athanatOs09.04.11. issue 5/Αθάνατος/ n. [From Greek ‘immortal’]

2 Athanatos

The year is 1850 and the new Hellenic

state is enjoying its first taste of free-

dom from Ottoman rule in 400 years.

Otto is pulling a piece of fluff from

between his toes. A German merchant

approaches and asks “how goes it,

young King?” Otto replies “The olives

and the raisins are good, but the poli-

tics and economics could be better.”

Otto was the first king of Greece, but

he wasn’t Greek. He was German,

because the European powers that be

decided that the best option for the

new Hellenic state was to appoint a

royal family in order to give it the

respectability fitting for a European

country. This young German king

was borrowed because Greece had

no royal family of its own to put

forward, and now, in 2011, we find

ourselves in a similar situation.

Greece is borrowing from Germany

once more, but this time it’s not

royalty changing hands; it’s money.

Half of the sponsors of this EYP ses-

sion are German companies. Is this

a problem? In our daily lives we

rely on others to support us, be it

emotionally, financially or physi-

cally. It doesn’t take a philosopher

to realise that man is a social animal

that cannot stand alone. But should

a state not strive to be sovereign?

Perhaps 400 years of slavery dimin-

ished the Greek people’s sense of

trust in politics and its capacity for

good. Politicians were commonly

seen as thieves and liars rather

than true representatives of the

people. But the times are chang-

ing, and with every passing day

it becomes clearer that there are

two kinds of people: those who fin-

ish their editorials, and those who

Fit for a king

Prometheus & Aesop LLUIS STAMOS

Closer to the end of the session, we asked you once more for a single word that sums up EYP in your mind. Here are the results:

3Athanatos

Dream worlds under construction

No description needed for this piece by Sini “Ελένη τη̋ Τροία̋ – Helen of Troy” Ventela and Zeynep “Πηνελόπη – Penelope” Yavuz

“It was one of those very hot days in

June. The staff of the summer camp

told the kids to form groups of five

and placed each group in a different

room. In the room there were colored

pens, cardboards, plastic cups and

used cardboard boxes. The little girl

was very excited; she always enjoyed

arts and crafts. There was an instruc-

tion written on the board: “Build the

city of your dreams, you have two

hours”. They planned and built. The

German boy built a cafe which he

called “Bier Garten”; the Swiss boy

built a huge mountain and a cable

car, which the little girl thought was

a spaceship. The Lebanese girl built

a huge mosque, all in pink, and our

little girl divided the city with a river

and built a huge bridge. The city they

created included many different cul-

tures. Yet, the kids saw only harmony

in it. When the two hours passed, the

staff placed the kids into a different

room where someone else’s dream

city had already been built. They gave

thick sticks to all kids. The little girl

understood that something bad was

going to happen. As soon as the staff

was out of the room very loud music

was heard - a mix of heavy metal

and police sirens. The staff started

shouting, “Destroy! Destroy!”. The

kids started hitting the city’s build-

ings with the sticks and tore down

the city with their hands. It took only

three minutes for them to demol-

ish it. When the music was turned

off the kids realised something and

panicking, ran back to their rooms to

check on their own cities. There was

chaos in the corridor. Kids shout-

ing, crying and some hitting each

other. When the little girl arrived

in the room where she had built the

city of her dreams she was stunned.

The spaceship, mosque, café; even the

river were all in ruins. She also real-

ised that there were new instructions

on the board: “On the table there is

glue. You have one hour. Rebuild!”

At the end of one hour the kids had

not managed to rebuild even one of

the buildings. Our heroine learned

how easy it was to destroy and how

difficult it was to maintain peace.”

Now the same girl, grown up, con-

tinues to build her dream world by

contributing to Athens 2011 as a

journo. Like the little girl building

her own dream city, we are all build-

ing our own: visioning the world as

we would like to perceive it. At EYP

sessions we are forced to take a look

at people’s dreams; we are strained

to face and share our thoughts with

people from different cultures. Does

this actually change one’s opin-

ions on other cultures though?

A short chat with two participants

of Athens 2011 offered us a view

to their opinions on the matter.

