Explore

The ancient is everywhere in Greece, scattered amongst the modern buildings and streets, yet some is still so detached.

Our trip to Eleusis brought us to the site of the ancient cult of Demeter and the site of the Eleusian Mysteries, ancient relics that were only shown to initiates of the exclusive cult. To be completely honest, I did not know much about the site at all before going. I had heard it mentioned by Plutarch in one of my ancient historical readings, but I had no idea how great of an archaeological site it really was...or how abandoned. The site itself was quite large and extremely rich in ancient ruins and artifacts, but there was almost no one there besides myself, my professor, and my fellow student. Why would no one come to such a cool Ancient Site? Everyone goes to the Acropolis, flooding through the Propylaea like Zombies in search of brains, but why does no one come to beautiful Eleusis?

The same is true with the site of the Pnyx, the meeting place of the ancient Athenian assembly, which is located right near the center of Athens. Entry into the site is free, the site itself is beautiful, it has an amazing view, and still I saw nobody on this visit either. In one sense it was extremely nice to have the sites to ourselves, able to explore and discuss without the rabble of tourists, but in another way it was sad to see such incredible sites abandoned. Sure they may have lacked some of the monumental architecture of the Acropolis, but the site itself was no less awe-inspiring and educational. I learned more on these site visits by observing the architecture and discussing things with colleagues than I did at any of the major tourist sites combined.

I don't know whether I should feel bad or not for those who just wish to see the monumental structures and care nothing of the history and significance of other ancient sites. To me the most fulfilling site visit is one in which you must use your imagination in order to figure out how the site was used in ancient times. I think experiences like this can teach us quite a bit, and I urge anyone who is going to Greece to observe some of the more obscure sites, gather information, and do research in an attempt to gain a better understanding of the site as a whole. Maybe that's just the history nerd in me talking, but there really is something beautiful about some of these unfrequented places.

Come on....explore...be adventurous. 

Glorious Guns.

Everyone has guns right? I mean, most families that I know keep guns in their house, so that obviously means that the same is true throughout most of the world....right?

Wrong.

I was talking to a shop keeper in Monistiraki the other day about action movies; The Expendables, to be more specific. Naturally the conversation began to take a turn, and soon we were talking about Martial Arts. From Martial Arts we got to gun disarms, which made the shopkeeper bring up something interesting. He asked me a question:

"Does everyone in the United States own a gun?"
"Well," I said as I thought of the answer, "not everyone."
"But a lot of people?"
I stopped and thought once again. I wasn't exactly sure of what he meant with the term of "a lot". A lot in comparison to Greece? Probably.
"I mean, I know quite a few people who own guns in the States," I responded, "I think more people own guns in the United States than here in Greece." I didn't actually have any statistics to prove that, but as I look at the numbers now I can see that his opinions on gun ownership were not without good reason.

America ranks number one in the world for both percentage of the population with a privately owned gun, and number of privately owned guns. America's 88 guns per 100 people absolutely blows Greece's 22 guns per 100 out of the water. Having grown up around families with guns my entire life I had never really thought that it was unusual to have guns in your home, but apparently it is not very common in Greece, and most other countries at all. It's one of those things that you don't notice until you look at in in comparison to another country.

We really do have a lot of guns here in America thanks to our Second Amendment, and it's just interesting to think that that is one thing that really stands out about the United States. 

Karaoke Trivia on Rhodes.

You thumb through the book of songs, delaying the inevitable truth that you will have to decide on one eventually. Another poor soul is called up to sing as you continue your procrastination. They shake, they sing, people cheer, and the process continues. Finally you can't delay the wait any longer as you make your final decision on a song: Ain't no Sunshine. 

Another rock star finishes their song and then there is silence. You know what is coming next. Your heartbeat increases, your foot desperately taps the ground, your fingers twitch, and you swallow as you are motioned to come to the front of the crowd. Stumbling, you make your way to your stage as an old Greek man, the operator of the karaoke machine, hands you the microphone. Before he lets go he speaks to you.

