yearbook 2004/05 - The European Film College

The Greeks at the EFC
By Persefone
Miliou, Nikolaos
Vavouris & Artemis
Anatasiadou
FROM THE STUDENTS
You are in the centre of Copenhagen, and you’re
standing by the traffic lights. There are no cars
passing; nevertheless everybody is waiting for
the green light. You cross the street... once,
you cross the street ...twice...and then you start
thinking “ Why are all these people looking at
me?” . So, you say “Behave yourself” and you
stand by the traffic lights until one of these
innumerable bicycles falls on you. “ Fuck, I’m
standing on the bicycle route”.
One day later, you are in the countryside. An industrial-design
building is standing before you.
This will be your residence for the next eight
months. Everything is scheduled in detail and
is announced to you in advance: when you’ll
eat, when you’ll work, when you’ll feel stressed,
when you’ll dance and flirt, when you’ll feel sad
and say goodbye. Everything begins and ends
on time. A 15 minutes delay is a way of living
for you, so you do your best to adapt here, but
still you’ll always hear comments like” Oh, you
Greeks, you’re always late”.
You’ve also heard rumors that behind the football
field there is a city called Ebeltoft. It is true
that you’ve seen some human beings shopping
at the supermarket you go to (which has the exotic
name “Kvickly”), but it will take you some
time before you find out whether they live in
this city, or they beam themselves here just to
shop and then they disappear somewhere in
outer space.
As time passes by, you’ll get to know this country
a bit better. Basically, its people. The ones
that wake up at 6 am to go to the swimming
pools when it’s minus something degrees outside
(a pure suicide act for a Greek mind).
Denmark....how could we talk about Denamrk?
Life in EFC is a small bubble, a bubble that will
vanish in a splash of tears in a month.
All we know is Ebeltoft, and not even this.
Kvickly ...maybe, but
still is hard to read even
the signs of the products,
since the English
speaking life of EFC
has made it easy and
comfortable for us
to come and live and
leave as foreigners from
Denmark.
Artemis
What about all the
Danish people here
in EFC? Haven’t you Nikolaos
learnt anything of
Danish Culture from
them?
Of course, we have
experienced some “national
“Danish characteristics”,
but more on
the surface.
Persefone
Danish people have the controversial characteristic
of being very sociable and very reserved at
the same time.
This, you can also see it in the way of residential
living. No curtains, no fences, no fear or criminality
you would think.
People’s houses must be always open. But, then
you realise, that you can never go uninvited to
a friend,
A Danish house:
Comfortable sofas, lights for all the situations,
a very well decorated house. Well what’s the
reason for going out?. You stay home. He stays
home. And we stay in EFC or we go for a walk
in Ebeltoft. Saturday night and the streets are
empty! We watch you through the window.
You’ve stayed home!