Yannick van Bogaert from Belgium

tells us that EYP has “provided some

insight but not really changed any-

thing”. However, he also believes that

“Coming here helped me to form my

national identity”. On different note,

Dmitry Vysureneytser from Russia

believes that his EYP experience has

removed some stereotypes that he

earlier had, and acknowledges that

now he never lets his stereotypes

affect his actions. Both interview-

ees also verify that EYP has made

them understand how similar we

all are, regardless of nationality.

EYP gives us the chance to inter-

act with different cultures at a

young age, before the prejudices are

formed in minds (solid). It shows us

how similar we really are. EYP also

enables us to see the diversity not

as a barrier, but as a colour of life.

EYP enables us to take a look at the

different dream worlds; not to destroy,

but to aim to coexist. EYP enables the

little girl to make her world possible

4 Athanatos

Continuing EYPAlex “Αχιλλέα̋ - Achilles” Proctor and Conor “Ηρακλή̋ - Hercules” Hamill brief you on what you could do next in this organisation

Congratulations! Nine days ago you

arrived at a stray-dog infested camp-

site to find yourself surrounded by

strangers from all around Europe.

You came with a basic understand-

ing of what the European Youth

Parliament is, what it does, and

what it represents from your expe-

riences at Regional and/or National

Sessions. Now that you have success-

fully survived the sleep deprivation,

“crazy” parties, Committee Work and

General Assembly at International

level, you have opened a window

of immense opportunity. The ses-

sion may almost be ending but your

involvement in EYP is only over if

you want it to be. Do you? A lot of you

may be wondering how to continue

on in EYP at home or abroad and as

what. With sessions taking place on a

weekly basis across Europe it’s up to

you to take action… or get action… in

a club. The possibility to be a

Journalist is already open. To be a

Chair you might want to get a bit

more EYP experience, but if you feel

capable enough there are no restric-

tions in applying. It is possible to

attend Journalist- and Chairs’ train-

ings which ready you for the task

via different training modules. The

European Youth Parliament website

has a section for alumni detailing

upcoming sessions and trainings

and it also contains the necessary

application forms for each session.

And just because you have been a

delegate at an International ses-

sion doesn’t mean that you cannot

attend another session as a delegate.

So for now, as most of you have only

been a delegate for two or three times

we strongly recommend applying to

be a delegate as long as it still feels

right for you. Delegates are the ones

the sessions are made for. A perfect

opportunity to apply to be a delegate

once more would be the upcoming

International Summer Session in

Grenoble in July but you can also apply

for many of the Regionals, Nationals,

and For a that are coming up.

Possibly the easiest way to continue in

EYP is through your nearest regional

activities. The regional activity con-

sists of EYP social events, which

are pleasant get-togethers where

it is possible to get to know other

Alumni even better and have fun.

EYP is a flexible organisation that

allows you to decide yourself on how

much you want to take advantage

of it. When you feel like you want

to attend a session every week, you

can! If you feel like your life at the

moment cannot fit EYP you can come

back when you have time. EYP gives

you the chance to take responsibil-

ity or just enjoy the fun. If you want

to do more of EYP, do it… we did

it… in a club… where we got action.

Useful sites

www.eypej.org

www.eypalumni.org

5Athanatos

GRANNY TRANSLATES

Nistazo

Kafe

Den Symfono

Iper

Kata

I gravata sou ine zavi

......................

.......................

......................

.......................

.......................

........................

I’m sleepy

Coffee

I don’t agree

Voting in favour

Against

Your tie is wonky

INTA Milan

Commentary by Panayiotis “Άδωνη̋ – Adonis” Ataou

The prestigious EYF Cup tournament ended on

Wednesday, following the finalising of the commit-

tees’ resolutions. The delegates were up for releasing all

tensions that arose during the last-minute resolution

drafting and this was clearly visible on the pitch through-

out the matches. During the semi-final game between

AFET and AFCO II, there was even some blood spilt, as

the ball was blasted into the face of one AFCO II’s players,

whilst it was being cleared away from danger. The brave

player did not give up however. Despite this, AFET’s skill

bubbled to the surface, and they were able to overcome

AFCO II. They were then coupled with INTA for the final.

Both committees had been playing excellently throughout

the whole tournament. In the day of the final, however,

INTA’s drive was simply too much for AFET to withstand.

INTA were able to power through AFET, crashing them

out of the tournament and so being crowned kings of EYF.

