Poseidon

One of the things that made Greece an attractive destination for a year away from home is that it's a maritime country. Who doesn't love the sea, and the feeling of knowing that one is close to water?

Poseidon

Who doesn't have mad respect for Poseidon, Greek God of the Sea?


The ancient Greeks sure did. Because the Gods were considered quite fickle, religion was propitiatory in nature - based on the idea that to avoid misfortune, one must constantly seek the favour of the relevant gods with prayers, gifts and sacrifices. Due to Greece's maritime location, the sea occupied a high position in the divine hierarchy - Poseidon was considered second only to Zeus.


When he was feeling nice, Poseidon created new islands (there are over a thousand Greek islands, though only 227 of them are inhabited) and offered calm seas. If offended, he would strike the ground with his trident and stir things up on the open ocean. His implacable wrath caused earthquakes and storms, which led to countless shipwrecks and drownings. 


To avoid such calamities, sailors prayed to Poseidon for safe voyages, sometimes drowning horses as a sacrifice. Before the Battle of Issus, Alexander the Great paused at the Syrian seashore, prayed to Poseidon, and ordered a four horse chariot into the waves.

I'm not just spewing Greek mythology because I've got nothing better to talk about - I'm telling you about Poseidon because two days ago, I went to his temple at Cape Sounion, the southernmost point of Attica, (70 km East of Athens). Two other teaching fellows and I took a pleasant two-hour bus ride along the coast from Athens. We could see the sea the entire way.


The Temple was built in the 5th Century BC, and sits atop a cliff that towers 60 m above the sea. In antiquity and today, sailors knew they were nearing Athens when they could see the Temple's columns.

The Temple

So here's the temple. Beautiful, right? I hate to admit it, but like many tourist destinations, the Temple itself (roped off and surrounded by tourists like me), was actually kindof underwhelming. I sometimes find it difficult to appreciate the things I should appreciate most. 


By the way, you're not supposed to call them ruins. It's rude.


What impressed me, however, was the view of the water below, which stretched out into open ocean.


The ocean in Greece is a blue like I haven't seen anywhere else before - it's somewhere between the dark hue of the Atlantic and the warm, turquoise of the Caribbean. Because it was so hot up on the cliffs, all I could think about the whole time was how I wanted to throw myself into the ocean...



Which brings me to the legend of King Aegeus, who did throw himself into the ocean, off this very cliff! 


Upon the cliff, King Aegeus anxiously awaited his son Theseus's return from Crete, where he had travelled to slay the Minotaur. Every year, the Athenians were forced to send 7 boys and 7 girls to Minos, where they would be devoured by the Minotaur. Theseus had volunteered to attempt to put a stop to this madness and slay the beast.

If only Theseu's ship had looked like this

Aegeus told his son to have his ship return with white sails if he survived the encounter, and with black sails if he met death in the labyrinth. In the joyous excitement of his victory, Theseus forgot to change the sails, and returned home with black sails, instead of white. When Aegeus saw the black sails on the horizon, he threw himself, devastated, into the sea - forever after known as the Aegean. 


I opted not to jump, and waited until we got down to lower ground to get in the water. The beach was extremely windy - One of the things I've loved about being in Greece is that there's always a breeze, even when it's crazy hot out. A couple of people were windsurfing, zipping by at an unbelievable speed. 


Mandee and I immediately put our towels down and fell (half) asleep for about an hour, while Lizzie got right in the water. When the wind calmed down a bit, I went in too. The water was just warm enough, and incredibly shallow. We could walk out about 100 m before the sand started to drop off. 

By the way, in the short time I have been in Greece, I have seen some fabulous swimwear, especially on the men.


It's a shame I didn't research all of this mythology stuff until after I got back and decided to blog about the Temple. However, even if I didn't know what I now know about the Temple two days ago, being close to and in the water put me in touch with Poseidon in a way that wikipedia never can. 

                                All hail Poseidon, God of the Sea.

Tolerance

No, I'm not writing about how my massive intake of ouzo over the past three weeks is making it difficult for me to get tipsy. I have yet to try ouzo, actually. I'm referring to an essay we're discussing in my tenth grade (Alpha) English classes: "Tolerance," by E.M. Forster.

Tolerance is the ability to accept the existence of something while still disapproving of it. After WW2, Forster felt frustrated with the notion that the problems of the world would be solved if we could all just suck it up and love each other. All you need is not love, he argued, because love has no place in the public sphere. Love, in Forster's view, is a private emotion, experienced only between people who know each other well. How could you love a complete stranger? So Forster posed a simple alternative: tolerate each other. Even if you don't like people, put up with them.

The Alpha students were asked to write page-long journal responses to this text. I really like the Alpha kids: since they're new to the high school, they haven't developed much of that Beta (eleventh grade) sass. Although they're the youngest kids I work with, they're also the most enthusiastic, and in some cases the brightest. I quite like reading their journals - they often make sweeping claims, but often make really insightful comments, too.

I'm writing this to tell you a little bit about what we're covering in school, but also to introduce the concept of tolerance in Greece. Perhaps one of the easiest ways to define a "culture" is to examine what a group of people will and won't tolerate.

Things Greece tolerates (kala - okay, all right) :

1. PDA.
I heard recently that Athens is the second most PDA city on the planet, after Paris. The kids at school give each other quick kisses in the hall. Things get serious at recess.

