| And now what? What am I going to do without games, without tourists, without
Judo and sailing, without Pyrros Dimas and Ian Thorp???
I turn on the TV and look for athletes, medals, games�Nothing�
The organizers thought of all possible scenarios in order
to organize and complete the games in the best possible way
and they did it. Nobody though thought of us! How difficult
is was not to end the games so abruptly? Couldn�t they just
give us a few more days? Couldn�t they end one sport per day
and not all of them at the same time? Are they happy now that
we are all depressed, miserable and lonely? Why nobody asked
me if I want the games to end?
Maybe I am too sensitive�maybe it is because I am experiencing
problems in my personal life these days�maybe it is because
I had just started to understand the rules of Judo and had
just decided to proceed to an IPPON (nock out movement in
Judo) to anyone who will hurt me from now on�or maybe it is
that even though I always felt proud and lucky of being born
in Greece these games have made me feel that the Olympian
Gods had good reasons for settling in this country�whatever
is the reason I simply cannot accept the fact that now I have
to go back to my ordinary, everyday life!
I refuse to return back to my previous reality, simply because
I like the reality I experienced during the past month, it
suits me more, it is the reality I was trying for the last
years to explain to my foreign friends�it is Greece�it is
my Homeland!
To all of you who were in the stadiums�to all of you who
were stuck for one month in front of your television�to the
amazing volunteers�to the unbelievable athletes who made us
feel emotions that we cannot even describe�to all those who
followed their hearts and traveled from around the globe to
live the adventure�to the little boy who took us on a journey
with his paper boat and the little girl who blew out with
her breath the flame we all cherished�
See you Soon
Katerina Kourtessi
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