Congratulations to INTA for their excellent show of spirit

all through the whole tournament as they clearly showed

resemblance to the skills of the actual Inter Milan team.

6 Athanatos

So this is goodbye...Sini “Ελένη τη̋ Τροία̋ – Helen of Troy” Ventela and Mikaela

“Ερμιόνη – Hermione” Kantor bid us a heartfelt farewell

After the interesting conversations, heated debates,

long nights and many, many, many ninja games

we have now reached the time for goodbyes .

Having spent 10 days in Greece, during which we have met

new people, created firm bonds, experienced the feeling of

being a member of a team with high goals to achieve, it is

now the time we all go back home. With your arrival at

the SPORTCAMP 9 days back you signalled the beginning

of the session for all of us. You have gone past awkward-

ness and shyness and you are now at the other end of

the rope, that of friendship and mutual understanding.

We’ve together been through a whole variety of emotions:

excitement and nervousness in the beginning, satisfac-

tion for all of our achievements and now an addictive mix

of elation and melancholy as the session is about to end.

Going back home you’ll probably still be in the EYP

mode, talking to all your friends of all the things you’ve

experienced these past 10 days. You’ll most likely real-

ise that no-one really understands why playing the Ninja

game for the 10th time in a row can still be so much fun.

We have some good news for you however: Athens

2011 has set the foundations for your EYP jour-

ney to continue. This is just the beginning. It is up to

you - and only you - to choose if you’ll take advan-

tage of all you’ve learned here in Greece. We invite you

to discover even further what EYP has to offer to you.

Hold on to all you’ve gained in Athens 2011 and allow

yourselves to walk along the path this journey offers.

So here’s to those that are dead and gone

The friends that I loved dear

And here’s to you and I’ll bid you adieu

Saying Donegal Danny’s been here my boys,

Donnegal Danny’s been here.

Irish song

7Athanatos

“Growing, giving and receiving”Mikaela “Ερμιόνη – Hermione” Kantor and Sophie “Μήδεια – Medea” Debruner Hall plan on sunbathing in France this summer

Looking back at the Opening

Ceremony speeches, the ambas-

sador for the French delegation,

Guillaume Bodson, will remain in

our memories as charming but per-

haps a little overwhelmed due to

enthusiasm as he stayed hazy on

the details of Grenoble ‘11, the 67th

International Session of the EYP.

Allow us to pick up where he left off.

The session in Grenoble is a summer

session, therefore a session avail-

able for all International Session

alumni. That’s you. As a partici-

pant of a Spring International

Session, you can take part in the

two Summer Sessions which follow:

Grenoble this Augustand Tallinn in

2012. What this means is that you

have the opportunity to attend one

more International Session before

your new academic year begins.

Needless to say, Grenoble will be a

wonderful opportunity not only to

be reunited with your colleagues

from Athens, but also to meet new

people, other participants of the

International sessions from Helsinki,

Tromso (though they are rela-

tively few!), Lviv and Lillehammer.

For the most part, the session struc-

ture will be familiar. Teambuilding,

Committee Work, General Assembly,

Eurovillage, Euroconcert, Farewell.

Nonetheless, each International

Session is unique, not only because

of the huge diversity in participants

but also from the Head Organisers’

vision (Lacina Kone and Anne

Charlotte Oriol for Grenoble). The IS

in Grenoble will be held in not one,

not two but three French cities from

the 14th to the 24th of July 2011.

If you feel that you missed anything

in Athens, whether it was not par-

ticipating - or parting - enough,

Grenoble is your chance. Summer

Sessions are widely known to be more

relaxed and yet of a higher quality

since the participants are experienced.

No more timidity, no more warm-

ups needed as delegates get into the

swing of things. Just the height of

the International EYP experience.

You will hear from the EYP/HSS

in Berlin shortly after Athens

with details about registering for

the session. In the meantime go to

www.pejfrance.org and get excited!

