Chios – Dialling

Day of Reckoning

So, it is election day in Greece. I am off to cast my vote in a bit, and then camp out to watch the aftermath. I don’t know how things will go, but I’m honestly not optimistic. In the meantime there’s nothing to do but wait, so here are some photos of a Nea Dimokratia rally I stumbled upon while out on Friday evening. ‘Intense’ would be an appropriate way to describe it.

‘the issue is not violence but misery’

On the day before the second round of elections in Greece, I’m posting the final letter written by my eighth graders about their view of life in Greece today. Although these were written at the end of February, they remain relevant and poignant. Here’s hoping tomorrow brings new possibilities..

Dear Editor,

Judging by the pictures shown on TV channels worldwide, Greece has been a battlefield during the past few months. Listening to international commentators and reading blogs in various news websites, you would think that Greeks are the laziest people on earth and that no one in Greece pays any taxes. I am 14 years old and lived in Athens since the day I was born so I know that this is all quite far from reality, and I would like to clarify the situation.

According to recent published statistics, total working hours per person in Greece are quite high compared to many other European countries. Apparently, this is because our country has a large number of small, family-owned businesses where family members work long hours. Also, it is important for your readers to understand that there is a considerable difference in working hours and effort between the private and the public sector. Private employees often work after hours whereas public employees often cheat and arrive late or leave early from their workplace! This means that not all Greeks are lazy neither all Greeks deserve a lower salary.

But it’s not only the working hours that are higher in Greece but also the taxes the Greeks pay which are much higher than in other European countries. The unemployment is extremely high, people get angry and blame the politicians who couldn’t care less since they are totally corrupt.Value-added taxes are also very high. Unfortunately, the problem is that only about half the population is honest in declaring their income. Therefore, tax rates need to be high because so few people pay their taxes according to their wealth. This is very unfair because it makes the tax burden very heavy on poorer people, especially pensioners and lower-paid employees. The tax authorities have been particularly inefficient in hunting down tax evasion. This is rightly seen by the less fortunate citizens as deeply unjust and they consider that the state is to blame for the situation. So, hard-working and tax-paying citizens expect the state to take action against tax evasion, which is so unfair to those who pay regularly.

But all this doesn’t mean that everyday life in Athens corresponds to the violence shown on television. Of course protests often become violent, people get hurt and there is a lot of destruction in central Athens, but, unfortunately, daily life is not very exciting to watch. There is a large number of shops that close everyday. There are long lines of people waiting for free lunches served by volunteers and the church, but there isn’t a fire outside every house or office building! Supermarkets organize collection points for customers who offer groceries for voluntary organizations. Life in Greece is actually quiet and depressing. Greeks go out far less than before and restaurants and bars are quite empty. So the issue is not violence, but misery! Protests and strikes are a usual everyday phenomenon, but Greeks continue to be able to stand on their feet. For that they should be respected, since they’ve always managed to find their way out, without meaning that they are not to blame for their choices to vote the politicians who mislead them. I hope that this short letter will help your readers gain a better understanding of the situation in my country and be fair to its citizens.

Yours sincerely,

Louise

‘It seems catastrophic here in Greece’

(another letter from the work of my students about their life in Greece)

Dear editor,

In the past few years a lot has changed. My life, my everyday routine is the same but my parents, they seem different. They try to hide it but I’ve heard them talk and I’ve noticed that my mother is concerned about my father. He is an architect and it is hard to find clients who want to build during this crisis. He had to close down his office and now works in the basement. My mother has a full time job but still makes time for us.

I have seen the news and it seems catastrophic here in Greece. Hundreds of people have lost their jobs. Everyday, I see stores shutting down and homeless people begging in the streets. On the contrary, some people have managed to keep it together and carry on living a normal life. The media tends to exaggerate on the situation here and this in my opinion leads to other countries thinking that we are inferior.

Even though we are going through a crisis and so many people are suffering, I personally have not been really affected. I still get up in the morning, take the bus and go to school during the week. I go out with my friends and have fun at the weekends and go on holiday with my family.

Yours sincerely.

Mina

‘Greeks are inventive and hard-working’

Dear Mr Editor,

I’m Andrew and I’m 13 years old. I’m writing this letter to inform you about life in Greece right now. Most of the foreign press is exaggerating. Foreign newspapers and magazines show Greeks as lazy and irresponsible people, but it isn’t this way. In every country, you can meet good and bad people. Greeks are inventive and hard-working people and they confront the difficult situation with patience and dignity. Also, the riots they show happen rarely and are limited to a small part of Athens. The majority of Greeks understand the difficulties and try to deal with them. The rest of the world should know the truth about Greece and not believe all of the things the media report.

Sincerely yours,

Andrew

Keep Walking Greece

 

There’s not much else I can bring myself to say about Greece right now. Five blissful days in Santorini and I’m back in Athens and back to scary reality. This video on the ferry was a nice break during hours of news, and none of it good.

‘A new image has appeared in Athens, our city that even we can’t recognize anymore.’

Dear sir/madam,

My name is Eleana  and I’m 14 years old. I live in Athens, the city in Greece that is known globally now because of the economic crisis. Every day on the news and on the internet all around the world there are fresh news about the laziness of the Greeks, their refusal to cooperate and the riots and the danger that prevails in our historical city.

