Top 10 things I'll miss about Greece

Since everyone keeps asking, and "my friends" doesn't seem to satisfy as an answer ...

10. constant excitement - You're always on your toes here, with strikes, demonstrations, and just a general unconventional way of going about things. Never a dull moment! (And, on second thought, I really won't miss this at all.) :)
9. language - Greek is hard. But there is something satisfying about learning and being able to communicate in another language that you never get to experience as a tourist.

8. periptera - I will miss these kiosks!

7. sandal man - There is this guy in Plaka from whom I buy these great Greek-made sandals. They aren't the most flashy, but they're made for lots of walking and they have gotten me and my bad feet through two summers. There is definitely a price to pay (usually in the form of nasty attempted kisses), so I suppose it's not the sandal man that I'll miss, but the sandals themselves!
6. fresh produce - Who doesn't love the weekly neighborhood λαϊκή (farmer's market)?
5. close proximity to Europe and elsewhere - In less than two weeks I'll be located at the bottom of the earth. Really wishing I could have gotten to more of the amazing cultural destinations that Europe (and beyond!) has to offer while I was so close, but so thankful for those I saw!
4. public transportation - Visiting other cities I've paid $4 or more to ride the metro, trains, and buses. In Athens, 1 euro will get you 90 minutes on any combination of the metro, buses, and trams. Since I live centrally, getting around is really easy here. Even when I can't get to my destination by public transportation, a taxi usually isn't more than 3-5 euros wherever I need to go.

3. Greek food and the taverna experience - I love sitting in a Greek restaurant (taverna) with a group of friends, ordering the familiar dishes, and sharing everything family-style. This doesn't always fly everywhere you go. The combination of the great food and the ambiance and being with friends is one of the things I'll miss the most.
2. beach & islands - I think this is self explanatory! Though my job isn't pretty, I tried to escape to the beach or a close by island on free weekends to get out of the city. I discovered that I love swimming in the warm Mediterranean! What a blessing to live in a country with such beautiful places.

1. my friends. They will still top the list. I have old ones, and I will make new ones, but these ones have shared much and been the highlight of my two years here.

[somewhat disjointed] thoughts on leaving

I didn't go running tonight, like I was (noncommittally) thinking about doing. I sat on my couch reading blogs, in the dark, and ate. Chocolate. A whole freaking bar of chocolate. And a small plate of nachos. That little salad with carrots and beets and a little grilled chicken and balsamic vinegar? Never saw the light of day.

I feel like I haven't blogged in a long time. Like, really blogged. Wrote about feelings and thoughts and stuff. Which is fine; most of those things don't necessarily need to be for public consumption. I guess I wrote a post a few below about indifference vs. passion and things like that, in which I included an obligatory "but I'm a missionary" happy, moral ending. Good for me.

So, anyway, I might leave Athens. Not sure on the if/when, but it's something I'm beginning to process and understand more the more I feel I'm settling back in here. Like yesterday I had to call the phone company and ask why my phone/internet weren't working. The girl didn't speak English so I got the whole thing done in Greek. Ok, so I didn't understand half the words she said, but I got the drift, and we figured it out, and today it's all back and functional. And I'm having a good time with my friends here. It feels like home more than anywhere else does at the moment, I'm learning to get around (though that's not without its frustrations, still), and I have good relationships. Also, have you seen Greek beaches??

But those aren't the reason I'm here ... it's the work. And it's the work part that might be moving me on. Exciting, new opportunities, ones that might possibly reignite my passion somehow and be a better fit for my skills, etc., but ones that aren't here. Of course, there are a lot of pieces to this puzzle, and that will all come out over the next couple months, but for now I'm still sitting on my couch in Greece surrounded by my own crap (stuff! books, mail, bags, nail polish, half empty glasses, papers, that chocolate wrapper, a stuffed kangaroo ... what crap were you thinking about?) pondering how quickly life can change and what it could mean to start life over ... again ... in a third country...

