Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras © Shutterstock
Supposedly, we have risen from the dead
‘The announcements of prime minister Tsipras were widely covered in the news. People are saying things like: “We only ate beans last week, but today we went to the supermarket and even bought meat!” It’s just a joke, of course. In reality, nothing has really changed in Greece.
In 2008, we had the economic crisis. Austerity measures from the Eurozone were tough. Last week, the prime minister announced that the austerity measures were over. We will be able to make a comeback on the market, have a presence in the financial world and get more loans. The cutting of pensions and the healthcare system will stop. People will have a better quality of life, he promised. But the thing is, just because someone in authority says something, it does not mean that things will change.
Eva Katsimpri, an MSc student of Tourism and Environment from Greece, tells about current events in her home country.
As I’m in the Netherlands, it is funny to see in the news that we have risen “from the dead”. But when I talk to my friends and family, they tell me that they haven’t seen any change. Life continues to be the way as it was. If the healthcare system wasn’t good yesterday, it’s not good today either.
I do follow the news in Greece, but mostly the light things, like who got married. Sometimes it’s a bit sad to read everything about your country, including all the things that have not been going well.’