our bodies, especially women’s bodies. They become part of us and, as we get pregnant, we grow older or as we gain or lose weight, they can intensify and appear with more frequency. A stretch mark is a type of scar that develops when our skin stretches or shrinks quickly. What do stretch marks mean?

Our bodies are like maps of experiences, and

“ I know that they are from giving birth so I don’t have a problem.” The opinion among the young people is not very different from Zoria & Pirjo.

every mark can imply a change. It can happen Carol, a young volunteer from Estonia and livduring puberty, for rapid weight loss or gain, with ing now in Greece, says: “ I don’t even notice weight training when we are about to have a baby. them and I never saw it as a bad or weird thing”. not all youngsters feel the same about In the same way that wrinkles can show the However, stretch marks. “I was insecure about them when age of a person and how much that person I was younger because we grow up with how we has laughed or cried, stretch marks are also should look like with no stretch no cellulite, no body stories. They are part of our growth, and scars but then I discover a lot of body positivity it is important to accept ourselves and to feel account who helped me to realize that’s normal comfortable in our bodies. However, nowadays and almost everyone has it” , says Kasia, a Polthere are many images of the perfect body and it’s ish girl also living in Thessaloniki. sometimes difficult to feel happy in our own body.

t’s hard to accept our bodies, it’s a big step in In this article, we analyze how women feel with Iour life, sometimes we can feel good, some-

stretch marks and how they affect them in diftimes we don’t and we can’t do a lot about it. ferent ways. I interviewed four different womWe do our best everyday. Stretch marks appear en, who experienced different things. in our bodies, we are not born with them, but The path to deal with it and accept them most of the women accept this. Zoria and Pirjo

I have a lot of stretch marks so I wanted to

know how other people who also have them, deal with it. Personally I love them, it’s part of me and I will always be with them but i was not always in that mindset, especially when I was a teenager but now I learned how to love them.

For example Zoria, mother of 3 kids, said that

she doesn’t have to deal with it or not because it’s on her body either way. Pirjo, also a mom, said:

Stretch marks on the body

Out Of The Borders Self-image

to remove them so the society encourages us to have the same opinion; they accept it and can get rid of it to look like the perfect beauty standard do nothing about it. that they love to impose on us and it gives presto most people to look like this when these Although Kasia has struggled with her body sure little marks can be beautiful”, says Zoria. marks for some time, now she feels different about them: “I even like them and I think they Women are the most impacted by this because look like tiger stripes.” society would try to find every little thing to tell how they should look like, how their bodies Stretch marks are on our bodies and most them should be. “When it comes to women’s bodies they of the time we can’t do anything about it, so are finding everything that needs to be changed. I sometimes it’s better to look them with posi- think society has a long way to go”, says Kasia. tivity: “It’s a pride and to me it is as natural as having my leg. I also have stretch marks, it’s “It’s my body history, who has the same”, states Carol.

lived, who expressed a lot”

Society and its view on stretch marks

e often hear some people who want to reWe grow up with a very specific idea of the W move it or some people who ask you if you body, we see it on magazines, television, we see it everywhere. But with this generation we start to evolve. It’s not always easy to show it on social media for example because there are always people who are bored in their daily life to comment about other people’s life and body. “I think society is getting better and better because of social media. A lot of people are showing everything about themselves so people see it more like a normal thing to have. Some people tend to judge them for being too ‘fat’ when it’s not even related’’ Carol added.