2. Dog Shit.
No one picks up after their pooches here. It's all over the sidewalks.
Apparently, this weekend dog shit won't be the only thing covering the sidewalks: on Sunday morning, there is to be a shit in. That's right, protestors are going to gather together, drop trou, and further foul the Athenian streets.

3. Strikes.
Soon in our discussion of tolerance we will try and get the kids thinking about when it's okay not to tolerate. When must we stand up against what we know is wrong?

4. Strays.
They're everywhere. I love them, but they certainly don't help with tolerable thing #2, no pun intended.

5. Smoking in public places. 
It is estimated that over 40% of Greek adults smoke, well over the EU average of 29%. Earlier this month, a law was implemented banning smoking in enclosed public spaces such as restaurants, bars, hospitals, and motor vehicles.

In restaurants, bars, hospitals, and motor vehicles all over Athens, Greeks continue to light up as they please.

Things Greece does not tolerate (oxi- no):

1. Homosexuality.

I told the students a fun fact about E.M. Forster: he was gay!

This quite excited them. It was clear from their reactions that homosexuality wasn't something they considered commonplace. 

Homosexuality is becoming less and less taboo in Greece - Apparently, Athens has a thriving gay bar scene (and none of the bars have been burned down, to date). However, Greece is still not nearly as accepting of gays as other developed countries of Western Europe and North America. It's a little funny, considering how much same sex lovin went down in Ancient Greece.

2. Pedestrians.
In Athens, drivers have the right of way, and if you're not very careful, they will squash you.


3. Dinner before 9 pm.

4. Flushing TP down the toilet.

This makes taking the trash out doubly gross.

I realize the subjects I've touched upon here may paint Athens in an unflattering light, but p

lease don't get the wrong impression - I'm loving life in Greece so far. 

(not so) CULTURE SHOCK(ed)

Yasas! As of today, I have been in Greece for a full three weeks. I am here as a Teaching Fellow for the Hellenic American Educational Foundation, teaching English Literature to high school students at Athens College.

When deciding whether or not to accept the fellowship, I nearly declined the offer for fear that I wouldn't be able to handle living in another culture for a whole year. I believed I would be absolutely miserable for at least the first month, and that it would take me roughly a year to feel settled in Greece. However, I applied to the fellowship in the first place so that I could challenge myself and immerse myself in another culture. (And of course, to try out teaching.) So I sucked it up and said yes.

Culture Shock is meant to work in distinct stages, beginning with the honeymoon phase, wherein the traveller is fascinated with the new culture and views it in a romantic light.  Personally, I find that my initial reaction to a new culture is usually one of extreme discomfort, rather than awe. This was certainly true of Athens.

I did myself the incredible disservice of coming to Athens directly from Paris, (arguably the most beautiful city on the planet), which made Athens look like a slum. When I arrived in Athens, (Sunday, August 29th), it was hot as Hades. I hated the heat and how it mixed with gasoline fumes, the aggressive drivers and heavy traffic, the beige, run down boxes that comprised modern Greek architecture, that Athens was not Paris, the strange alphabet everywhere, and of course, not being able to understand what people were saying. My immediate reaction: "WTF have I gotten myself into?"  


This feeling lasted for roughly three days. Then 2 things happened which put me at ease:

1) I moved into my apartment, in Halandri (a suburb of Athens)). The apartment is very spacious, clean, airy and has a wraparound balcony. (see photo on the side..)

2) I met the nine other teaching fellows.

Having comfortable living conditions and friends who speak English makes living in a foreign country easy as pie. I felt so relieved when I met my nine new insta-friends (isn't it funny how rapidly you become friends with people in situations where you know you need to be friends with them?). I knew I had people I could talk to and laugh with, people with whom I could explore this new country.


I quickly began to see the positive aspects of Greek culture: The food is delicious. Modern Greek is (in my opinion) a beautiful language to listen to (the rhythm of it reminds me a lot of Spanish). The people (although seemingly quite willing to run you over, if you're walking and they're driving) are very, very friendly. Greek hospitality is no myth. There are hundreds of beautiful islands just a ferry ride away. There are ancient ruins everywhere. There are adorable stray kittens everywhere. 

There's definitely a danger in having nine rad American friends and a kickass apartment, though. I came here to experience another culture, but if I wanted to, I could spend the entire year sitting on my balcony, speaking English, and watching Greece from a distance.


When I studied in Italy for six weeks two summers ago, I had a very minimal cultural experience.  I lived on a beautiful Tuscan estate with sixteen other American girls. Don't get me wrong - I had a wonderful time, and my painting improved tremendously (that was the point of the program.) But I still don't speak a word of Italian.

I vow to do my damnedest to not let this be the case in Greece. I think the most important thing I can do to fully experience Greek culture is to learn the language, so that I can make connections with people other than my American friends. It's going to be tough, but I've got to try.


I also think it's important to remember that "foreign" works on a scale. Greece is the foundation of Western culture, so although there were some immediate shocks when I first arrived, and although there is a massive language barrier to overcome, things are not actually all that different. I am not living in a hut in Kenya. I have clean drinking water and a shower and a bed. Most people speak English anyways. Starbucks and HandM are just around the corner.

In conclusion, the biggest shock for me so far has been the lack of culture shock. I feel quite at home here. Perhaps that is only because of my American friends and my living quarters. We'll just have to see. Perhaps in three months time I will feel quite frustrated and maybe even cry myself to sleep wishing I were back in North America. Hopefully not. But for now, things are good. 


More to come on actual Greece soon.