Random Thoughts LXXXII

Today, London’s temperature has been reminiscent of Athens in late May or early June.

Warm days, slightly chilly nights.

What I miss the most about my hometown is strolls bathed in moonlight, breathing the city in, being an observer of the microcosm that late-night Athens is.

I don’t think I’ll ever love a city as much again, with such passion, such unbearable longing, such tenderness… And, at the same time, dreading visiting for too long, or becoming Athenian full-time again.

My feelings for Athens are as confusing and conflicting, as Athens itself is riddled with antithesis and contradictions:

Ancient and modern, wise and impulsive, pretty and ugly, resilient and clumsy.

That’s her core and her beauty.

Καληνύχτα Αθήνα μου.

Another London Flatshare Disaster

It's been sometime since the last time I wrote here about my housing situation in London.

So far, most flatshares and houseshares have been a shitshow, and that's due to a combination of house/flatmates behaviour and landpersons' exploitation of tenants.

You see, London is a very popular place.

There is an insane demand for accommodation, but not an enough supply. Hence why, landpersons can -and do- exploit (potential) tenants' desperation.

If you want to read my previous accommodation drama you can do it here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Now, let's talk about my current s(h)ituation.

In December, my partner and I moved into a flatshare. We had been told there will be seven of us in a five-bedroom flat. There were two bathrooms (a tiny one and a larger one), no living room and the kitchen was tiny, without any windows. The room had a bed, a small couch, a mini-fridge, two wardrobes, a tv (basic channels) and a chest of drawers. Size wise it'd be ok for one person, but not great for two. Of course, it was very expensive.

One of the fridges in the kitchen wasn't working when we moved in. Oh well, it's London. Quality of life here isn't that great. So we had to make do.

• The landpersons' first lie was that counting my partner and I, there would be seven of us in the house. We were eight.

• Then, we saw random people coming in and out of the house, and after some digging found out one of the rooms had been set up as an AirbnB. We had not been informed prior. After a few days, thankfully, someone moved in permanently.

• A few weeks ago we were told by the flatmates next door that they have a B'n'B contract, which isn't what we have. So not all tenants have the same type of contract. Hmmmm....

• A couple of weeks after the coronavirus lockdown happened in UK, one of our flatmates disappeared. We were told by the landlords that he left and his room was available, so if we had any friends to tell them they could move in. Amidst the coronavirus outbreak they wanted to bring new people to the flat. By the way the guy who left didn't tell any of us he was leaving. We didn't even hear him clear his kitchen cupboard. Three weeks later someone moved in his room, and we suspect his girlfriend moved in as well, but was hiding.

• Interestingly enough, we were told by the flatmates who have been in the flat the longest (eight months), that no one ever stays in the flat for over a year. I wonder why...

• We also recently found out -by accident- that the landpersons we've met are not the actual landpersons! They are managing the property. We have no clue who the owner is, and we don't even know if we are subletting from the 'managers,' because they're not clarifying the situation. 

• And to top it all off, after I did some digging, I discovered that even though this flat is classified as an HMO (house in multiple occupation) it has not been registered as such to the local council. Which of course is illegal as fuck. They probably don't even have a permit to have as many people in the house.

• Lastly, our flat is the only one in the estate that has had the kitchen converted to a bathroom and a single bedroom and then, had part of the living room turned into the kitchen and another part turned into a bedroom. Dodgy af?

Update 1 (March):

So much has happened! I confirmed our 'Managers' are breaching many laws (from health and safety to housing).
One of my flatmates has already reported them and I'm considering doing the same at some point.
Two more people moved in, as the couple downstairs moved out. They work as delivery drivers, they do not wash their hands when they return home, and they do not self isolate or wear masks when in the kitchen (our only communal area).
As I am immunocompromised, I am rather stressed by this turn of events!

I will keep on updating this list the more things come up. I truly hope nothing else comes up though. Having to deal with this during quarantine is not optimal. 

I'm not even mentioning the drama between housemates to be honest. I've seen it all before, so I can't be bothered.

My partner and I have already started looking for another place.

Wish us luck!

Update 2 (April): 

A flat in the building next to ours was on fire this morning (around 4am).

Thankfully, -from what I've gathered- no one was inside at the time, and the fire didn't spread. But the whole flat is destroyed. The most popular hypothesis is that it was due to the old electrics of the building. We live in a Council Estate, and I'm sure you know how terribly built they are. Cheap materials, really old cables and no health and safety in place. It is very scary to think this could happen to anyone any time, and all of your belongings, or even worse your life, could be lost within seconds. And our flat specifically has so many health and safety violations, it worries me a lot. There is a boiler between the dryer and the oven, and there's also a washing machine and a dishwasher in that same tiny kitchen.

Update 3 (May): 

Another person moved into the room next door. Fourth person to move in during the pandemic.

Update 4 (June): 

We got an eviction notice via text today. In 2 weeks we have to be out, amidst a pandemic (which is illegal of course). 

They claimed they have to hand the property back to the Agency. We still don't know if we were subletting from them.

When I requested everything in email the 'Managers' became aggressive via text and deny us information we are legally entitled to. At least we found out the name of the agency and I have contacted them about all the illegal stuff going on.

They just emailed me they have a proposal they want to discuss in person tomorrow. Let's see.

Update 5 (June):

To sum up, we spoke with the agency, a lot of shady things are going on... They gave us two options, either take over the contract, or accept to sublet from a new person.
Finally we got that on email, as they were not communicating with us via email before.

The tenants have united against them, and we will fight for our rights. 
Still not providing us with the landlord's info and other info we are entitled to, by law.

Update 6 (June):

We have spoken to a lawyer, who confirmed we are right and the 'Managers' eviction text is void, and the way they are handling the situation illegal. 
The 'Managers' are trying to avoid responding to our questions via email (even though they admitted they have not protected our Deposit via the Deposit Scheme) and want to meet in person. We informed them we are receiving legal advice and we will only meet them in person if we are allowed to record them. Let's see...

