New Year's Resolutions

Everyone has been guilty of doing it at least one time in their life and everyone has been guilty of following them for some time and than just threw them out the window. Like those people who say this year I am going to the gym i am going to get fitter and have a toned body. They take a gym membership and actually go but as soon as they enter or as soon as the first muscle pain comes it is already not so great. Some go ones and than come home feeling good and proud of themselves but somehow after that one time they can't find the time to go again. So as a result they bought an expensive membership they went and now they feel guilty for not going and for wasting their money. Some actually make it through

January, but February is suddenly a lot harder, but they are proud that they at least tried and they think maybe next year i am gonna make it through February. This is just an example in my believe new years solutions are crap. People use it as a deadline like i can eat junk food all year but when the new year starts i am gonna eat healthy. No! That is not how it works if you want to get fitter than get of your ass and go to the gym, get fitter! If you want to eat healthy, do it now! Buy a cooking book and learn how you can use those healthy things called vegetables. Don't use the new year as an excuse to pros pone it because we all know it doesn't work. So a tip if you want something, or do something, or be a better person than just do it! Don't wait but go for it because before you know it you are old and you may regret stuff because you kept prospering it and never really did it.

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Why Do I Love Kalamata?

Why do i love Kalamata?

Answer is very simple,

Kalamata is my home after all.

Just imagine yourself,

In a place somewhere in the world,

When you think about your home,

Where would you like to be?

Which bed would you prefer to sleep?
When you close your eyes and think about your “home” , which house do you see?

Which streets do you walk to reach to the place you called home?

Since my childhood, almost every 6 months, I have changed my living environment, sometimes due to my family’s occupation, for summer breaks… And after the university, it turned into my reality and everywhere started being my home. As long as bring my books and my ipod with me, I never looked before for a place permanently.

Until the day I arrived here.

Of course, you may ask, what is special about Kalamata than the other over 200 cities in 32 countries I have been so far?

Let me explain:

No Traffic

Even if you see some, just walk already! You can access anywhere you want by walking max 30min, and voalâ! You are there!

Everything is Available

Every material we may need in daily, professional and modern life is accessible here. From electronics to cosmetics, clothes, food… And c’mon! We have a huge Jumbo here. The place is like a amusement park for adults :D

Fresh Food

How many civilized city do you count for me, where you can pick up fresh fruit right from the branch, every-time-of-the-yeeeaarr! You don’t need to pay for lemons, oranges and mandarins here, at all.

And during orange flower season, streets smell like heaven!

Beautiful Beaches

Even during high tourist period between end of July and middle of August when sea turns into blurry soup, cost line always preserves its beauty. You can just rent a boat and go little bit away from the shore, or you can take small trips to the towns where seas are calmer and fresh on that period.

Food and Bakeries

I think there is no need to mention how awesome bakeries and taverns we have here, make you gain weight like a big fat floating buoy on the sea.

Mountains

When you wake up and go to your balcony, almost from every house, green mountain view is always visible in every season. Sometimes even you can see some snow on them, while you are having fun with beautiful sun on the beach, walking…

It’s Always Sunny in Kalamata

Except for couple of days in winter ( it is very hard to say that we have an actual “winter” here but sometimes it is getting really freezing ) , sun always shows its shiny face. Not only shows, it warms you up until very deep ends of your bones. Yes, even you can swim!

Accessibility

Athens is just 3 hrs away. For me, I am an Istanbulian. I already make this distance in one way, when I want to go somewhere inside the Istanbul! From Athens, you can go every part of the world.

Low Criminal Rate, No Terrorism

Only bad thing you can face here is your bike might get stolen. Actually sorry, be sure that your bike will be stolen one day. It happens to everyone, it’s normal here, just get used to it.

However, be calm, this is the only bad thing that you will see.

Social Life

For this scale of town, we have a quite good social life to have fun every night and weekends. Festivals, concerts, party and dance nights…

Friends

I have already had some “for a life-time friends” here, help me to feel like I am home, everyday.

FOR ME,

For me, when I am on my own, I just take a walk on the beach in the morning, after that, as breakfast, I eat my tiropita or cookie with my coffee in my balcony with mountain view. Just before sunset, I take my tea and my blanket, I go to the marina and read my book there with relaxing Messinian gulf view.

When you lay up all those things one under to the other, it gives you conclusion of the question :
         Where is your home?

And I say it again and again,

Kalamata is my home.

                                                                   

                 
                   

New semester!

Hello Guys!

It is already end of January, can you believe it?! Isn’t it scary how time flies? Anyway, for KANE & Youth Center, this time of the year is a little bit crazy! We’re waiting for six new EVS volunteers (if you’re reading this – we can’t wait to finally meet you!) and it’s beginning of new semester! 

We have many new workshops and, as you can see, we're open on Fridays! :) List of new classes:

•  Russian;
•  Japanese;
•  Arabic;
•  Portuguese;
•  photography;
•  ukulele
• graphic design;
•  trash art;
• articles writing;
• engraving.

