I'm still here!

It's been a while - and that's quite a euphimism. Life was too hectic and demanding and exciting and crazy to even consider things twice, much less blog about them.

But now I have some time, and some thoughts I'd like to share.

First of all, I thought about quitting this blog. It's no use having one if you don't update it regularly, and if you cannot read and comment on the adventures of your friends on the blogosphere. You have to be there, you have to make time for it. And gradually, it becomes an obsession, or at least one more thing to do, unless you want to feel guilty all the time.

We have so many obligations in our everyday lives. We have to be effective and productive at our jobs, loving and caring for our families, responsible with our hosehold chores, considerate with our neighbours. There are things that need to be done - yesterday, if possible. Important stuff but also trivial ones, that tend to bug as all the time and fill us with guilt about neglecting them.

Having responsibilities is good. It means you have a life for yourself and gets you going. But being buried under a great pile of "to do-s" and not enjoying the ride is a crime. It only means that you're wasting your time doing nothing but worrying.

I started this blog because I love writing. It has always helped me clear my mind and relax. Truthfully, obsessing about my posts, my comments and my followers does not relax me one bit. However, the answer is not to stop writing, but to stop worrying. As a result, I won't be quitting the blog - I will be quitting the need to be there more than I really want to. I will be quitting the guilt.

Secondly, I thought about creating another blog, a new one. I am a totally different person now than the one I was last year. My life and "hers" look nothing alike. Don't get me wrong, I haven't fugured out as much stuff as I would want to, I am still goofy and make wonderful mistakes. You can only change so much about yourself, you know. But at least now I act, rather than agonize about making a move. I walk and fall, rather than sit and wait for things to happen. Of course, it is now statistically much more easier to make mistakes, but also do things the right way.

So, a new blog for a new girl? Nah, it's no use. Because the girl is basically the same inside. Only a little stronger and more mature, but still sillly, clumsy and so soft that cries with baby food commercials. After all, this year's experiences wouldn't have happened, it it weren't for the last year's ones. Change is impossible, unless there is actually something to change. As a result, I am sticking to the same old blog.

But enough with the serious and cliche "words of wisdom". What about some things from my everyday life?

I am still at the village, of course. It's been 4 and a half months now, and I have as much time to go. I got used to my life here, and now know what I am capable of, and what I am not. I am better aware of whether I can fight or I should quit in each case.

The island is beautiful, even though it loses a great part of its charm if you take the sea and the beaches out. I still have my summer friends, and some new ones. My driving has improved, my binge eating has not. Oh, well...

It was my birthday 3 days ago - I turned 25. 25 had always seemed such an important age when I was younger. I had always thought that, by that time, I would have created the life I had always wanted. I would be succesful and happy, with a great job, a great family, great looks and great hobbies.

This is all cr@o, of course. Not only because it is impossible. Life is too complicated to sort it out that easily. After all, if you have everything at 25, what's the point in living for at least another half of a century? But mainly because, when you blow your candles at 25, you realise that the life you had dreamt of at 12, 18 or 20 does not resemble the life you want now one bit.

Things change, people change, we ourselves change. Sometimes it is painful, but generally it is okay. Even if a certain situation appears to be worse after that, change itself makes it possible to turn things over again - and again - and again.

My Christmas was ok. For the first time ever, I worked through Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and the day after, but it was okay. I was able to take a week off after that, and by Day 3 I was bored and wanted to get back! Yeah, I am a freak, but you knew that already.

Oh, one more thing I forgot to tell you. I kinda sort of fell in love...

WHAT? Well, yes, it happened when I least expected it - as always. I am at a really good place right now, more relaxed and happy (in fact so calm that my parents suspected I did drugs when they saw me during the holidays, or that I became a part of some weird paganistic clan!). No, it is all natural, and I will write more on a future post.

Until then, I will enjoy myself, and I advise you to do the same. Laugh, go out, dance, have some drinks, read a great book, watch an amazing movie, make love or take a long walk, whatever YOU want really. As long as you have fun. See ya!