Update 7 (August):

I moved out on the 20th of July. It was an utter and complete mess! The 'Managers' realised they had fucked up, they showed up to our flat without notice, the agency got involved... In the end, we did report them to the local council, including proof etc., but we don't know what happened in the end. In the last few weeks only three to four people had remained in the flat, so it was peaceful and calm, and the 'Managers' did leave us alone once they had a final moved out day. 

Hopefully, this is the last Housing Horror Story I have to share.

Thank you for following my journey!

New house, new weirdness

Did you miss my housemate rants?

Well, now you're gonna get handyman rants (aka guy who is trusted by the landlord with all house related things and lives upstairs, who also has keys to our flat and rooms without our permission, who wants to dictate how we recycle and makes us keep our rubbish in our garden, who also has left his scooter in our kitchen for a month etc) on top of those.

Update 1:
So, last night after Clinton and I fell asleep we heard someone knocking loudly on our window. Apparently the handyman locked himself out, and instead of calling or texting his housemates (one of which is actually his best mate), he deemed it appropriate to wake Clinton and I up.
Not only did he not apologise properly when I told him he woke us up, he was also laughing.
Then he proceeded to go upstairs to break into his room and was banging and slamming to get in.
Needless to say I got so pissed off and restless I couldn't sleep until almost 2am. And now I have to go to work feeling like a zombie.

Update 2:
The housemates.

Disrespectful, not washing our stuff after they use it (we made the mistake to allow them to use our kitchen utensils), not cleaning after themselves, the guy of the couple never cleaning at all, leaving a mess in the sink, on the hob, in the oven and in the bathroom, especially after taking a shower. They also keep fighting and the girl is crying, which is very uncomfortable and upsetting.

Update 3:
So, apart from having to deal with the landlord's handyman being the rubbish police (aka forcing us to keep our rubbish in our backyard and constantly complaining about the rubbish), he now became the internet police as well!
The prick changed the router and the settings so Internet is restricted! And he blocked us from having access to the settings!
I am so fucking pissed off!
I had to use all my Greek mobile data and got charged 2 euros as well.
We paid the asshole £8 per room for wifi, even though the landlord has said it would be £2-3 per month, and we can't even use the Internet!

Update 4:
So, it's 12.30am, I need to wake up in 7 hours, but one of our housemates just came back from work and she's in the kitchen (our kitchen doesn't have a door) speaking loudly on the phone.
Sometimes I wonder, are people fucking inconsiderate or plain stupid?

Update 5:
The handyman knocked on the door the other day, and invited himself in basically. When I asked him if he gave any of the housemates 24-hour notice before he came over he said "Why should I?" I responded that our contract mentions that if he wants to visit he has to give 24-hour notice, as the contract states. He was adamant that that does not apply to him. He said he would have to give us 24-hour notice to come inside our rooms (!) not the house.
I am infuriated he is so entitled and constantly disrespects us.

Update 6:
When your housemates think you're stupid, but they're even more stupid than how stupid they think you are:
Yesterday, Clinton was in our room when he heard a smashing noise (similar to a plate falling on the floor) and our housemates talking.
He goes to the kitchen after a while and they're brooming. The girl looks at him with guilt written all over her face.
They say nothing.
Then, Clinton notices that they've actually thrown the bowl they dropped on the floor in the rubbish bin.
So, you think we are stupid and we won't notice you broke our bowl, even though you got caught semi-red handed, and then you proceed to throw it in the rubbish bin in the kitchen?
As if we won't see it?
And you don't even fucking apologise or replace the bowl?
Seriously man, what the fuck. We've been so nice to them, let them use all of our cutlery and they destroyed more than a few of our things, without ever acknowledging or apologising for it.

Update 7:
The couple brought the girl's child from Romania to the house. They said she was going to stay for a week. A week turned into 2-3 weeks, then a month. We asked them what is going on, why is the girl still in the house and they got very offended. They said it was none of our business and the girl was going to stay in the house until September (2+ months).
We later found out they were secretly applying for benefits and trying to get the girl to go to school in the area. So they didn't plan on sending her back in September. They were lying in our faces.
In the end, their attempts failed, they didn't get the benefits and the girl returned to her grandma in her home country. 

Update 8: 
Amidst all that, the landlord told us he was going to put the house on the market. A month or so passes and he gives us 1+ month notice. 
During that time agency people came into the house without notice or permission.
Then, the landlord tries to rip us off and not return our deposit, even though we could report him because he didn't do the Deposit Scheme.
We got our money after 2+ months, and after pestering him. 
He claimed he got an electricity bill of 4k, and tried to blame it on us. 

Update 9:
We are finally out of there.

Extreme housemate horror story

During my last week in uni halls, and after looking for a place for about 2 months, I was very desperate. I needed to lower my standards and just find anything, otherwise, I would be homeless.

I went to a viewing that week, and I was offered a place in the house. I was a bit worried as there was no contract -which means zero security for me- but I had no other choice at that point.

After I moved in, I found out we would be 6 people instead of 5 -which was what I had been told before. One of the housemates, let's call him X, was away during the viewing, so they forgot to mention he lived there too.

I also found out that I had been lied to about who lived in my room before me and the situation of how the previous tenant left.

Less than 3 weeks that I lived there, one housemate's girlfriend moved in as well. And so, without being asked or informed of that fact, I ended up living in a house with 7 people instead of 5.

I quickly realised that X's girlfriend, let's call her G, was quite rude and always had an expression on her face as if she was annoyed by most of us.

I generally tried my best to be super polite to everyone, cleaned after myself, cleaned after other people, paid on time, contributed to bills, notified if I had guests etc.

During my 2nd week in the house, the pre-previous tenant asked me for her stuff from the room. I had never met her and I explained I threw everything away. She sarcastically wished me to 'enjoy the house.'

