snippets

The Metro

As I have already mentioned, riding the metro in Athens is a cultural exploration in its own right. We get on at the Chalandri station and usually ride it to either Syntagma or Monastiraki. It's an odd rhythm that develops as we travel under the city: the inconstant speed of the train as it slows for curves and then speeds on to the next platform slowly develops into a syncopated pattern that seems to make sense if you could only ride the train long enough; the perfectly lilted voice of the woman announcing the stops, first in Greek then in English, begins to sound familiar and becomes part of the anticipation of arrival; the doors ritualistically slide open and disgorge people who look down at the platform as they try to avoid too much contact with the throng of people waiting to fill the empty spots; the careful selection and balance of which train cars are full and which need be filled is part of the rhythm as people shuffle along the platform and shift in place once on the train; the whistling of the brakes and the squeal of steel on steel echoes off the tunnel walls and quickly surrounds the ear so completely that all other noise is subliminal; and that's how thousands of people flow through the veins of the city, pulsing along on the most determinant timetable of the day and through the narrowest of geographies.

I sat next to what I firmly believe was an Albanian immigrant this afternoon. He smelled of cheap cologne and alcoholic sweat. Two weeks ago, I got onto the metro at the end of the line (beginning?) and sat across from a couple who were asleep and totally oblivious that they had arrived at the port. I rode with them all the way back to Monastiraki. Like the proverbial body, they could have ridden all day like that. They were either exhausted or on drugs, and from their scruffy clothes and dirty hands, I assumed, perhaps unustly, that their sleep wasn't the sleep of angels.

Every time I ride the metro, I see a new person whose life I desperately would love to explore. I want to stop the person and ask them if any of the split-second assumptions I make about them are even slightly accurate. We once saw a man get off the train carrying a live chicken with it's head poking out of a plastic bag.

Immigrants and Nationalism

Immigration has been on Athens' collective mind recently. It has an enormous immigrant population from Eastern European countries, North Africa, and Southeast Asia. Today, while sitting outside at the James Joyce Pub, we saw a group of African street vendors with their wares in plastic tarps over their shoulders dashing madly away from the Monastiraki flea market as police strolled down the streets. I cannot imagine living my life in such fear.

On that note, I have been taken aback by the prejudice toward immigrants, particularly Albanians, which I've seen this week. I had heard a few little jabs about them, but this week I've heard outright venom about their thieving ways and untrustworthiness. Of course each of these vitriolic outbursts has been preceded by "I'm not racist, but..." I heard the same thing last week from a Slovakian (Slovak?) student about Obama. Her boyfriend is a skinhead who hates gypsies because they purportedly killed his mentor/father figure. I don't comprehend how that segues into ethnic hatred, but apparently it does.

I understand a certain degree of pride in nation and history, but nationalism is alive and well in Greece to a dangerous degree. A nation so egocentric (to use a Greek word) is not going to do well in the 'new world.' Of course I say this while still being wholly supportive of the 'noble savage' tribes who retain--cling to--their ancient ways in the jungles of South America. There's an invisible and undefinable line between preservation of the worthy past and outright navel-gazing.

Pronunciation

Athin-A is, if I remember correctly, the name of the city.
Ath-I-na is, if that is the case, the name of the goddess.

Xmas

We'll be going home for Xmas! It came through on Thursday that the Greek government will open a window of visa-less travel to and from the USA from yesterday until the end of January. Well, it's more complext than that, but the gist is that we'll get to see family and.... Well, a couple friends, perhaps.

Debate

Last weekend I coached and judged a debate tournament held at Deree College, part of the American College of Athens. I had 3 teams competing against 61 other teams from various international schools in Athens. The debate was done in the British parliamentary style which has 2 unrelated teams of 2 competing against 2 others. A topic is given, and each team develops its own argument(s) in 15 minutes and then argues them for 6 minutes. There's a very specific structure and procedure, and it's a bit confusing at first, but I enjoyed the experiene. I only heard one good debate about a topic, unfortunately, so by the end I was ready to cut my eyeballs as a group of high school Greek students (very much ESL) argued the most superficial points of the legalization of gay marriage. One of our teams placed 19th overall, and one of our speakers placed 38th individually out of 130. Not bad for not having had a single practice!

On Tuesday, the co-coach and I split the group and had 2 short debates about gay marriage and firearms (not connected). I had to participate to even out the teams, and it was great fun to get up and argue with no preparation whatsoever. The students are much more familiar with it than me, and I suspect at least two of them are much more adept at it than me (said with a genuine amount of humility), but I still have a lot to offer them. Critical thinking skills are a lost art.

I forgot...

...what else I was going to blog about. Maybe when Miah wakes up she can remind me.

