Yeeeees! It is now 2005! Who would have thunk it? I was in Greece for three weeks in January, had a great time despite the family obligations. My father's side is a riot, as always, my mom's side... well, I chose to not socialize with them that much. I spent about half my time in Amaliada, and half my time in Athens. Personally I would have preferred to stay more in Athens than Amaliada. There were literally three people which had remained there after college, and all of them worked. Wages are despicable in Greece.
The average pay is for a non-skilled worker is €650 per month. ouch! This is not to say that skilled workers get paid a whole lot more. Here is an example: friends and family of mine that have skills acquired through the traditional college experience get a mere €1000 per month. How people get by is beyond me, given that prices for bare necessities (like clothes, groceries and rent) keep going up. Prices for groceries are increasing at a rate higher than inflation, while wages remain stagnant.
In the past I had ambitions of returning to Greece, I believe that most Greeks living abroad have this desire within them, but once they see current conditions in Greece as a whole (politics, policies, unemployment, nepotism, and so on), they get a cold shower and come back to reality.
Anywho, back to things at hand. Work, going OK. Economics 101, as demand increases, supply decreases. This semester demand has skyrocketed, but supply is constant, this means that there are some clients that are left without the equipment they require to conduct class. I guess what my grandmother said still holds true "prudent kids cook before they are hungry" (rough translation from Greek)...
Classes are going well, and I must say that this is the first semester that I am enjoying ALL of my classes. I am currently doing three classes and if all goes according to my master plan I will have my MBA by August 2006.

wow, look at the time! time to go do some homework ;-)

picture from Greece soon to be posted