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Victoria Mindova

"When life gives you lemons, make yourself lemonade!" is my favourite saying, which always helps me in difficult moments. The economic crisis, the persistent lack of money and the dilemma, which gap of the household budget to cover with the monthly salary, are not unfamiliar problems for me and for almost all modern Bulgarians who remember what life was like in the 1990s in Bulgaria. In Greece, however, the last dramatic economic crisis was quite long ago, and after that, things in our southern neighbour went well, whether slower or faster, but still well. Then followed the flourishing Euro-being and all GRReporter readers are aware of its decline.

For ordinary people in Greece, however, the news of high unemployment, salary cuts and bankruptcy of enterprises are real life and adapting to the new conditions is not easy. Some indulge in quiet resentment, others go out in the streets to scream, shout and protest against the changes, the third group, head buried in work, is trying to find new opportunities or is looking to improve the things around them with the means at hand.

This is the story of Eleni Lazarou, who has been a reporter in the Greek private TV station MEGA for six years already. She is an active journalist and has covered some of the most dramatic events taking place in Greece over the last two years. I met her in the summer of 2010 during the long strikes of truck drivers and tanks for public use. You can see her at almost all the protests – of trade unions, the discontented, the anarchists, with a microphone in hand and always smiling. Despite her busy schedule, Eleni has found time and faithful friends to make an economic crisis survival guide through the website kano-oikonomia.gr ("save" in a free translation from Greek). Here is her story:

You are a full time journalist. What made you create the project 'kano-oikonomia.gr' and what is the main purpose of the site?

After the clouds of economic crisis have hung over Greece, I realized that the time has come to change my habits, like many other people around me. I started saving more, limiting unnecessary costs and researching the market before going shopping. Generally, I do not live at a high rate and make do with less, I am flexible, but the changes proved to be quite painful. I did not want to give up the level I have reached so far and make changes for which I was not ready.

Therefore, I started to think differently: "Which of the things I like can I do, but with less money?" It turned out that a pleasant surprise has been waiting for me - you can have a wonderful time even in times of economic crisis without much money. This finding has become the motto of kano-oikonomia.gr. Searching, I have found out how you can go out at night with friends, have fun without spending a lot; how you can go shopping cheaply and buy high-quality things in the right places, indulge in your favourite hobby or learn new things for free! I shared my findings with my best friend Veni Hantzerli and we both used those opportunities. Every time we shared our new "findings" with our friends, there was strong interest, which is quiet reasonable, because the income of many people has quickly dropped significantly. This is how the idea for the site was born. We said to ourselves, "Why not share the information we use with more people?" The idea was to make an "economic crisis survival guide" ... Our friends and associates liked the idea and were willing to help on a voluntary basis. All involved in this endeavour have a regular job and work for long hours, but we are keen on the idea and we love the project. Moreover, seeing the people’s interest, we are determined to go ahead.

Who supports your effort in this project?

We started with my friend Veni, who undertook to develop the site. Slowly we made a team of young people - computer experts, journalists, psychologists, lawyers, people from the advertising industry and other professionals. All are keen on the idea of the site; we like it and want to create something useful. Everyone helps with anything they can and apply their knowledge and experience in the specific area. For some more specialized topics, we require the opinion of specific specialists, so that the information we provide is accurate.

The news from Greece has been pretty gloomy lately, but still it is a pretty amazing place to be. So, what are the three things that foreigners have to know about your country, other than economical crisis, Zorbas the Greek and the beautiful islands?

Greece is a naturally beautiful country indeed and many people agree reasonably that it is one of the most beautiful places in the world. We have a rich history and culture, which foreigners often know better than we do. There are many reasons why it is nice to live in Greece. Apart from the sun and the sea, the main reason is "humanity", which is the main quality of the Greeks. Today, in times of crisis, it is felt more intensely than ever. People have solidarity with one another on a personal level. I see how they help each other. Furthermore, many new movements have been formed that support people in need every day without anything in return. The people involved in them do not help because they have extra money or time. They give the last thing they have. It is really touching to see how people who are not in a better situation themselves help others with anything they can.

Recently, there has been an increasing trend of young people in Greece seeking realization abroad. What is your opinion about it?

Indeed, all recent data suggest that the wave of Greeks leaving the country to seek realization abroad has increased dramatically. In most cases, these are young and educated people and I believe that this phenomenon is absolutely reasonable and easy to explain. I often do reports on similar topics. I spoke with a young man who has many degrees and a good academic base, but he finds only closed doors in Greece. Where he finds a job, the conditions are almost horrible, the payment is miserable with no health or pension insurance. Statistics show that every second young man in Greece is unemployed. I would also go abroad if I were younger. I do not exclude the option of doing it even at my present age of 36 years, unfortunately.

You have reported on some of the hottest topics in Greece in recent years. Tell me some of the most exciting or the most difficult stories you had to cover.

I have been working as a reporter for 13 years now. First in Diktio in Serres, which is my hometown, and for the last six years, I have been in the private MEGA TV in Athens. Currently I am dealing mainly with the events troubling everyday life and the protests. In recent years, the most difficult reports I have made were about the unrest in Athens in 2008. I was sure then that others would be killed (not only Alexis Grigoropoulos) and the capital would be destroyed. Another event that I will never forget is the Peloponnesian Peninsula fires of 2007, when the blaze was so intense that everything around me burnt in no time.

The most frightening moment I have had in my work was in Serres, when I was able to track down the perpetrator of a murder, who was being sought by police. He agreed to meet me in a secret place and give an exclusive interview only if I would go alone. When I met him, he told me he would rape me and kill me. For a moment, I was very afraid. He wanted to frighten me and nothing like that happened. The interview was broadcasted on all televisions and broadcasters. I was even accused of hiding a criminal, but with the help of the Athens Journalists Union, I was justified.

How do you personally look at the Greek economic crisis and how has it changed your life?

I look at the crisis as it is, a disaster. Unfortunately, because of my work, I face its extent daily. Every day I make reports about people who remain unemployed, lose their homes or just have to live on the street; about people queuing up each day for food from charities or in social shops to get milk for their children. These are real tragedies.

I cannot say that my life has changed very much since the crisis. What it has affected is directly related to my decision to start to make savings very early and thereby to be able to prevent problems that are more serious. This is how the idea of ​​the crisis survival electronic guide was born.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

If you had asked this question before the outbreak of the economic crisis, I would easily answer that I still see myself in MEGA doing what I am doing now. I love my work a lot and I would like to continue to do it in the best possible way, but everything is very uncertain today. One cannot make long-term plans. It is not known whether I will do the same job after some time, or whether I will be in the same country. The truth is that I do not like making plans. I believe that we cannot predetermine our future. I will continue to do my work in the best possible way and we will see what will happen.