Influencers promote a lot of bodycare products to

remove stretch marks, but not only them; society always had this mindset that if you have stretch marks that you should try to do everything to remove them. “I see how there are a lot of creams

want to remove it. If people want to remove it and if they think they will feel better in their bodies without it it’s absolutely their choice. We are no one to tell them to not do it but also nobody should tell someone to remove it. I asked them, if they have the opportunity to remove it, what would they decide to do? Carol said “ No, of course everyone want a perfect skin or a perfect face but we will a look the same so i think it’s personal to everyone”

Zoria said “ I wouldn’t remove them even if I

have the opportunity. That’s part of me like my hair, my arms.. and it will be weird to take them away. It’s my body history, who has lived, who expressed a lot. My body is not the body of a baby who was just born. I’m proud of my story and some of these marks are due to my pregnancies so they are my children. I will keep them and I will die with them”. We are humans, we have flaws, we shouldn’t look like everyone else there is no purpose to look like each other, Kasia said “ Everyone has cellulite and stretch marks, it’s totally normal. I wouldn’t remove them”.

And to finish, Pirjo also said “For now, no it doesn’t Stretch marks on the body

change anything so I wouldn’t remove them”.

Self-image

Out Of The Borders

Body positivity-real change or empty slogan?

by Anna Maria Żukowska

Body positivity is a slogan that has been present in culture for some time. When we

look at posts tagged with #bodypositive on Instagram, we’ll see photos of women and men whose bodies most often differ from the norms adopted in the world of the media. So we see folds of fat, cellulite, stretch marks after pregnancy and many other features that we usually try to hide from the eyes of others. It may seem like a big breakthrough and a significant change for the better - and to a large extent it is. However, does this movement not lose some basic assumptions with its entry into the mainstream?

In 1990, the writer and journalist Naomi Wolf

gins, which can only be achieved by increasing published a famous book entitled “The Beau- austerities. ty Myth”. It draws attention to the fact that although women may play more and more social Body-positive movement arose in response to roles compared to the past, this does not mean such tendencies. Instead of retouched bodies, that they gain more and more freedom - control she tries to show what she calls “real” bodies and limitations only change the form, and their - obese bodies with scars, discoloration and new incarnation is much more difficult to grasp. other “defects” that are not represented in the The woman is no longer trapped in the house, mass media. We also see people with disabilibut a prisoner of the necessity to be slim, well- ties and transgender people, who are often tagroomed and attractive. The beauty industry boo for the media. Supporters of body positivis thriving, and more and more intensive pho- ity try to spread the knowledge about rational to retouching makes impossible demands on self-care - a healthy diet that meets the body’s beauty. An obsession with a perfect body be- needs, cosmetics free of harmful chemicals or forms of exercise that do not overload. Thus, they refute the allegations, inter alia, about normalizing problems such as obesity - each time they emphasize that it is not about an uncritical approach, but about proper care for one’s own body and a reasonable approach to the changing cultural standards every decade.

Courtesy of Isle of Paradise

Isn’t this the approach we need as an antidote to the still strong Photoshop and plastic surgery culture? Yes, as long as it stays true to its foundations. The entry of body positivi-

Out Of The Borders Self-image

ty into the mainstream is a big change in the right direction, but there are distortions of the positive message. This applies, among others, to advertising campaigns - advertisers are moving on the slippery ground here, because body positivity goes against the belief that the consumer needs certain products in order to be able to have a healthy and happy body. Over the years, the Dove brand has done quite well, with campaigns involving non-professional female models being one of the first high-profile commercials of its kind. With time, however, the brand had more failures, which included, among others, whitening a black model in the advertisement or designing packaging resembling female bodies, which has brought them back to the role of merchandise.

It’s also easy to fall into the trap of apparent

positivity. Of course, we have the best intentions when we say stretch marks are beautiful or call them tiger stripes. However, it is worth considering whether this approach really makes us feel better, or are we trying to evaluate our body from the outside again, instead of trying to go inside and try to feel good in it?