I have melted chocolate on my arm. Awesome. And I thought it was all gone.

thinking

random photo of Athens street art to make post more interesting

I am thinking about finally applying for a residence permit when I go to the States in June. I get a headache when I think about all the hoops I will have to jump through: birth certificates, doctors' notes, bank statements, letters from insurance companies, letters from my organization, background check & fingerprints, all translated and notarized, turned in in the States and in Greece, then more doctor's appointments, TB test, lung x-ray... GAH! But, worth it in the end, to not have to leave every 90 days and worry about the small chance of not getting back in or a very large fine??? (????)

I am thinking about my storage unit in Southern California that holds the contents of an apartment, collecting dust and racking up money to keep it there. It's paid through June; what if I got rid of it all? Would I miss it? Would I even want any of that stuff in a few years when/if I do move back to California?

I am thinking about a roommate. We have a girl coming soon for two years from Australia who I met at the prayer summit in Amsterdam last November. I love where I live, I can walk everywhere and I'm 3 minutes from the metro. And I like living alone. But it would save some money and probably give me more space, not to mention company. I'd be very picky about where I lived next, because my location is so great. And I just hate moving and going through the whole process again of finding a place. So I don't know. But I'm thinking about it.

I'm also thinking about the fact that I went to a different church this morning, didn't use the headphones for translation into English, and understood nearly the whole thing. What!!? Either this pastor speaks much more clearly (or uses easier words, or both), or my Greek has improved!! I was listening in sheer amazement the whole time (because I could actually understand most of what I was hearing), and even had a discussion about the sermon afterward with two friends who had their headphones on for the service. Bizarre!!!

And that is enough thinking for a Sunday afternoon. YAAAAAAY for not having any Greek homework to do!!!!!

simply put,

I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek. I hate Greek.

Happy February

Hmm, I need to pay my rent.

Last week was One of Those Weeks. (I'm hoping that this is not extending itself into this week too, although if this morning was any indication, I could be in trouble. For the second day in a row I missed my alarm; I faintly remember pushing snooze at 7:50 and never heard from it again. Proceeded to be a half hour late to Greek class.)

Last week, OoTW, I hated Greece, and Greek, and had a couple of tantrums. Or melt-downs, whichever you prefer. There is also something strange going on as I can't seem to wake up in the mornings and have no energy. My blood test came back with anemia in Cali last month, and I am armed with iron pills...now I just need to remember to take them. Hopefully this is what my problem is. One girl in the office has mono, which is exciting.

I got a tax I.D. number last week = major accomplishment!! I can now officially buy things and have contracts. This works out great for Greece (I can now pay taxes), and only great for me as I can now have things like telephones and internet. :) Yet of course it's not that simple; several days of trying to figure things out and i have a substandard internet connection of my very own in my house (no longer using the neighborhood free wireless that seems to have disappeared last week). Multiple visits to the company office and a few frustrating phone calls later, I may have it figured out. Sometimes you just get so tired of not speaking the language well, not understanding WHY things are the way they are (and they just don't tell you here), and things not working the way they should.

See, maybe this is why I haven't been blogging - it all comes out disjointed and rambly. Here's hoping last week is over and this week is better, my brain retains ridiculous Greek grammatical nuances, and my internet works. And in the meantime please don't forget the other blog (seriously, just check it regularly so I don't have to keep reminding you. I try to write at least once a week).

ta ta

bitter bitter long-john and face mask cold

I'm wearing sweats, a long sleeve shirt, a fleece, a scarf, swaddled in a blanket, and sitting in front of the heater. And that is inside my house.

It seems I can't be bothered to blog these days. It's been nice, so please don't hold it against me. I'm sure I'll be back eventually. I am still thinking and writing over here, mostly out of obligation, but at least that keeps me motivated.

I did start Greek school today - Level 4! Oh, I was nervous. But the three hour class this morning that I will repeat three times a week for the next couple of months was actually fun. We had a conversation on Greek politics and political history. And by conversation, I mean that we (the three students in the class) nodded and mm-hmmed a lot while the teacher spoke. At least we can understand. Spitting out the words when you have a thought to share is a whole different story. Part of our homework is to prepare for a discussion on the economic crisis for Wednesday. I can't even carry on a conversation about that in English.

