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!

My first recipe: Vegetable Noodles

For anyone who follows me on TikTok or Instagram (both @Mysticismlover), you may have seen me post short clips of dishes I make. Now, I'm no chef, but apparently some of you were intrigued by my dishes! So here it is, my quick recipe for vegetable noodles!

Things you'll need:

-Onions
-Mushrooms
-Asparagus
-Baby Sprouts
-Broccoli or Tenderstem Broccoli
-Corn or Baby Corn
-Peppers
-Carrots
-Sesame oil (or your preferred cooking oil)
-BBQ Spice (or your preferred spice -e.g. paprika)
-Black Bean Garlic Stir Fry Sauce (or any sauce you like e.g. teriyaki)
-Noodles (I use the ones that don't require boiling and need 4-5 minutes in the wok)
-A wok, or a large frying pan, non sticky
Ps. You can also add meat, seafood or tofu if you would like to!

TIP ➔ When it comes to quantities and portions, it's all relative to how many people you're cooking for, or how hungry you are! I'd say try to not put that many ingredients that you can't taste or see the noodles any more!

Cooking time!

1. Chop chop! Chop your vegetables!
   

   TIP ➔ Try to chop your 'long' vegetables in thin stripes (e.g. asparagus, baby corn, carrots e.t.c.). That way they're cooked faster and they blend really nicely with your noodles, whilst still adding different textures. Plus, the result is so visually pleasing!

2. Turn your hob on (avoid the highest settings). Place the wok/frying pan on top and once it starts warming up a bit, put the vegetables that take longer to cook (e.g. asparagus, baby corn, broccoli), or the frozen vegetables -if you're using any- first. If there's no frozen vegetables add a little bit of water. Stir slowly.
3. Once these vegetables start being softer, put the rest of the vegetables in the wok and add the oil of your choice. If I'm cooking for myself, I use 2 tablespoons of oil. Stir slowly.
4. A couple of minutes later add your spice(s). Stir a bit faster.
5. Now that all is blended, time for your noodles! Make sure to break them apart a little bit before putting them in the wok/frying pan.
6. Then, finally, we can get saucy! Poor that sauce on top of the noodles and stir stir stir!!!
   

   TIP ➔ A little sauce can go a long way and you can always top it up if you feel you need more, so avoid using too much.

7. After you stir for a few minutes and all looks blended and cooked, it's time to turn the hob off and serve the noodles! Let them sit for a few minutes before you start eating them, otherwise they'll be too hot.

That's it! You made it! 

Enjoy your meal! ^_^ 

Walk a mile in my shoes

I wrote this poem today, self-isolation and people not taking this pandemic seriously has affected my mental health.

Here is part of it:

“Depression is not showering for a week

Depression is not having the strength to be

Depression is a pile of negative emotion

Depression is a misunderstood notion”

“Depression can be a never-ending nightmare

Depression can be a monster you can’t bare

Depression isn’t a mainstream movie trend

Depression is not recognising any friend”

Στη μνήμη του Ήρωα Μανώλη Γλέζου

Δεν ξέρω τι να πω.
Είναι μεγάλη η απώλεια, πολύ μεγάλη για να εκφραστεί με μικρές λέξεις.
Ο Μανώλης Γλέζος έζησε και πέθανε αγωνιστής. Αυτός ο Άνθρωπος με όλη τη σημασία της λέξης, ο Ήρωας, ο παππούς όλων μας.
Ειλικρινά, νιώθω σα να έχασα ένα δικό μου άνθρωπο.
Δε θα ξεχάσω τη φωτογραφία με εκείνον μέσα στη βροχή και την μπόρα το 2017 να έχει σηκώσει τη γροθιά του ψηλά, για να τιμήσει τους νεκρούς του Πολυτεχνείου. 96 χρονών.
Έκλαψα όταν είδα εκείνη τη φωτογραφία. Και ντράπηκα. Ντράπηκα που δεν ήμουν κι εγώ εκεί.
Είναι πολλά αυτά που έκανε και ως νέος, αλλά και μέχρι το τέλος της ζωής του, ήταν τεράστιος άνθρωπος.
Διαβάστε την ιστορία του, δείτε βίντεο από τις ομιλίες του, και συγκεντρώσεις στις οποίες ήταν.
Πάντοντε ειλικρινής, πάντοτε καθαρός και πάνω από όλα, αλληλέγγυος.
Εύχομαι η μνήμη του να ζήσει για πάντα και να διατηρεί τη φλόγα της αντίστασης αναμένη.