What do all these allegations have in common? Inability to refrain from seeing from the outside. The goal of the body positive movement is to free the body from treating it as an object of constant evaluation and to reject the paradigm in which it determines the value of a person. As you can see, it is not easy - we Not only big concerns are facing similar are all stuck in numerous mental mechanisms charges. Another example is the book by Brit- that we still have to unlearn. Most importantly, ish celebrity Louise Thompson. The reality however, we started. show star included advice on slimming diets and body sculpting exercises, and included pictures of herself - a woman with a figure that perfectly fits conventional standards. There would be nothing wrong with that, if not for the fact that the book was planned to be titled “Body Positive”. Internet users did not hide their disappointment with the fact that the author used the slogan related to the rejection of rigorous treatment of her own body to promote the opposite approach. The book eventually came out under the title “Live Well With Louise: Fitness & Food to Feel Strong & Happy.” Image courtesy of The Lingerie Journal

Self-image

Out Of The Borders

Am I the “girl from jail” because of my looks?

How tattoos draw an image of our personalities

by Carol Väljaots

The history behind tattooing goes back thousands of years. It was mostly practiced

among indigenous people, sailors, criminals, army deserters and military personnel. For a long time the stereotype was that people with tattoos are a threat to our communities and they wish to rebel against society although recently this is not the case at all. Young people wish to express themselves in a creative way.

Tattoos through my eyes

Since a really early age, I always looked up to peo-

ple who had tattoos. There was something about them that got me hooked. The way they walked, the look on their face - like they owned the world. I never saw the typical stereotype that they might be criminals or people from lower class - I think that could be my privilege of living in Estonia.

Interviewing 15 people with- and without tattoos

The average age people had their first tattoo

was 18, for some 15 and for others 22. The main thing that made them get one was the love for art. There is something about tattoos that hooked them - on friends or what the media was showing. Their favorite band or a character from a TV-show. When asking people When I was 17, I had a friend who already had without tattoos which personality traits they a lot of tattoos so that encouraged me even more to go and get one. Since I had been living alone for almost a year at that point and I believe my parents trusted me, they were okay with me making that decision. I was super excited about my first tattoo. After it healed I wanted another one, and then one more, and of course one more.

Now I have one arm full of tattoos and also a

few others around my body and I get it. This is the look on those people that I admired while being young. They could be going through a lot but if you’re happy with the art that you put on yourself, then you will develop an attitude that you actually can conquer the world. I couldn’t really explain why that happened. So I decided to ask around a bit. I decided to interview my friends from Estonia, other volunteers who I live with and locals in Greece.

“Eugenia Sapountzi”

Out Of The Borders Self-image

see on tattooed people, the answers were all Now after being covered with tattoos, no one quite similar - expressive, open-minded, sexy, notices that in them anymore. It’s more compliments about the art that they carry. “Like they know-what-they-want and confident. are walking pieces of art”. On the other hand, Tattoos as an artistic confidence boost? we can look at it as covering a part of yourself to deal with negative thoughts but I think for I used to criticize my body a lot. My belly was some it can be the way to heal. It could be to too big, thighs too fat and arms too spaghet- cover some scars that they wish to forget. ti-like. Working out made me feel better mentally but I was still not satisfied with the image. After years passed, many people have asked “I remember going there with everything covered…” me the question: “Are you confident in your body?”. My answer for a long time has been: “Hell yes!”. I haven’t cared what others think of Half of the people with tattoos who I interme for a while. It was part of me growing up. viewed mentioned their problems with mental Writing this article and asking people questions health. It’s a topic bigger than the one here but about their confidence made me realize that I they all said the same thing - tattoos make them felt more and more confident with myself after feel beautiful, it’s something that they love about I started getting tattoos. I am proud of what I their body and it makes them more confident. have on my body and I want to show it off. That For everyone the value is different but the commade me realise that people really don’t care mon thing is, that it reminds them of something about the belly roll or not so skinny ankles, that - who they were, what they went through, who I have been worried about for years - they are they are or where they want to get. just impressed with the unique picture that no one else has. I love the sentence that one of But does it really have to have a meaning? The my interviewees from Germany said: “We can word “meaning” came up in almost each internot really choose how we look, but tattoos are view. A girl from Estonia said to me: “Nothing something that people can decide what, where really deep and horrible happened to me and and from whom. It’s like creating your own I feel a bit that maybe I’m not worthy of having one.” And I get why she is feeling that way. body, which I think is pretty confident.” It’s the first thing that people ask - “what’s the I never realized that almost everyone is strug- meaning of your tattoo?”, “why did you decide gling with their body image. Many males that I to get that one?” etc. Most people that I interinterviewed said that without tattoos, all that viewed said that they don’t mind when people people saw in them was how skinny they are. ask about their tattoos, although they are not so comfortable going too deep with explaining. For some it’s very personal, something that got them through a difficult time in their life. Others just got it because they liked the idea and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. In the end, it’s our body and we all do tattoos for ourselves not for others.

