Before I came to Greece I was a decently happy person with a pretty good direction in life. One thing I didn't like about myself was my inability to see past the mistakes people have made to see their inner good. It was difficult for me to trust people even from the start because I assumed people were innately selfish (to a degree) and though people often try to hide this through polite conversation, I figured as soon as things got tough, I would see a true side of people. Philosophically speaking, this is pessimism, the belief that people are not innately good, nor are they a tabula rasa (blank slate) in which the world shapes them in every way.
This is not the most fulfilling way to look at the world or to look at life. I wanted to be able to immediately see the good in people, to share pleasant stories and know that my audience is not simply nodding their head to appease me, but thoroughly enjoying our time together. This is what Greece brought me the most. Even more touching than all the beautiful places I saw, the curriculum we covered in class, and the fun experiences, none will affect me more than the people I met in Rhodes.
Rhodes is a pretty big island in the Mediterranean off the coast of southern Greece. We spent a week here as a class and within a few hours, I had already met the most incredible people. One couple, Pina and Paulo, run an Italian restaurant in the "portico of hunger"-basically a street with a bunch of quick food places. The couple spoke only a few words of English, even less Greek as they were full Italian. After days of having lunch there, we were able to communicate without words, we hugged, and they began to treat us with free desserts (made just for us).
When a few of us decided that we wanted to give them a gift, we went to a Kodak store to print a photo that we had taken with the couple. The man that ran the photo booth, whose name we never got (we call him Kodak Man), was one of the most incredible people I have ever met (my eyes are tearing up already). He gave us the photo for free, which was the least of the kindnesses he offered us. More than this, he gave us advice on life, on love, on family, on academics and on friendship. We ended up standing there with this man for almost an hour listening to him speak about his three children (all with PhDs who study in the States), his wife, his love for life and his passions. He was one of those people who touch you so profoundly, so deeply and so immediately that you will always remember him and reflect on his advice for the rest of your life.
What Pina, Paulo and Kodak Man gave me was the greatest gift of this trip. They restored in me the belief that people are innately good, that even when a person does a bad thing, they are victim of poor circumstances, of temptation, of evil but are not, themselves, evil. Listening to any old person try to tell me this would not have made the same impact. It was the way in which he spoke (with perfect English), the passion he put into his words and his effort to entertain us that really made his point resonate in me. Pina and Paulo may not have been able to speak to us in words, but our relationship grew so much in a matter of days. They gave us their address and asked us to write to them and let them know how we are doing (at least I think that was what they asked!). They have a daughter who speaks English (she was out of town), so she will be able to help translate our messages.
My moment in Greece was when we were giving the gifts (chocolates and signed cards) to Pina/Paulo and Kodak Man-this is when I realized the impact these three people had on my life and I knew this was one of the reasons I made this trip.
This is not the most fulfilling way to look at the world or to look at life. I wanted to be able to immediately see the good in people, to share pleasant stories and know that my audience is not simply nodding their head to appease me, but thoroughly enjoying our time together. This is what Greece brought me the most. Even more touching than all the beautiful places I saw, the curriculum we covered in class, and the fun experiences, none will affect me more than the people I met in Rhodes.
Rhodes is a pretty big island in the Mediterranean off the coast of southern Greece. We spent a week here as a class and within a few hours, I had already met the most incredible people. One couple, Pina and Paulo, run an Italian restaurant in the "portico of hunger"-basically a street with a bunch of quick food places. The couple spoke only a few words of English, even less Greek as they were full Italian. After days of having lunch there, we were able to communicate without words, we hugged, and they began to treat us with free desserts (made just for us).
When a few of us decided that we wanted to give them a gift, we went to a Kodak store to print a photo that we had taken with the couple. The man that ran the photo booth, whose name we never got (we call him Kodak Man), was one of the most incredible people I have ever met (my eyes are tearing up already). He gave us the photo for free, which was the least of the kindnesses he offered us. More than this, he gave us advice on life, on love, on family, on academics and on friendship. We ended up standing there with this man for almost an hour listening to him speak about his three children (all with PhDs who study in the States), his wife, his love for life and his passions. He was one of those people who touch you so profoundly, so deeply and so immediately that you will always remember him and reflect on his advice for the rest of your life.
What Pina, Paulo and Kodak Man gave me was the greatest gift of this trip. They restored in me the belief that people are innately good, that even when a person does a bad thing, they are victim of poor circumstances, of temptation, of evil but are not, themselves, evil. Listening to any old person try to tell me this would not have made the same impact. It was the way in which he spoke (with perfect English), the passion he put into his words and his effort to entertain us that really made his point resonate in me. Pina and Paulo may not have been able to speak to us in words, but our relationship grew so much in a matter of days. They gave us their address and asked us to write to them and let them know how we are doing (at least I think that was what they asked!). They have a daughter who speaks English (she was out of town), so she will be able to help translate our messages.
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| Paulo and Pina |
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