Ok, bye now. See you on the other blog, and sometime here again too, I'm sure.

various and sundry items

I had my first lesson with another Greek teacher today...I'm not cheating on Voula, just wanted to add an extra hour or two a week and be able to hear different Greek speakers. Alionka is actually Albanian, but has lived here for 13 years and speaks English and Greek fluently and has many students for Greek lessons. She's great - and she said I speak very well, so I like her even more! :) I can communicate what I need to communicate, but I have been having a more difficult time understanding when people speak to me. My friend Joanna figured out that it's probably a mental block - I've gotten so good at tuning out the Greek around me because I don't understand it, that I just do that automatically now. I'm trying to be better at listening to conversations around me - if that can be considered a good thing, ha! - and tune my Greek ear up a bit.

It's election weekend here, so we've been having lots of rallies and demonstrations - so far peaceful, but I am not hanging around them to see what happens. How quickly they turn otherwise around here. There is a lot of cynicism and apathy about both parties among Greeks, because of corruption and all the economic troubles, and because "nothing ever changes," regardless of poll results. Still, it is looking like the currently governing "democratic" party will be ousted by the "socialist" party...these two basically trade off every few years. My rule of thumb - when there are hoards of police waiting and ready, evacuate the premises. :)

I've been making friends with the Nigerian "boys" (if you can call them that...they are probably mostly in their 20s and 30s) in my neighborhood who sell CDs, sunglasses, purses, etc. I have wanted to be friends with them since I got here, especially after learning so much in the past few years about the plight of many children and young boys in many African countries. I know some names now, am learning bits and pieces of some of their stories, and am doing my best to avoid coffee invitations. Haha. There are SO MANY Nigerians in Greece, and they are mostly from the same areas - the guys and the girls we work with.

Of all the disturbing sights I have seen since being here and working in this field, I am forever scarred by something I saw a few weeks ago. There are people shooting up everywhere where we work at night - that is nothing new. It is strange so see it so flagrantly in public here, but you get used to it. Except one evening I saw a guy shooting straight into the groin. I still cringe when I think about it. And then there was another guy, into his foot. These sights are almost too much for me, as far as personal comfort and gross-out factors. BLECH!!! Just thought I would share this rich cultural experience. :)

One last thing...does anyone have any hotel recommendations for Amsterdam??? Next conference destination...

Βαριέμαι να διαβάσω Ελληνικά!

Here are some photos of the place that has been consuming most of my life of late:

My classroom...
The courtyard of the Athens Centre...
View from the roof (yes that is the Acropolis)...
Most of my class in the kitchen, cutting up fruit to eat with yogurt, yum! We have German guy, Canadian guy, my fellow American, Slovenian girl (and a Russian girl who is missing from the picture), and my teacher Rosa on the right...
Rosa put on the scarf just for this picture. She is a little crazy, there's no way around it. Some might say "eccentric." But she's a great teacher. :)I'm not going to lie, I am really ready for this course to be over. Three more days!

so so so so so so

sick of Greek right now. :(

I am still afloat!

Four days into my class, I am ok, alive, alert, etc. Level 3 was a good choice for me - I am at the right level with my Greek and I understand everything going on. I've actually already learned some of the stuff we're doing, but it's good review, helps me to cement things in my brain, and 4 straight hours of Greek is only going to help me! I just need to be more intentional about speaking it when I'm out and about.

My brain is fine, but it takes up about 5.5-6 hours of my day including travel, so I haven't had time for much else once you add meetings and other work stuff. The past few days I have left my house between 7 and 8:30 am and not been home for more than 10 minutes until 10 or 11 at night. So I'm tired, but it's from everything, not just the Greek classes. :) Tonight I'll be at outreach until 2am, then I have to get up at 7:30am to pick up some visitors, so I am not expecting top performances from myself in class tomorrow!

Oh my painted aunt.

I have no idea what that means, but Sharone says it all the time, so it must be witty and intelligent. She also makes margarita flavored cupcakes, and I can't have any of them (that whole being on the wrong continent thing).

