MCreates

I moved to Greece about a year ago but have not really stayed here long enough to call it my home until recently. At first, I was traveling back and forth from my home country, which made my stay here feel rather temporary. I have now stayed for over seven months, the first time in the 2 years since I got my residence permit that I have stayed here this long, and it is now beginning to feel more like home. I would think that I have now adapted more to the life here than before. I started getting more immersed in the culture, getting to know more people, and starting to be part of the community.

I loved Greece from the beginning. My city may also be considered boring compared to the bigger cities like Athens and Thessaloniki and the tourist areas like Santorini. Nothing seemed to be happening here except occasional festivals and celebrations, but it was never as big as the events in Athens. There are also no malls, no concerts from big names, just a quiet neighborhood where one can walk around at night without worrying something bad will happen. I got lost in the city a number of times, walking in unknown neighborhoods late at night, coming from my pottery class because I lost the signal on Google Maps and made a lot of wrong turns. Apart from there being barely any people around in some areas and my occasional fear of the dark and unknown places, I never worried that someone would just come to me with a knife or a gun to get my belongings. Maybe it is the quietness that really got me.

On days with good weather, we see a lot of people in the local square, kids playing and running around while the adults are sitting and chatting in the cafes or taverns. The kind of neighborhood that makes it less worrisome to raise a child – I am sure there are a lot of other worries that parents have, but at least they cross out one about living in a bad neighborhood. Everybody seems to know everybody that the parents will also know if their child did something wrong.

It is a place where people you don’t know will greet you καλημέρα (kalimera- good morning), kalispera (καλησπέρα or good afternoon) or ya sas (για σας or hello)when you meet on the street. It is a place where the flea market vendors will try to teach you the difference between έτοιμη (etimi-ready that refers to women), etimo (έτοιμο – ready that refers to men) and ετοιμα (etima – ready that refers to objects). It is a place where the fish vendor will help you put the fish you bought in your shopping cart. It is a place where the couple that sells vegetables will show you a picture of their newborn granddaughter. It is a place where the tomato vendor gives you free tomatoes because he mistakenly put your orders back in the basket. A place where you get freebies from the sellers just because they want to give you something. It is a place where the taxi driver asks you how your parents are and if the fish that your mother bought for your mini pond is still alive.

I still need to learn Greek to be able to communicate better. Though they try, speaking English is not really common here. I am trying but as I always tell my husband, it is πολύ δισκουλο (poli diskulo – very difficult). Ah, and It is also a place where the taxi driver tells your husband that you need to learn Greek and not let you get away by saying that it is very difficult.

This is my new home, my new neighborhood. You can say it is uneventful here, but I would say I would like to keep it that way.