8 Athanatos

A God’s perspective

Boaz “Οδυσσέα̋ – Odysseus” Manger and Justus “Χίμαιρα – Chimera” Goettemann visit Mount Olympus in their quest to explore what drives Zeus

Only about a day left before the usual

routine kicks off again. As you all

return home and reconnect to the

worldwide web, Facebook will be your

first port of call. All of you will add,

confirm, reject hundreds of “friends”

trying to stay in touch, keep in the

EYP loop or simply look more popu-

lar. Hamed Mobasser has his issues

with that. As much as the President

of this International Session loves the

benefits the internet and Facebook

create for our social lives, for him

they fall short of grasping EYP in its

full dimension. No doubt, Hamed, a

self-proclaimed computer nerd and

lover of virtual games, will have

nothing against the obscene amounts

of social procrastination that you

will all engage in. But the final-year

Belgian law student, who is looking

into a career in diplomacy or pub-

lic policy, has always attributed a

higher importance to the potential of

forming strong friendships in EYP.

Of course, already attending his 11th

International Session and about to

conclude a landmark chapter of his

international EYP life that started

in Durham in 2004, Hamed has not

always thought quite like that. He

started off EYP with a desire to

perfect his rhetorical skills through

debating. “The more it went on how-

ever, I realized how much more EYP

became about the people and the great

friendships I have kept.” Thus, while

his demands to have high-quality

discussions and meaningful resolu-

tions still remain a substantial part of

his idea of EYP, the friendship side of

our organisation has rapidly grown

in his appreciation. “EYP is different

from any normal university debating

club, for instance in the sense that

they are not primarily about getting

to know people,” Hamed differenti-

ates. The human/individual aspects

the/a session structure brings to

every session gathering are unique

to EYP and the fact that individu-

als have to speak for themselves

and not for their country promote

a much higher level of enthusi-

asm and teamwork at EYP sessions.

9Athanatos

A God’s perspective

Reflecting on the almost seven years,

our President, a passionate cinefil

who regrets not having gone to study

at film school, asserts that the most

meaningful aspect for him has been

to support this uniqueness of EYP. In

his opinion, a relaxed environment

where people dare to debate freely,

ultimately has great potential to cre-

ate high educational value for the

participants. EYP and education is

definitely a crucial point for Hamed.

To him however this does not only

mean to promote knowledge of the

topic issues and Europe as a whole.

Peoples’ skills and the parliamentary

routine of a session face the partici-

pants with even bigger challenges and

have a incomparably higher potential

to instil a passion and enthusiasm

into people that will put them in

position where they are unable to

describe their experience at an IS to

outsiders. Being an ambitious and

highly thoughtful EYPer, Hamed has

strived to realise his vision on many

levels within EYP, most notably by

head-organising the International

Summer Session in Leuven 2009.

His appreciation for his friendships

in EYP also shows in his vision on

the course of EYP. Having expe-

rienced EYP in every possible role

has given Hamed a comprehensive

understanding of its structure. This

knowledge has led him to the strong

belief that EYP should be an organi-

sation in which every participant has

something to say. Hamed strongly

opposes over-regulation within EYP,

as he feels it limits the input of the

participants, which once again is the

best thing about EYP as he sees it.

Leuven 2009 proved to be a stepping

stone in this philosophy. “As a head

organiser you go into a session with

very specific ideas but then have to

adjust them to the rules that EYP

imposes. If we had too many rules,

people would not be able to shape

the organisation in a way that allows

them to benefit from it as much as

possible,” the Belgian-Iranian EYPer

argues. For him, EYP is based on

young people, volunteers giving up

their free time. It is not a business

that should be regulated according

to industrial standards, but rather

a pulsating collective of youngsters

whose members are meant to con-

tribute and gain to equal extents. As

such, EYP is unique in existence as

opposed to programmes like MUN.

When Hamed applied to preside

Athens 2011, he thus envisioned set-

ting into action exactly these plans

and thus far, he feels like he has

successfully realised this philosophy.

Obviously, Hamed realises that

Athens will only be the starting point

for many of you and that, given he is

at the end of his involvement in EYP,

he will only have a limited influence

on what you take from it. EYP derives

a lot of its drive from the many ses-

sions people look forward to all year

round. As this International Session

will have been your first experience

with EYP internationally, it is akin to

a handshake or a ‘Hello’ to a stranger

in a crammed bar. You don’t really

get to know the person you’re talking

to. It is not until you have had a beer

and a long talk with a person that you

get to know them properly. EYP func-

tions in much the same way: Athens

can be seen as an introduction to EYP

but to really, truly appreciate the

EYP experience you will have to take

the time to make that long conver-

sation. Therefore, Hamed encourages

you all to apply to Grenoble. Grenoble

could be that long conversation that

starts a lasting friendship with EYP.