Right then and there, I knew something was off.

On my 3rd week, I got verbally attacked by G. She called me over the top, exaggerating, a bad fit for the house and a racist. She kept saying she doesn't feel comfortable in her own house (implying it's my fault), ignoring the fact this wasn't her house, but our house -supposedly. And of course she never cared that I didn't call this place my home, and didn't feel comfortable in it, because of her and X.
She admitted she had a bad day at work and took it out on me. I was calm and polite, explained what she did was wrong, and accepted her apology.
The conversation had started with the fact that there was drama in the house because some people were stealing food. And because I supported the person whose food was being stolen, let's call him A, she didn't like that.

She also didn't like that I'm not like the girl who lived in my room before. I later found out that girl was a very quiet person, who never complained because she was scared of G and X.

During the same month, X made some horrendous sexist 'jokes,' which resulted in the new housemate, let's call her E, crying. I supported her and told X off. He verbally attacked me, and left our group conversation on a chat app -where everything took place.
I was actually surprised E's boyfriend, who was also a housemate, let's call him K, didn't stand up for her.

I had stopped speaking to G and I was very happy about that. Not having to deal with her and X made my life in the house easier, almost pleasant.

Then, one day, as I was making my lunch using a pot from the communal lot, she said she wanted her pot. I explained this pot was in the communal lot. She said she doesn't mind people using it, but when she asks for it she wants it. I got pissed off of course and emptied my food into another pot, and then washed her pot and gave it to her.
She didn't like my reaction and started a whole dramatic situation.
I, again, was the bigger person and tried to defuse the situation. I also asked her what her problem was with me so we could resolve it. She claimed she had no issue.

During the same month (November), another housemate was rude to me on the group chat, when I complained about the horrible internet connection we had. Even though he actually had his own router in his room, which he only revealed after I complained. I knew from day one as I had followed the cables and saw they went into his room, but it just shows... Let's call him C. C is one of those people who wants to be left alone, and as long as he's doing alright, he gives no fucks about anyone else. He's also very grumpy and at times unreasonably rude to people.

During the same month, I was actually attacked by almost the whole house for complaining about how expensive our internet connection was, when we could pay half if we changed companies and packages.

Day by day I realised I was by myself. I had no contract. The landlord didn't care about anything but rent. I was alone.

E was kinda nice to me a few times. But she became closer to G and started changing her behaviour towards me.

The only one who consistently supported me was A. A is lgbt+ and we had gotten closer on those grounds, as I was the only ally in the house.

G and X are very homophobic and K was homophobic in secret.

The more I tried to not speak with G the more she provoked me.

Some of the things she said in front of me or to me:
-She doesn't like British people and feels she can't make friends in UK (I wonder why)
-She doesn't like people with piercings and tattoos (I got both)
-She doesn't like people who get plastic surgery (but said if she could afford it she would get it)
-She thinks people with disabilities shouldn't get as much help as 'normal' people (I worked with uni students with disabilities)
-She thinks gay people are unnatural (I am an ally)
-She thinks trans people who have committed suicide are stupid (I am an ally)
-She told me if she was fat she'd die (I am fat)
-She thinks I'm a student since I worked at a university at the time and according to her my job wasn't a real job
-She has said wearing makeup to work is stupid (when I was off to work and was wearing makeup). A few days later I caught her wearing makeup to work as well
Go figure.

Just before the holiday break, G and X had a huge fight. They were banging things, slamming doors and shouting. I had the misfortune of being their neighbour, so I could see my furniture that was touching the wall shaking from all the banging. I think X actually beat G up. And I didn't think it's the first time. All this happened around and after midnight. G left the house, and then came back and slept on the couch.
Even though they woke me up, I didn't complain.

2 days later, I was in my room singing around 8pm. It's Saturday. She texted me to say I was too loud. I told her that when she and her boyfriend made noise after midnight I didn't complain. She used excuses.
Then I contacted E, in hope of getting some support (since E and her boyfriend, K, make noise all the time after 11pm, playing music, singing etc.). She said my singing was 'wobbly.' Now bear in mind I have helped E practice her singing. She did apologise in the end, but still...

During the last weekend of 2016, X returned to the house from his holidays, without G. He had a huge party without asking anyone (it was in the house rules that if you have a party you have to ask).
Actually, G had told me once, when I asked why I am the only one who notifies when she has guests, that it's because: "We know everyone else." When I said I didn't know any of her guests, she remained silent.
Anyway, X and his friends got drunk, smashed things, slammed doors until 11pm.
C, who was in the house, and always complains when people slam the doors accidentally during the day, didn't say a thing.

Next day X brought more friends over to have a barbeque. Again, he didn't notify us. Thankfully, I was leaving the house for the weekend.

Then, I returned for the first time in 2017. I had gone to the supermarket, so I opened the fridge to put my food on my shelf. Someone had moved my stuff and had put a pot with meat on my shelf. They all knew I'm vegetarian.
I messaged the group with a picture of the pot and said I'm going to put it on the kitchen working space.
An hour or so later, I was in my room and heard X slamming doors, the cupboards, and trying to intimidate me with noise -as he did very often. He was also shouting on his phone.
I went downstairs, I said happy new year and then tried to explain what happened with the pot. He started shouting in my face: "You don't touch my stuff!" I tried to explain that I said I'd move the pot on the group. He then went on to shout that he wasn't on the group.
Again, calmly, I asked him why he is shouting, and tried to explain this was my shelf, and he was the one who moved my stuff to put his meat dish. He shouted "End of conversation" in my face as if he wanted to physically attack me.

Next day I found out he used my cutting board as well, which is on my cupboard. We're not supposed to use stuff that is on personal cupboards.

