I’ve always been a nostalgic person. I wanted every moment from my past to last forever in my memory. I remember being seven or eight years old, tying my shoes, and thinking, “This moment will disappear forever.” I told myself I wouldn’t let that happen—even to something as trivial as tying my shoes.

When someone became my friend, I wanted that friendship to last forever. In a way, it felt like defeating death. Of course, I didn’t realize that at the time—I was just a normal eight-year-old kid. But something changed. I became a parent, and suddenly I felt less nostalgic than before. It’s as if I wanted to make room in my mind—and in my heart (come on, it’s not cheesy, it’s just an organ!)—for new memories and a new chapter.

A friend of mine recently sent me a video featuring a Greek university professor who expressed outrage at how many students in Greece receive excellent grades. But who is responsible for this? According to the professor, the blame lies with the teachers.

Let’s explore and broaden this topic a bit. What’s the Purpose of Grades? Grades should primarily evaluate a student’s understanding of a subject. But they should also help students learn how to care for themselves in ways that support learning. For example, if I have a geography test coming up next week, I should plan how to study: using books, YouTube videos, documentaries, etc. I should also think about when I study best — maybe 20 minutes every day after a good nap works for me. At the end of the week, I might take a self-made test to see how well I remember what I studied. If I’ve prepared well but still get a lower grade than expected, what do I learn? Maybe the official test was harder than mine. Maybe I didn’t sleep well the night before, or I was hungry and couldn’t focus. A grade, then, becomes a reflection not just of what you know — but of how you’ve taken care of yourself.

Yesterday, I went out with a friend to an art studio to meet an artist, see his work, and chat with him about various topics. The discussion with the artist was engaging and thought-provoking, but what really stayed with me was something else.

I found myself observing my friend: not just as the person I’ve always known, but also as the person she’s becoming. As she asked the artist her questions, I could see how much she had changed. She was interested in topics she hadn’t cared about just a few years ago. She has a new passion now – she started art school last year – and it’s so beautiful to witness someone at the beginning of a new love. It’s like watching a window open in her mind. But it doesn’t stop there. That window opens another, and another, and so on. It feels like an endless chain of curiosity. Maybe that’s the closest we ever get to immortality. The endless desire to learn and grow.

Hello,

It’s been a while - Recently, I started reading a new blog that is very reflective and personal, and it got me thinking: maybe I should also start analyzing things more deeply, not just writing about what I’ve learned or found interesting. Ideas started coming to me—many of which I forgot quickly, but some stayed in my mind. One of them was writing about playgrounds in Greece.

We usually go to playgrounds with the kids once a week. It’s something all parents do, so I guess it’s a good thing. But to be honest, I don’t like playgrounds in Greece. I even started Googling playgrounds in other parts of Europe. That’s how I discovered something called “adventurous playgrounds” in England, and they looked amazingly fun.

One night, actually very early in the morning, one of my children woke me up and struggled to fall back asleep. In such moments, I often listen to lectures by Maria Efthimiou, a Greek professor of history. During one lecture, she raised an intriguing question: Why did fascist regimes arise so easily in the interwar period? Why did so many people accept them?

Let’s explore this before the children wake up.

On April 16, 1917, Vladimir Lenin, the exiled leader of Bolsheviks, began his return to Russia by train—a journey shrouded in conspiracy theories. How did Lenin and his comrades manage to reach Petrograd during those turbulent times? The Germans, who controlled part of the route, should have intercepted them. Was Lenin a German spy? When asked how he managed to avoid arrest along the way, he reportedly responded with something like, “A revolutionary must do whatever it takes to achieve his goals.”

One morning, I woke up early, sipping my black tea with milk and enjoying my breakfast while watching a random video that popped up on my YouTube homepage. It was about Kyoto, Japan.

Have you noticed how all the famous brands look slightly different in Kyoto? Kyoto is an ancient city, the former capital of Japan, with a rich cultural heritage. It maintained its character, as it was spared from the bombings during World War II. For example, McDonald’s uses its iconic yellow “M” logo, but the background is completely white in Kyoto. Starbucks, normally green and white, adopts a brown color scheme there.

