Lydia Vourlidi

I have caught myself several times wondering, where have the everyday things we see and use get their names from? Who thought of them and how were their names decided? I frequently think to myself, do we all perceive the same colours in

Why is Japan called Japan, when its official name in Japanese is ‘Nippon or Nihon’ (in Japanese: ‘日本’)? In other languages as well, its name varies. ‘Japon’ in French, ‘Giappone’ in Italian, ‘Yaponiya’ in Russian, 일본 (Il-bon) in Korean, and 日本 (Rìběn) in Chinese. All

Ideally, we all would desire to live in a world where we have the same opportunities and reside in a community where gender diversity and equality are viewed as central values. The entertainment industry is powerful in reflecting and shaping the

Figure 1. Anti-abortion protest outside the US Department of Justice. Source: Unsplash. The motto, “liberty, equality, fraternity”, appearing first in the French Revolution of 1787, has formed the current basis for human rights. It brought together legal guarantees of civil liberties and

Have your relatives had breast cancer? Does diabetes run in your family? Are you aware of any records of mental illness in your family? Getting to know one’s family’s health history is important; not only in being aware of the

Food is an integral part of one’s cultural identity. The dishes that are native to a country or community are passed from one generation to the other. Immigrants transfer their idea of a traditional dish within the countries they reside

Quarantining  [kwar-uhn-teen-iin] verb The act of knowing better since the first quarantine and supplying yourself with essentials and goodies. Figure 1: The Creation of Adam, Michelangelo (1512). Image credits: Unsplash.  Many countries have reintroduced restrictions with a second lockdown to limit the expansion of the coronavirus.

From the sun-kissed beaches of the Aegean Sea to the Alps for skiing, to the sandy air of the desert, to the Buddhist temples, and to a mix of cultures, I present to you five destinations to add to your

Preface  The following text is a three-part monologue which describes the thoughts of a person in a period of great horror and difficulty. Inspiration to this monologue serves the COVID-19 pandemic. The descriptions are written in first-person and can reflect any