Feta is Betta' than Chedda'
Hello everyone! This is a quick update to let you know how things are going.
Well, the language schools are finally opening up. Patty and I have been going around to the local schools and dropping off resumes. She had her first interview at 10 today, and I have one in about 2 hours. Schools farther away have been hesitant to interview us as they are familiar with the seldon-on-time public transportation! We did, however, have good results at another school we just stopped at that is a brand new school that currently has no native speaking teachers. (They seemed excited to see two qualified native speakers randomly walk through the door!) So, things are looking up in terms of employment here.
I MIGHT be taking a quick trip to see Rome before 1) my passport visa expires and 2)classes begin at the language schools. I found a really good deal with the travel agent that I used for Prague. The flight is only 220 euros roundtrip, so I think I might go. I figure that i might as well go now, since it would cost thousands to travel there from home someday. (I call that my "Just use the Mastercard" justification)
My travel agent, like all Greeks, is very opinionated, especially when it comes to the olympics. Again like most, he is proud that Athens hosted such successful Olympic Games. He also had some other interesting info for me. As you probably know, the olympic organizational committee is headed by a woman that took over for the previous chairperson after he failed to begin the preparations on time. Apparently, the woman is marred to the owner of a construction company that was about to go under. Well, since the construction was delayed, the construction companies could basicaly charge whatever they wanted to do the last-minute jobs. You can guess, according to my source, what company got the all of the major contracts. Many Greeks blame her for the cost of the olympics exceeding 12 billion euro ( about 15 billion U.S. dollars)
The reaction here seems to be a mix of pride for the success of the moment, and anxiety about the future. For a price that will "take greeks three generations to pay for" the olympics games went on without any major problems. Some Greeks are insistant that too much money was spent on security. This is an arguable point, and although I felt safe knowing how much was spent, you have to wonder if an impoversihed city of 10 million people could have cut corners anywhere. Apparently Sydney only spent about 3 billion on the olympics, but of course this was pre- 9/11 and that leads to the discussion of the "costs of terrorism", which is a bit much for a travel journal entry. :-)
At any rate, and at whatever the cost, Athens did a wonderful job hosting the Olympics. I'm thankful that I was able to be here and experiance it first hand.
Food time: Try this- A "Greek Salad" here actually doesnt have any lettuce. The way a Greek salad is made is by putting sliced up tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, and onions in a bowl. Add olives, and if you can find solid feta, put a large slice on top of the mix (or a handful of crumbled feta). Then, pour olive oil and vinegar over the top, add salt and pepper.... VERY good. You will never want iceberg lettuce in your greek salad again.
I'll keep everyone posted on the job hunt and my Rome trip.
Hope you are all doing well!
Adam
Well, the language schools are finally opening up. Patty and I have been going around to the local schools and dropping off resumes. She had her first interview at 10 today, and I have one in about 2 hours. Schools farther away have been hesitant to interview us as they are familiar with the seldon-on-time public transportation! We did, however, have good results at another school we just stopped at that is a brand new school that currently has no native speaking teachers. (They seemed excited to see two qualified native speakers randomly walk through the door!) So, things are looking up in terms of employment here.
I MIGHT be taking a quick trip to see Rome before 1) my passport visa expires and 2)classes begin at the language schools. I found a really good deal with the travel agent that I used for Prague. The flight is only 220 euros roundtrip, so I think I might go. I figure that i might as well go now, since it would cost thousands to travel there from home someday. (I call that my "Just use the Mastercard" justification)
My travel agent, like all Greeks, is very opinionated, especially when it comes to the olympics. Again like most, he is proud that Athens hosted such successful Olympic Games. He also had some other interesting info for me. As you probably know, the olympic organizational committee is headed by a woman that took over for the previous chairperson after he failed to begin the preparations on time. Apparently, the woman is marred to the owner of a construction company that was about to go under. Well, since the construction was delayed, the construction companies could basicaly charge whatever they wanted to do the last-minute jobs. You can guess, according to my source, what company got the all of the major contracts. Many Greeks blame her for the cost of the olympics exceeding 12 billion euro ( about 15 billion U.S. dollars)
The reaction here seems to be a mix of pride for the success of the moment, and anxiety about the future. For a price that will "take greeks three generations to pay for" the olympics games went on without any major problems. Some Greeks are insistant that too much money was spent on security. This is an arguable point, and although I felt safe knowing how much was spent, you have to wonder if an impoversihed city of 10 million people could have cut corners anywhere. Apparently Sydney only spent about 3 billion on the olympics, but of course this was pre- 9/11 and that leads to the discussion of the "costs of terrorism", which is a bit much for a travel journal entry. :-)
At any rate, and at whatever the cost, Athens did a wonderful job hosting the Olympics. I'm thankful that I was able to be here and experiance it first hand.
Food time: Try this- A "Greek Salad" here actually doesnt have any lettuce. The way a Greek salad is made is by putting sliced up tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, and onions in a bowl. Add olives, and if you can find solid feta, put a large slice on top of the mix (or a handful of crumbled feta). Then, pour olive oil and vinegar over the top, add salt and pepper.... VERY good. You will never want iceberg lettuce in your greek salad again.
I'll keep everyone posted on the job hunt and my Rome trip.
Hope you are all doing well!
Adam