“Eugenia Sapountzi”

“... it’s more in my head rather than the society” said my friend from Estonia. A lot of us tend to feel like we have to hide our art even when it’s

Self-image

Out Of The Borders

not necessary. Depending where you live you get to have the choice. Would you hide a part of you for someone to hire or like you, or would you embrace an important part of yourself and see what happens? After all those interviews I feel like I am privileged to think that way.

“I remember going there with everything cov-

ered and being nervous about them asking (about the tattoos) because they had those forms that they were filling. In my country (Colombia) it’s quite a common question.”, Carolina explains. She continues: “After that I said fuck it and if they have a problem, then it’s not the right place for me. I felt very confused, because I didn’t understand why this question was at the same level as my education.” “Eugenia Sapountzi”

A similar quote came from a local girl: “I think

a lot of places here in Greece would ask me to cover my tattoos - Actually they wouldn’t hire me, which I feel is a form of discrimination because it has nothing to do with my intelligence or being unprofessional.”

I recently had a situation where I was referred

“Eugenia Sapountzi”

to as a “girl from the jail” and I think it’s time to move on from this stereotype. History is in the past and like with everything, we must shake our thoughts and be more open-minded. For most people, tattoos really make them more confident about themselves, can help with mental health, makes us more unique and like my friend, who is a tattoo artist in Estonia said: “A good tattoo that highlights your personality is like a stylish haircut, or a stunning suit, which you feel great wearing.” We should normalize that. Or what you think?

Out Of The Borders Medicine

“When you donate an organ, you donate a part of you” by Laura Andrés Tallarda

Human bodies are like puzzles made up of In 2019, Spain had the highest donor rate in the

trillions of pieces (cells) and of many organs. Last estimates of scientists put the number of cells at around 30 trillion. According to Live Science, the general count is 78 organs. But not every organ is necessary for survival. Only five organs — the brain, heart, liver, at least one kidney, and at least one lung are absolutely essential for living.

world at 46.91 per million people, followed by the US (36.88 per million), Croatia (34.63 per million), Portugal (33.8 per million), and France (33.25 per million).

While most organ and tissue donations occur

for the last 28 years, with 15 daily transplants, 20% of all donations from the European Union and 6% of world donations, according to the “Organización Nacional de Trasplantes” (ONT), despite the fact that Spain barely represents 9.1% of the European population and 0.6% of the world population.

The case of Spain, leader in organ donation for 28 years

Spain has been positioned as a world leader

after the donor has died, some organs, including a kidney or part of a liver or lung, and tissues can be donated while the donor is alive. The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) and other international organisms have policies that regulate how donor organs are matched and allocated to patients on The worldwide prestige of this system is due the waiting list. There are some common fac- to the organizational model managed by the tors in how organs are matched, such as blood National Transplant Organization and, on the type and how severe the patient’s illness is. other, the solidarity of the Spanish, since 86% of the families consulted authorize organ donation. Sometimes, donations to save lives are part of a race against the clock.