Yet it’s easy to judge without being aware of the true situation that is going on. The press tries to be gainful by humiliating the Greeks. They’re waylaying for the next catastrophe to strike so that they can inflate the facts and present them as if we are the scapegoat of Europe. No one can deny that we have a big part of the responsibility for the Greek economic situation, but it is unfair to blame everything to one country when everyone has contributed to our degradation. Additionally no one seems to care about to care about the huge effort the citizens of Greece make, oppressed by the unbearable taxes, the strong increase of the goods’ prices and the pressure they have to put up with from all around the globe.

Every day dozens of people go on living on the streets with the statistics showing that we have one of Europe’s top rates of unemployment, poverty and homeless people. From one day to another, parents worry about their kids’ future since they can’t even pay for their food any more. A new image has appeared in Athens, our city that even we can’t recognize anymore.

I try to be optimistic and I hope this nightmare will soon end. I pray that everyone in Greece will change their mentality and prove once more time that our country can be reborn from its ashes. But that will be accomplished only if we have the support of others and receive all the help we can get so we can hope for a better future.

What I personally want to ask you is to publish more articles that talk about the good side of Greece and the huge effort we make. It is everyone’s right to know the truth about the hardship that we’re going through and it will be a sunshine in the rain for our people. It will encourage them to keep on going and trying to be better.

Yours sincerely,

Eleana

‘we deserve another chance’

(continuation of the series of letters written by my students about their lives in Greece)

Dear Mr Editor,

I’m writing to you to express my views on the current situation in Greece.

I am an 8th grade student, and in my every day life I don’t experience the chaos and violence portrayed in the media. However, we are constantly bombarded with propaganda either from the point of view of the public or that of the government and foreign agencies.

Life in Greece has changed dramatically for many people over the last year or so.

Children can feel their parent’s anxiety even if parents try to keep it hidden. Everyone has been affected in one way or another , whether it be by the loss of a job, unemployment, the reduction of pensions, the increase in taxation. Poor people seem to have been penalized more than the rich and this is one of the reasons for the protests and violence we see on the news and in newspapers.

I think that people in other countries should know that the new generation, of which I belong, considers Greece to have a great future, free from corruption. So that’s why I think we deserve another chance.

Yours sincerely,

Alexia

After the Storm

During the last week or so, the weather in Athens has been pretty variable. A sunny day on Saturday at the beach, but rain in the suburbs. Threatening grey clouds and a cool breeze. Then bright sun and puffy white clouds.

This meteorological unpredictability lends itself well to metaphors and allegories for the Greek ‘situation.’ As the days go by, fear and uncertainty loom, much as the sky hasn’t been quite cloud-free recently. There is an occasional shower, similar to the way the newest polls bring a shower of different and distressing reactions.

We must not forget, however, that we’ve also had a decent share of sunny days, which, at least for me, have proven to be a useful reminder of one of Greece’s assets that cannot be taken away. It sounds cheesy I know, but the Greek sun is something special that consistently makes me smile. It’s not enough to supplement a dwindling pension or to put food on the table, but it does get Greeks outside and back to doing what they do best – enjoying life as much as possible.

On Sunday I was walking through town, trying to make it home before the rain clouds caught up with me. I was about halfway there when they did, so I reluctantly gave up my walk and took shelter at a bus stop to wait for a drier way to get home. Since it was Sunday, this wait was considerable, but not unpleasant. I was dry, for one thing, but watching the cars rush past, I was reminded of the life and energy of Athens that I love so much. In the end, the rain stopped before a bus came, so I got up to continue my walk and was rewarded with… yes indeed, a rainbow. Again, cheesy, but also symbolic?

The theme of my musings on Greece seems to remain relatively constant. Things are bad, yes, and might get worse but I have two possible responses. First – I’m an optimist and it is still impossible for me to completely resign myself to the collapse of the country. Second – there is still so much to love about Greece.

On that note, I’m off to Santorini tomorrow with my mother.. Even if it’s cloudy, as is forecasted, I don’t think it will be difficult to find a silver lining.

‘the Greek civilization also has a bright side’

Dear mister editor,

This letter regards Greece and what is said about it in the media,

I do not mean to accuse you or your newspaper about these false generalizations about my country and most importantly its citizens, I just thought that you are the correct person to address this to.

Firstly, I would like to inform you that there are three types of people living in Greece today. The rich who seem to not bother about the news since their lives haven’t changed one bit since the new law has been voted, the ones who help others by handing them goods and the rioters who try to convey their message in any way possible, including fighting against the police.

However Greeks are characterized as vandalistic by almost every media station, and I would personally like to oppose this characterization. I am a thirteen year old boy living in Greece and most importantly near the center of Athens, therefore I have a strong understanding about what is going on around me.

The center of Athens may sometimes be dangerous but not all of Greece is a battleground, there are many other calm places for one to spend his life in my country. Actually I am sure that there are a hundred times more peaceful places from the ones similar to the center of athens

Mister editor I hope you approve my message and agree with me because after all every country can experience an economic crisis but just like all other civilizations the Greek one may have its dark side but it also has its bright one.

Yours sincerely,

Max