What I am supposed to do

So... I'm back! Thanks for the warm welcome, people. I started catching up with your blogs and reading about your adventures. As for me, I'm doing fine. I had a new haircut

and got used to driving my new car, "Tempeh" (pre-bumps and scratches picture)

But what about my new job?

Well, it's been 2 months since I started working at the village. Is treating patients as rewarding as I thought it would be? Well... no. Am I missing the good ol' Mytilene days? Um... yes. Have I regretted staying here and throwing a perfectly good job opportunity away? Hmm... no. Not just yet.

To be honest, being the village doctor hasn't turned out to be exactly what I had imagined. But before I can share stories from my everyday life, it is necessary to talk a little about where I work, what I am supposed to do and what I am actually doing.

We are sharing a practice with one more village doctor (actually a fellow student of mine from the university of Crete, who applied for the same position as me by sheer chance!!!) and a nurse. Each doctor has her own office, with a desk and an examination bed and there is also a small kitchen, a toilet and a waiting room for the patients.

Things we CAN do at our practice:

• Measure blood pressure (and deal with an emergency hypertasic crisis) and blood glucose levels. Also, perform a urine stick test to diagnose or rule out an infection, for example.


• Perform a clinincal exam and treat illnesses that are not life threatening, such as a common cold, a mild pneumonia or a case of gastrenteritis.


• Give CPR in case of an emergency, stabilise and monitor the patient, until an ambulance arrives and takes him/her to the hospital.


• Do stitches and perform minimally invasive procedures, such as change a bandage/dressing, a permanent urine catheter or treat wounds/burns.


• Give vaccines when indicated.


• Refill resident doctors' prescriptions.


• Inform the village population on various topics (for example, what the swine flu is and what measures should be taken).


• Verify death and write certificates in case of natural causes.

Our practice is open from 08:30 to 14:00. After that, one of the three available doctors is on call (the third one doesn't work at the practice in the mornings, but at the local mental facility) and the other two get to leave. Being on call means that your mobile phone number is available to everybody, and they can call you in case of emergency. So, if something urgent happens, you have to open the practice and examine that certain patient, or go to his/her home if he/she is unable to move or to the site of the accident if something like that happens.

Things we CAN'T do:

• Give Xrays and blood exams. No such equipment is available.


• In cases of chronic illnesses, prescribe medication for the first time. If a person suffers from asthma or high blood pressure, for example, we are not eligible to plan their treatment. They should consult a specialist, who decides the drugs the patient should get. After the treatment is set, we have the right to refill the patients' drugs when they run out. But again, if changes should be made to the initial medication, only specialists have the right to make them.


• Deal with life-threatening illnesses, such as meningitis, severe pneumonia or pulmonary embolism.


• Prescribe drugs or give vaccines to children - a pediatrician should be consulted.


• Give death certificates if cause of death is unknown.

All of this does sound pretty neat. Basically, our role is that of general practicioners. Taking in mind that villages mostly consider of elderly people, who are unable to travel long distances and go to the hospital at Mytilene, we are there to help them.

Or so we thought when applying.

To know what really happened, stay tuned for my next post! I wouldn't want to bore you with more medical stuff for now, plus I got a call for a patient, just when I had put my pajamas on.

Look who's here!

Hey, remember me?

...

You do, don't you?

Well, if I seem even remotely familiar, it's me, Gracey. The crazy Greek girl who is trying to become a doctor, a cook, a friend and a normal person in general - and not always with success.

The Internet gods temporarily managed to keep me away, but ha ha ha! (insert satanic laughter here) I'm baaaaack! All set with a brand new wifi at home, and full of stories. Interesting stories (mostly), funny ones or thought-provoking. But they are my own stories, they're all true, and I wanna share them with you.

So if you're out there, and you are so weird that you wanna hear more from me, just say the word.