A few other 'fun facts:'
G told E that she didn't like British politeness and people saying sorry.
G is almost 10 years younger than X, and they have been together since she was 16 years old.
G was married to X, divorced him and then got back with him.
X was trying to be the 'alpha male' of the house, and he often shouted to the people who belong to minorities (e.g. me and A), thinking he's macho this way.
Both X and G believe this was their house, they felt like they were the king and queen, and the rest of us peasants. I wondered why they didn't rent the whole house by themselves since they felt this way...
X had displayed rude and demeaning behaviour to other housemates as well, in the form of 'jokes.' And if someone tried to hold him accountable for his bullshit he claimed that was "his sense of humour".


Around Christmas, X and G broke up. They still lived in the same room.

A few weeks later, E took one of my lunch boxes from my private cupboard for two days, and only told me after she had taken it. Obviously I was pissed off and explained that was not ok. She said she thought she could 'get away with it' because it was her...

Then, X left the house finally, but E started stealing my stuff continuously. C had his stuff stolen as well, so he moved everything he had in the kitchen to his room.
Unfortunately, my room was too small, so it's hard for me to do the same. I moved all my stuff from the shower to my room though, as my toothpaste kept on getting stolen -by E.

E, G and K kept making noise all the time, slamming doors in the middle of the night, having friends over without asking the rest of us, having parties and making living in the house unbearable.

I finally managed to give everyone 1 month's notice that I'd be leaving the house, and K got on my case because he wanted me to keep paying rent, even if they didn't have a new tenant after 1 month. Our agreement didn't say anything about that. E of course had to get involved as well. She turned into the new G, complaining constantly, even though she didn't abide by the house rules.
She told me off for reacting to K's absurd statement. I reacted in my room, as I was talking to my boyfriend, and she complained I was too loud and they heard I called them names.
Her and K played music all the time, came back drugged at 4am and woke me up (they made a habbit of taking drugs in the house), and I had never complained.

My health kept deteriorating whilst I lived in the house, and instead of leaving me alone they kept on pushing me.

A couple of weeks prior to my move G knocked on my door asking for change. After all that she had done to me, she casually knocked on my door and expected me to give her change. Of course I didn't give her anything. Then, at 1am I went to the loo, and on my way out she opened the door of her room (it's next to the loo) and smiled at me saying she didn't mean to scare me. I muttered 'For fucks sake' and shut my door. Her smile was creepier and scarier than a dark downtown alley after 2am.

Finally, a few days before my move G tried to "make amends with me" aka force me to like her... But it doesn't matter...

I'm out of that horrible place!

London & Art: Failing creativity

Today I googled myself, and by myself, I mean my online self.
Yes. Don't judge. I just wanted to see what kind of pictures I have uploaded. Sometimes we get carried away after all.

When I ensured nothing shameful has been shared with the world, or at least nothing shameful appears on google search, an old blog entry caught my eye.

As I started reading I thought I'd feel nostalgic, but if I actually felt anything, that was annoyance.

The blog entry was about me loving London, London life, reminiscing my uni (bachelors) years etc.
I was going on about friends, parties, and having a great time in London. Mind you, the post was written in 2012.

Now, four years later, I just graduated from my masters degree, which took three long years to complete, and I got a job (for which I am severely underpaid).
I also have close to zero social life. Firstly, due to many of the friends mentioned on that old blog entry moving to other places, secondly due to drifting away from people (as you do the older you get), and lastly, due to my shit finances.

In the seven years I've been in UK, not even one day has gone by without me stressing over money. And that takes a toll on you. That, combined with the masters degree experience, which was extremely traumatic and draining -not to mention the Brexit news- left me extremely... tired.

Rent prices and overall cost of life skyrocketed, which left me struggling for survival. In the past three years, I cannot say that I have lived in London. I can only say that I have survived London.

Many of my acquaintances and friends in Greece believe that because I'm in London, I'm living the life.
Well, let me tell you: I'd rather be somewhere else and live comfortably. Because in London, unless you make over 30k a year (after taxes) you can't live. You can only survive. And at the moment, I'm not making a third of that. I'm struggling to pay my rent, I'm struggling to pay for food.

I have two degrees, and I can't find a job that pays well enough, so that I can live with dignity.
Because, as someone pointed out on youtube, art degrees are 'laughable' and useless. So, apparently, I should have studied something I don't like, just so I can live with dignity. But then, would that be living with dignity? If I did a job I hated?
The same person who called art degrees 'laughable' suggested I should have checked the Forbes list of the best paying jobs before I started my studies. To her, it's stupid that I chose to study subjects that aren't on that list.

But you see, unfortunately, I am an artist. Every part of my body has been dedicated to art since I can remember myself.
I was four years old when I started singing. I was fascinated. I would sing arias by the window. I didn't even know what opera was at the time. I just knew how to make those sounds, that I later found out to be arias.

Then, I learned how to write. My whole world changed. I immediately started keeping a diary. I started writing stories. In the meantime, I was reading books all the time. I started reading comics as well.

I realised I also liked drawing a lot. I always drew, as all little kids do. I could be good at it, if I put the time and effort. But, I loved writing and singing a little more. And since writing was something I could do anywhere, anytime, I focused on that.

When I was eight-years-old I started learning English. I immediately started writing in English. I was fascinated by how well English worked with lyrics and poems. Even though, I still wrote in Greek, both novels and poems/lyrics, I started writing in English a lot more. Today, I rarely write in Greek. Nevertheless, when I do, it is something I enjoy and cherish. I feel that different languages work better in expressing different things.

In my late teens, I was in a band. That didn't go greatly, but it urged me to push myself to study music. I dropped out of my Greek uni to come to London and study music. I wrote lyrics frantically. I sang, I recorded myself. I was happy. The singer and lyricist within me was satisfied.
But I didn't manage to make connections, as I am an introvert and suffer from performance anxiety. I didn't manage to make it big.
Therefore, music didn't work for me.

