Assignment #2-Culture Shock

Palm trees at Edem Beach.

Fuse Box.

Street vendors on the beach selling beach wear, umbrellas, jewellery, etc.

Another one.

Here, I have to remember to put the tube into the toilet while doing laundry, otherwise I flood my washroom like I did the second day I was here.

The shower head. The hose is so short so I guess tall people have to squat in the tub!

In this pic, you can see the bill in the shot glass to the front left.

Metro ticket.

Metro station platform.

Inside the Metro train.

At a Metro station - there is usually artwork or exhibitions as when they were building the Metro, they uncovered sites below the city.

Homeless dogs and cat sleeping in the middle of the street. The marble is cool on their bodies.

This beautiful homeless dog was just content lying down in the middle of the buzz.

Homeless dogs taking their siestas on the grounds at the Temple of Zeus.

Since I have already answered some of the questions in my previous blogs (e.g. my internship, my housing situation, etc.), for this particular one I will focus on the differences between Greece and Canada. Some I have already mentioned so sorry if they are repeats....

1) Toilet Paper and Flushing

-The first big difference that hits you smack dab in the face is the severe warning of "Do not flush tissue paper in the toilet!" Signs are everywhere in the airport, restaurants, and other public washrooms to guide unknowing tourists.

-For me, this is a problem, since not only has it taken me years to be "trained" to flush toilet paper in Canada (having grown up in Cyprus which also does not flush toilet paper). Now I have to be "re-trained" that it is ok to throw tissue paper in the garbage. Second, since I am one of those people who generously pamper myself by using wads and wads of tissue (let's just say, that I like it to be cushiony), then my waste basket gets pretty full. This means, I have to throw out trash quite frequently. Lucky for me the garbage dump is just outside our flat.

2) Metro System

-I have already mentioned the lavish looks of the metro system here and the reasonably priced fares. I will recap them briefly. For adult prices, a weekly fare is 10 euros (16 CAD), a day pass is 3 euros (4.80 CAD), and a single trip is 1 euro (1.60 CAD). For students, the fare is 50 lepta (80 cents CAD) The best part of the single fare is that it lasts for 1.5 hrs so you can actually watch a movie in the theatre or go shopping and have brunch with friends, all on one ticket. There are no stern Metro officers waiting for you to flash your ticket; they simply trust that you will buy it at the automated ticket purchase machine before you enter the "non-existent" entry gates. I know there are so many that just go through without purchasing. The penalty for getting caught without a ticket, however, is 60 times the regular fare. OUCH!

3) Catching the bus

-I tried to go to the beach by myself yesterday afternoon. I decided to go to Alimos Beach, which is just outside the city centre and is reachable by first a metro ride, and then a bus ride. This beach is privately owned, which means you pay 8 euros to get in, but the sand and water is cleaner and there is access to umbrellas and sunbeds. After getting to the right Metro stop and waiting out on the street for Bus 113, I couldn't figure out why it would not stop. THREE buses whizzed by me and being that the bus stop was packed and I didn't want to stick out anymore than I already do, I pretended as if I wasn't really walking towards the bus. I realized after standing at that bus stop for an hour, that to get on the bus, you actually have to stick out your arm way out into the road to indicate to the bus driver that you want to get on. Seeing how Bus 113 wasn't the popular bus that day, I was the only one who needed to get on and seeing how I didn't know this secret code, I lucked out on three buses. I guess standing on the pavement smiling just doesn't work here as it does back home in Toronto, when the bus driver stops all the time. After that hour of waiting, I was beginning to catch the beginnings of heat exhaustion, so I decided to skip the luxury beach and head home.

4) "Signomi (Excuse me)....May I have the bill please?"

-Here in Athens, when the waiter brings you your food or drink, they also bring you a small shotglass with a piece of paper inside. Rather, it is your bill. No longer do you have to tag down your waiter at the end of your meal to say "Cheque please!"

5) "Do not Get Electrocuted!"