If you can't figure out who the hell I am and what I am talking about, you can ignore me or get to know me better through my posts.

Oh, and one last thing:

I missed you, guys. Each and every one of you. A LOT.

A quick update...

This time my absence was completely unavoidable. My first week of working at the village has ended, and it has been frightening, chaotic and hard! Having to be the one that MAKES the decisions for the patients' treatment, rather than the one who simply observes things happening, is really terrifying and it requires a lot of guts... and responsibility... and knowledge... and empathy... and I am working on all four.

I don`t know when I`ll be able to post again, since there is no internet connection at the village and I am on call almost every day (meaning I can`t leave and go to Mytilene, of course!) so it may be a while. Nevertheless, I will be thinking of all of you, and I´ll keep stalking and commenting on your news and life adventures, as soon as the Internet gods give me the chance.

By the way, I am now in Germany for the weekend, and having a lot of fun! :) But more news in the future! Take care and enjoy yourselves as much as possible!

My timeline

My blog friend Willoughby had this amazing idea for a blog post the other day, regarding a past and future timeline. Many followed her example, and now it is my turn to do so.

29th August, 2009 - 24 years old: I am in Mytilene, having finished the trimester of training as an agricultural doctor. Today I finally found a place to stay (yay!), and I am anxious about Monday, the first day to start working on my own, with real patients to treat. My summer has been amazing, having done a lot of fun stuff and having met many interesting people. I am a little worried about next week, when I'll fly to Germany to visit Ernesto. I wonder how I will feel after seeing him, and what his own reaction will be...

29th August, 2008 - 23 years old: I really should have been preparing myself for the final 2 exams I need to take, in order to graduate in September, but I haven't. I am bored sick, and thinking only of vacation. Ernesto and I had an amazing time on our trip to Berlin, but now I am back in Heraklion, feeling miserable and nervous. I don't know which specialty to choose, and I really don't want to go to Germany to start a residency, as Ernesto suggests. I really, trully, don't want to do it. My mother moves to Germany, to work as a teacher there, and my father anxiously awaits his papers to come, in order to join her with my younger brother. It turns out that they will spend 3 months apart, which will be a painful process for all of us.

29th August, 2007 - 22 years old: I am really excited - Ernesto and I will be moving to Prague for 4 months, for an ERASMUS scholarship! We'll have a great time there, and we'll manage to visit many European cities. Our vacation to Barcelona has been traumatic (I was robbed for the first time) but 'colourful' and fun as well. I am also planning our wedding for next year, which will not take place in the end. I don't know it yet, but his parents will break my heart when asking him to not marry me and break up with me. Nevertheless, we will stay together. Also, I will decide not to take the Radiology exam in September, which will be a terrible mistake, and will lead me to graduate 3 months later than expected. This year my grandmother will follow my grandfather to Heaven (or wherever it is that we go after) and oddly, her going exactly one year after him, will seem to make perfect sense.

29th August, 2006 - 21 years old: I am now in Norway, on a HELMSIC scholarship, working as a Pathologist. It is the first month I am spending away from Ernesto since we got together, but oddly, I am enjoying myself. The working conditions here are amazing, and I am experiencing a non-stress working environment for the first time in my life. I am meeting a lot of interesting people, of different nationalities, and doing many stuff I'd never thought I would do (like climbing on a glacier, or swimming when the water temperature is 4 degrees C!) This is the last year my grandfather will be spending with us, and I will not get to see him before he goes, which will result in me suffering from guilt for the years to come.

29th August, 2003 - 18 years old: This is the first summer Ernesto and I will spend together as a couple. We will have a crappy weekend vacation in Chania, but it won't bother us much. We have Phoebs in our home for a month now, and she is naughtier than ever. Eventually, she will calm down and be the perfect dog, but she will chew on many shoes, flip flops, sheets, towels and even cables, until she gets there! Ernesto thinks that she will be a temporary guest in our apartment, but she will end up being with me longer than he himself will! My parents are moving back to Trikala, but I am not surprised.