I started loving photography around the same time I was in a band. You see, the internet made it possible to share your pictures, and to see others' pictures. That was inspiring to me. It gave me ideas. It urged me to share my pictures with the world. Even if it was pictures taken from my phone. I created a Deviant Art page. It's not popular at all.
My love for photography -which I got from my mother- didn't lead anywhere either.

My masters degree helped me gain knowledge in the arts (theatre, music and drama among others) and management, in correlation to marginalised social groups (e.g. prisoners, persons with disabilities etc.) and how to plan, deliver and organise relevant workshops/projects.
However, as I lack people's skills, which are essential to work on this field, I didn't manage to get a job on that field.

Now I'm a notetaker for uni students with disabilities. Despite the fact that I enjoy the job, and I learn so many things for free, this isn't a post grad job. It's a I'm-still-doing-my-bacherlor-degree job. Which means I'm extremely underpaid considering my qualifications -and the fact that I work for an agency means they get a lot of my money.

So all of these years of studying, all of these years of creating... and nothing came out of them.

I have hundreds of pieces of writing that I've written over the years. I also have hundreds of drawings. And I used to have a lot of recordings of me singing, but many of those I decided not to keep. But I do have a few finished songs, recorded for uni, and a couple of performances. I have thousands of pictures I have taken.

In vain.

It's sad. It's really sad. But you may ask: How is this relevant to London, wouldn't it be the same if you were in Greece?

Maybe, maybe not. But at least in Greece I would be more comfortable financially.

However, the thing is, London is known for its art scene. It's known to be the USA of Europe. Meaning, it is the land of opportunity, and aspiring artists from all sorts of backgrounds and art forms come here to make it.

Or it was supposed to be. Or it used to be. But it's not anymore.

Take it from someone who has lived in London for almost seven years now:
London isn't an easy place to be. And with all the instability that the Brexit brought, the prices rising even more, it's turning into a very ugly place; a place that isn't very friendly to foreigners and poor people.

I can't even remember why I started this blog entry anymore. So, I'll stop here, hoping that one day, maybe, just maybe, I will be given the opportunity to live with dignity, as an artist, in this world.


-

The housing horror chronicles - University Accommodation

It seems I'm pretty unlucky when it comes to accommodation in London (see my previous blogposts if you want to find out why).

However, these past 3 years it's been too much, even for me.
I'm usually pretty good at adjusting. For example, I lived in university halls in the middle of a forest for 3 academic years, and even though there were a couple of issues whilst living there it was alright.

I don't expect university accommodation to be a five star hotel, especially the cheaper end of it.
It's one thing for university halls of residence to not be a five star hotel, and another thing to be like a drug den of 1930s though.

So, let's see what happened straight after I moved in to -let's call it- A1 (in 2014). A1 is one of the university halls of residence of my university.
Basically I had to move in to A1 for 2 and a half months (that was the contract).
A1 was like a dream (appearance wise). The room was like a hotel and it was ensuite as well. The kitchen was big and the flatmates (only 6 of them) minded their own business, which was great.
There were a couple of incidents when I had my ice cream stolen -as most of my flatmates were stoners and they probably went for my ice cream on their search for munchies in the kitchen- but other than that, all was cool. Well, all apart from the wifi issues. In the 2 and a half months I was there at least 4 or 5 times there was no wifi. Sometimes for almost half a day. And that's a pretty big deal. Another issue was that the laundry rooms weren't on site and you had to go to a different place. Also, you couldn't do your laundry 24/7.

Anyway, 2 and a half months flew by and I had to move out. I made arrangements to move to A2, another residence of my university. The day of the move I was told I had to put all my stuff in a room that would be locked, and then a van would come, I would put my stuff on the van and they would take them to A2. I was told I wouldn't have to wait more than a couple of hours. I actually had to wait for more than 8 hours. I was told there would be no van for me because I was the last person to move. People started grabbing my things without my permission to put them in a trolley even though I told them I felt extremely uncomfortable and I wanted them to stop. I realised some of my cutlery was missing and my suitcase was broken. I told the person who was in charge. Not only was she dismissive, but she said they would move my stuff in a trolley. I told her I had been waiting for 8 hours for the van and that I didn't want the staff touching my staff and moving it in a trolley. I was ignored.

So I moved to A2, already feeling uncomfortable and violated.
My room was big, the ensuite toilet was huge, the flat had 5 rooms, but I was alone for the most part of it. I stayed there for 1 month and a half. I could see the high street and the entrance of the building and unfortunately I had to put up with extreme noise levels, drunk people and people urinating on our door. When I moved in the oven wasn't working. I complained. I had to wait for almost a week before they brought a small replacement oven. It took them another week or so to fix the oven. After 20 days of me being there people from summer school started moving in. Those people had all came from Asia. The university didn't give them any info or advice prior to their move. I had to help them settle in, complete their inventories, explain how things work etc. In some flats there was no water in the kitchens, in one flat the boiler was on fire, in other flats the boilers were uncovered, in some rooms there were problems with the showers... In general many many health hazards. There was no security on site and security personnel patrolled 4 -or less- times a day around the building. And of course, there were wifi issues. Later on after I moved out, I found out there were mice in the building as well... The only good thing about these halls was that you could do your laundry 24/7 because it was on site.

So, I returned to Greece for a couple of months and then I made arrangements to move in to A3. A3 is the cheapest hall of residence owned by my university. Mind you A1 and A2 are quite expensive and supposedly fancy.

I heard a few things about A3 prior to moving in. There were many incidents where rooms had been broken into, there was a mice problem... And in general, I had been actively discouraged from moving there. However, these were the only halls I could afford.