Obligatory photo to keep the reader interested:So, I have nothing to say, except that my Greek intensive course starts in the morning and I hope it doesn't make me cry. I think I'll be ok. With Voula I have already completed the whole book that this school uses, so I'm entering into Level 3, which covers the last 1/3 of the book. It also focuses on conversation and there are class presentations (no anxiety here, no, none at all). The conversation bit is what I need; my head is full of grammar yet I can't speak very well. For the next three weeks my brain will probably be mush and there will be lots of naps. I will get used to it, and then it will be over. :)

One of the closest friends I have made since coming here is leaving Greece in a week, that is sad. A hard part about living overseas, I think. People come and go; it's not every day you find those ones that you can connect with on lots of levels and be yourself and have fun at the same time. Still looking to add to my repertoire. :)

A day in the life...

Supposedly things are supposed to slow down here in the summer - yeah right! :) Here is a sample of how the day gets so filled up of late...this is what I did on Monday:

9:00am: Reading, study, things around the house

11:00am - 1:00pm: Greek lesson

1:00pm: Lunch with my Greek teacher and her daughters

2:00-4:00pm: Lydia Today weekly meeting

4:30-6:30pm: Coffee with some new ministry interns

6:30pm: Breathe, eat, etc!

8:00-9:45pm: Nea Zoi weekly meeting

10:00pm-2:00am: Outreach on the streets

Whew! Today looks similar, with a couple hours at home this morning catching up on work emails and papers, a different selection of meetings, and a quick trip to the gym. Thankfully I enjoy most of what I do each day and the people I spend my time with!

Next Monday begins my intensive three week Greek course - 4 hours every morning!! I expect to be magically fluent in Greek when this is finished! :) It will be tough for a few days when we have outreach the night before, but that will only happen twice until we stop for August. Then I'll be able to focus on the class exclusively (and I think my brain will need it!). I'm actually looking forward to it, and it will be a good way to spend the days when everyone is out of town during this "vacation" month!

and a day and a half in Corfu, etc.

Corfu is a Greek island about two miles from mainland Albania & Greece. It's a large island, very green, and usually a big tourist destination. Tourism has suffered a lot this year because of the economy, so it wasn't as busy as normal. We re-entered Greece through Corfu with a bunch of tourists on a boat. :) Nicole has friends there as a result of her time in Albania (from the occasional weekend in Corfu) so again we got good treatment, cheap lodgings, and really fun people to hang out with. It was Saturday night when we arrived, so we had the whole of Sunday to explore and relax before heading back to Athens Monday morning.

It has been nice being back home in Athens this week...the weather has been really nice and I have been doing lots of fun things with friends in the off time - outdoor movie theater, coffee, beach, etc. I went to my first Nea Zoi staff meeting last week, and I'm looking forward to more involvement with them (outreaches, etc.), and there are a couple others I'm hopeful to begin working with. We'll see. I also just got approval to enroll in a three week intensive/immersion Greek language course in July/August. It's here in Athens and it will be 4 hours a day of class/instruction/discussion, etc. I'll enter into level 3, that's kind of exciting for me. :) My brain sort of already hurts in anticipation, but I am looking forward to and hopeful for the improvement with my language. [I hope I used enough slashes in this paragraph for you.]

Ok, here are some pictures from Corfu:

6 months

A taverna in Hania, Crete

Time flies...

[This got kind of long, so I've made it two posts, next one coming shortly.]

Some observations after six months (roughly - I've probably been out of the country about 4-5 weeks total during that time) in Greece:

1. Language - gah. That is about it. I just started lessons again this week after six weeks off due to traveling, visitors, and holidays. Greek is a lot harder than I thought. My Spanish is great - in France I was able to spend time with some girls from Spain who didn't speak any English and got along just fine. I thought the other language would help in learning a third, and it has been helpful, without a doubt, but the simple fact is that Greek is just HARD. I also have not grown up hearing it as I did with Spanish - all the sounds were unfamiliar. I can get by with what I know here, and have people telling me I do pretty well, but still have a hard time understanding when spoken to. The other problem is that everyone speaks English, and rarely will they speak Greek to you when they know you are a foreigner. Without being forced to use Greek, it's been difficult to be really disciplined to use it. Pressing on!

