Speaking Greek
Posted by Joe Hallwood - 13:05 on 15 July 2009
I like speaking Greek. It's more than the satisfaction of speaking in another tongue, but everything else that goes with it. Like the fact that communicating in Greek is a lot more than words, it's attitude, it's facial, it's arms.
In Athens, the second police station and the second theft report that we needed to get completed took a lot of communication. I had to return to the police station to collect the report, we did this on our way to the bus station, I went in leaving my family in charge of the taxi driver, thinking I just needed to collect the report that had been completed the previous day.
The police were all having coffee under the shade of a few orange trees. One of them asked where I was going, I said to collect the report. He said 'No', the police station was closed. I said what am I to do, we are leaving Athens, look there is the taxi with my family in waiting for me. This required a long raise of the shoulders and a plaintive expression. It got me in to the third floor. The guy there said he was closed too and would be open the next day, the same process got me through to the next stage. The next stage was finding the report. It took roughly 50 minutes and a phone call to the guy I had seen the day before to find it, while the Athenian taxi meter ticked away. In the end, our driver didn't charge us for that, and drove us all to Nafplio for only a little more than the bus would have cost. I am not sure I have ever experienced generosity to match the Greeks.
Yesterday, we went to burn ourselves on a beach in Tolo (about 20 minutes on the local bus). When we were sufficiently scorched we went to take the bus back. I was the only one who couldn't be bothered to change out of my swimming stuff. The plush new air-conditioned bus pulled up and the conductor stepped off, took one look at my nearly dry shorts and said I would not be allowed on to the bus. Time for the prolonged shrug, rasied eye-brow, defensive arm manoevre. Quick as a flash he signaled I could join my family on the bus. Great, saved me having to remove my shorts there and then. I love all this. It suits my aspiration to be Greek.
On the main square in the old town, an eight-old Greek boy started to speak Greek to my two boys. Number one son explained he didn't speak the language and so the Greek lad promptly repeated it in perfect English and off they went to play football. Everyone speaks English and at all ages. In Greece, they learn English to a high level, higher than most other countries. To be honest, if I wasn't so obsessed with speaking Greek and let them speak English to me I am sure we would have much better communication, but not as much fun!
Back to Greece
The Road to Athens
An Awakening City
Handbags and Manbags
Speaking the Lingo
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