So, I move in. Before entering the building I was in awe of how disgusting it looked from the back (where the entrance was) and how unsafe the area and the alley it was on looked. The inside was worse than anything I had seen to date from any university halls. There were too many stairs (for no reason) and the way the stairs were built made it extremely hard to move my stuff in to my room. Also, the structure of the halls was just bizarre. You had a semi-floor with 3 rooms and a shower, then a floor with six rooms and a toilet, then another semi-floor with 3 rooms and a shower, another floor with 6 rooms and a toilet with a bath and lastly, the top floor with 2 rooms, the kitchens and a toilet with a bath. My room was quite small. Some other rooms in the flat were twice its size though. The minute I moved in I was welcomed with gossip about the flat, the fact that flatmates didn't get along and argued a lot, and the fact that there was a flatmate meeting on that night -which I attended. I'm not going to get too much into the drama, but it compromised my experience for sure. However, when you live with 20 people you can't expect no drama I suppose.
So... what were the issues in A3? Well...

• Our backyard, where the entrances of the building were, was also the backyard of all the shops of the high street. Which meant people who weren't students had access to the premises. 
• Security was usually sleeping in the security kiosk or watching tv series during the night. We lived on a very dangerous road so knowing that security wouldn't be able to help if something happened was scary. Actually, after a point security stopped being in the kiosk and was only patrolling 4 times a day, which meant that technically there was no security at all. The reason why? The security personnel felt lonely when they had to be in the kiosk compared to being at A2 where there are other security people too...
• We have had numerous issues with the wifi not working. Once for 2 weeks amidst dissertation period. 
• We had issues with cockroaches and mice. Issues that weren't permanently resolved.
• We had problems with sink blockage multiple times. To the point where it became a health hazard. 
• We had problems with heating a few times. And once we didn't have heating or hot water for a whole week. 
• We have had issues with electricity a few times.
• We have had numerous issues with hot water in the showers.
• We had very serious problems with the boiler. Once it actually made noises as if it was going to explode.
• The cleaning lady hated us all for no reason (we're one of the cleanest flats in the building). She was rude to us multiple times and never cleaned communal spaces properly. She also never reported any of the issues in the flat (eg. heating, hot water problems) which challenged our credibility with the office when we reported the issues. In the end she said we were her favourite flat (go figure).
• The repairmen many times had no clue what they were doing, as many of them aren't specialists, but general handymen.
• The Estate Facilities manager had attitude and was extremely rude to students, going as far as to hang up the phone on them and insult them.
• The office staff and especially the managers were extremely dismissive of students' concerns and sometimes were talking down on them, always ignoring the issues in the halls.
• Reports from certain students were ignored.
• The laundry room was a 10 minute walk, which was an extreme burden. Also, the laundry machines/driers price was raised 100% within the span of 2 months. Plus there had been a few issues with the machines.

And the worst part of all that is that we never got any money back or any rent discounts. 

Another fun fact is one of the shops that had its back door on our backyard was a drug den and last year the police made arrests in university premises of people that didn't belong to the university, but since their shop's back door was on the premises the police raided their shop from our backyard. 

I could go on and on to tell you how many people I've seen urinating on the alley behind our building, or how many people have been robbed there in the past, but you get the point.

The fact that both entrances of the Halls were on that alley was a threat to our safety.

Update:
Since when I posted this my macbook was stolen from inside my room. Since there has been no security since before Christmas the thief got no issue entering the premises and our flat, coming to my floor, breaking into my room and stealing my macbook. This was the only time when they actually were cooperative since they knew I could easily sue them. Unfortunately, I don't have the money to do that.
Three days before that a student was beaten and got robbed outside the main door of the building.
Three weeks after that a person died inside the university. They fell off a university building, but we haven't been informed of whether it was an accident or not.
On top of that three flats -including mine- had no wifi for the past 7 days in the university halls. We have had connectivity issues in the past, but none lasted more than a day. Finally, after 7 days of everyone complaining they sent a technician. He said there is water leakage and that they don't how much longer we won't have wifi for. And they only reason I found out it because I kept going to the IT helpdesk. They lied about calling me several times so I had to waste my time and physically go there. Mind you we're all masters students doing our dissertations right now...
And of course they haven't given us any alternative to access the internet or any refund. 
The office said we should expect those issues and be patient.
!!! 
That was their official response...
Then they said they'd do a general refurbishment, including changing the cables, but we'd have graduated by then. They expected us to have no wifi until we graduate, even though we still had deadlines.
After 2 weeks and me complaining constantly they fixed the issue. Which they could have fixed a lot earlier. I have to admit though the office was nice towards me and offered to move me to another flat to have wifi, but at the time that was impossible for me to do. 

My last day there I saw two humongous rats in the backyard. 
Not going to miss this place.

The kids and the dark spiral

I hear screams coming from outside.

It's the school kids so I don't pay attention (they scream and shout for no reason all the time).

A few minutes pass and I hear screams and a commotion.

I look outside my window only to see a kid bleeding, being separated from someone he was fighting with. They almost got hit by a car as well.

The girls of the group kept on screaming while some of the boys left, and some others were with the kid who was bleeding.

They kept on screaming and shouting, and most of them seemed to enjoy the drama that was caused.

Not even one adult tried to separate the kids who were fighting, not even one adult tried to see if the boy was ok. Mind you the road was really busy at the time, so there were plenty of people around.

Most of the kids didn't try to help resolve the situation either.

Watching these young kids on a daily basis, overhearing their conversations, observing their attitude, it makes me really sad.

So much hatred, aggression, hate from such a young age.

So much unnecessary loudness and screaming, which is probably compensating for the things they really wanna say, for wanting to truly be heard. Or maybe because they have no other tools to communicate.

So much time wasted on things that are irrelevant and unimportant. Time they'll never get back.

I wonder what are their parents doing; whether they're ensuring their kids grow in a loving environment or are they too busy with work, survival and problems to care?

These kids are going to grow up thinking that what they're doing now is ok. Shouting, being violent, fighting... They're going to think that shouting is the only way of communication and violence is the only way to resolve your problems.

