Written and posted on the 9th of June, 2025 at Epanomi, Greece
Something to listen to while reading this:
A quick round of introductions
Welcome to my blog! Here, I will be sharing life updates, thoughts, and experiences every month (hopefully).
I know this website doesn't get too much traffic,
but the main point of this blog is to keep a record of what is going on in my life and thoughts, mostly for my future reference.
What's coming up
With that, I guess it's time to start writing!
I've got a few things going on in my life right now, but the one I am looking forward to the most is my upcoming trip to Crete,
as I will be attending the 8th International Forum of EYP Greece as a delegate.
This is going to be a bitter-sweet experience for me, since I will be taking a year long from EYP sessions to focus on the national university entry exams.
Another, less exciting event, is coming to an end this Friday, when I will be taking my last exam for 11th grade, in mathematics.
While this signals the end of the school year and the beginning of summer break, it also means that I am one step before starting preparing for the
national university entrance exams.
At least, with the beginning of summer break I get to focus on projects like Simplified Coding. Me and the rest of the team have wrapped up
updating the project's code of conduct, privacy policy, etc and we are getting ready for our upcoming meeting sometime in June. My personal goal is to re-write and
polish every single course we have during the summer, so I can make sure we deliver quality lessons to our users, with the help of Nikos.
There's also a nice UI change coming up soon, so that's another thing to look for.
Thoughts on the Greek university entrance system
Most Greek students have one thing they are afraid of, and is the national university entrance exams or Panellinies.
As I am approaching this milestone one year from now, I find it rather unsettling how 12 hours sitting on a desk
can have a defining impact on your future trajectory. Anything from academics, to career, to even way of life could change from an exam result.
My mind goes to other university entrance systems, such as the US, where a student isn't judged just from one score, but from multiple factors.
And while I find this system far from perfect, it is definitely more humane than what we have now.
And while everyone says that these exams aren't everything and we shouldn't stress too much,
in reality we all know that these exams can have a significant impact on not just our careers, but our mental wellbeing as well.
But I guess I have to work with what I have, so I will be taking a break from EYP and Simplified Coding, starting this August.
What gives me courage is the future, its unpredictability, and what it has in store for me.