29th August, 2002 - 17 years old: I have just found out that I will not be studying Greek literature in Athens, which I originally had applied for, but Medicine in Crete! This is a great surprise, and I am worried sick! I don't want to go there - it seems too far away, and I am not sure I even want to study Medicine! Meanwhile, my parents are moving to Athens, after living in Trikala for 10 years. In about a month, I will meet Ernesto, and I will fall in love with him.

29th August, 2001 - 16 years old: I have just finished the first set of exams for the university (2 years total) and my grades are outstanding. Our family vacations in Naxos have been amazing, as always - but I discovered something shocking: I am not eligible to apply for a translator/guide/ambassador place at the University of Corfu, as I had aspired! What will I do now? Nothing else seems to interest me, and I will definitely not apply for Greek literature, like my parents! Maybe choosing the "theoretical" branch of studies was not so clever, after all... If I had chosen differently, I could even have applied for Medicine. Medicine! How cool would that be?

29th August, 2000 - 15 years old: I am preparing for the final 2 years of high school, which will end up in two sets of exams. I have chosen the "theoretical" branch of studies, partly because I think I hate Math (I end up loving it), and partly because I want my father to teach me at home, rather than spending half of my day at private tuition. I want to be an interpreter/guide/ambassador, after studying at the University of Corfu. My social life is suffering hard, but at least I have my best friend to rely on. I don't know it yet, but once high school ends, our friendship will end too, and on the worst terms possible.

29th August, 1999 - 14 years old: This has been a most tiring year. After finishing top of my class, while getting 2 degrees in English and 1 in Italian and playing at a piano recital, I feel exhausted. I just wanna have a little fun instead. I decide not to take up so many things next year, and I end up being a TV addict and gaining 10 lbs! This is the last summer I will be spending with my 2 best friends from high school.

29th August, 1993 - 8 years old: We are moving away from Crete and going back to Trikala, and I am devastated! I don't want to go again - and I will miss all of my new friends. On February I will have a little brother, Alex - and he will be a major pain in the @ss, but I will love him like crazy too.

29th August, 1992 - 7 years old: We are leaving Trikala, to go to Crete! I don't want to go - I feel sick of moving all the time. I desperately ask for a pet, but all I get is a snail! My sister gives me chicken pox on the day that I am supposed to go to a dress up party, and I secretely fantacize murdering her as a revenge! LOL

29th August, 1991 - 6 years old: After spending 3 years in Athens, we are moving to Trikala. It will be fun to know my father's side of the family a little better. My grandparents are weird, and speak a dialect I don't understand, but they seem to be nice people and give me and my little sister sweets all the time. This year I realise I love my sister after all. We play a lot out in the open, and do all sorts of nasty things!

29th August, 1988 - 3 years old: We are now living in Athens. I miss Crete a lot. My little sister is nearly a month old. I am crazy jealous of her, and I can't understand why we need her at all! She is obnoxious, she has no teeth, she cries all the time and my parents seem to be spending all of their time with her and not me! This is the first year I go to kindergarten. Or I am supposed to go, at least. Because, for some weird reason, I contract every disease there is out there, and spend every single day in bed with a fever! Finally, I am having my tonsils removed and things seem to go a little better. And by the way, eating ice cream with a sore throat after the operation is NO fun at all! This is actually the first time ever someone forces me to eat ice cream, and I refuse!

29th August, 1986 - 2 years old: We move to Chania with my parents, and I enjoy myself immensely. Next year I will learn how to read, and I will discover a new, magical world. I love watching cartoons with my dad, going to the zoo and eating all sorts of weird stuff (like lambs' brains, oysters and intestines soup). My mother claims I am the most outgoing baby on Earth. One day, she is shocked to find out that I creep out of the apartment after my dad goes to sleep, visit the local bookstore and pick new books (of course I don't pay for them, because I don't even know what money is!). After that, the whole neighbourhood is on "baby watch" - they keep an eye on me for my safety, but without me ever knowing about it. I still wander about casually, and discover interesting things day by day.