ΥΓ. Πόσο θά'θελα νά'βγαινα στο μπαλκόνι μου στην Αθήνα και να χειροκροτούσα μαζί σας στις 9μμ.
Είμαι στο εξωτερικό όμως, οπότε χειροκρότησα μόνη μου, κι άφησα λίγα λουλούδια σε ένα δέντρο με αυτό το χαρτάκι.

Feminist Loneliness

I've had a mostly feminist ideology since I was a kid.
However, I started consciously calling myself a feminist about five years ago.

Being a feminist meant that I couldn't turn a blind eye anymore, and I had to practice what I preached. That resulted in the ending of friendships and companionships, and also blocking/deleting a lot of acquaintances on social media. Not to mention the online arguments. Oh, the online arguments! What a toll did those take at me!
During that journey, I felt and hoped I could find support and sisterhood in feminist pages.

I could not have been more wrong.
My first ordeal was with a very well-known USA feminist page. I got chewed up and spat like a chewing gum pretty quickly. You see, USA feminists more than often are not very knowledgeable on European politics and culture. At least not as knowledgeable as European feminists are on USA culture and politics. And with that came a lot of ignorant comments and responses towards me, and consequently, a lot of hate. And so I left.

Then, a few years back I discovered a few feminist pages from my home country. I cannot begin to describe to you the relief, the peace I found through these pages. I had to leave one of them as the responses were too aggressive to my liking. Aggression seemed to be a common denominator on the responses in most pages I've been (feminist or not), and it is something that makes me very uncomfortable. Nevertheless, my desperation to find a feminist nest urged me to ignore certain aggressive outbursts as long as they weren't directed at me (how hypocritical, I know), and as long as they were not a daily issue. But then, what should I do when the admins/page followers start having an attitude towards me as well? Or when the aggression and rudeness becomes an everyday thing, a pattern? There's not much to do I guess, apart from leaving.

And here I am, not part of any community again, a lone feminist, too feminist for society, and too 'soft' for feminist circles.

2020

Damn! 2020 is just around the corner!
In retrospect, this decade was extremely tumultuous for me.
It started off with me leaving Athens on my own to study Popular Music in England. It was quite challenging at first, as I didn't know anyone in UK, and it took time to get used to British accents and culture.
I was lucky to have amazing classmates in uni, with whom I created some awesome tunes. Then, I was blessed with my uni halls family, who became my ride or die and made uni an absolute blast for me. All the while having the support of my Greek friends, who have been -and still are- real troopers, never complaining or being impatient with me, considering I was -and still am- missing a lot of their important moments by being away. My time as a bachelor's student comprised of a lot of drama, fun, travelling, partying, raving, blurry moments, studying, performing and being creative.
After that, I came back to Greece for a year, and the reverse cultural shock was so intense, but again, I was graced with awesome people who supported me and who partied till we dropped with me!
My MA in Community Arts followed. What a roller coaster that was! Amidst having to move 5 times during my first year and struggling with the masters, again, I was supported by my wonderful London friends. I met so many cool people during that time, and my uni halls experience made me reminisce my bachelor's years. But this time I was more mature, and more determined to achieve my goal. However, that would have never happened if I didn't meet my amazing boyfriend. He was and remains an inspiration and a motivation to do better.
Meeting Clinton and having the privilege of being his partner has bettered me as a person and taught me to share, to be more considerate of others and more understanding, to forgive, to not hold grudges and to be more humble. He is like the sun, warm and bright, and I'm so grateful he's also my best friend.
Sometime after I completed my master's, I returned to Greece for over a year. It was my investment on myself. That year was enlightening. There were hard times, but self reflection is never easy. I cannot begin to describe how thankful I am to my partner for giving me the space to allow my growth, even if it was in a different country. Once more, my friends supported me unconditionally.
Then, I came back to London, and for the first time, I was an adult, with adult responsibilities and obligations. It would have been a pretty awful year if I didn't have Clinton, my London friends and some amazing coworkers. It ended up being more fun than I expected.
After my master's, I did a few jobs here and there, trying to figure out what I want to do with my life. I even did a short course in counselling, as I thought that could be something I may be interested in.
But truthfully, I have no clue. A whole decade where I studied and tried all sorts of different things didn't help me sort my ambitions out.
So, my hope and wish for the new year, and the new decade, is to guide me to find my path, and for me to start walking on that path.
To all of you,
Happy New Year! May all your wishes come true!