2. Community/friends. I've been blessed with several new friends over the last few months. I meet with two every week for a study of John, and have several others that I can call to hang out, get dinner, watch a movie, or sit and chat. :) One lives just two blocks from me and knows everyone in our neighborhood, so I'm slowly starting to get to know people here, too. One cool thing, I've decided to start some kind of something for the single women here (since there are so many of us and since I have this whole house now, might as well use it!). I'm planning on having a bunch of them over in the next couple weeks to talk about what kind of regular thing we could do. I have a few ideas. I'm excited about this, it's something that's been on my heart for a couple of months now. Church-wise, I've been going to a Greek church, and while the language stuff is challenging (they do have translation), I'm trying to be consistent and look for places to plug in. The pastor is great; he pastored a Greek church in Boston for several years (incidentally, with Barry Corey, for you Biola people). It's all coming along, slowly but surely. One bummer I've mentioned before is that there are many short-termers who come - you become friends, hang out a lot, then they leave. That's never fun.

3. Heath. More specifically, my knee: Well, I've been running occasionally, which is huge! Being consistent at the gym has helped strengthen my leg again which has made be able to run without pain, if only once or twice a week (don't want to push it). Elsewhere, it has been a bit of a struggle for me to find the sleeping/eating rhythm, especially without a regular schedule and having to learn things I can cook here. (Though I never cooked much before - pitifully, I miss Lean Cuisines!) I am tired a lot, which I realize is largely underlying stress that comes from being in an unfamiliar setting all the time. But I'm working on getting enough sleep on a regular basis, and it's a wonder what that does. :)

Ok, next time...Ministry, cultural stuff, and long term plans or observations! :)

an outsider's view

I just started reading this book called Eurydice Street, A Place in Athens. It's written by a British woman who married a Greek (outside of Greece) and together they moved back to Athens with their kids. I'm only in the second chapter, and already I'm nodding and shaking my head all at the same time at her familiar descriptions of this culture.

Just a few that she illustrates that I have already noticed:

Parents' primary concern is their children's education. Because of their own lack, they work hard to support their kids all the way through higher education (lots of lawyers and doctors here). This is even shown in parents with young kids. In the book, the author writes about conversations she overheard in the schoolyard after dropping off her kids:

"'Have we got a test in history tomorrow?' the mothers would ask one another...

"'Yes, we've got to learn all the last three chapters. I don't know how we're going to do it.' It quickly became obvious that the mothers' main preoccupation was with schoolwork, and it was a serious subject. 'Yesterday, Angelos's teacher told them to learn the names of all fifty-one prefectures by today,' bemoaned one mother. 'We had to sit up until eleven o'clock doing it.'"

The young kids of my Greek friends are some of the busiest people I know: regular school, English school, karate, swimming lessons, piano lessons, tutor, then sometimes 5 hours of reading and studying when they get home! Listening to Voula keep track of her two daughters makes me feel like an underachiever. But, it's the culture here, moreso than in the States, and parents will struggle to provide the best opportunities for their kids. There is such a high value placed on education here, because that is how you get good jobs.

Another thing I've noticed is the expressiveness and forcefulness in their conversation. It's fun to listen to; they definitely do not speak flatly! If you don't know what they are saying, it's easy to think you're listening to a fight. Yet they could simply be discussing cooking or work or their history professor; any topic is game for a lively discussion. It is high-pitched and spirited and sprinkled with terms like "παιδί μου" ("my child," rather patronizing and only among close friends) and "τι λες;" ("what are you saying!?" in a tone that implies that the other person has just said something completely preposterous, even if they just said they like their octopus grilled, not fried). Everything is "barbarous" and "a scandal," and to say that the Greeks are dramatic is an understatement. :)

Anyway, just read in this book today: "...it did occur to me that most Greek people I know can hold their own in a debate with the vehemence and alacrity of a dueller. If there is one thing that characterizes Greek conversation, it is a lack of reticence in expressing opinions. In fact, such is the natural argumentativeness and critical nature of many Greeks that what is a perfectly normal conversation can appear on the outside like a frantic matter of life and death. When my mother first heard Vassilis [her husband] and me speaking together in Greek, she often thought we were in the middle of a terrible row."

When I can finally speak Greek, I fully intend to speak this way as well. :)

breathe

I nearly gave myself a panic attack in anticipation. Yesterday my long-awaited appointment with the cardiologist arrived. There were no openings for the dermatologist until May, which would give me plenty of time to recover from the impending trauma. I need forms signed by both of these doctors in order to swim in our local pool, and this meant only one thing: Return to the Public Hospital.