I’ve really missed traveling, and I hope to travel again soon with my boys. Until then, my friends are doing the traveling for me, bringing back fascinating stories about the world. One of my closest friends (who I hope reads my blog!) recently returned from Morocco and told me about a group called the Berbers. Let’s take a look at who they are.

Starting with the etymology, the word “Berbers” comes from an Arabic word, which in turn comes from the Greek word “barbar.” In modern Greek, this word means a brutal person with no manners, but in ancient times it simply referred to someone who didn’t speak Greek. Interestingly, the Berbers don’t actually call themselves by this name; they refer to themselves as the Amazigh, which means “the free people.”

The Olympic Games wrapped up a few weeks ago, but here’s a fascinating fact about our recent Olympic history: from 1912 to 1948, painters, writers, sculptors, and musicians competed for gold, silver, and bronze medals, just like athletes. I learned this intriguing piece of history from a podcast, where they also mentioned that in some categories, only silver medals might be awarded, with no gold given at all!

What are your thoughts on this? Was it a good idea to include art in the Olympic Games, or is it too challenging to evaluate creative work in this way?

Good afternoon,

It’s really hot today, and I’m finding it hard to think about anything other than the heat. However, I noticed a note in my text editor about Byzantium and how it got its name. Let’s find out!

The Megarians were inhabitants of ancient Greece. Like many ancient communities, they had conflicts with other locals and eventually decided they couldn’t stand seeing them anymore. “That’s enough,” they said (their words, not mine). Before leaving their homeland, they consulted the Oracle of Delphi and asked where they should go. The Pythia responded, “Go to the place where the opposite are the blind ones.”

I live in a country where Americans are often portrayed as the villains of history. The bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 marked the end of World War II. I have always felt sympathy for the Japanese people and the terrible incident they endured. However, let’s consider it from another perspective.

In Europe, students learn extensively about Hitler and his sick plan to exterminate the Jews (and many other groups he despised, including the gay community). However, we often don’t learn about Japan’s expansionist policies. Japan was a military country that conquered many areas, including the Philippines, Indonesia, China, and even Madagascar. Japan didn’t just want to conquer China; they aimed to kill all Chinese people (which is a difficult task considering the vast population and their resistance). In other words, Japan was the Germany of the East.

Good morning again,

Have you ever heard the term “Sunk Cost Fallacy”? Recently, I had a conversation with my cousin about her thoughts on dropping out of university. Despite not wanting to attend the faculty that she chose, she has second thoughts because she has invested time and her parents have invested money. I explained to her that there is a term that explains her actions: “sunk cost fallacy.” In other words, when we invest time or money (or both) in something, as bad a choice as it seems in the present, it is hard to just abandon it. I glimpsed a blog by Gwern about this term and liked a slogan for avoiding the sunk cost fallacy: “Give up your hopes for a better yesterday!”

Good morning everyone! This week, let’s delve into a fascinating and endearing story involving Taiwan, China, and some very famous pandas.

It’s well-known that Taiwan and China have a complicated relationship. After the Chinese Civil War (1946-1949), the defeated Chinese Nationalists, who didn’t support Mao Zedong, went to Taiwan, also known as Nationalist China or Formosa. The people who immigrated to Taiwan were supporters of Western culture. To this day, China does not recognize Taiwan as a separate country. While breastfeeding, I heard a cute and heartwarming story that I just had to share. In 2008, China selected the cutest pandas and gave them as a gift to Taiwan. This practice is known as “panda diplomacy,” a tradition that dates back as far as the 7th century. You could meet these two pandas, Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan, at the Taipei Zoo in Taiwan. They quickly became big celebrities and even became parents! Sadly, Tuan Tuan, the father panda, passed away, but you can still visit Mama Yuan Yuan and their children at the zoo.

Good morning, everyone!

Today, I want to share some thoughts on a historical and ongoing issue: the Northern Ireland conflict between Protestants and Catholics. Did you know that the civil war in Ireland, often referred to as “The Troubles,” was a bitter conflict between Protestants and Catholics that lasted for decades? It finally came to an end in 1998 with the signing of the Good Friday Agreement. However, even today, there are still segregated schools in Northern Ireland. For those who lived through the violent days of the 90s, this might not seem so strange. The scars of the past run deep, and communities that were once divided by intense conflict often take time to heal. But to me, it sounds quite absurd that in 2024, people still feel the need to attend different schools based on their religion, especially when both groups are Christians. This lingering segregation in education highlights how deeply ingrained divisions can persist, even after official peace agreements.