Seriously, check out the cost of living a couple of entries down! Meet is nearly twice as expensive here, and toiletries cost a fortune! I paid 4€ for a can of shaving cream! And it wasn't even sensitive skin gel!

full moon

If I had my camera, I would take a picture of the glaring white moon which is bathing Athens in its glow. Unfortunately, Miah left the camera at school after the elaborate and hugely successful United Nations Show (song and dance) which she and another teacher put on at school yesterday. Every single elementary student was involved in either a dance or song, and the parents loved it!

We went downtown and then to The Mall to buy some sweaters. It's become quite cold in the past two days, and there's a dampness that makes my bones grumble. We bought roasted chestnuts from a street vendor (I think they're sitting in my backpack, now that I think of it), and we decided that the Xmas song totally overrates them. The chestnuts, not the street vendor.

Here's a map of the Athens metro and suburban railway system. We live 10 minutes north of the Halandri station (in the east), and the school is 1 minute from the Ag. Paraskevi station which is still being constructed. The metros are packed, and the nauseating mixture of perfumes and sweat isn't always the most pleasant. Yet there's something intoxicatingly primal about being around that many people and smelling the reality of human existence under all the perfume. And the roasted chestnuts were smelly, too.

Cost of Living

Kat, an ever-helpful expat living in Athens, has created a general comparison of the costs of living in Athens and Manhattan. Take a look and remind us why we moved because until our next paycheck, my memory is feeling fuzzy.

almost rainy Monday

The sky has been hung in the most threatening swirling clouds, but the only hint of rain was a little bit on our way to school.

We had Greek class this afternoon. I think I'm doing relatively well considering how little time I dedicate to actually trying to learn.

Fall has arrived in Athens, and the cold wind blowing through the streets is odd to feel when the trees blowing in it are orange and lemon trees.

reaching out

reaching out, originally uploaded by dwain.

There was great excitement in Athens Wednesday morning. My students were all agitated, either in excitement or despair. It's fascinating to hear the opinions of parents through their children. I had one student today say he saw a red laser dot on Obama's forehead during his victory speech, like a marksman's scope. When do children become smart?

I don't know the political leanings of you, faithful reader, but let me say that I began yesterday with a sensation I haven't felt for many years: patriotism. Regardless of how you voted and where you stand on issues, it is impossible not to reflect with wonder at the ability of a community divided to unite despite its differences. I overhead a couple of expat teachers at the school celebrating Wednesday morning, and they all mentioned that they were proud, that morning, to be American. The notion that a country could "split" in an election yet remain united is foreign to many nations, and I believe John McCain's eloquent concession speech is a perfect example of the spirit which uniquely unites the States.

I went to bed early on Tuesday after an evening at a friend's house watching CNN. I couldn't stay up all night to watch it, and we had missed the tickets to the party at the Hilton. I woke up at 6 on Wednesday and decided to take a shower. Whatever the outcome was, I wanted to be awake and refreshed to absorb it. I think I'll always remember the moment like I remember the moment I heard about the Twin Towers. I saw the headline and the smile, and I just had to shout out in joy and wonder. I saw a link that said he would be speaking soon, and by sheer chance I was able to watch his acceptance speech live on the internet. It wasn't as eloquent as McCain's, in my opinion, but the spirit behind it and the fact of the moment were astounding.

I hope I offended no one with this.

go vote!

If you're reading this and you haven't voted, go vote! That's right; I, dwain the cynic, am encouraging you to utilize your fairly meaningless right to vote.

For those of you voting in Lexington, KY, here's an FYI from the Lexington Herald-Leader that I did not (could not) make up:

No booze: Alcohol sales, either by-the-drink or in a package, are not allowed while the polls are open. (In KY, we always refer to alcohol as 'booze' or 'firewater.')

Bed bug update: People voting at the Ballard-Griffith Towers Apartments in Lexington should not be concerned about the bedbugs that have infested more than 300 units at the complex, according to city officials. The voting room has been chemically treated, all furniture removed and the carpet steam cleaned to remove any possibility of infestation. Voters who do not live in the complex are asked to enter the precinct from the outside door that leads directly to the voting room instead of entering through the building lobby. (Wow.)

"prisoners of Greece"

In the last 2 days we've become aware of a little piece of information which would have been very nice to know before we made plans to move here, plans to travel in Europe, and plans to visit family in the States. Perhaps we could have found out this information on our own, but the complexities of international law are something which are compounded by the fluidity of the internet and information which is quickly outdated and revised.

Disclaimer: For every sentence in this paragraph, please insert either "I think" or "as far as I know" at the end.

United States' citizens do not need to apply for a visa to enter Greece for reasons of tourism. US citizens are given a 90-day visa upon entry into Greece. Greece is part of the Schengen Agreement along with 23 other countries in Europe. The tourist visa given when first entering any one of those nations is good in all of them for the 90-day period. All of the new hires at ACS were given a specific type of Schengen visa, 'Type D.' This type of visa is for people who will be staying in a country beyond the 90 days for work or study purposes. People with this type of visa are likely applying for a residence permit.

