What a change, coming from quiet, idyllic Lund to a city like Athens!
Today is Sunday and it's quiet – no construction noises, few sirens, only the traffic of downtown Athens, the dogs and the birds. But the days before – my God! - it was crazy!
This city – how to describe it? - from the first two hours on I had the impression of it being an animal, constantly roaring, breathing, barking, booming, lurking about all around me. Half of Greece's population lives in this seemingly neverending concrete jungle. Although every big city is stressful and restless, Athens is so far the most extreme I've ever seen. It is fun, the first few days, to walk the streets in the constant alertness needed to make it in a big city. But then, when your feet start to automatically avoid dog poo, human pee or construction holes, you have the freedom to look up and see people's faces...
I admit that I forgot how much human appearance is shaped by the surroundings. In Athens, the unnerving chaos and madness of this city, and maybe also the hardships of life in Greece in general, have carved deep signs already in young people's faces. All seem to walk with difficulty from some sort of invisible weight. Especially women carry their worries in tilted basins and on rounded shoulders. What strikes me most, having lived almost a year in Sweden, is that almost everyone in this city looks unhealthy – apart from the stress of Athens' everyday life, let's not forget the abundance of cheap fast food, the daily consumption of meat, and the clouds of cigarette smoke that seem to engulf everything...
In a way, I feel very sad for what has happened to Greece – it becomes evident that this country was not really prepared for so-called “modernity”. Theo tells me that almost everyone here owes tremendous amounts of money to the banks (due to a scam organized by politicians, stock exchange companies and foreign companies in '99), and my innocent mind is still struggling with the fact that in a European country corruption and cheating are practiced on a daily basis. Politicians and companies do not even care to hide their money-making schemes from the public. All in all, it's sad.
Under all of this, though, I see amazingly lively and passionate people. So far, everyone I've encountered has been very warm and hospitable. It's refreshing to meet people who have their heart out on their jacket, and not burried under many layers that can only be passed through repeated proofs of trustworthiness. Also, I see that many people here carry in them a sort of faith like I have never witnessed before – it's not really dictated by doctrines or intellectual efforts, it comes directly from the heart (and I guess, it is also what saves them...)
I'm really looking forward to see more, since everyone tells me that Greece is wonderful, except for Athens...
Today is Sunday and it's quiet – no construction noises, few sirens, only the traffic of downtown Athens, the dogs and the birds. But the days before – my God! - it was crazy!
This city – how to describe it? - from the first two hours on I had the impression of it being an animal, constantly roaring, breathing, barking, booming, lurking about all around me. Half of Greece's population lives in this seemingly neverending concrete jungle. Although every big city is stressful and restless, Athens is so far the most extreme I've ever seen. It is fun, the first few days, to walk the streets in the constant alertness needed to make it in a big city. But then, when your feet start to automatically avoid dog poo, human pee or construction holes, you have the freedom to look up and see people's faces...
I admit that I forgot how much human appearance is shaped by the surroundings. In Athens, the unnerving chaos and madness of this city, and maybe also the hardships of life in Greece in general, have carved deep signs already in young people's faces. All seem to walk with difficulty from some sort of invisible weight. Especially women carry their worries in tilted basins and on rounded shoulders. What strikes me most, having lived almost a year in Sweden, is that almost everyone in this city looks unhealthy – apart from the stress of Athens' everyday life, let's not forget the abundance of cheap fast food, the daily consumption of meat, and the clouds of cigarette smoke that seem to engulf everything...
In a way, I feel very sad for what has happened to Greece – it becomes evident that this country was not really prepared for so-called “modernity”. Theo tells me that almost everyone here owes tremendous amounts of money to the banks (due to a scam organized by politicians, stock exchange companies and foreign companies in '99), and my innocent mind is still struggling with the fact that in a European country corruption and cheating are practiced on a daily basis. Politicians and companies do not even care to hide their money-making schemes from the public. All in all, it's sad.
Under all of this, though, I see amazingly lively and passionate people. So far, everyone I've encountered has been very warm and hospitable. It's refreshing to meet people who have their heart out on their jacket, and not burried under many layers that can only be passed through repeated proofs of trustworthiness. Also, I see that many people here carry in them a sort of faith like I have never witnessed before – it's not really dictated by doctrines or intellectual efforts, it comes directly from the heart (and I guess, it is also what saves them...)
I'm really looking forward to see more, since everyone tells me that Greece is wonderful, except for Athens...