Γιατί δεν κάνουμε πια σεξ;

Βλέπω συχνά πυκνά άντρες, αντρικά περιοδικά, τηλεοπτικές σειρές και ταινίες, βιβλία, και τον κόσμο όλο να αναφέρονται στο ότι οι γυναίκες δε θέλουν σεξ μετά από κάποιον καιρό σε μία σχέση.
Μιλάμε για ετεροφυλόφιλες μονογαμικές σχέσεις.
Παράπονα τύπου: 'Όλο λέει ότι έχει πονοκέφαλο' και  'Παλιά το κάναμε κάθε μέρα, τώρα ούτε δυο φορές το μήνα' κλπ.
Μπορώ να πω ότι με εξοργίζει όλο αυτό, γιατί προφανώς για να μη θέλουμε να κάνουμε σεξ μαζί σας πλέον, υπάρχει κάποιος λόγος.
Ναι οκ, μετά την περίοδο honeymoon το πάθος λιγοστεύει και δεν υπάρχει τόσο αυτός ο ενθουσιασμός και ο πόθος (και αυτό μπορεί να ισχύει και για τους δύο).
Αλλά υπάρχουν κι άλλοι λόγοι που πολλοί άντρες αγνοούν ή δε θέλουν να παραδεχτούν.
Όταν αρχίζεις τα ρεψίδια και τα κλανίδια μπροστά μας, φτύνεις, ρουφάς τις μύξες σου και γενικά πλέον δεν προσπαθείς 'να μας εντυπωσιάσεις' όπως στις αρχές, εννοείται αρχίζει και αλλάζει η εικόνα που έχουμε για σένα.
Ναι δε λέω, είναι ωραίο να υπάρχει άνεση μέσα στη σχέση, αλλά όταν αρχίσετε να πηγαίνετε στην τουαλέτα μαζί, και να κατουράτε/χέζετε ο ένας μπροστά στον άλλο, μην περιμένεις ότι θα σε βλέπει ως τον σέξι τύπο που θα θέλει σαν κολασμένη.
Όταν δεν προσπαθείς καν να δημιουργήσεις ατμόσφαιρα και περιμένεις να καυλώσει μαγικά από μόνη της, ή όταν τα προκαταρκτικά κρατάνε 5 λεπτά το πολύ, γιατί να θέλει να κάνει σεξ μαζί σου;
Λίγη αυτογνωσία δε βλάπτει. Σταματήστε να μας αντιμετωπίζετε λες και 'δέσατε το γάιδαρό σας' μετά από κάποιον καιρό στη σχέση, και ειδικά μετά τη συγκατοίκηση.

Tattoo discrimination in UK?

So today, for the first time in ten years, I received a rude comment about my tattoos in UK.

A female came out of nowhere next to my face on the bus to say that my middle finger tattoo is satanic (pentagram). It took me some time to understand what she said because she had a thick Eastern European accent, but she repeated herself.

I was taken aback, because how the fuck did she even manage to see it from where she was originally sitting?
And also, who the fuck does that?

I responded that it's not satanic and then got off the bus. She kept on saying that's how she knows the symbol, as part of satanic imagery. As we were walking away from the bus I was telling my partner 'who the fuck does that!' -in regards to the rude woman, and then she approached me again, to say I should have had a cross (!) tattooed instead.

I told her that since I'm an Atheist there's no point in me getting a cross tattoo and kept on walking noticeably irritated.

