Episode Transcript
Femininity is powerful in all its forms, exceptional women, rare girls must be appreciated in every
way for their perspectives, actions, thoughts, and their unique ways of being. Such rare
girls are inspiring. And this is what this podcast is all about. Hello, my name is Aziz,
and my guest today is Pavlina Baczel. Pavlina is from Larissa in Greece, and her goal is to become a
psychologist. Her hobbies include listening to music, observing the world, learning about new
things, traveling to new cities, and seeing how people interact with each other in different
situations and cultures. Pavlina really likes reading books about romance, psychology, and
self-development, and she has won medals in various sports, including taekwondo and gymnastics.
Pavlina, how are you today? Hi, I'm great. Thank you. I'm so happy to have you here and
really curious about you. So I'll begin with this. You love reading books, maybe romance novels,
since you mentioned that. What about them interests you or attracts you that makes you
love reading them so much? So, I'm reading books. It's like you're living in. You see you
interact with the people in the book. You are the main character. And I think I am like I'm
living in the book. I am, as you said, the main character, and I have another, a different life
than I have in reality. And it's just how every book author is writing. It's how they see love.
That's how I see romance books. I love that. So does it help you understand people in reality
when you have read so much, saw so many conversations, and so some people will remind
you of some book characters and it helps you understand them even more? Correct? Yes, that's
correct. I can like some characters remind me of some people in like my friends, and I can see why
they do some things. I can predict what they're going to do. Thank you. And you mentioned the
definition of love. What is to you the ideal definition of ideal love? I think that they
didn't love is loving someone and being there even when they have good times or bad times.
And loving all of them, like from the top to the bottom of themselves outside and the inside of
them. That's such a wonderful way to speak about love and to ask you. There is this maybe stereotype
or I don't know where it is. And also it's part of the romance novel where a girl is always
torn between two kinds of guys. One is a bad boy who's dangerous and toxic and exciting.
And another one is a strong man, but he is reliable yet a bit boring. And then the girl
doesn't know which to choose because she loves the excitement, but she also wants the security.
Do you agree with this? Do you think a lot of girls are excited by bad boys or is that just
a stereotype or what is your thought about this whole topic? So I think it's not a stereotype
because it happens sometimes even in books and in real life. And I think girls are really up,
are really looking for excitement in their relationships. So that may be a factor that
they choose the bad guy, but other girls, I think they like the excitement, but they want a reliable
boyfriend that they are sure about how the relationship is going to be. But I think it
kind of depends to the girl. Yes, of course. And how would you define an exciting relationship?
Does it mean for you drama and fighting and toxicity and emotions that can be all kinds?
Or what for you would be that definition? I think in a relationship it is great to have
many emotions and they have to be a sad emotion sometimes, an outburst of emotions. But I think
the main emotions that need to be in a relationship are the happiest ones that you can feel happy and
not have to worry about anything. And you know that your significant other is loving you.
And I think there's no need for drama in a relationship because that is something that
is draining to, is draining yourself. I understand 100%. And therefore to ask you as a person,
are you someone who loves to experience all kinds of emotions? Do you sometimes watch a sad movie
just to cry? Do you watch a documentary about murders just to feel that emotion?
Or do you keep it at good vibes only? I do watch some documentaries about
murders because I like to see how they think and how it is going to be. And yes, I need to
see movies sad so I can feel the sadness and cry myself out because I think sad movies are really
great. Thank you. That's really interesting. And to speak about guys, since you're someone
who observes behavior, have you ever had like an instant crush on a boy or you met someone
where you felt instant chemistry, like you know this person all your life and it feels electric
from the first second? Or do you need to observe for some time and different meetings before you
develop any emotions that could grow into love? I think I had that person that came straight from
the start this summer in summer camp but I think it didn't grow out to love because we didn't have
time. But I think I do observe people and I need time to observe them to think how the relationship
would go because actually I'm kind of afraid of being hurt because I had been hurt for the past
so I need time to observe the person I have a crush on before I commit something. I understand
fully. And when it happened to you that you were hurt before, was it that it seemed the person was
perfect and suddenly they changed? Or was it that kind of romance story where you noticed some red
flags and you were like no no no I will change him or no no no I'm sure he's different or whatever
and therefore ignoring the red flags led to the heartbreak rather than being surprised where it
happened suddenly? How was it? So it was both I think but I think I had the image of him different
in my mind and I had very high expectations of things and he didn't meet up to them so I was kind
of hurt by that and yeah I think that was it and then he was kind of toxic sometimes and I was like
it's okay he will change he'll just do those things because he loves me but it was nothing like that.