“In the world, it is estimated that about 2 mil-

lion people each year may need a transplant and about 140,000 are being performed. That is, the possibility of achieving it does not ex-

Medicine

Out Of The Borders

Republic you are asked. In Denmark, the prior unequivocal consent of the person or of the family after death is required. And in Italy it can be denied if it is considered that the deceased person was not well informed. In Spain, all people are donors when they die if in life if they What is the situation of organ donation have not expressly stated otherwise, although in practice family members are consulted; and after death in Europe? equality is established for recipients. In Europe, except in some countries like in Germany, automatic organ donation is a common Coronavirus has affected to the process of practice and in general it can only be prevent- organ transplantation. Some countries have reed by showing the contrary intention while still ported a 50% reduction in transplantations due alive, even, as in the case of the Netherlands to the pandemic. and England, in an Official register. Organ donation after death is only possible But in practice the opinion of the family is im- when the donor dies in a hospital. Organs need portant. In France, the family of a deceased a supply of oxygen-rich blood to remain suitperson can refuse the donation even if he or able for transplantation. Donors are put on artishe has a donor card. In Austria and the Czech ficial respiration to keep their heart beating, so that oxygen-rich blood continues to circulate through their body. ceed 4-5%. In Spain, anyone who needs an organ, statistically has a 94-95% chance of getting it”, explained Rafael Matesanz, founder of the National Transplant Organization in 1989, to National Geographic.

A family story of donation: a lifechanging act

I decided to investigate more about this topic

Mari Carmen and Miguel Angel

and to write this article because my dad and my aunt were the protagonists of a successful donation themselves. They even appeared on TV once. My dad, Miguel Angel, had a kidney chronicle disease and he was supposed to do dialysis except if someone donated him the organ. He had 10 brothers and sisters, but not all of them were compatible or had the characteristics to donate. Mari Carmen, one of his younger sisters, took a step forward. “The decision was easy. In a very natural way, I felt that if I had the conditions to give it, I wanted to do so”, Mari Carmen, his sister explains. She was

Out Of The Borders Medicine

about to retire as a teacher from a school and They are still both going through a lot of revithe doctors decided that the best was to wait sions to make sure that everything is correct. for a while so that she could finish her profes“Before Covid, everything was in person, but sional life. now it is via phone. Sometimes, they change Mari Carmen had to take a lot of psychologi- a bit the medication I need to take to avoid recal tests from the hospitals and at a European jecting the kidney”, Miguel Angel explains. So level. She felt very supported at a personal and far, he has been able to keep going to the gym, emotional level. “I never had doubts and I think walking around his neighborhood and readthat was very helpful and positive in the dona- ing newspapers every day. He will feel forever tion process. I always felt strong, and I really grateful to his sister. “The fact that Mari Carappreciated being always very well-informed men gave me the kidney somehow changed my life. I would have to be connecting to a machine about the process”. to do dialysis every day if she hadn’t done so”. “I feel that when you donate an organ, you donate a part of you. Having all the information is essential to ensure that the process works out”, Miguel Angel explains. As a handicap, Mari Carmen points out that the process was very long and a bit bureaucratic, because it was important to make sure that everything is done in a legal way. It is necessary to go to court from the hospital and to make sure that she, as a donor, had received all the necessary information and that part is important but can be a bit exhausting as well.

“Everything worked perfectly but we had a surprise, because the compatibility shown in the first results with my sister was negative. However, new analysis showed that it was compatible”, Miguel Angel states. The donation and transplantation were successful and Mari Carmen gave a piece of her body and also of her life to improve the life of her brother.

Miguel Angel

Technology

Mix Fix

Dystopian Bodies

by Michael Magee

In past Balkan Beats issues we’ve looked at transportation technologies and the more and more feasible colonisation of Mars, but soon, sci-fi tech will be finding its way closer to home; into our own flesh. About a year ago, a video surfaced on youtube

of an electronic music producer with a prosthetic arm. While having a prosthetic may not be as bad for a synthesizer player as it is for a guitarist or a pianist, turning the small knobs and dealing with the abundance of cables is problematic at best. Understanding that his prosthesis functions by receiving electrical signals from his muscles while the synthesizers in a similar way to how synthesizers receive electrical signals to control them, Bertolt Meyer got to work to see how he could combine the two. By amplifying the electrical signals emitted from his muscles with a specially constructed DIY prototype fitted in place of the prosthetic hand, Bertolt can then control aspects of his synthesizer (such as the pitch of the tone it produces) simply by thinking about moving his hand a certain way.