"Are you American?" he asks, a seemingly irrelevant question. 

"Yes," you answer him.

"Then tell me, what was the first state in the Union?"

"Uh..." you mumble as you desperately search for the answer in the small section of your brain that contains facts on your country's history. The Greek man looks at you with the smug satisfaction that he has stumped an American at American history. You finally answer, a completely guess: "Virginia?"

"Delaware," he responds as he shakes his head. His facial expression changes from pride to disappointment as he lets go of the microphone. 

You think to yourself, "What was that all about?" as you walk to the stage to sing. The song starts, you sing, and the crowd goes wild. 

Lessons that I've learned from this incident:

1) Karaoke is actually a lot of fun once you start singing.

2) Greek people like to quiz Americans on American history. 

Laughter is Contagious

It's true.

Well, either laughter is contagious, or being in a situation where you don't understand what is being said is funny. It was probably a little bit of both.

The other night I had the priveledge of attending a 2500 year old play in an ancient theatre in Epidavros. I had read the play before: The Clouds. It was a pretty hilarious play. There was just one catch.

The entire play would be performed in Greek.

Apart from the few little phrases that I can actually say in Greek, it's safe to say that I am extremely unfamiliar with the language. Thankfully, I was able to understand the jist of what was going on from the actors movements, and from my prior knowledge of the comedy. One thing that eluded me, however, were the parts that I was supposed to laugh. The humor itself seemed to be related to what the protagonist was saying. So here is what I heard:

Actor 1: "En shanfa lisos exias mira tatesalma protista"
Actor 2: "Di polis megaclos Socrate deus mis parakalo"
Actor 1: "Pu filme cuadadate kala me kokinno!"

AUDIENCE: ERUPTS INTO LAUGHTER

This is the point where I have a choice to make. I can either:

A) Stay completely silent, I didn't understand the joke anyway.

OR

B) Laugh along with them, assuming that their laughter is indicative of the joke's humor.

I chose the much more fun, Option B, and laughed my behind off. I mean, I'm sure it was funny, and I don't wanna' seem like the one party-pooper in the audience who wouldn't laugh at anything, so I joined in. It was my way of blending. Who knows, if I hadn't laughed, maybe I would have been ostracised.* (see nerd reference at end of post)

Despite not understanding the joke, the laughter felt very real, hence my lame title of "Laughter is Contagious". In a way I believe that it's a very true statement. After all, what's more fun than laughing by yourself? Laughing with others. To share in that common reaction to humor with obnoxious chortles and snorts is a wonderful experience that breeds more humor based off of the ridiculous noises that we make. It's a community building activity, and in my fake laughter I became part of a very real group of "laughers", causing me to start laughing...for real.

It was a great experience, and I'm happy that I chose to laugh. After all, why shouldn't I laugh?Life can be comical, and that's just fine....




*If you're bored and like history look up ostracism in Ancient Greece, it was a pretty interesting system.

Speedos and Naked Gods

The ancient Greeks were not bashful when it came to their artwork. From frescos, to painted pottery, to sculptures, you will see it all when it comes to the human anatomy. I can't even count the amount of nude human figures I have seen throughout the various museums that I've visited since being here, but I would imagine it's definitely in the hundreds. Seeing so many statues of nudity may puzzle modern westerners, who may come to the conclusion that the ancient Greeks were obsessed with penises. Well, I can't say whether that is true or not, but I think there was a much more plausible reason for why the Greeks felt it necesarry to depict most of their gods and athletes in the nude.

The ancient Greeks seemed to simply have a respect for the human body in its natural form. Why wouldn't they make nude artwork? It's the most natural human form that there is, the core of the human body, not covered by a shield of linens, unashamed of the physical form, it is the truth. In a way it is noble. The Greek sculptors recognized how beautiful and complex the human body was, and therefore had to capture it in all of its unaltered glory in their sculptures. Unlike in modern American thought, where old Puritan teachings make us feel ashamed of our bodies, make us think that they should be hidden from the world, the Greeks had no shame for the human figure.