My anxiety started rising the night before. It was a difficult night anyway; a tough meeting and an overall discouragement about my work in Greece (see previous post). By the time Wednesday morning arrived and I was receiving instructions from Voula regarding which bus to take, and where to get on and where to get off (enough adventure for one day, in my current condition), it was full blown dread and doom.

It went so smoothly. It's a good thing; if anyone had so much as looked at me the wrong way there's no telling what kind of mess I would have become. Unlike last time there were no crowds. No lines. The physician's assistant (I'm assuming) took me immediately into the office. Apparently you can tell how someone's heart is performing by listening to it beat once. I got my form signed.

I took a chance and asked at the front desk about a dermatology appointment, since I only needed a form signed. She pointed upstairs and hurled some Greek garble in my direction, but I heard "second floor" and something about asking up there where the office was (or else I just gathered that from her pointing). Turned out to be the first floor (floor numbers start above the ground floor here), but who's counting. My basic Greek, "Χρειάζομαι ένα χαρτί για το κολυμβητήριο" ("I need a paper for the swimming pool"), got me quite far! When I finally found the right floor, the receptionist told me to go back downstairs and make an appointment, but I asked for the doctor and told her I just needed a paper. She waved in the direction of the office. I knocked on the door, they took me in after a few minutes, signed my paper, and off I went. The doc even spoke English.

Good for one year of swimming in Greece.

Small victories. Of course I couldn't enjoy it at the time, since I was still in prepare-to-hyperventilate-at-any-moment mode. But now, it's a relief to be cleared for disease-less swimming, so easily, without having to wait until May! I think it was a little bit of grace for me yesterday. :)

welcome to my world

Just a few small examples of WHY I HATE GREEK RIGHT NOW. How in the hey do you even come up with these words?!

decide = αποφασίζω (apofaseezo)
businessman = επιχειρηματίας (epiheirimatias)
actor = ηθοποιός (eethopios)
rest = ξεκουράζομαι (xekoorazomay)

let's not forget the word with the comma in the middle. Yes, a comma. In the middle of a word.
ό,τι (means "whatever")

and my personal favorite, for just a teeny little English word, "use" ...
χρησιμοποιήσομαι (something like hreesimopee-eesomay)

Gah.

Language fun for everyone!

So, contemplating last night's subway interaction ... I know that I responded (in Greek) to the "what do you do" question by saying that I work with women in prostitution. Upon further reflection, it is quite possible that I somehow told him I am a prostitute. I couldn't quite figure out how to say "in prostitution," and then again I'm not even sure if the word I used means prostitution or prostitute. So I possibly said something like, "I work with women. Prostitute." Excellent! His reaction was rather odd...

The other thing I keep confusing is the word that means both "spit" and "cheap" ... only differentiated by an accent on either syllable. Language is fun!

Not as good as my friend Katie in Thailand who told me her story with the Thai language (a tonal language) when I was there. The word for "excuse me" is the same as the word for "fart," just a different tone. So squeezing in on the subway or some other crowded place she frequently says "fart!" at the people by mistake! Of course they have no concept that the two are similar, because to them they are completely different words. Fun times for all!

as if I needed to be reminded...

Went on outreach tonight with Nea Zoi. I can go in the brothels, make coffee for the girls and hand them the Nea Zoi info card, but it's frustrating not being able to say anything. So I just stand there. I don't speak Greek ... or Russian ... or Romanian ... so many to choose from. Extra incentive to practice my Greek.

Speaking of which, I was on the metro home tonight with another N.Z. volunteer who doesn't speak English; she speaks Greek and Romanian (much more useful than I when it comes to talking to the girls!), so we were speaking a bit of Greek as we sat there. We probably exhausted all the Greek I knew, but I could communicate a little, so that was fun. [Ok - you don't need to write in and tell me I am useful; I know, I know.]

There was a sleazy looking guy with a fanny pack sitting across from us, watching our interaction with an interested smile. We reached my traveling companion's stop first, and as soon as she got off, the guy started talking to me. He teaches Greek (except 5 minutes later he gave me his card and said he was a doctor who practiced acupuncture), he's originally from Russia, where am I from, yadda yadda. Too smiley, too complementary. I had the heebie jeebies. I was politely trying to make small talk in Greek with him, since he had moved to the seat next to me, and I was thankful when my stop came.

