Things I've Learned

Alright so first off I stole this idea from the beautiful Melissa. Just thought I'd give her props for it :)

Things I've learned :

1. In Greece, the bars do not close until 5 am, so people generally do not go out until midnight.

2. It is not illegal to have an open container on the street (not that I have taken advantage of that or anything)

3. Gyros here are NOTHING like they are in America. Greeks should be insulted with what we have done to them. You can find a gyro stand here as often as you would find a mcdonalds in America, and they are fairly cheap.

4. Drinks at bars in Greece are VERY expensive, but often times when ordering shots if you are nice to the bartenders they will give you one for everyone you buy.

5. Stray dogs and cats are everywhere. Sometimes whole apartment buildings feed certain animals and they are the community pet. During the day they wander.

6. Greeks drive CRAZY! It doesn't matter if the light is red, sometimes they will still go, consequence free.

7. Greeks rarely use their blinkers, but seem to be very fond of their horns.

8. Anywhere there is room you can park. Whether its blocking someone in, backwards, on the side walk, in the middle of the street, you name it. No tickets.

9. Cops here don't do shit. I've only see 3 or 4 and I live in a city of a million people. The government here is VERY corrupt, so the junkies smoke heroin at bonfires in the middle of the city park, no consequences.

10. The majority of the black people on the streets selling things are illegal immigrants from Africa. They generally have VERY good english, and haggle good on the street, often times being stolen.

11. Unlike America, Greeks will often stare at you. There is no shame in it and they won't look away. It is not always a bad thing though.

12. Greeks are very friendly. It is not uncommon to be talked to in the streets by random strangers.

13. 3-5 is siesta time is Greece. Nothing is open except cafes and tavernas. Also, on sundays almost everything is closed.

14. Greeks have a very different clothing style. It's all about dark colors, skinny jeans, and boots. Wearing bright colors is unseen. (I choose to stand out because boy do I love my bright colors!)

15. Greeks have no idea what beer pong is, and they are very eager to learn it. As well as tippy cup. They love being social and stating their opinions.

16. Wine or beer is often seen with every meal. You can find both quite cheap.

17. Greeks are much more relaxed then we are. They are often late for things, and tone everything down. They get there when they get there. Class never starts before 11 30 because they do not like to wake up early and are out late.

18. There is a potato man by my apartment that wakes me up quite often. He yells on his megaphone about his potatoes. It sounds like the army or some religious cult is going to get us. With him and the construction, you learn to sleep heavier if you want to get enough.

19. Greece is a very cash based economy. If you use a credit card to pay they look at you like you are crazy and it takes a long time to process.

20. Land is everything to the Greeks. When a family buys land they build on it and it stays with them for generations. You don't move. Either future generations will rebuild a new house on the same spot when the time comes, or they let it decay; they do not sell the land, there is much to much of an emotional tie with it.

21. There are not dryers in Greece, one must hang dry their clothes and the washing machines take two hours.

22. In tavernas (restaurants) you are given free bread and sometimes dessert. The Greeks do not order an item for each person, they order a few things and everyone shares. Also, the taverna owners compete for your service, so you can often convince them to give you free drinks.

23. Tzatski sauce is absolutely amazing. It can go on ANYTHING. pizza, crackers, bread, fruit, chips... not that I've done it or anything.. It's a type if creamy cucumber sauce that is also found in the gyros.

24. You can not flush your toilet paper in Greece. The pipes are too small, so their is always a garbage in the bathroom with you to dispose of it. Luckily for me I'm able to in my apartment and college!

25. Reading is seen as "uncool" in Greece. If you are reading in public it means that you are not a social person... Not too fond of that norm because I love reading.

26. I've learned that the time difference here is really hard. It is almost impossible to get a hold of all the people I love on a semi normal basis. It def. shows you who your true friends are.

27. In Thessaloniki, there are ruins all over the city, including the middle of downtown. Instead of removing them, the Greeks just build around it, preserving their culture. It's not about the here and now like it is in the U.S., it's about remembering who you are and where you came from.

28. Greeks get VERY heated when it comes to the topic of Macedonia. The desire them to call themselves a different name, as they do not wish to be affiliated with them (from my understanding) I do not really understand the whole matter, but it's deeply engrained in every Greek person so I'm sure I'll get a better grasp of it before I leave.

29. Greeks often mother their children much longer here. Sometimes when their children get married, they will still go and live with them as to futher take care of them.

30. All young people speak English, as well as many other languages. They have a hard time believing how little of other languages we know.

That's as much as I can think of write now, but I'm sure I've learned much more! I love Greece, but I have a feeling homesickness is going to hit me pretty hard relatively soon. I'm very excited for my parents to come see me in April, it's hard only talking to my mom like 2 times a week online.