Which brings me to speedos.

I should start by saying that speedos are vastly more common here in Europe than they are in the states. I mean, if you go to an area where there is swimming I'm sure that you will see at least a few speedos. It's not frowned upon here. Even the old, the out of shape, and sometimes both, wear speedos on public beaches without shame. This is certainly a different story for the United States, where most situations involving a speedo in public would be considered comical or even frowned upon.

The mindset is different here, and it makes me wonder if there is not some type of connection, vague or not, between such revealing bathing suits and a lack of bodily shame that was present in the ancient Greek world. It ranges from topless women on beaches (which are slightly less common than speedos, but still not uncommon) to old men in speedos, but the message is still the same. The people here don't care whether people see most of their bodies or not, because why should they? Who cares? They're our bodies, they are beautiful in their own way regardless of their shape, and despite the American idea that revealing so much of yourself in public is disgusting, there is not really much concern for that here. Really, why should there be?

Having considered all of this, I made my way to the beach....in my speedo.

Any looks of surprise that I got were justified. I assume they just confused me for a living breathing Greek god.

Macaroni and....OH MY GOD I COOKED SOMETHING.

I don't cook.

Well, I DIDN'T cook.

I mean, unless I can consider microwaving chicken nuggets or heating a panini to be cooking, then I didn't really cook at all before coming to Greece. But things are Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changing (enjoy the song reference) now that I am here.

With the introduction of our weekly potlucks I had to find a way to adapt. I had a couple of options:

Option 1: "Don't bring anything, but eat everything"- This is obviously the easiest option. But come on, I have more class than that...

Option 2: "Bring whatever is in the fridge"- This is also a pretty easy option, but also serves to provide something for the meal, whether that something is a slice of cheese and four eggs, or a pack of sliced bologna and a carton of milk. I admit, without shame, that I used this option the first week of the potluck, and in my defense the banana juice and bread that we brought were delicious. Still, there was one more option that I needed to give a shot.

Option 3: "Get off of your lazy butt and learn how to cook Jim (you big-nosed freak)": The most difficult, and most rewarding of the options. When giving yourself this option please note that the insult in parentheses is both optional and interchangeable.

The last two weeks I have taken Option 3, and I actually feel pretty good about that decision. To toot my own horn, I'm very proud of me.

Now, as someone who doesn't cook, I couldn't have done it without the help of some friends. On the first week that I actually cooked I had the help of Allison when it came to preparing the pasta. It was actually more of a pasta tutorial, with me doing very little but observing and occassionally stirring the pasta. But it was a step in the right direction. The pasta turned out delicious, and now I actually knew how to make one meal item of food! (I know it's easy, but cut me some slack).

This past week I decided to kick things up a notch. It was time to take the next logical step, from Pasta to Macaroni and Cheese. And not even boxed mac n' cheese, but legitimate mac n' cheese with homemade cheese sauce. For this new task I enlisted the help of my good friend and ally, Charlie, who helped me purchase all of the correct ingredients, and provided me with a recipe for my soon-to-be macaroni and cheese. Unlike my last cooking experience, however, she didn't do any of the actual cooking. She stayed in the room to guide me and offer an opinion on whether I was cooking it right or not, but I did the actual cooking myself. It was a learning experience. I had a couple fumbles along the way, but thanks to Charlie's supervision, I didn't butcher the macaroni at all. It actually ended up being pretty delicious, and I'm looking forward to making it again.

I'm excited for what next week holds in the cooking department. And I'm also just excited to be cooking in general. That is just one of many things that has changed within me since I've been in Greece. I'M A CHEF NOW.

Well, that's probably a little too far, but you get the point.

So when I get back to the states, and you're really hungry, just ask me to cook you up some homemade mac and cheese! :)

It may not be good, but it's the effort that counts right?

