City by the Sea Posted on January 25th, 2008 by Callie Christensen

Hello all! This is Ahna. Callie gave me the privilege of writing on her blog, so here I am. I chose to travel to Greece because I am a Classics major studying ancient Greek and am really interested in this historically rich culture. This trip has included many firsts for me: first time on an airplane, first time overseas, first soccer game I watched, first time interacting with another culture and trying gyros (plenty of them!).

The plane rides went well, although the jet lag didn’t wear off for awhile. For those first time flyers out there: you have nothing to fear. Yes the plane rocks because of turbulence, yes sometimes your ears can’t pop because of air pressure, but in the grand scheme of things these are only little nuisances.

 Getting off the plane and stepping onto foreign ground is a unique experience, one that each person should encounter at least once in their lifetime. My dad always says you can’t appreciate your own culture until you experience another’s. While I’ve only been here for a little over a week, I hope to share the insights I have gained here in Greece.

 One of the first things I noticed was these beaded string things that men whip around their hands. Upon further investigation I found out that these are called “kompoloi.” Kiosks that deck the streets every 50 feet sell kompoloi, and men everywhere can be seen waiting and throwing the beads around their hands. It doesn’t really have a meaning, because it’s not quite a game but it’s also not just decoration. One shop owner told me that it is a tool to pass the time, and also a conversation starter (which could lead to coffee, which the Greeks are fond of).

The culture has a slower pace of life; not everything has to start on time. The soccer games have gotten switched around and started later, but the Greeks just go with the flow. The one thing that is not slow is the traffic. Pedestrians are almost like cars in the fact that they are the ones who must dodge traffic and avoid getting hit. Traveling from Delphi to Kalamata there were cars that crossed the center line and passed on hills. While there are traffic lights and cross walks our tour guide says they are for decoration only. One must have quick reflexes and a knowledge of where they are going in order to avoid an accident.

Today (Friday January 25) we visited a Greek orthodox church and monastery. Christianity is highly prevalent in Greece, as over 90% of its population is Christian (the majority being Greek orthodox). The churches are magnificently decorated with icons. Statues are not used in the orthodox church because it would remind the Greeks of their ancient religious beliefs of Paganism (worship of the gods, e.g. Zeus).

These have been a few cultural insights, and I hope you have enjoyed a little peak into the window of the Mediterranean. Feel free to ask me any word and I will show you the Greek root…

Yassou!