In fact, a similar effect can be achieved with an EEG (electroencephalogram) device, which picks up faint electrical signals from the scalp. Another Youtube user, “The Apples in Stereo,” uses a commercially available EEG connected to a synthesizer to change the pitch with the

intensity of his thoughts by going from “totally, like, zen” to a more mentally aroused state in order to make the synth tone go high or low.

The Age of the Cyborg

Cyborg-like

prosthetics represent the good side of innovation, although it has its own downfalls and points to improve on. Less modern and advanced prosthetics can function on a lever-like system where, for example, a mechanism for moving the prosthetic is attached to the opposite shoulder, requiring the user to perform awkward hunching movements to operate the hand. Nowadays, however, there are prosthetics available with individually moving fingers attached to a hand that can turn 360

BM - Bertolt Meyer with his synthesizer prosthesis.

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degrees.The University of Utah has even developed a prosthetic known as the LUKE arm (yes, it is a reference to Luke Skywalker) which gives the user a sense of touch. This is done by sensors in the prosthetic that send electrical impulses to the brain, mimicking the touch sensation and making delicate operations like peeling a banana or picking grapes possible without making a smoothie.

it has been successfully installed in a pig and in a monkey, the latter of which can use it to play the classic videogame “Ping Pong”. It’s in its infancy, but the possibilities for Neuralink may be endless; at the very least it could be used by disabled people with physical limitations restricting their use of smartphones and computers. If we stretch our sci-fi imagination far enough, we could assume that it’s theoretically possible (but unbelievably expensive) to make Another notable example of computer-brain a quadraplegic person walk again by combintechnology is one of Elon Musk’s projects: Neu- ing the Neuralink with robotic limbs. ralink. This tiny 8mm chip is to be inserted into the brain by a robot surgeon, with the aim of Technologies for our brain aren’t just robotic; using it to control machines hands-free. So far for over half a century, medical scientists have

Neuralink

Technology

Fingerprints are a common example of biometric data

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Biometrics been treating the brain with drugs like prozac and opiates. Many mental problems can be described in terms of brain chemistry, as these chemicals seek to repair damage done within the brain with the aim of helping it function “normally”. However, if we can find problems before the issue by monitoring brain chemistry, we may be entering a new realm of medicine, and not just regarding the brain. If we could measure blood pressure, the health of our cells and the balance of nutrients in our bodies, it could be theoretically possible to detect cancers and heart conditions much earlier. This is where biometrics come in.

We already use biometrics. In forensic science,

biometrics are used to identify fingerprints and DNA, as well as faces. Even an Apple watch or the jogging app Strava measures your biometrics to gain an understanding of the condition of your heart. The dystopian dimension of biometric technology presents itself when we question who will have access to this information, which is a topic heavily explored in Yuval Noah Harari’s book Homo Deus. More or less the key point of this book is to explore how we, as a species, will upgrade ourselves into living “gods” through technology, which will allow us to surpass our God-given physical limitations.

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But if technologies like biometric data are placed in the hands of questionable governments or corporations, the possibilities for manipulation and exploitation are extensive. For example, if your Strava profile shows that you jog a lot and are improving, you may become the target of advertising for fitness products. If your Apple watch identifies a weak heart, shortness of breath, or high/low blood pressure, you may be targeted with medicine ads. The real 1984 scenario arises if we imagine governments to have access to biometrics. The data can be used as a form of surveillance; if someone can monitor your biometrics in real-time, they can decipher what behaviours from politicians disgust you, and which excite you. One example given by Harari in an essay a year ago imagines this far-fetched scenario, “Imagine North Korea in 2030, when every citizen has to wear a biometric bracelet 24 hours a day. If you listen to a speech by the Great Leader and the bracelet picks up the tell-tale signs of anger, you are done for.”The potential for the use of biometrics in control and surveillance is already being put to use. The combination of the high processing efficiency of artificial intelligence and facial recognition allows authorities to track and locate wanted individuals, or to identify them from surveillance cameras (think about how speeding cameras on motorways work; the same thing is done with cameras that identify number plates