29th August, 1985 - a few months old: My parents graduate from the university of Rethymnon. My first months of life have been extraordinary, with students taking turns into babysitting me, and my mom feeding me while attending political gatherings. I get used to being around many people, and enjoy being in the centre of attention.

29th August, 1984: My mom is 4 months pregnant with me. I don't know why, but they decided to keep me, even though both my parents are students. Also, 4 days ago, they got married. They will regret this in the end (the marriage process itself, not them being together), but at least they won't regret keeping me. I am still only a tiny mass in my mom's uterus, but I am grateful.

So that's it, guys! I hope you enjoyed my timeline - I sure did! I will come back with my future timeline as well at some point.

Some bad news

My not having posted for a while now is no news, nor something that needs an elaborate explanation: It was simply a result of enjoying the last days of the summer, and also the last days of the best trimester of my life so far.

As I have explained before, I will be working as an agricultural doctor in Lesvos for a whole year. The first 3 months are spent in Mytilene, where each one of us is trained at the hospital here. After this educational trimester ends, we are to move to our village of choice (the one we applied for 6 months ago) and actually start working.

I guess that my everyday life at the village will be interesting, challenging, funny and with a few surprises. I promise to share my experiences, good and bad, along the way. But until Monday 31st, my first day at work as a "real" doctor, I am still a trainee.

A trainee not being trained, actually - but this is for another future post. But as a result of the flexible hours and the everything-but-intensive schedule, I have lots of free time. Free time to make friends, swim, sunbathe, watch interesting movies (or cr@ppy ones - it doesn't matter, as long as you have good company!), play board games, enjoy long drives in my car (and occasionally create a new bump or two), drink yummy cocktails and gain 100 pounds by enjoying the local cuisine! In short, free time to have fun.

Somewhere along the way, I feel the annoying presence of guilt for not studying, and not being 100% dedicated to my job. But you know what? In my 24 years of life, I can't remember myself having much fun. It was always a race, a competition - I had to give my best, I had to be the best. And after going through the incredibly painful process of Greek exams, upon entering Med school, I discovered that I had been cheated - where was all the "fun" I was promised, right after the exam torment had ended? Not only things were not "fun", they were even harder then! In fact, I had to study more than ever before!

And I did. And I will, until the very last day of my life. Because Medicine requires true dedication, and it is a science that always evolves. There are no givens, and no golden rules. Everything we take for granted now, may change tomorrow. So we must always be up-to-date.

So, for the last 3 months, I decided to tell my guilt to shut it and go away. It was one of my very few opportunities to have fun, and I promised myself to take it. And I did. And it was amazing!

But today, I feel awful. I know, it is ok to be a little sorry that the trimester is ending, and also a little (or a lot!) terrified that starting Monday, I will be responsible for real, flesh and bones, people.

However, the reason for my bad mood is a bit more practical. There is a problem with my accomodation at the village. I was going to rent an appartment there for 9 months, and started looking for one with my colleague, a while back (we agreed to not stay together, for various reasons, so we had to find one for each). There had to be good heating, because the village is on the top of a mountain and it is cold in the winter, and since it was for 9 months only, it would be better if they were already furnished (because after 18395 moves, dragging my furniture across the other end of Greece was not an option).

We searched a lot, and found only 2 suitable places. My colleague and I liked the same one, but I decided it was just not worth fighting for, so I went for the other. She herself closed the deal with hers, and today I phoned the owner of "mine", in order to agree on some last details.

But guess what? The owner decided that she won't accept me, because I have a dog! I was furious! Don't get me wrong, it is TOTALLY her right not to want pets at her property. However, we had talked about this TWICE before, and she had said there was no problem whatsoever! Not only did she not need convincing, but she seemed more than ok with Phoebs.