I understand fully. And when it comes to love do you feel there is something different about
the Greek culture because of the history when it comes to being romantic hopeless romantic or love
and in general how would you describe a Greek girl? What is different between the culture or
the attitude of a Greek girl your age compared to other countries near in 2022? So I think Greek girls
are really loving from their tradition but now in 2022 girls are not really I think hoping to find
that prince in the white horse that is going to save them as we have been told when we were little
too but I think we have so much love inside of us that we wait for one patient to give it all and
we really love our tradition some of us actually and we want our significant other to love our
tradition too so we can feel loved. Thank you. Can you explain that a bit more what tradition
is that tradition that you're speaking about specifically as some listeners might not know
enough about Greek traditions? I mean our weddings in the church and the rice that
we are throwing after the bride and after the wedding is over and like our traditional foods
like moussaka, tzatziki and other traditional foods like when I think I would want my partner
to like those foods because I like them since I was little and yes that was what I was kind of
saying with the tradition. Thank you and then to know even more about you nowadays with social
media a lot of people from all over the world and I'm sure in Greece are influenced by K-pop so they
have a little bit of Korean culture, Hollywood of course so there's American culture influence
maybe the French and British culture and with anime the Japanese culture etc. Do you feel
even yourself that you are more about Greek traditions and culture or are you a mix of
many cultures of the world? I think I am a mix of cultures from all over the world because
I like I have seen many cultures from the internet from the social medias and I like some of them
and I think I like my tradition as well the Greek culture but I like the American culture, the
French culture and some other cultures so yes I think I'm a mix. Thank you and tell me about
self-development two things one do you feel that a lot of people your age are focused on self-development
or they're just don't care they just live life without too much changes and what is important
for you about self-growth and self-development? So I think people my age are just living life
without thinking too much about it and I do too but I think we should really think about our future
and how we could be better for our future selves and do some things like I don't know
working out so we can be healthy in the future like journalism so we can really get to know
ourselves because some of us really do not know ourselves and we need to work to find out what we
really like what we really are like. That's really interesting and your goal in the future is to
become a psychologist do you dream of a specific university or a place in the world where you
wish to study this would you love to do it in Paris or London or Athens or something like that?
Yes I dream of studying psychology in Thessaloniki Greece and then maybe do some
lessons in the in France or America I don't know something outside of Greece and yeah I really love
psychology because I can see how other people think and give them solutions to their problems.
Thank you. Are you an empath? Do you have the ability to feel people's emotions and almost read
their minds or is it a skill you wish to develop more by understanding the sciences of psychology
etc? Sometimes I do feel how other people feel and why they feel like this but I think I would
really like to develop that ability let's say because I really like to help people with some
problems or just anything they need help for. Thank you and what's your favorite thing about
yourself as a person? Is there something a part of you that encourages your self-esteem and self-love?
Is there something about your personality or how you are that you adore? Yes I think I love my
personality because I'm a nice person I think depends on the situations though. I really love
my hair now that I have dyed them red and I just love myself but not every single day sometimes
it's hard to love ourselves and I need something to get my confidence back like when I'm stressed
I usually do not like myself at all and I think I'm the worst but that's when I need something to
encourage me and continue to love myself and do the things I love. That's absolutely wonderful
and nowadays are you a girl who wishes for big city life? Do you dream about being in a huge city
with people and activities from all over the world or do you wish more for a peaceful life
in nature in a small town and that is more your style? I think the second one because since I have
lived in a small town in a small city I'm more used to the small world the small city let's say
because you can interact with small people and it's not too much drama and I really like
forests and the nature and I think I would not let's say fit in the big cities like for example
Los Angeles or New York it's a great they're great cities but I think they're really big for me.
I understand and nowadays when you're not studying how do you do keep yourself inspired what do you
do that inspires you that takes care of your mental health and keeps life from being boring?
I'm going out with my friends it's my favorite thing to do and have free time because I get to
live life except from studying or taking care of myself going to trips with my family
that's some stuff that I really like to do so I can so life is not boring. Thank you and what
characteristics do you look for in people that you think make the best friends for you are you
looking for open-minded people chaotic people people who love small town living and are don't
fit too much in big cities people who love traditions or are artistic and creative what
things make you think yes this person will be my kind of friend? I'm surely open-minded people
because I cannot keep up with closed-minded people because I really have some thoughts that
are completely wrong so yes that one characteristic that I need to have for a friend also I'm not
really I do not really care if they like big cities or small cities but I do need to find the
characteristics that they like nature and for sure dogs and cats and I think every characteristic
that everyone has it's something unique and you can love them in some kind. Thank you and can you
tell me the story of choosing and deciding to study psychology was it a day where you saw something
on tv or did you read the book where there was a character who was a psychologist and that was like
falling in love or do your friends come to you for advices and you thought wow I want to do this as a
job so I should be a psychologist or how did that decision come to be? As I said previously
I really like helping people and actually yes my friends really got really often come to me
to help them and tell me their problems and we can discuss them and find a solution or
don't really find a solution they just need someone to hear them and I'm really I'm a really good
listener and that's how I think I came up with the idea to how to become a psychologist. Thank you
so much Pavlina this was my privilege my honor I wish you to study exactly where you wish to study
to live life on your terms to surround yourself with open-minded people you're the very first
greek girl who participated in this podcast so it's wonderful to share about how a greek girl
is unique and how the culture is different as well so thank you again thank you very much too
it was my pleasure