and send a fine to the person linked to that number plate). This is done extensively, particularly in China and particularly during the pandemic, during which multiple apps were made available to people so that they can avoid possibly infected individuals.

“Imagine North Korea in 2030, when every citizen has to wear a biometric bracelet 24 hours a day. If you listen to a speech by the Great Leader and the bracelet picks up the tell-tale signs of anger, you are done for.” —Yuval Noah Harari

Essentially, we are going from having our internet browsing monitored and used to target us with specific ads to having the same thing done with our biological data. This makes it clear that our biological data can be used for us, or against us. Every piece of technology has two sides in this sense; in theory, the medicine we take can be used to make us happy, or to control us. The neuralink might be used to control us too, or to make life easier. The rockets to Mars might save us, or they might abandon us. The key to making sure that the entire human race can benefit from technology lies in acting early; we need to make sure that the law catches up with technology’s capabilities.

Art

The Body I created this piece to visually represent the connection between the mind and body. Anxiety can impact the body in many ways and one thing that helps me personally is meditation. Oftentimes, an anxious mind can feel like tan-

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by Maddie Taylor

gled thoughts. Meditation allows the mind to be free and calm. Sakyong Mipham once said “The body benefits from movement and the mind benefits from stillness,” illustrating a necessary balance for a healthy mind and body.

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TEAM Marindi Halet I 24 years old

Wakila Otmani | 24 years old

Staying in Greece for 2 months until July 2021

Staying in Greece for 2 months until July 21th

Favorite topics are culture and social issues

Favorite topics are feminism and social issues

Marco Scarangella | 31 years old

Michael Magee | 25 years old

Staying in Greece for 7 months until July 2021

Staying in Greece for 10 months until July 2021

Favorite topics are politics, culture, art, food, sport

Favorite topics are music, technology, and politics

Laura Andrés Tallarda |

Livia Kallmeyer | 20 years old

27 years old

Staying in Greece for 8 months until September 2021

Staying in Greece for 7 months until September 2021

Favourite topics are journalism, social issues and mental health

Favorite Topics are Feminsim, LGBTQIA+, politics and social issues

Carol Väljaots | 22 years old

Anna Maria Żukowska | 30 years old

Staying in Greece for 7 months until December 2021

Favorite topics are activism, traveling and photography

Favorite topics are ecology and volunteering

Zofia Nyka | 22 years old Staying in Greece for 6 months until November 2021

Favorite topics are law, human rights, ecology, traveling, sport Editors: General Directors: Aristodimos Paraschou Michael MaGee Christian Cibba Graphic Designer: Alexandros Tagaridis Find us: www.balkanhotspot.org Usb_ngo.gr

Carolina Covelli | 26 years old Staying in Greece with no return date yet

Favorite topics are animals and yoga. Special collaborator for 36th edition

The volunteers responsible for this publication are hosted in Greece in the framework of the European ERASMUS+ Programme, European Solidarity Corps. This project has been funded with support from the European Commision. This publication [communication] reflects the views of only of the author, and the Commision can not be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Balkan Beats 36 - The Body

Articles inside

The virtuous circle of dance

Dystopian Bodies

“When you donate an organ, you donate a part of you”

Am I the “girl from jail” because of my looks?

Body positivity-real change or empty slogan?

Stretch marks that tell body stories

Infinite Genders

Human body in the Greek Mythology

The Yogi Way

Impact of the pandemic on the body and mind