Okay, so that's what I think I know. Here's where I get fuzzy.

We sent our visa paperwork, contracts, residency applications, etc. in the middle of July, and they were received by July 24th. At the beginning of this week, we were told that we would not have our AFM (tax IDs) for a minimum of 25 days, and the AFM is dependent on receiving our residency/work permits. That's, by my count, 4 months. Now, I know the wheels of bureaucracy turn slowly--I think the Greek wheel is flat--but this is becoming problematic for everyone involved. Because...

There's more. We just found out from the school that we technically are only allowed to be in Greece (or any combination of Schengen countries) for a 90-day period in any 180-day period. Our visas expire November 18th (8 days before our first vacation!!), and the end of 180 days is some time in February. That means, from what I can tell, that we're stuck in Greece until February. This is bad news for several people:

• One teacher is going to Slovakia for Thanksgiving, consequenes be damned.
• A counselor was to attend a conference in France which begins the 18th. Tickets purchased.
• Nearly every teacher was going to travel at Xmas, either to the States or a neighboring nation.
• We bought the extremely expensive tickets to the States months ago.

What was the advice of the school's representative? "You must rearrange your plans."

The fear is what will happen when we try to reenter Greece. Apparently they're more "anal retentive" about allowing people in than other EU nations. One of my colleagues is stymied by the baseless "elitism" of Greece, and I agree completely. There's a Greek-Canadian teacher who's pregnant and told me that having a child in Greece doesn't automatically make the child Greek. In order to be Greek from birth, you have to already have a Greek relative. I know Greece isn't the only nation with this policy, but the policy seems a little incestuous to me. Or maybe that's just my "mongrel American" mentality.

I think I've come to the decision that Americans, despite how insular and egocentric we are, have a bit of a knack for change that few other nations have. I'm too angry to explore the thought right now, but I want to to see how wrong I am.

I'm nearly done with the school. Miah is done.

crowded world

The WWF- World Wildlife Fund for Nature just released a report on the ecological status of Earth. The "Living Planet Report" is a quite comprehensive look at the impact humans are having on the environment and at the balance which humans are striking--or not--with the output of resources and human consumption of them.

Not surprisingly, the USA comes in as the 2nd 'worst' nation for overconsumption. Each American person requires 9 hectares (22 acres) of ecosystem. Greece is the 11th (of 148) worst, and each person requires roughly 15 acres. We live in an environmentalists hell.

News items of the day:

• There was a surprise 24-hour strike today, so traffic has been even more abyssmal than usual. Catching a taxi this evening was a long affair, and the conversation with the Greek-only driver about where "Olympou ke Metamorfoseos" was in Athens was carried out to the tune of honking horns.

• We will not be receiving our tax ID numbers (ΑΦΜ or "ah fee mee") for at least 25 more days because Greek government employees are mindless cogs in a broken machine. We are angry. Very. We may not be able to go to Prague for Thanksgiving as planned because our Schengen visas expire November 18th, and we're unsure what that would mean for entry into the Czech Republic and reentry to Greece. Personally, I think we're at the point that if we were refused reentry to Greece, we would dance a jig just because we wouldn't have to deal with any more bureaucracy.

I am unforgivably behind in my grading. The school has adopted a new grading system this year which is entirely online, a system not vastly dissimilar to the program used in Kentucky public schools. There are a few differences in ease of use (the KY system is easier), but the program is an enormous pain because there was no training whatsoever. Also, the president of the school decided that he would go ahead and make the decision to allow parents to have constant access beginning at the start of the year before some teachers even knew how to login. Fortunately, that was changed, so now total access will begin in January. There are problems with this that someone who isn't in the classroom would never consider, but we're lackeys to the people who have decided that they're better fit to the run the school. We have a population of parents who are so focused on grades that they literally will check once a day. Not fun when I put in grades once every 2 weeks.

Anyway, the grading system is entirely online, something which is extremely convenient. When you have a decent internet connection. Which the school does not. So it's horrible.

I think I'm going to get a chicken gyro from Artemis, "our" souvlaki place up the street. Ioannis doesn't even need to take our order any more. I like that.

The hallway on the 2nd floor of the middle school. My room is peeking up from beside the lockers on the left.

A view of the tennis courts.
A view of the elementary school and 'center' area.

Spetses priest

Spetses, originally uploaded by dwain.

A Greek Orthodox priest on his way.

Looking back at Spetses.

The cover where spent the afternoon.

How we had to get to the cove.

We rented bikes and biked the 6-ish km to the cove before our legs gave out. It was a beautiful day.

Fresh fish.

A small cove we found while biking on the island.

The patio of the Villa Christina.

The business class deck of the Flying Cat 1, a catamaran that had all of us overdosing on Dramamine and searching for anything in which to throw up. None of us did, but it was dicey. The sea was so choppy the boat took 45 minutes longer than usual to reach the island.

Waiting to leave Piraeus.