I'm not a snake...and you are not an ocelot

Good morning. 

Or wait, did i even sleep? No i didn't because i slept during the day. It was a rather peculiar day too. I had a computer lab that went just fine. But i misbehaved and i am very embarrassed by that. Me and Shahar had an assignment from the same course that was due in half a day. It was not really going great as it was hard an a completely unknown topic for both of us. I let my frustration and stress get to me and i almost lashed out completely. Shahar told me to calm down. I wonder how he can keep his calm so well. He is a good guy. I apologized to him multiple times.

I had also a Skype call with Jasper from the Netherlands. He is a newly admitted student in our master program and i have volunteered to greet them all. We had a lengthy chat and i tried to answered all his questions. It is really good to see how people are excited about coming here.

After that i headed to the train station to meet Silvia, a good friend from my economics class to catch up. We sat down and had ice cream, made fun of the lioness, the general public and the creepy guy drinking his milkshake gazing us every few minutes with a strange look on his face. I then had to return back to my cave and sleep because another nocturnal night was approaching. The day was so beautiful. The spring here is absolutely astonishing. How can this country be so beautiful and manage to surprise me pleasantly every single day...

I picked up the worlds biggest-calorie-infused teriyaki sandwich and headed back home. I had another Skype call with a greek girl looking for a place to stay next semester. Dimitra is migrating too and i felt for her. It would also be nice to have someone to speak your own language in the same house. We talked for an hour and i tried once more to answer any possible question. She is also super excited to be heading here. She will not disappointed. I am not sure i would pick any other place right now in the world for my permanent residence. After that i slept like a baby. A heavy docile baby.

Which brings me to the topic at hand once more. I get this question a lot.

"Why did you move to Sweden? Don't you miss home? Isn't it so cold and the weather is shit? Don't they have 5 hours of daylight?"

My god what the media or friends and people that have "heard something" can do to you. Let's try and answer these once and for all.

I have traveled in many many countries. I have had the good fortune of seeing every possible culture and immersing myself in them from a young age. I always said that i was either born in the wrong country or i was born to live in another. Saying that when i looked outside the window during my flight to Sweden for the first time i knew something unique was coming. I saw first hand that the swedish society is something different. Everything is moulded on the image that every person here is the perfect role-model citizen. Justice and living by the rules is important to them, as well as equality and freedom. And this is mostly true.

I frequently see my fellow students or acquaintances travel in the far ends of the earth. I saw a woman i used to like climbing the highest mountains in Uruguay and visiting Brazil. Another just went to California for a month. They work, but not without reward, luxuries and a nice life. A start contrast from my childhood. Freedom of speech is important. Every document of the country are publicly available, a cornerstone of their public life. They grow up to rely in teamwork, promoting recycling and environmental concerns and they work efficiently and effectively.

They will always form a sacred line and will not complain. Privacy is important so i guess that explains how introverted or reserved they are. I don't think you will see anywhere in the world such respect and patience in a line. We grew up in Greece trying to skip the line, being frustrated by the tons of bureaucracy and how to take advantage of situations. Here they do not think that someone will disturb their perfect society. You can see that in places where you have to weight your own fruits or food, nobody would expect you to do it.

What about justice? There is no back alley or windows here. I want to see  you try to complain to that officer that wrote you a ticket for not having lights on your bicycle. I remember once waiting in line of a nightclub and the officers were outside. A guy was drinking beer in the street and that is illegal. The officer grabs his beer and spurs it to the ground. Guy says "why give it back!" and the officer replies: "This is Sweden now. You will comply to the rules". I think this sums it up well. Of course there are incidents, of course there are back doors, of course there is corruption in some places, but it represents the minority. What a contrast.

My friend Holger, who is an ignorant baboon with the attention span and the memory of an Alzheimer guy squared, managed to lose his wallet 3 times in a month. Every single time someone turned it in the police station untouched. Nothing was tampered, nothing was missing. How many of you can put your hand on your heart and say that you would not touch any money at all? I also grew up with the perception that "I" is more powerful than "we". Collective strength is important here.

Time to wrap up this monologue now as i need to get ready for another day in the office.

Good day Sweden, Good day world.

Welcome to my city.

ι η σουηδική κοινωνία είναι διαφορετική από όσες έχω δει και προσπαθήσει να καταλάβω. Η κοινωνία έχει φτιαχτεί πάνω στη στιβαρή παραδοχή ότι κάθε μέλος της είναι και συμπεριφέρεται ως τέλειος πολίτης. Καθένας προσωπικά νιώθει και συμπεριφέρεται ως τέτοιος. Είναι τρομερά σημαντικό γι’ αυτούς να υπάρχει ισότητα και δικαιοσύνη σε όλα.

Πηγή : Andro.gr [ http://www.andro.gr/apopsi/orismos-tou-eimai-politis/ ]

ι η σουηδική κοινωνία είναι διαφορετική από όσες έχω δει και προσπαθήσει να καταλάβω. Η κοινωνία έχει φτιαχτεί πάνω στη στιβαρή παραδοχή ότι κάθε μέλος της είναι και συμπεριφέρεται ως τέλειος πολίτης. Καθένας προσωπικά νιώθει και συμπεριφέρεται ως τέτοιος. Είναι τρομερά σημαντικό γι’ αυτούς να υπάρχει ισότητα και δικαιοσύνη σε όλα.

Πηγή : Andro.gr [ http://www.andro.gr/apopsi/orismos-tou-eimai-politis/ ]

Η κοινωνία έχει φτιαχτεί πάνω στη στιβαρή παραδοχή ότι κάθε μέλος της είναι και συμπεριφέρεται ως τέλειος πολίτης. Καθένας προσωπικά νιώθει και συμπεριφέρεται ως τέτοιος. Είναι τρομερά σημαντικό γι’ αυτούς να υπάρχει ισότητα και δικαιοσύνη σε όλα.

Πηγή : Andro.gr [ http://www.andro.gr/apopsi/orismos-tou-eimai-politis/ ]