Alright probably not, but food is food...

Greek Trust

Trust.

It allows us to have complete faith in another individuals intentions. It makes us believe that others care about our interests. It is a valuable concept. Trust is something that must be developed between individuals. Usually it takes time, but sometimes it occurs rather quickly. And even then, once a degree of trust is developed, it usually does not cross certain lines.

I was surprised the other day by the amount of trust that a shop worker, Ephi, had in me.

It was potluck night (a topic that I will discuss in another post) at the dorms and I had a good amount of shopping to do. On the way back from class there is a small grocery store that my classmates and I frequent in order to stock up on supplies. The lady who works at this grocery store is named Ephi, and I had met her several times over my various expeditions to the shop. I don't really know her very well, but I know enough Greek to practice saying "Good afternoon, how are you?" or "Kalispera, ti kanete?" everyday that I go into the store. She knows that I am a student at Deree, and is always very kind to me, but I did not expect her to be as kind as she was.

After she had rung up my various food items she told me the total was about 14 Euros. I looked in my wallet, expecting to have a twenty, and realized that I only had a five. Slightly worried, I asked her if they accepted cards. She said that they did, and I took a sigh of relief as she took my card and swiped it. Nothing happened. She swiped my card again....still nothing. I began to worry once again. The potluck was drawing dangerously close and I would have to run back to the dorm, or to the ATM, to withdraw more money so that I could come back to the store and purchase the items that I needed for the potluck. I would be cutting the time dangerously close, but then Ephi made a suggestion.

"Don't worry about it now, you can just pay the next time you come back," she said to me with a smile.

What was this? A store employee telling me that I didn't have to worry about paying up front? This is not something that I had ever encountered before. In the United States most stores demand their money up front. I can't imagine a Publix employee telling me that I could just pay another day. And yet here, in this small family owned grocery store that probably receives far less income than most grocery stores in the U.S., I am being told that I can just pay another time.....and she doesn't even seem upset about it!?

I happily accepted the offer to pay another time, and thanked her again and again, telling her that I would bring the money as soon as I could. I was so concerned about paying her back that I actually ran to the ATM a little ways down the street and withdrew money immediately after leaving the store. She had told me that I didn't need to worry about it today, but I still felt obligated to pay off my debt as soon as possible. I ran back and paid the money, thanking her again, and then made my way back to the dorms to cook.

The whole experience taught me a little bit about the concept of Greek trust, something that we had discussed in class. Since the Greek lifestyle is so centered around social relationships in small communities, a good amount of trust is needed between individuals living in these communities. Ephi knows that I shop at her store every few days, and she knows that I will come back again in the future, so I believe that is why she felt that she could trust me. From the moment that we formally met each other, from the moment we shared names, we became part of one anothers social group in Greek culture. Now that she knows me, she feels that she could trust me, even when it comes to paying her store back for something that I had walked out of the store without paying for. It truly is different from anything I've experienced before.

I was able to witness this trust that we discussed in class firsthand, and I was thankful for the experience. Hopefully I can learn a little bit about trust from the Greeks that I can bring back with me to the states, where our concept of trust is so different.

Soccer...football....whatever you call it.

I will start by saying that I don't play soccer.

Or football. 

Or whatever you want to call it. 

No, my foot-eye coordination has never been the best, regardless of whether it's from a lack of practice or lack of motor skill. But you know what, that doesn't mean that I can't have fun and play soccer....or football. 

Tonight I finally had the opportunity to go to the local soccer field with a couple of friends, and I must say that I had a much better time than I thought that I would. We went right around nightfall, but the soccer field was busier than I'd ever seen it during the day. Local kids played soccer, adults ran around the track, old ladies did yoga in the grass, and others sat on the bleachers and talked. Like most things in Greece, it seemed like yet another way of socializing and spending time with peers. If you ever have the chance to go to Greece you will quickly realize that everything is pretty social, and as an outsider I think that's pretty awesome. 