Usually, I respond quite aggressively to these kind of unsolicited comments, but it's always in Greece this happens to me, so I was shocked to have someone make such an anachronistic and rude comment in London.
Even more surprising was that the woman was no more than 40/45, so a young person.

I get my tattoos for me, they're not public property to be commented on. People need to mind their own business.

Sex isn't meant to be painful for women.

Sex isn't meant to be painful for women.
If something makes you feel uncomfortable or in pain, and the person you're having sex with doesn't care, that person is an asshole, and possibly a rapist.

Stop telling women that sex is supposed to be painful for them.
Stop telling women that they exist to fulfil men's desires and sexual appetite. 
Stop telling women to 'suck it up' and 'just do it.'

Women owe you nothing. They don't owe you pleasure, sex or anything else.

Abortions bans. USA.

Following the news of the inhumane and monstrous abortion bans in USA, my heart is heavy.
Prioritising a fetus, a parasite (because when an organism is depended on a host it's a parasite) over a developed human, is unthinkable.
And since persons who can carry children have uteruses, it is inherently misogynistic to ban safe and accessible abortions.
Your religion or political beliefs do NOT give you the right to control other people's bodies, to force them to put their health and even lives in danger to give birth by force.

And if any of you are anti-abortion, please do me a favour and stay away from me, as I will not associate myself with those who support policing other people's bodies.

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.

The ugly truth about working in retail - My story

I haven't been posting here a lot these past few months, and the reason was that I got myself a full time job in retail. And that not only left me with no time, but also exhausted me physically, and sometimes even mentally.

I can't say too much about what I did or where I worked (you see, now they even include posting on social media in your contract), but I can tell you how fucked up the way this industry works is.

The Job

Around October time I decided it was time to come back to England. The first week of my return my partner told me he found out about a temp job offered at his workplace. I didn't think much of it, and attended an interview he had arranged for me. I got the job on the spot. My supervisor told me I was clearly overqualified for the position.
Originally, my job was quite straightforward and simple, very repetitive low level position. With time, and due to my abilities, the tasks I had to complete multiplied greatly, to the point of me training and assisting colleagues with their own jobs.
I started working there amidst a big shift in the company and the implementation of new systems and rules around its operation, and thus, a transitional period that found employees who had been there long before me struggling.
Me coming with fresh eyes and unaware of the past, along with my qualifications, meant I could adapt very quickly, which led to my job role entailing way more than I had been told at first, without an increase in my salary.

And it wasn't just me. A lot of people were required to do a lot more than they were paid for, but I will talk about that in a second.

The People

When I first started, everyone in my team was really sweet and kind to me. They were all so helpful and willing to respond to any of my queries. A few of my colleagues warned me against certain people on the first day though, and that left a very sour taste in my mouth.
With time I discovered a lot of the sweetness and kindness were an act. People wanted to make a good first impression. But as time passed I found myself involved in petty drama that I couldn't even fathom. Certain people didn't like my mediterranean temperament, or the music I listen to, or criticised the way I did my job (even though my superiors praised me constantly), or even what and how much I had for lunch.
A few of my colleagues even complained about me to my supervisor. Even colleagues I thought I was 'work-friends' with. My voice was too loud, I didn't remain quiet when someone talked down on me, and sometimes I used the word 'fuck.' And even though some of my colleagues could be loud as well, or sweared too, maybe it was the fact that I was not intimidated by anyone, ever, that irked them the most.
Thankfully, there were also kind and reasonable people working with me, and it was thanks to them, I had an overall positive experience.

The Company

From what I had heard, the company used to be a very positive environment to work at, and took good care of its staff. However, after it was acquired by a larger corporation, and then, after a new CEO was appointed, things started going downhill.
Mass redundancies, a plethora of job role changes, zero employee consideration, less worker rights, new rules, more rules, more technicalities, and a lot less logic or cohesion.
One of the most frustrating things was that the vast majority of higher ups had absolutely no clue of how the business operated. They supposedly knew how to manage us all (and shout commands and demands), but they did not know what our jobs entailed, or how, practically, things got done.
Therefore, us 'lower level' staff had to constantly explain certain processes and even demonstrate, for them to be content and leave us alone.
Moreover, due to all the redundancies, current staff had to take on the roles of the people made redundant, without a salary increase or a bonus, which meant you got paid the same, but had to do a lot more. And that seemed to be a pattern within the company.
I am not going to go into how disorganised and unreasonable the way the company operates was, as I'm sure that is a common denominator in many companies.