Hamed hopes that after this ses-

sion you will not be able to describe

the experiences you had to your

friends. The way he sees it, a good

EYP experience is indescribable.

10 Athanatos

11Athanatos

12 Athanatos

This morning we had the privilege

of briefly interviewing three of the

guest speakers at the opening of

General Assembly, namely Spyros

Nikolaou, President and Head of

Southeast Mediterranean of Ericsson,

Werner Wnendt, Director General

for Culture and Communication

of the German Federal Foreign

Office and Elvira Kovàcs, Member

of the Parliamentary Assembly of

the Council of Europe. We ques-

tioned them separately on a variety

of topics ranging from e-democracy

and its implications in society to

youth initiatives such as EYP and

young people’s role in the commune.

“Technology plays a very important

role because it connects people, allows

people to share ideas and at the same

time it makes more efficient and

effective governance” states Spyros

Nikolaou. This is particularly rel-

evant when observing recent events

in Egypt and Tunisia, as Werner

Wnendt brought up with regards to

the importance of technology. “The

world is changing and of course

democracy is using instruments. I

think the modern technology, inter-

active networks, social networks and

the internet do play an important

role in promoting changes whereas

to build a democracy it requires

more than just modern technology,

it requires political parties, organi-

sations.” Who quoted? Following on

from this, Elvira Kovàcs later raised

the issue of older generations fall-

ing behind and having less interest

in the role and potential benefits

of using technology in the demo-

cratic process: “It is something new

as innovations are always good but

unfortunately … in the national par-

liament back home in Serbia I can tell

you that we are working a lot on this

issue but still 30-40% of older MPs

do not want to get involved in this.”

We also questioned Werner Wnendt

about his opinion on current relations

between Germany and Greece. He

emphasised the solid basis on which

this relationship is founded, refer-

ring to their mutual membership of

the EU but also highlighted the need

for continuous, clear communication.

“There have been irritations obviously

but this is something we can deal with,

with many meetings between politi-

cians and people from both countries.

I had the chance to talk to the presi-

dent of the Hellenic Parliament who

just returned from a visit to Berlin,

this is another issue that you have

to communicate what is going on in

Europe. Of course member states of

the EU do have interests which do not

always coincide therefore informa-

tion and transparency is necessary.”

One aspect we can draw from this

is that his participation in our ses-

sion was not only of great benefit

to us, but also of use to him. LIKE!!!

“[EYP] brings together people from

many different cultures” says Spyros

Nikolaou when asked his opinion on

the importance of such youth ini-

tiatives. Mr Wnendt continues on

the same wavelength: “I think it is

the best thing I have come across

for quite some time now because we

really do need to engage young people

about the idea, the concept of Europe.

This is in history the most impor-

tant peace process we have seen, the

European integration process but it

was not given by God, by heaven. It

is something we have to work for.

That is sometimes forgotten.” As the

Director of the Committee on Culture,

Science and Education within the

Council of Europe Elvira Kovàcs fre-

quently visits youth organisations

in order to establish a connection

and mutually exchange ideas. ‘It

is always good for young people to

gather, to organise from all coun-

tries because this is the right way

to get more power.’ We are proud to

say that both Werner Wnendt and

Elvira Kovàcs were impressed by the

wide range of topics covered in EYP.

Finally, we asked Ms Kovàcs for some

last advice on how young people can

stay involved in politics today: “First

of all you have to love this kind of

job. I started when I was 18, I got

involved with different informal

trainings, then I became a trainer and

started to work with young people

from my party. One day they asked

me to be a journalist just because I

was young and a woman…everyone

was surprised, I was 25 when I got

into parliament, so you just have to

fight and work as much as possible.”

Overall, all three of the speakers

we interviewed promoted the use of

technology as an innovative and for-

ward-thinking means to strengthen

the communication within a demo-

cratic society. They appreciate youth

for the same reason, as a commu-

nication method through which to

convey ideas. They therefore encour-

age all young people to be active and

welcome initiatives such as EYP

for fostering such participation.