And today, 4 days before my move and while we had unofficially agreed and I had stopped searching for something else, she decided against us! I did not see that coming - and I am wondering what to do now.

I asked again, and there are no other accomodation options at the village that suit my needs. So, my only 2 options are: 1) Rent an unfurnished appartment and spend a small fortune (which I lack at the moment) equipping it for a stay of just 9 months - not to add the need to transfer every single piece in my tiny car, because having the shop move it is not possible, or 2) Rent an appartment in Mytilene, and go back and forth every single day, driving in potentially dangerous roads, with snow and ice in the winter (not to mention also spending a small fortune on gas).

I am really frustrated right now, and feel that I am out of time. Also, next weekend I will be off to Germany (I'll share the details in another post) and will have no time to deal with all this, so the pressure of finding a solution fast is overwhelming.

I know it's not possible to help me from so far away (and I am sure that, not knowing the specific details of the accomodation process, it all sounds Greek to you! LOL) but you can at least send me your good vibes and wishes for a viable solution. Or you can try voodoo on the owner for being so inconsistent and untrustworthy. Whichever suits you best...

Where have you been, young lady?????!!!!!

I know, I know - I am a terrible blogger. I write less posts than Paris Hilton wears undies, so I get it if you don't want to hang out at my place any more.

To my defence, I haven't had an internet connection for several weeks. But honestly, that's not reason enough. Because I could have gone on a crusade and done whatever needed to be done, never stopping, never getting tired, until I found a way to post. My mom doesn't call me a stubborn mule for no reason. I could have done it... had I been focused.

But alas, I were anything but focused. But hey, don't blame me and my wandering mind. Don't blame the hospital and the hard work, or the merciless sun, or the occassional fling either (for the record, there hasn't been any of the latter! :( ) My friends, if you need to blame somebody / something, blame the water.

The crystal, refreshing, gorgeous water of the beaches of Mytilene. I have actually been more of a dolphin than a human for the last weeks. Ok, the glittering sand, the breathtaking landscapes, the fun company and the delicious cocktails served at beach bars rule also, but the water is something else.

And to prove this to you, this is where I have been for the last weeks:

1) Eresos: My favourite beach in the whole island (located a little over 1 1/2 hours from Mytilene). Several kilometers of white sand, crystal clean water, a laid-back atmosphere and friendly people are all it takes to feel at home. Seriously, Eresos is the most relaxing place in the whole world for me so far.

2) Agios Isidoros: Time for a dive in a "Blue Lagoon" scenery. The colours of the water are amazing, and the white pebbles are ideal for those who are not very fond of sand.

3) Agios Ermogenis: If you want to find the best beach there is, while staying at a close proximity to Mytilene, look no futher. Once you enjoy the panoramic view of the beach, you will be hooked - one glance will be enough to fall in love with it! Also, the unique scenery with the pine trees virtually getting into the sea and the little white church up the hill will add to your infatuation.

4) Faneromeni: Not for the weak of heart. Located near Sigri, the westernmost part of the island, Faneromeni is rarely calm. Instead, it is windy, wild, deserted and non-organised. It almost makes you feel unwanted there. Unfortunately, most passionate love stories start with contempt and rejection - and before you realise it, you will keep coming back for more!

5) Anaxos: This is the best beach in the northern part of the island. Anaxos is a strange story indeed. While being organised, with umbrellas and water sports, family - oriented and surrounded by cafes and restaurants, the water is still crystal clean and manages to enchant beach snobs like myself. I don't know how it does it, but every time I go there, I greatly enjoy it.

This is my top 5 of the beaches of Lesvos so far. But the list doesn't stop here. Charamida, Ksampelia, Vatera, Molyvos, Eftalou, Chroussos are all amazing beaches too. And the best part? I have many more to discover!

So there, enjoy some pictures of the aforementioned beaches. I hope you like them, and they make up for the hiatus my blog is going through every now and then.

Or instead, you can hate me for making you jealous and decide to follow me never again. Oh, cr@p!