The Threat

One day, my supervisor told me to go to my manager's office. There, there was my manager and another person. They told me there was this great opportunity for me, the Head of Operations had handpicked me and created a position just for me. It would be great for me, provide me with experience and knowledge in so many other things, and help me to evolve professionally.
I was very flattered, but also felt something was a bit off. My manager was really pushing for me to take this job. I was given less than 24 hours to give a response, but then had no one approach me to request my response.
I wrote down a list of questions in regards to the position, and two days later my manager arranged for a meeting for us to discuss the details. Bottom line was that this position, which was newly created (and I would be the first person to ever have it if I accepted), entailed a lot more roles and tasks than the position I was currently holding, yet the salary was the same. They also wanted to keep my contract and my job role the same, and if after my temp contract expired they wanted to offer me a permanent position, only then the job role would change on the contract, but the salary would remain the same. On top of that they would expect me to work on weekends, which was something I didn't have to do before.
As you may expect, I very kindly declined the position. There was no reason for me to take a job with more responsibilities and change departments for such little money. Two days after I declined the position my manager wanted to talk to me. We had a private conversation and I was basically told that if I didn't accept this new position, my contract would not be renewed as we had agreed upon. My contract was supposed to be extended for 3 more months. I very calmly explained that that was blackmail and I would not succumb to threats. Both my supervisor and my manager had told me for months that my contract would be extended. HR was aware of that fact as well. Funny thing was, most of our HR staff had been made redundant, and the HR person who had been in charge of my case did not work for the company anymore.
So, even though I explicitly told my manager if my contract wasn't renewed I would take action and seek justice, I knew that would be extremely hard to do, as it would be my word against a whole company.


...To be continued...

Colleague's infuriating entitlement

When people feel uncomfortable they usually turn into spoiled children. Or even worse, aggressive adults.

It takes someone who self-reflects and constantly works on themselves to face and move past their discomfort.

But that someone is not my colleague.

Yesterday, there was a conversation at work about a colleague who goes hunting. The conversation was instigated by an older lady (who loves drama). She knew I would respond, not only because I am a vegetarian, but also, because I love animals.

And I did respond, jokingly. I made comical exaggerated loud declarations against hunting, laughing. I mentioned the cognitive dissonance that is loving animals, but also not only eating them, but hunting them. Indeed, I am against hunting, but I recognised work isn't the place to talk about it seriously.

At the time, I was laughing, my co-workers were laughing... But our team leader stepped in to say that talking about dietary preferences is taboo and we shouldn't talk about it. I explained that I was joking, and of course, I accept everyone's dietary preferences regardless of whether I agree with them or not.
I didn't make anything of it, and no one showed to be uncomfortable or offended.

Now, the colleague I was joking with (or so I thought) is a person that has confided in me, a person who I have good banter with, teasing each other; but he also makes inappropriate jokes, and more than often misogynistic, homophobic, and overall, politically incorrect remarks. During these 'jokes,' I have politely -or using humour- tried to show him he needs to stop. Meaning, we were on that level of familiarity.

Today, sometime after I arrived at work, my team leader had a meeting with all of us, asking us to respect each other's preferences, and not bully each other. Extremely surprised, I asked if he was referring to me and my colleague, and looked at my colleague and asked him 'You know we were joking yesterday, right?' My colleague looked away, and right then I knew something was wrong.

My team leader spoke to me in private to inform me my colleague filed a complaint, because he felt the previous day the volume of my voice was offensive.
Mind you, I am a mediterranean woman, and that means I speak loudly, especially when I'm joking. And all my colleagues know and have experienced that multiple times.