Hellenic experts K a t a r i n a “ Α τ α λ ά ν τ η – A t a l a n t a ” W a r g a n d G e n “ Κ υ ρ ή ν η – C y r e n e ” S h o r t h o u s e i n t e r v i e w t h r e e o f y e s t e r d a y m o r n i n g ’ s s p e a k e r s .

13Athanatos

B E FO R E T H E E N D

Irina “Ανδροµέδα – Andromeda” Gadaeva and Tim “Λερναία Ύδρα

– Lernanean Hydra” Keegtsra gather your final

words before departure.

“It’s ok, I’ll live.”

Julia Fahy, CULT

“Really liked committee work

and general assembly”

Vallette - AFCO II

“A bit sad that it is ending.”

Oliver Slattery, ENVI

“Surreal; the end is nearing.”

Hendrik Wittock, IMCO

Slowly but steadi ly the 66th

International Session of the European

Youth Parliament in Athens is com-

ing to an end. Even though your

future steps within the EYP may

have not been decided upon, you will

be welcomed with warm greetings in

every country that has EYP, because

of the new friends you have made.

Therefore, there is no need for long-

lasting sadness. Through some words

spoken by your fellow delegates on

this final goodbye, we would like to

conclude this memorable event.

Even though sadness is not truly

needed, it is a natural reaction to your

parting from newly made friends. As

Maximiliaan Michert (DEVE) made

apparent through his words, “I

couldn’t sleep last night, because I had

bad dreams about the session ending”.

This may be an extreme, because

most delegates actually combine

their sadness with sleep. Igor Kalota

(SEDE) told us that even though he

feels grief, he is looking forward to

finally getting some sleep. Similarly,

Jan Steinnietz (DROI) said he was

really sad, “but sleep is always good.”

Additionally, Colin Hablutzel (INTA)

contributed that he wished his whole

life would be like this session. Some

already found smart ways of delaying

their parting from this international

session. Upon being asked about

departure, Elien Verstraeten (ENVI)

happily answered, “I don’t mind, I

will be staying in Greece for another

ten days!” However, most of us are

not as lucky as Elien, and others may

be tired due to the intensity of this

session.

The conclusive words of Marietta

Anastasopoulou, one of our Head

Organisers are:

“”

“Even though I have not met every one of you, I know all of your faces and everything anyone did. I know what has been happening in 15A, 7B, the empty committee rooms… I am really going to miss you.”

14 Athanatos EU

RO

CO

NC

ER

T

15Athanatos

I find it kinda funny,

I find it kinda sad,

time always runs in minus,

in the prep race so indistinct,

A tie, a shower, power-nap,

a part of the magic-night buzz.

I find it hard to tell you,

I find it hard to take,

these voices, filling up their spirits,

these shoes, and cloths and diamond rings,

soulful chants and electric beats.

Poems and hymns and broken strings.

All around these worn-out faces,

crispy dresses and the light between,

so soft and bright.

It’s the width of the thrill of our memory.

Should we chase the moments away or

keep the tears in our glasses,

and thrill on the skin.

The piano keys are black and white,

but they sound like a

million colors in our minds.

Composed by Liva “Κίρκη – Circe” Kreislere who was inspired by the lyrics of Euroconcert songs

16 Athanatos

Imagine no ‘Imagine’

So yes, The Beatles were the great-

est pop band of all time. John Lennon

made quite the niche for himself in

bland, meaningless pop music with

a “message”. Yes he may have been

responsible for “A Day in the Life”

but this hardly frees him from the

responsibility of having been the

man behind “Happy Xmas (War Is

Over)”, surely the most depressing

celebration of the festive period ever

committed to tape. But even this isn’t

remotely on a part with the meaning-

less twaddle that pervades “Imagine”,

a song that even Chris Martin would

reject on the grounds that the lyrics

are little more than bland platitudes.

Yet for whatever reason, this anthem

to utopia has been adopted as the

unofficial anthem of EYP, to such

an extent that at most closing cer-

emonies or farewell parties it is

wheeled out like the grandmother

of the party, for everyone to remi-

nisce with but not really listen to

what it’s saying. So does ‘Imagine’

actually mean anything to the EYP

community? Well it does to me, and

it’s not just because it is, at best, an

average song by one of the most tal-

ented musicians of the 21st century.

