‘Painting is one of the few things that allows me to let off steam’
Melina met Angelos at the tuition college. Her first impression was that he probably had come from another planet, which is pretty much what he thought. Unusual types, both of them, it took them a few days to become friends. Since then, they have become inseparable. She agrees with Angelos that the hours they spend at the tuition college are the best part of the day. Her schedule is as heavy as his, with the addition of painting, an activity she didn’t want to give up because she was busy. «It’s one of the few things that allows me to let off steam. It’s doesn’t overload my schedule. Besides, I have lessons on Saturday morning so it’s not during the busy week. Like most pupils of her age who go to state schools, she is not happy at the way lessons are taught. «The problem starts with the fact that there is no supervision. No matter what the teacher does, whether he tells you the story of his life or teaches the subject, nobody will say anything to him,» she comments. Melina would like to study dentistry and specialize in orthodontics. She’s not wildly keen on it but will do it because she’ll be able to find a job. In her free time, she paints. Not that she has any free time. «I get up at 7.40 a.m. I get to school at 8.15. We finish at 2 p.m. and I usually have supplementary classes there, so I get home at 4. I eat, study and go to the tuition college at 7 p.m. I get home at 11 p.m., sit down and eat with my parents, who haven’t seem me all day, and then study till at least 1.30 a.m.» she says. At this stage in her life, even 10 minutes makes a difference, whether it’s 10 minutes more sleep, or a final glance at her homework for the day, or another chat with her parents.
