The Smaller Things in Life

So I've decided to take this post to give some details of the more minor aspects of Greek life that I fear may be overlooked by my bigger adventures. First let me start with the food...

There has yet to be a piece of Greek food that I have tried that I do not like. Bakeries, Cafes, and Tavernas line the streets basically everywhere you go. The Greek food aside, my apartment and I have started cooking on our own. Never had I really considered myself to be a good cook, or even a cook at all, but here I have managed to put together some rather delicious meals. The most rewarding part about cooking for ourselves is the fact that we put in a lot of effort to get the ingredients. The ever present language barrier presents itself in full force at the Laiki (open-air market) as well as the butcher, and the fact that most packages in the grocery store are all in Greek poses a bit of a challenge. These things aside we have managed quite well and are experimenting with new combinations of food... I believe the trick is olive oil, lots of olive oil.

Have you ever heard the term "Yaya"? Probably. In Greek, yaya is the term for grandmother and also used (at least by us) as a term of endearment for all of the older women walking around Athens. Although they often speak very little English, they are the first to try and help you out and I have heard a number of stories of people being saved by yayas. They aren't afraid to tell people off for you and you always feel safe around them. Their affection is immense, as one girl found out when she was hugged by a yaya after attempting to show her her watch when asked the time (we hadn't learned our numbers at that point). Not only are the yayas wonderful, but the "Papous" as well (grandfathers) who will stop you and tell you stories (in Greek of course) about cats or dogs or whatever you happen to be looking at at the time. It is these small, sometimes daily encounters with the older Greeks that make living here more culturally enriching as they capture "Greek Hospitality" in everything they do and have been the kindest to me and let me practice the most Greek out of all the people I encounter. I'm afraid older people in America do not get quite the same respect as they do here, but as a foreigner, you learn to respect them very quickly.

How many steps do you walk everyday? Some of you more than others. Since I've been here I've walked probably 5,000 steps. Although I wasn't quite sure what to expect about the landscape of Athens, it is certainly far "hillier" than I had assumed. And it seems everywhere worth exploring requires at least 2 flights of stairs. It's a good workout and I don't mind too much, but those last 50 stairs before getting back to my apartment after a day of exploring is defintely tiring. If you get the chance to visit Athens, do some squats before you come and be sure to wear comfortable shoes (although true Athenian women seem to have no problem in heels).

For those of you who have frequented New York City, or any city for that matter may have noticed a "pigeon problem". Here it is not so much of a problem as a catastrophe. They are everywhere! But it seems to me that the Greeks have much greater affection for these "rats with wings" than Americans. Children are not often scolded for trying to play with them, people constantly feed them, and outside of Parliament men offer you food to hold and to take a picture of you with pigeons all over your hands and arms. In fact, animals seem to be a large part of Greek culture. There is a large population of stray dogs living on the streets of the city, but they are not, for the most part, sickly or mangey, instead they are considered more like public pets and are often well-fed and healthy. Cats are the same way; many of them stroll around and people put food out for them. The mentality, I've been told, is that it is more natural for animals to roam freely than for them to be couped up in some small Athenian apartment and pet stores are a relatively new phenomenon that not many people deem necessary nor practical.

On the less random side of life, my apartment has been a wonderful place to live. Besides our adventures in cooking, our near location to the school makes visiting popular with the other students and there is an elementary school across the street from which children wave and yell hello from the windows when we stand on our balcony. I have taken up tea drinking and enjoy sitting in the sun on the balcony with a hot cup of tea and the company of at least one of my entertaining and gregarious flatmates. Although I have not had the best sleep of my life since I arrived, it was been adequate and I am slowly adjusting to the idea that if I want to shower I have to plan in an extra 20 minutes for the hot water heater to heat the water (we have to turn it on and off so as not to burst the pipes). Surprisingly, apartment and city life has not been too hard of an adjustment for me in the grand scheme of life in Athens, and it is certainly a nice little American oasis for us, although we are trying our best to practice our Greek at home too.

I believe that is all for now... just a glimpse at some of the smaller details of life in Greece. This weekend I will be heading to Delphi and I'm sure that I will have plenty to say about that later, so keep checking in.