Greek as a Foreign Language
Posted by Joe Hallwood - 18:28 on 08 January 2009
I remember flying to Greece for my first TEFL job, sitting on the plane trying to get my mouth round 2 simple words; parakalo and efharisto. It must have looked a tad strange, this chap reading a small book and making odd gutteral sounds and suggestive mouth movements.
It wasn't long before I was growing in confidence with the Greek language. I had the philosophy that speaking Greek was as much about using gesture as it was about the correct vocabulary and pronunciation. So, in a matter of weeks I found that I could talk philosophy and politics in the local tavernas my Greek was that good. Well, I took the silence of my Greek friends as agreement to what I was saying in Greek rather than anything else.
Tavernas are a big part of life in the mountain town of Tripolis, especially during the cold winter nights. They are like pubs in the UK, except that you get to sit and eat vast amounts of nice food over a prolonged period. Well, one such night after going straight from school to meet others at the taverna (this was about 9.30 in the evening), we had had the usual delectable intestine stew washed down by heavily resinated wine and I left since it was a school night (what a good boy). Half way home, I realised I had left my tie (it was the only one I had) so back to the taverna where my friends were, asking urgently where my tie was "Pou einai krevati mou", I kept asking. Again the silence and blank look, which meant they understood. So, no one had seen my krevati. The waiter , who spoke reasonable English, came over and asked me what I was looking for. "Krevati mou" I explained. "OK", he says "I understand. But we no have your bed here, only this" He held up my tie. "This is your kravata, yes?" I was now bright red, my friends were laughing, and I understood that the blank silent look didn't mean quite what I thought it did.
Add your comment below
- Recent TEFL Scotland Blogs
- Chile – A Host of Teaching English Opportunities in Chile By Sarah Bennett
- Working with classmates By Carrie Dunn
- Balancing TEFL Scotland study with other commitments By Carrie Dunn
- Monthly Archive
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- Tags
- Country guides (2)
- News (2)
- Teach English Abroad (6)
- Teaching (3)
- TEFL courses (6)
- Tefl Jobs (4)
- TEFL Stories (4)
- Travel Tips and Advi (5)
“Enjoyed the 'easy' atmosphere set by Joe and the friendliness of all in the class.” Lydia Black, Primary School Teacher, Inverness
TEFL Scotland is an SQA Approved Centre and accredited by ODLQC and NCFE.