We, the Americans, played ultimate Frisbee for about half an hour before we were approached by a group of Greeks who asked us if we wanted to play soccer with them. Somehow they knew that we were Americans (they spoke to us in English), and I suppose that maybe the fact that we were playing anything but soccer on the soccer field is what gave it away. The group was composed of three teenagers of about 15 years and a middle-aged man who appeared to be one of their fathers. Upon them asking if we wanted to play with them, I didn't really know what to say. Unlike the rest of the people in the group, I had no experience at all with soccer besides the week that we played in middle school (which consisted of me running back and forth and never getting the ball), so I was slightly apprehensive to play with Europeans who had probably been playing soccer since they could walk. Nonetheless, I am not one to shy away from new experiences, so I agreed to try it out. 

To make a long story short, I performed poorly. It may have been close to dismal....I don't know. But regardless of my lack of scoring a single goal, I still had fun. The kids that we played with were also very cool about it, and I could tell that they were going easy on me. Even once they had started going easy on me, I still couldn't score a goal! But I had to come to accept this and just keep playing to play. The game wasn't about winning, it was about sweating and spending time with friends. 

Afterwards they were very kind so us and asked us about ourselves. They didn't belittle us for our lack of soccer skills (at least not in English) or try to showboat, in fact, they asked us if we would play with them again the next time we came to the field, an idea that none of us were opposed to. 

Now I am making it my goal to score a goal. I don't care if they go easy on me, or if it's a really sloppy unintentional goal, but all I want is to kick the ball into the net. That's it. I have a few weeks left, so I suppose I'll just have to keep practicing and playing. I suppose if I don't score the goal then worse things could happen. I have to learn to live in the moment and enjoy running back in forth, chasing the ball. I may not be good, but I can live with that.

Little by little I will get better at soccer....or football.   

Stray Dogs.

It has been a couple of days since I've blogged, but the trips that I made this past weekend are worth mentioning. I will be sure to update them with pictures as soon as possible.

We had the priveledge of going to three beautiful sites on this busy day. Our first stop was Korinthos, a beautiful harbor city that played an important role in both archaic Greece and Roman Greece. We spent our time exploring the ancient ruins, petting stray dogs (Greece has a lot of them), and enjoying corn bread and lemonade at the home of our Professors' friend, who is an archeologist in Korinthos.

Before I get into the weekend, let me begin a short subtopic on.....

STRAY DOGS

I feel like I should talk a bit about the stray dogs here in Greece, because they seem to be a reoccuring theme during the course of this trip. I mean, in the United States I will see stray dogs occassionally, but here they are just so common. Most strays in the U.S. get picked up fairly quickly and taken to an animal shelter, a pound, or the humane society. These leash laws about animals wandering free must not be as big of a deal here in Greece. If they were there probably would not nearly be as many strays. I mean, even here at the American College there are stray dogs that wander around the campus. They seem fairly happy too, since people are always feeding and taking care of them, almost like they are a community pet.

I think a community pet is a good way to look at the strays here in Greece. Since these animals are given free reign of the downtown areas, are allowed to sleep in the metro stations, and are fed and pet by the community, it almost makes sense that there is no need to have them captured and sent away. All of the dogs that I have met are incredibly kind, and seem to be no burden to anyone at all. They don't even aggressively beg for food, rather they are fed whenever someone has extra food in their meal. Since there are so many people, this food is more than enough for the strays, most of whom seem to be slightly overweight.

I think it's kindof neat. Somehow the Greeks in Athens have found a way to create a harmonious relationship with these wandering animals; a mutual transaction between a dog looking for food and a person looking for something to pet and take care of. They feel no need to turn these dogs in, or to take them to their own home, but instead the community effectively cares for the animal, everyone doing just a little bit to make sure that the strays dogs can have healthy lives wandering the streets of Athens. That's something that I wouldn't quite expect in the states.