I was not only in shock, but I was also infuriated. My colleague, a 59 year old man, snitched me to our team leader, and didn't even try to speak with me or express his discomfort before talking to my superior. The betrayal. He pretended to not have any issue with me, and then, immediately after he left work, he texted the team leader to complain, and even threatened to contact our manager. The hypocrisy. I'm lucky the team leader is a reasonable person or else I would be in serious trouble.

The irony and unfairness of it all...
The colleague who makes politically incorrect 'jokes' was offended by the volume of my voice, when I'm the one of two people in that department who actually care about social issues and being mindful of others.

I have been told that my colleague has shouted at women at work, called them idiots e.t.c. Yet, he was offended by the 'volume' of my voice.

How privileged can you be, and how entitled, that you feel 'threatened' by a mere joke that makes you feel uncomfortable -even though no one's insulting you-, when you're constantly offending every marginalised social group without a second thought?

How immature can you be to create drama at your workplace, for what?

Another colleague mentioned that I may have spoken some truth, which made him feel uncomfortable, and so he felt he had to attack me in some way. By putting me in a position where he shows his power, by punishing me for challenging his core beliefs and possibly making him feel guilty for his actions.

As if it's anyone else's fault but his if he cannot live his life in harmony between his beliefs and his actions.
Isn't it nice to be able to pin all your mistakes on others, and deflect, turning your guilt into toxic behaviour that hurts others?

A co-worker I'm close with pointed out it was the fact that a female raised her voice at him (or so he thought) that infuriated him.

Who knows...

All I know is I'm keeping my distance and blocking being engulfed in this kind of negative energy.

2018

Άλλη μια χρονιά τελειώνει, ένα νέο ξεκίνημα αρχίζει.

Φέτος δε θα γράψω ολόκληρο κατεβατό για το χρόνο που έφυγε.

Το 2018 ήταν κάτι παραπάνω από υποφερτό. Ειδικά σε σχέση με το 2016 και το 2017.

Οπότε για το 2019 ελπίζω να είναι εξίσου υποφερτό, ή και λίγο καλύτερο.

Καλή χρονιά σε όλ@ς μας!

Corporate Uncomfortable

The company I work for is trying to revamp itself and so, they created a video with key-points of the company's future, goals and expectations.

All employees are required to watch the video along with a powerpoint presentation. Today was my turn to attend to the session.

At the end of it, we were separated in groups and told to share our thoughts. We were clearly stirred towards sharing our positive thoughts -even though it was supposed to be a feedback 'workshop.'

Most people were saying how they loved the video, how clear it was, how positive it was, blah blah blah.

All I could think of was that we watched a 20 minute video of three extremely well dressed white people, with high positions reading from a teleprompter. You could tell by the movement of their eyes. It was all rehearsed, it was all acted out. No true meaning behind their words, merely repeating words appearing in the monitor.

These words, however, aimed at 'brainwashing' us and used the power of suggestion to promote certain behaviours or thoughts. The words 'proud,' 'community' and 'inspiration' were repeated constantly.

What struck me as awkward was that a filthy rich white man was talking about community, being part of the local community, and a second later he was saying we have to reduce our discounts to increase profit.
I wanted to scream at the screen "You have no fucking clue what community is you entitled prick!"
It's like seeing a warlord preaching about peace.
Oxymoron doesn't even begin to describe it.

What struck me as unacceptable though, was that there were only white people on the video. Even when they were showing ads relevant to the company, not even once was a POC featured.

And thus, when they asked us for our opinion, I mentioned that there wasn't enough racial diversity on the video. The two middle aged white men who are higher-ups in our division and were part of our team started mumbling "What do you mean?" "Can you explain this?" and they looked terrified.
I told them "I mean there were only white people on the video, we need more diversity as a company."
And even though they shook their head, supposedly agreeing with me, when they time came for all teams to share bullet points of their opinions, mine was painfully ignored.

I also dared ask them about the 'inspiring the community' part of the pretentious speech on the video, and they referred to charity (a.k.a giving away money that will be a tax right off), but absolutely no interactive activities provided by our company for the local community.

Basically, they want to be an elitist 'club' for the rich, all the while pretending to care for the local community by doing the bare minimum to prove said 'care.'

And unfortunately, this is how most corporations operate.

Welcome to the real -capitalist- (dystopian) world...