Life as a New Mom: Finding Time to Write Again

A couple of months ago, I became mom of two adorable boys. Life has changed completely. Any parent, especially those with twins, will understand how the concept of free time becomes a whole new experience. Finding personal time for things like reading a book or watching your favorite show feels like a luxury now. Recently, I had a chat with two friends who are also moms. We discussed what we miss the most now that we have kids. It made me realize how much I missed writing on my blog. However, with so little time, I knew I couldn’t dive into deep analyses of books or complex videos. So, I decided to start small and simply write every week about things that catch my attention. Let’s begin with this interesting tidbit:

Greeks are people who have experienced numerous conflicts throughout their history. In school, we are not taught about all the civil wars, making it easier to discuss conflicts in other regions like the civil war in Syria rather than addressing our own. As adults, many of us pursue higher education, read books, and eventually delve into our own history.

Like all countries, Greece has constructed collective myths to shape its national identity and foster unity. In this article, I will focus on a particular myth prevalent in Greece.

Lately, I’ve been contemplating the fact that we don’t learn everything about our planet Earth at school, which seems rather peculiar. I mean, there is a vast universe about which we know almost nothing, and yet there is our blue planet, which we know so much about. I understand that there is still much more to be discovered, but the contrast is intriguing.

Kids love sharing stories about their vacations and their grandparents’ origins. Consequently, every day, we locate these places on the map, pondering how we could visit them. If available, we also watch quick YouTube videos to gain further insight.

They say “don’t judge a book by its cover”, but this is exactly what I did. The cover illustrates some small, snowy houses in green and white. The title of the book “Small things like these” makes you think that is about a daily story by an ordinary person - like you – which however is worth reading.

The protagonist of the book is a man from Ireland. He lives in a small town with his family of five daughters and his wife. He works many hours in his business (merchant of coal and logs), leaves his home before sunlight and comes back after the sun has set, without any complaints. He appreciates the good stuff that happened in his life and tries to enjoy every moment with his daughters.

1. Odense is the third largest city in Denmark and Hans Christian Andersen’s Hometown.
2. In Naypydaw, the capital of Myanmar, there is a huge boulevard that almost noone uses it.
3. Suidlanders is a south African group whose main belief is that a race war will hapen in the future and they prepare themselves for white genocide.
4. There is an atomic lake in the Semey area of Kazakhstan due to nuclear explosion in 1965.
5. Baikonur Cosmodrome is located in Kazakhstan and leased to Russia. Is the Cosmodrome where Y. Gagarin was launched into space in 1961.
6. Socotra island is an island of Yemen, where you can find the socotra dragon tree
7. Coober Pedy is a town in Australia that is built underground.
8. In Harbin, China is conducted an Ice and Snow Festival with gorgeous ice sculptures.
9. In North Sentinel Island is home to a group of indigenous people who live without any contact with the world and as far as we know they don’t know that a whole world exists.
10. Tristan da Cunha is the most isolated place in the world!

Here are 10 intesting geography facts about animals, people, flags, or whatever that I didn’t know and I like.

1. At bahamas you can swim alongside pigs at Big Major Cay.
2. Costa Rica abolished its military in 1949.
3. “Lluvia de peces” is a phenomenon that occurs in Yoro, Honduras, in which fish fall from the sky.
4. Nepal is the only country that has not a rectangle flag.
5. Cumbre Vieja, the active volcano of La Palma in the Canary Islands, erupted on 19 September 2021.
6. Whittier is a city of Alaska, also known as “town under one roof” as almost all of its residents live in the same building.
7. Falkland Islands is a british oversea territory that until now Argentina maintains its claim to the islands.
8. Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela is known for the Catatumbo lightning, an extraordinary weather phenomenon of the highest density of lightning in the world.
9. France has in its territory Amazonian forest in French Guiana.
10. Snow falls sometimes in the Sahara Desert.