Perhaps that ’ s because what

“Imagine” is saying is actually rather

contradictory to what we claim to

represent in EYP. Granted all the

people may be living “as one”, but

only in a world without possessions,

religion or much else. “Imagine” may

represent a utopian dream but if

anyone were to express Lennon’s sen-

timents in any official EYP document

then surely they would be ridiculed

for being an idealistic idiot. If the

European Union portrays itself as

an organisation that fosters “unity

through diversity” how can we hap-

pily sing along to a song that seems

to call for the abolition of so many

characteristics that define both our

country and Europe? I am certain

that when we sing ‘Imagine’ at fare-

well events the majority of people are

scarcely conscious of the meaning.

I can’t imagine this article will make

the slightest bit of difference to most

people’s perceptions of “Imagine”.

Like so many songs frequently cited

amongst the greatest ever - “One” by

U2 being a prime example - Lennon’s

work is so effective because it allows

people to map their own emotions

onto the song. Perhaps “Imagine”

doesn’t really have a meaning after

all, but is so popular because it allows

people to map their own emotions

onto it, whether they be good or bad.

And for EYP this means perhaps not

considering the lyrics, but more what

we associate with “Imagine”. Just

because we hear it at so many farewell

events we instantly come to associate

it with friendships made, laughter

shared and memory experienced.

Chairperson James “Άδης - Hades” Benge transfers from the chairs team to consider whether EYP’s unofficial anthem really represents the organisation’s ideals

17Athanatos

The Acropolis in three facts

Alex “Περσέα̋ – Perseus” Narayanin encourages some sight-seeing

Sea, sun and the Acropolis. That

is how I experienced the non-EYP

Greece so far. If you are staying in

Athens for a day longer after the

session or if you have the opportu-

nity to come back to Greece, you

should definitely visit the Acropolis

and the museum down the hill.

The many architectural styles we

witness surrounding the Acropolis

lead us to believe that the area was

attractive for populations, thus many

civilizations chose to inhabit the place

and flourished, leaving behind them

relics of their taste in architecture.

The museum boasts specimens

covering 27 centuries of history,

the oldest one dating back to the

12th century BC. Many specimens

show the transition from one his-

toric period to another, a memorable

example being the vase collection of

the museum. Each period had its own

style in vases. Sometimes in this col-

lection, the Greeks give human body

parts to the vases, as a vase may have

lips, a neck, shoulders and a torso.

An interesting fact I was told while

on a guided tour is that Greek sculp-

tures used to be colourful. Although

Michael Angelo was inspired by the

Greek sculptures he forgot this detail,

and this is why his sculptures are pale,

when compared to the original ones.

Finally, the Acropolis was partially

destroyed during an invasion of

the Ottoman Turks. The Ottomans

used the Acropolis to store their

ammunition and powder. The bat-

tle that took place to claim back the

monument led to its destruction.

Good news though, the Acropolis is

being restored from the erosion that

has been caused to it during the years

and a fair part of sculptures and vases

are exposed at the museum. Being

one of the beauties of Greece, the

Acropolis is definitely worth a visit.

Ed

ito

rs: L

luis S

ole

rvice

ns (E

S), S

tam

os T

ah

as (G

R), A

dria

na

Día

z Ma

rtín

-Z

am

ora

no (E

S), E

zgi In

ce (T

R).

Article

s: P

an

ay

iotis A

taou

(CY

), Irina

Ga

da

ev

a (R

U), J

ustu

s Goette

ma

nn

(DE

), Sop

hie

Deb

run

ner H

all (C

H),

Con

or H

am

ill (IE), M

ika

ela

Ka

nto

r (CY

), Tim

Keeg

stra (N

L), L

iva

Kre

islere

(LV

), Boa

z Ma

ng

er (N

L), A

lex

an

dre

Na

ray

an

in (F

R),

Ale

x P

rocto

r (FI), G

en

ev

iev

e S

horth

ou

se (U

K), S

ini V

en

telä

(FI), K

ata

rina

Wa

rg (S

E), Z

ey

nep

Ya

vu

z (TR

).

Illu

stra

tio

ns: L

iva

Kre

islere

(LV

)