Registration for the second semester will take place in Youth Center (Plateia Othonos 10), 1^st floor, from Monday 30.01. until Wednesday 01/02. New semester starts on Monday 06.02.!

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From Italy, with love

Moulding plasteline has been a timeless pastime for children around the globe. This is a story of one particular child who never gave it up, but instead turned it into something truly magical.

Constantly fiddling with those colorful masses, Thomas Künstler started creating figures from a very early age and, led by his father, gave them life with a camera. After he discovered the world of stop-motion animation, things were set in motion... and he wasn't able to stop. Years passed and soon he left his home in Italy to study Film Production in England. Although he was working on different kinds of movies for his studies, the passion for stop-motion never faded and it turned into a continuous side-project. While studying, he got aquainted with several Greeks and, intrigued, he explored their culture. The more he knew about it, the more it left him captivated and inspired his works. The sound of traditional music and the dances, the melodies and instruments, especially the rebetiko (ρεμπέτικο) sparked his interest.

With plots based on everyday life, he carefully constructs scenes with his plasteline figures as main actors surrounded by furniture from dollhouses and various objects and materials. The hardest part is also the first one he has to do - devise a story. One that would require little movement, no dialogue and a message still clearly getting across. After that comes mixing the colours and building the characters. Everything he does, he does on his own and while professionals use bigger models, harder materials and wire armatures for their figures, he sticks to his small-scale, apartment-friendly sizes and soft plasteline. Of course, that means limbs fall off every now and then, dirt accumulates easily so constant restoring is needed as he moves his characters through 25 frames for every second of the movie. All taken into account, he still describes the whole process of creating this kind of animation as very therapeutic. His works are often infused with the element of love and with the eyes of a dreamer he talked about his movies. Then I finally saw the finished works of art. Thomas presented two of his animated films (which can also be viewed here: http://www.thomaskunstler.com/portfolio_page/den-les-kouventa, http://www.thomaskunstler.com/portfolio_page/rebetiko) titled „Den Les Kouventa“ and „Rebetiko“. The way he presented a story with such little movement was stunning. The simplified mute faces told tales of love, supported by skilled use of camera, often dimmed light that shaped the atmosphere and sounds that had to represent all the noises and materials that weren't actually present. It was apparent that he put his soul into creating these works. Greeks that were introduced to them were honoured that a foreigner felt so close to their culture and explored the potential of aspects they took for granted. 

Grateful for the opportunity to meet such a talented young individual, I start thinking about how many more of them, undiscovered, spend their hours ever so slightly moving fragile figures frame by frame, hoping their stories will reach our hearts.

Crazy volunteers - short story about hitch-hiking!

Basic list of things you MUST have if you want to be the best hitch-hiker of all Greece (or... of all Kalamata, depends on your goals!).

Hi guys! Today I'd like to talk about hitch-hiking because with some friends - Rosa and Arthur, we tried to go to Polylymnio, of course we started from Kalamata (OK, our goal was not that high but still)!

Basically, what do you need to hitch-hick?

A thumb

(if you don't have, any other finger is fine.. wait... NO, not that one, don't even try malaka!) 

A big smile 

(for big hope babe'!)

A blond wig or just a blond girl in your band 

(I can tell you that it may help my dears!)

 A sign 

(Aaaaah THE sign.... THE sign...)

This sign has been made with love and hope, if your heart is like a stone, it won't work!

You NEED a man 

(you know what I mean, hé?)

 Yeah exactely, you need a man ! A man who will feel enough brave to look at anoying people like that, just like THAT to send them away!

A health inssurance 

(because shit happens)

My first and last visit to the hospital of Kalamata (I hope vré :D)!

AND, LAST BUT NOT LEAST:

A lot of sense of humour 

(wink wink)

I am pretending that I am falling when it's obvious that I am not? Yes. Is it supid? ...Yes. it is!

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On-arrival training in Athens!

Hello everyone!

I want to share with you my video from Athens! In December we were on our first on-arrival seminar, where we met a lot of new people - other volounteer from Greece! We spent six days in the capitol of Greece, learning how to work in group and how to work on our projects! It was very nice and interesting. Video was one part of our workshop - we had to work with people we didn't know, but in a meanwhile we were walking around Athens. Of course we couldn't miss Acropoli! I've hope you will like this video as much as I do. It's kind of a souvenir from me!

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Oscar - make up video

Hi guys! I'm Óscar and I’m from Spain! As you know (or maybe you don't know!) we are working at the Youth Center from Monday until Friday and we have free weekends. Some of them are little boring (especially when it’s raining!), so one of that days we decided to record a video just for fun and this is what we have! Martyna did my make up! I’ve hope you like it!

Video is half Spanish-half English!

 

- Őscar Villarraso López