My Age

Let me be clear about something: I am not your average young Greek. I, unlike the majority of my peers, have a job. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying I adore that job but it keeps me busy a few hours a day and it creates the illusion that I actually contribute to society and, more importantly, bring something to the table, before my parents bring in the big guns, meaning pay for the rent, the bills and anything else.  

You see, I, unlike my parents, live in Athens. My father has completely rejected the idea of a big city lifestyle; still he has no problem paying for it, when it comes to me. Seven years ago, I came here, all bright eyes, impressionable small town girl wanting to make it to the big game. Now, seven years and a financial crisis later, I’m the last man standing; all my out-of-town friends bowed out of the game, gracefully accepting defeat. My best friend, one of the brightest people I know, is currently living with her parents, prepping students for English language tests and working her way down the bottom of a gin bottle every night. Another friend of mine, ended up working in a bar, where we get to hang, every time I visit my birth town. Long story short, after the crisis, everyone who didn’t have a job or the means to live in Athens, returned home, to live with their parents. Some got jobs and some didn’t, but even those who did, are mostly overqualified for them. Remember my friend, the bartender? He has a BSc in Civil Engineering. As for my friend, the tutor? She has a BA in English Literature and speaks three languages. And that concludes the first part of my point. Don’t worry, I’m half through there!

And just to be clear, I’m not writing this to state how living with your parents sucks (which it does, but that’s besides the point), or to remind the people of their generation that it’s all their doing and now we’re the ones left shovelling their shit. I’m not here to preach or play the blaming game. I’m here because I’m tired and I believe I speak for all of us when I say that I’m sick of hearing how useless my generation is, not to mention reading articles on why everyone in Greece hates people in their twenties (I’ve attached the link below, feel free to check it out; unfortunately, it’s in Greek).

Somehow, I get the idea that there’s this image of us, stuck in the heads of the so-called adults, and, trust me when I say this kids, it’s not pretty. They think we are over attached to our stuff, obsessed with fashion, designer label clothes and partying, that we are too occupied being cool and looking good to actually achieve something substantial which can have some sort of impact in our lives and you know what? Up to some point, they are right.

I won’t pretend I don’t know what’s going on with my generation; that would be stupid. So, let’s get some things straight: I’m a material girl. I won’t deny it, I like buying stuff, just because I want them and definitely not because I need them, because they make me feel pretty and amazing, because I bloody like them! Now, that might be a crime to an adult’s eyes but for us, it’s daily routine. It’s the way we were raised.

We built on different foundations than the ones our parents did and they were the ones who provided those grounds for us. So, you see, they can’t really complain because we have learnt to be more frivolous with our money, because we like to spend, because we like Facebook, Smartphones and Dior sunglasses and because we have discovered the ultimate secret to escape them: hang in cafes with our equally unemployed pals till dinner time. You call us vain and superficial but you are the ones who created us and there’s no doubt about that.

Wrapping up, I just wanted to say that, when the financial crisis hit Greece in 2008 the whole country was still living in lala land. I, for one, was still in college and had no idea how badly my future was to be affected. I don’t think anyone of us did. We all expected to graduate and make tons of money (it’s kind of a prerequisite with my generation: tons of money and a cool job to boot!). I wanted to translate books. Do you want to know what I do now? I work in an office, handling translated articles for magazines and I get paid 200 Euros per month. Bummer, I know but still, it’s better than nothing.

My point is that, you may think that we live in cuckoo land, but we understand. We can’t change who we are; I’m sure that was the exact same lame line you pulled when your parents asked you to change and I bet you still have all those annoying traits they used to point out. I’ll tell you one more thing, I’ll tell you why you didn’t change and I’ll tell you why we’ll never do: Because, simply put, we think we’re awesome. Period.