Between Parkland and Pangrati - A Dissection of the 1st Week using the Big Three

First I’d like to apologize for the late posting (and the font disorder; I can't figure out why it's doing this); last night was a little crazy, and I decided to save posting for the morning.

This prompt has proven to be exceedingly difficult because I feel like I’ve discussed the differences between these two places in every other blog entry I’ve had. Cutting to the chase, I like this picture that I snapped yesterday in Kerkyra (an island located about a hour by plane north of Athens) not only because it is visually representative of this “in between” theme, but also because it symbolizes the state of mind I am at presently.

In short, I really don’t feel as if I existing between both cultures simultaneously; Parkland has become a bit of an afterthought, as everything I’m experiencing here stimulates enough mental mojo (yes, not the most scientific of terms) so that I can’t think about both places at one. Right now, my mind is strictly on Greece. I am able to compare the cultures, however, and using terminology from class, I will discuss the different accommodations I’ve made since coming to Greece, the ways I’ve assimilated to Greek culture, and the few times (if that) that I have resisted in favor of my own.

Accommodations - I’ve noticed myself balancing on a kind of partial acculturation to some aspects of Greek culture. I absolutely adore the longer meal times and relaxed pace after eating, however the fluid sense of time that the Greeks seem to have has taken some real getting used to. For a person how is usually “go go go”, hoping to get as much done in as short a time as possible, it is sometimes hard to justify sipping a frappe nice and slow when the Acropolis (and other attractions) stare at you in the background. I have seen our group cut meal times short in regard to Greek expectations, but we still sit much longer than we would in America, which to me is an appropriate balance. As tourists and students, we have so many things that we want to get done that we just can’t afford to sit so long. As for the residents of Athens, if you’ve already seen the notable monuments and attractions that the city has to offer, why not take your time?

Assimilation - The cuisine here is something I could eat for the rest of my life. I’ve had some of the best meals of my life here: rooster, veal, chicken, pork, you name it; there is nothing like experiencing a culture through its food. Additionally, I’ve also really enjoyed how commonplace walking to and from a destination is. Not only are my thighs becoming massive, but this kind of transportation, especially when the weather is good, is a fantastic way to grasp onto little tidbits of culture that you would otherwise miss when confined to a tour bus. One more notable adoption of culture comes in my sometimes charming, other times futile attempts to speak the Greek language. I’ve found it to be a tremendous learning experience when you try to communicate with somebody in their native language rather than immediately jumping in with English. I could expand on this point forever, however for the sake of time, I will just emphasize one thing: when traveling abroad, I believe that it is our duty as travelers to at least attempt to speak the native language before moving to our own; we are guests here, and can not take that for granted.

Resistance - I believe the general lack of resistance our group has shown to Greek lifestyle really says something about the learning going on in this place. The only thing I can think of that I have actively and intently resisted thus far is the widespread popularity of smoking cigarettes (that’s right, Mom and Dad). Otherwise, I think our group has realized that we must keep resistance to a minimal if we hope to learn as much from this experience as we can.