-That is the warning that scared the heck out of me my first day in Athens. It was written on the instruction sheet that awaits you at the Institute hostel, when you arrive in your room. It warns you that you have to flip the switch on the fuse box, before taking a hot shower and that you had to make sure to turn it off before you jumped in the shower to avoid electrocution. I had to wait until one of the housemates came home before I jumped in the shower! Fuse box?? I didn't even know what that looked like before I got to Greece! The shower here is very different from back home. You have to flip the switch to get hot water for showers and the shower heads are not stationary. Also, the washing machine is usually in the washroom and as you can see in my picture, the washer and toilet go hand in hand during laundry.

6) Street Vendors

-The streets of Athens is filled with these street vendors trying to sell everything from toys to sun umbrellas. I thought it was only in New York that you see the array of beautiful "Pradas, Louis, and Gucci's" nicely laid on a blanket on the ground, ready to be snatched up by the salesperson in sight of the Policia. These street vendors are usually ignored by the Athenian public, but some tourists go to them and look at what they have to offer. I was told to say "Ohi Efaristo" (No Thank you) in Greek as opposed to saying it in English, because then they will think I am Greek Filipino and leave me alone. If they know that you are a tourist, they become more persistent. At the beach, I usually have my ipod on and my sunglasses on when they come around. I feel bad for these people because I know they are just trying to make a living.

7) Siesta

-I love my daily 2 hour naps! I will leave it that so you fellow Canadians won't feel as bad when you are reading this at 3pm....in your office typing away at the keyboard while I am cuddled in my bed....lol

8) "Pedestrians are the right of way"

-They might as well not have the cross lights, because pedestrians here jaywalk ALL the time. They cross whenever they get a chance in between whizzing scooters and motos (cars). I have yet to see a pedestrian get struck yet.

9) Homeless dogs are fat, sleepy, and very much part of the city.

-The first day I walked through the city, I stopped in the middle of the pedestrian walk mortified to see a dog lying on the street, back against the curb. I thought that it had gotten hit by a car and was left on the street to die. People didn't even flinch as they stepped over the German Shepherd mix, eager to catch the street light. It was the busiest pedestrian walkway off Syntagma Square and my friend was so embarassed that I was stopping to check up on the dog. She said "He is not dead! He is sleeping! They do that everywhere here." And soon after, I began to realize that they are everywhere, the hot summer sun has them sleepy throughout the day--or maybe they too know of siestas. They sleep in the middle of the marble streets and sidewalks, in the stores' entryways, and yes even at the Temple of Zeus. They are all fat because storeowners and restaurant owners feed them scraps. You can only tell they are homeless from their raggedy fur and sores on their elbows from lying on the streets.

10) Butts are everywhere

-This is by far the biggest thing that has bothered me since arriving in Greece. Greeks love to smoke and they do it everywhere---in the restaurant, in the stores, at the beach, in the bars, etc. I have heard that they are going to ban smoking in public places as of July 1st, but I don't think it will be a smooth transition. Therefore, in the meantime I have become a "smoker".

11) Palm trees grow in the Mediterannean.

WHAT?! I know I couldn't believe it. There are soooo many palm trees here that you can sometimes squint your eyes and pretend that you are in Miami. (That's what I do when I miss North America) LOL

12) On walking fashionably and climbing the Acropolis in stilletoes.

-The ladies here are so fashionable that they walk on the marble streets UPHILL in 3 inch heels. I, however, have left my party heels back home in Toronto and have donned a more comfortable form of wear...flip flops and gladiator-inspired sandals. I was quite impressed with the lady who was climbing the Acropolis two weekends ago, wearing a mini skirt and 3 inch stilletoes. Yes, that's right, they weren't even wedges, just the dainty old pencil thin heel. And, she wasn't even my age but a middle aged woman. Here in Athens, you don't have to be 20 something to be in heels and wear fashionable clothes. You are competing with the materas (moms) and the yiayias (grandmas)!