"Boro na ertho mazi sou?" he said, or something like that. He was asking if he could come with me. This wasn't his stop. He got up and began to follow me off, despite my shaking my head and saying I didn't understand (benefit of not knowing Greek - yet in this case it didn't work). He was a big man. He got off the train, as I was saying no no no, and finally I found the words in Greek and high-tailed it out of the station. I didn't turn around, but he didn't follow me. He wanted a willing companion tonight, which I was not!!!

I have his sleazy smiling face in my head still and I can only imagine how these girls must feel day after day as men come to them. They can shut it out and disconnect. But they are reduced to objects on a continual basis, and eventually it sinks into their heads that that is all they are. Every time I feel even a glimmer of that feeling, I'm, well, angry, but I'm reminded who they are and why I want them to know something better.

**Interesting fact...some of these Eastern European girls learn Greek within six months. Their secret? Soap operas. I need a TV! :)

a stone and a seed. Or, the ups and downs of the daily life here...

I'm sorry I don't have a photo related to today's post, so here is a nice picture of some goats eating out of a tree in Nazareth in Israel last year, since I have heard that "some people" do not read posts with no pictures.

Well, where to begin? Chronological order is a popular method. On Wednesday, after I went to the gym, Voula called to cancel my Greek lesson. They had come home from vacation at 1am the night before to find their house totally ransacked. It had been broken into, a number of things stolen, and every single item taken out of cupboards, drawers, closets, boxes, etc. and dumped on the floor. It was so awful. I mentioned in my post here that violent crime is really rare here in Greece. Unfortunately, crimes like this are commonplace. The police officers that came said they respond to 7 or 8 of these scenes every day - I think that was just in this area. Break-ins and thefts are so common that almost every Greek person I know here has either been robbed or has a family member or friend who has. :(

I helped clean up the apartment Wednesday night, and went to the police station with Voula to make her report. It's unlikely that they will get anything back - especially that feeling of being safe in their own house! It happened to Pepie two years ago - same exact scenario. She has since moved to this new neighborhood but it's still in the back of her mind. Especially now since Voula lives four blocks away. Yuck. And sad, and awful.

How to transition from that topic?? Here is a photo of Janell in Santa Barbara as a mermaid.

So, last night I went to a New Year's event for ENOW, the European Network of Women, who operates a number of services here including a shelter for human trafficking victims. I sat with some of the shelter volunteers and the woman who coordinates most of the shelter happenings. They are really concerned about finances - this is the shelter I mentioned a few weeks ago that is in danger of closing - but I talked with Ana Maria about volunteering with them. There are a few specific ways I can help right now, so it was good to talk.

We talked briefly about my trip to Thailand, and she asked me to bring her back a stone and a seed. "A stone and a seed? Do you collect those?" I asked. "No," she said, "but I have a very special connection with stones, and a very special connection with seeds. Especially trees."

Okaaay.

And today, I met with people from Nea Zoi, the group that does outreach here in Athens into the brothels and on the streets. I hope to start going on outreaches with them in the next few weeks. Yay. :) They have been established here for ten years, doing outreach and other programs for people in prostitution, so I'm excited to be able to be a part of what they're doing.

Voula came over tonight for a quick Greek lesson, since we hadn't met in over a week. Guess what, this language is hard. No matter how quickly I get it on paper, understanding when spoken to is a completely different matter! :( I have never heard Greek spoken regularly before (ok, Biblical Greek does not count. I am convinced that someone made that whole "pronunciation" up.), so I can't really recognize it yet. I can read and translate paragraphs. But when Voula says the same thing to me out loud I stare at her blankly. Obviously, knowing grammar rules is not going to do me any good if I can't talk to anyone. So I've received the sentence of more conversation in our upcoming lessons. I'm going to need more aspirin.

And there you have my spectacular updates on the last three-ish days. And here is me, back in my stoner days:

Just kidding. That's from Kristin's and my housewarming party a couple years ago. Raise your hand if you've been reading this blog that long, yay!