Sirach 4:11-12

"Wisdom teaches her children and gives help to those who seek her. Whoever loves her loves life, and those who seek her from early morning are filled with joy."


Ben Sira is definitely someone i am not very fond of due to his misogynistic writing is his book. But his writing on the importance of wisdom and teaching make a lot of sense to me. Wisdom is taught so that others know how to live life after they have died. This is how wisdom literature such as Sirach begun just in case we need guidelines we would always have them handy. To be able to teach the wisdom that you have collected you have to live and experience life before hand. Being in Greece has allowed me to gain some knowledge that i would like to pass on to all my readers:


1. Always try to speak Greek before English. You can tell in the way that the Greek's respond to you that they are very pleased to see you attempting to speak the language. No matter how nervous you are, it is worth it to put in the extra effort. You will leave the night with a stronger relationship with that person had you spoken english you would be treated differently. 

2. Even if a dog is cute, Do not pet it! There are stray dogs everywhere in Greece, but no worries they are well taken care of here. But for some reason they begin to get a pack mentality when surrounded by a group of 20 Americans and tend to attack EVERYONE they see. It definitely does not give you the best reputation..


3. Allow yourself to venture out of your comfort zone. Whether this is pertaining to meeting new people, trying new foods or just plain anything, DO IT! No matter what you will leave with an experience that you will never forget or regret. And you just may make friends that will last you a lifetime. 

4.Do not hold doors for Greek men, they do not like it one bit! 
5. Do not give someone a high five or put up five finger. In greece this is equivalent to flipping someone off. 
6. Never pass down and opportunity, you never know what you could miss. 

I hope that i have shared some wisdom with you that you will carry with you if you ever travel to Greece. But as Ben Sira explains in the verses above: wisdom will teach you life lessons that will help you along the way and if you choose to be wise your life will be full of joy and love. 

S'agapo, 
Alex