Adaptation
Firstly, an apology to all readers. I've been meaning to write some more posts about my travels and sights (and I've even got half-finished saved drafts of them!) but with the increasing amount of work and travel, I unfortunately haven't been able to find the time to get to finishing them. Perhaps I will in the coming days, in which case you'll have to forgive me again for being anachronistic about my adventures--but I don't suppose the exact dates matter too much.
I'm now 5 weeks into my internship and I can truthfully say my integration has been quite smooth. This country, lifestyle, and culture are increasingly becoming a part of me. I'm no longer at all shocked by the traffic here; sometimes I even catch myself trying to remember what it was like in Toronto. I've adapted my cooking to embrace local ingredients, flavour preferences, and preparation styles. I dress like a local and increasingly am adopting the behaviours and customs of Greeks, too.
As far as customs go, I'm much less surprised now by the double-kiss used in greeting locals, but as most of my interactions are either meeting for the first time or interacting with other foreigners, it's not that common in my routine. The at-first confusing head motions accompanying the Greek words for "yes" and "no" are also much more familiar to me.
One of the habits I haven't bought into as much, though, seems to be their commuter composure. Even the locals recognize that the cab drivers drive too dangerously (the one car accident I've witnessed so far involved 2 taxi cabs, with a third indirectly tied to the scenario, too). And even the public transit commuters seem always seem to be in a rather pointless rush: even though the subway doors stay open a reasonable amount of time at stations, people are still rushing to get on the train, to the point that they stand directly in front of the doors before the riders have even had a chance to get off the train! To add to this paradox, a rush for better seating on the subway doesn't seem to be the explanation either, as Greeks will immediately yield their seat to a pregnant woman or the elderly.
I packed for Greece with the intention of trying to fit in as well as I could. I looked up Greek fashion online ahead of time and packed the most relevant clothing items. Over my time here, I've gotten a much better idea of what Greeks wear and when, to the point that other Greeks and foreigners alike cannot tell me apart from locals. I know all too well that prices in many stores (especially the smaller ones) are marked up and open to be haggled down. So looking like a local and speaking enough Greek to haggle the prices down a couple of "evro" before reaching the limits of my Greek and switching to English has helped me further cut costs on shopping and get better deals than would most tourists, and business owners really do appreciate you speaking their language more, so you build a stronger connection in that sense, too.
Deeper down, I sense I've developed a sort of duality in behaviour and communication. Around other foreigners, I behave more or less as I did before coming here, but when around locals, I find it not too difficult to switch to their communication systems. In my time here, I've really gotten to know Greek culture and the values and ideals that rule it, and once you've understood that, it's a lot easier to see the world the Greek way. I suppose it's like playing by two sets of rules.
Either way, though, the game is fun.
I'm now 5 weeks into my internship and I can truthfully say my integration has been quite smooth. This country, lifestyle, and culture are increasingly becoming a part of me. I'm no longer at all shocked by the traffic here; sometimes I even catch myself trying to remember what it was like in Toronto. I've adapted my cooking to embrace local ingredients, flavour preferences, and preparation styles. I dress like a local and increasingly am adopting the behaviours and customs of Greeks, too.
As far as customs go, I'm much less surprised now by the double-kiss used in greeting locals, but as most of my interactions are either meeting for the first time or interacting with other foreigners, it's not that common in my routine. The at-first confusing head motions accompanying the Greek words for "yes" and "no" are also much more familiar to me.
One of the habits I haven't bought into as much, though, seems to be their commuter composure. Even the locals recognize that the cab drivers drive too dangerously (the one car accident I've witnessed so far involved 2 taxi cabs, with a third indirectly tied to the scenario, too). And even the public transit commuters seem always seem to be in a rather pointless rush: even though the subway doors stay open a reasonable amount of time at stations, people are still rushing to get on the train, to the point that they stand directly in front of the doors before the riders have even had a chance to get off the train! To add to this paradox, a rush for better seating on the subway doesn't seem to be the explanation either, as Greeks will immediately yield their seat to a pregnant woman or the elderly.
I packed for Greece with the intention of trying to fit in as well as I could. I looked up Greek fashion online ahead of time and packed the most relevant clothing items. Over my time here, I've gotten a much better idea of what Greeks wear and when, to the point that other Greeks and foreigners alike cannot tell me apart from locals. I know all too well that prices in many stores (especially the smaller ones) are marked up and open to be haggled down. So looking like a local and speaking enough Greek to haggle the prices down a couple of "evro" before reaching the limits of my Greek and switching to English has helped me further cut costs on shopping and get better deals than would most tourists, and business owners really do appreciate you speaking their language more, so you build a stronger connection in that sense, too.
Deeper down, I sense I've developed a sort of duality in behaviour and communication. Around other foreigners, I behave more or less as I did before coming here, but when around locals, I find it not too difficult to switch to their communication systems. In my time here, I've really gotten to know Greek culture and the values and ideals that rule it, and once you've understood that, it's a lot easier to see the world the Greek way. I suppose it's like playing by two sets of rules.
Either way, though, the game is fun.
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