They're not going to be given the opportunity to explore peace and serenity in their lives. How beneficial civil interaction and communication can be, and how issues can be resolved calmly, without people having to get hurt.

And at times like this, when I see the younger generations going down that dark spiral that the previous generations created, I feel hopeless.

Wisdom Tooth Terror

Everything you wanted to know about my horrific dental experience!

(well, even if you didn't give a shit about it now you can watch my narration of it lol)

London Housing Chronicles (Part 3)

Intro

For anyone who follows my blog this isn't gonna come to you as a surprise.
You already know I'm not the luckiest person when it comes to accommodation in UK.

So last time I mentioned my housing situation I had just moved out from that horrible house to my uni halls (the posh version, since I managed to get a cheaper deal).
Time there was heavenly and I was feeling so much better. All good things must come to an end though and so did my contract, forcing me to move out and in to my other uni halls. There my room was dope, the building was shit, the people were nice, the resident assistants were pricks and thankfully I only had to live there for a month and a half. After that I went back to Greece for sometime.

When I came back I rented a room in my other uni halls (different from the previous ones). I had been warned by a friend that I should better not live there, but the rent was considerably cheap, and the location was great.

And now let's get to the main dish...

Despite all the bad rumours of these halls (people stealing from each others' rooms, people stealing food, mice running around etc) due to my finances I had no other choice but to move in.
So my flat has the shittiest structure any flat has ever had.
The kitchens (2) are on the top floor, the way toilets and showers have been placed makes no sense, there are only 2 showers and 2 baths (which cannot really be used) for 20 people...

I hated this place from the second I entered the building. But things became worse when I was moving in and within the first 30 minutes of being there one of my neighbours started telling me about all the drama that was going on. Imagine moving to a place with 19 more people and immediately being aware that people don't get along with each other. I even had to participate on a housemate meeting on my first night there, because the flatmates decided there was too much drama which needed to be resolved -which didn't happen.

The drama & The housemates

I'm not going to go into detail out of respect for people's privacy.
The sure thing is that many people don't like each other. They have done nothing to try and live together in harmony and many gave no shits for causing great discomfort to their flatmates. In less than six months we had more than six people move out and that is no coincidence. Life in this flat is extremely stressful, people love talking behind each others' backs, many flatmates are extremely pretentious, they are extremely disrespectful to their flatmates and they generally don't realise that this isn't a hippy commune nor their own house, this is Uni Halls.

During my time in this flat I had (and still have) to put up with the following:

• People leaving their unwashed dishes in the sink (even when they're away travelling outside the country) causing mountains of unwashed dishes at times, which made it impossible to use the sink
• People leaving their unwashed dishes next to the sink, leaving no space for anyone to place any other items there
• People placing dirty dishes on the drying rack
• People placing the dishes in a way that is dangerous (I almost stabbed myself a couple of times and had pans placed on the shelves fall on me)
• People not washing communal stuff that they have used 
• People leaving the kitchen in a state
• People stealing my glasses
• People stealing my food from the fridge
• People stealing my food from my cupboard
• People using my stuff and food without my permission
• People using my cutlery (which is in a cupboard) without my permission and not washing it or putting it back to its place
• People from the other kitchen leaving their shit in the kitchen I use creating unnecessary discomfort
• People leaving their shit everywhere in the kitchen, creating a mess
• People not cleaning after partying
• People partying in the kitchen late at night when they know some rooms are underneath the kitchen and the noise is unbearable
• People being extremely rude when told off about their inappropriately loud partying on top of my room
• People drunk banging on my door at 4am causing me a great deal of anxiety
• People making noise in the middle of the night in the kitchen or slamming and banging things when they know people live underneath
• People not flashing the toilet
• People not cleaning their pubic hair off the toilet
• People leaving the baths in a disgusting state
• People playing extremely loud music or watching movies at 3am, causing my whole room to tremble and ofc causing me not to sleep
• People leaving their shit in communal spaces and never picking it up
• People from past years leaving their shit all over the kitchen forcing me to have to clean and organise three cupboards to be able to have some space
• People hoarding massively in the kitchen
• People not throwing away things that have expired and are in communal spaces
• People making no effort to keep the kitchen clean, that so many times me and a couple of other housemates had to clean loads of disgusting dishes

On top of that I had to tolerate a hateful cleaning staff who not only didn't clean properly, but was also extremely rude and many times didn't clean the showers or the bathtubs at all.

The building

As if all this wasn't enough, causing me an immense amount of stress I had to deal with the following as well:

• Cracks on the wall (that were painted over and not fixed)
• Continuous sink blockage for months (making the use of the sink impossible)
• Continuous boiler problems turning the kitchen -and my room that is underneath it- into a hotbox
• Power cuts and internet issues throughout the year
• Shower and bathtub problems (including blockage and a disgusting smell)
• Major pest issues (cockroaches, spiders, mice -and mice' dead bodies underneath the oven)
• Extremely sensitive heat detectors that go off even if you're blow drying your hair 
• Ventilator issues
• Problems with the lights

In addition to all these there was insufficient communication from the Accommodation office, many times ignoring the issues/our reports or alternatively aiming at temporary fixes.

The area

In case you didn't think all this is bad enough let me tell you a few things about the area:

• There are loud police and ambulance sirens every few minutes (which unfortunately I can hear in my room since it faces the main street)
• It's one of the most dangerous areas in London, having extremely high stabbing rates
• I get catcalled all the time, and many times catcallers become verbally violent
• The entrance of my Halls is on the dodgiest dark alley 
• Many times people pee outside or next to my Halls or in general on the streets
• There are fights around the area almost every night and especially during Thursdays and the weekends it's almost impossible for me to sleep with my window open (due to the screams, bottle smashing, fights, sirens etc)

There are a few good things about the area: many shops, pubs, takeaways, restaurants, clubs, parks etc. And I'm sure I would have been able to focus on those if I didn't live on this building.

To sum up...

Nevertheless, it's always hard to focus on the positive when the negative is so overwhelming.

Worst part of all?

I got to tolerate this shit for one more year. Yes, my financial situation doesn't allow me to live somewhere else for the time being, so I had to renew my contract...

Wish me luck.

Sincerely,

Lara

15 reasons why I hate summer

Seriously I hate summer for so many reasons. Here is a list:
1. I hate summer clothes and if I dress the way I want during the summer I'll die from the heat
2. I hate the sun and the light in general (especially summer sun)
3. I hate all those showing off their semi naked bodies
using warm weather as an excuse
4. I hate summer music and the fact that suddenly my fav djs take on the ibiza vibe even when it comes to dnb
5. I hate that my make up is melting and I look like an alien creature
6. I hate that I get sweaty and feel disgusting
7. I hate feeling the heat
8. I hate that in countries like Greece all services stop working during the summer (since everyone is on holidays)
9. I hate colours and for some reason during the summer everything looks extremely colourful
10. I hate tanning or turning red and I fucking wanna stay as pale as I can
11. I hate that the day lasts longer than the night does
12. I hate that plane tickets get ridiculously expensive
13. I hate that fruit, veggie, bread and other shit go bad way faster due to the heat 
14. I hate sweaty sex (aka summer sex)

And the thing
15. I hate the most is that everyone gets so fucking surprised I hate the fucking summer especially coz I'm Greek

On another note I hate beer, sweets and the beach too

I can't get over it

I can't get over it.

I don't think I will ever be able to let go... of these moments, of the memories, of those amazing years I spent in my university campus.

I said I would go again, but I have not managed to bring myself to visit. I told myself it was because I didn't have the time... But look at me, I got plenty of time. Between panicking for uni and procrastinating I could spend a Sunday evening there. But still, I don't know if I can.

I can feel tears dancing around my cheeks. I can feel my heart aching. Every time I go through the pictures of my years in my university halls a sweet melancholy numbs my body.

How am I supposed to move on? I can't forget. I don't want to forget.
I don't think anything in my life can top up these two last years of my ba studies, the university halls experience ...

I know life changes. I know people change. People move on. My mates moved on. I moved on. But did I?

I never -not even for a split second- stopped hoping things would turn back to the way they were back then. It's not possible anymore, I can see it. Nevertheless I'm still clinging onto that idea.

The utopia of my uni years.

I think that's the problem. I lived, I experienced utopia and now I can't be happy and content with anything less than that. I am having a good time, I am appreciative, yet there is always a little shadow lurking inside me reminding me of the dream, the life I lived as a ba student in London, the university halls...
That protected environment, that magical forest that ensured me and my mates would be back together every september, altogether in one building.

I need closure but I sure don't know how to get it.

*that picture is the most iconic picture of my university halls for me; it's the view from my window.

2013

It seems that most people didn't have a good 2013.
But then again, I remember last year on this same date people saying they had an awful 2012. And this happens every year to be fair.

2013 for me . . . it was extreme. I had the best and the worst times.
Nevertheless I choose to focus on the best, and learn from the worst.
It was the first time since 2010 that I spend such a long time in my hometown, Athens, Greece.
At first it was so hard to adapt that I was severely depressed for a couple of months. Things got better when I visited London for holidays, but the moment I returned I got worse.
Then, when I thought there was no hope for me in Athens; when I had already decided I was gonna seclude myself and I was distancing myself from my friends, something happened.
Things changed.
I met new people, I reconciled with people I wasn't so close to and I came closer to my mates, I got a job and I started enjoying my summer.
I quit the job and I experienced some really bad behaviour from a couple of people, but I didn't pay attention or energy to that.
This summer was one of the best summers of my life. I can only compare it to the summer of 2008 which was the peak of my lifetime in Greece so far. 
However, I had to leave again, even though I had just started adapting and enjoying myself; even though I had so many people around me I didn't want to leave back -again.

People don't realise how hard it is to be the one that leaves. When I moved to another Greek city for two years -for my studies- it took me months to adapt. I was travelling back to Athens at least once a month on the first year and every week on the second year. I hated the people in that city and I didn't think the city had anything to offer me. I got bullied and mistreated all the time, and I didn't even like what I was studying so, I left. But then I had to leave the friends I made there behind.

When I left was when I decided to move to London -for studies. I left in 2010 and I think it's one of the hardest things I've done in my life. I was crying throughout the whole flight. Imagine I had just turned 21 and I moved to a foreign country without any help, without any friends there. I don't think my friends in Greece realise how much I missed -and miss- them at times when I'm in London. My first year in London I was very depressed and I didn't really enjoy myself that much. Thankfully things changed on my second and third year. I was lucky to make really good friends whom I consider family. 

When I returned to Athens I was missing my London family a lot. Many people have asked me: -But aren't you used to it by now? Missing people since you are in London for a couple of months and then in Athens for the rest of the year. 
No, it never gets old, you never get used to it. I miss everyone equally and constantly when I'm away from them.

So 2013... I returned to London once more for a masters degree. That night of September when I had to say goodbye to my crew in Athens I was ready to cry. Well, I was already crying inside. It's an awful thing to grow away from people you care for. You both go on with your lives and follow different paths. There's always that danger that your paths will never meet again even if you return. It has happened to me before and believe me, it's unbearable.
The first months after my return in London have been a roller coaster: accommodation problems, struggling with my masters, trying to adapt once again, partying, crying, depression, drama, reunion of the family...

I have no clue what 2014 is gonna bring me. I'm hoping a masters certificate and health first and foremost. 
But I don't even remember why I started writing this :P
Anyhow I wish for all of us to be healthy, happy, and learn how to focus on the positive things in our lives.

To all my mates in every fucking country they might be right now:

Be extreme and don't give two shits. Love yourselves and take care!

Rave on! :D