Friday, June 02, 2006

Friday Night

It’s Friday night, I’m on the balcony as it is too hot and humid to stay indoors. It seems that the everyone else in the neighbourhood has had the same idea. I can smell sovlakia and hamburgers bring grilled as Manoulis and Koula decide to have an impromptu barbecue.

In the street below there is a whole bunch of kids screaming and shouting, playing some game which involves a ball and a bunch of rocks piled up in the middle of the road. I’ve never been able to figure out quite how it is played.

To someone raised in the sepulchral quietness of an english suburb it is all very different indeed. Yet, in a strange way it is soothing, being able to watch and hear the world pass by and play, a reminder that we are not alone in this life, that we belong to a wider society.

As Thessaloniki grows more and more families are leaving such neighbourhoods to live in the comparative peace and quiet of the newer suburbs, such as Thermi and Retziki. While I can see the appeal of such places I wonder if the old addage,

“Be careful of what you dream of, it may come true”

might not be applicable here. Yes, you have more space and fresh air, but at at what cost ? Time will tell.

6 comments:

melusina said...

Our house is on Hortiati, which is way, way out there. But it will be awhile before we have enough money for all the "finishing touches" to make it livable, so we'll enjoy city center life for a couple more years, at least.

Then my husband will learn how much commuting sucks.

teacher dude said...

As an "old-hand" I'd recommend you do two things when you move to Hortiatis. First, make sure you have your own car, otherwise you will feel quite cut off there. Secondly, make sure your Greek is up to scratch. It will make life so much easier and you'll feel less like an outsider.

As far as the commuting is concerned, if Thanos has the same work day as everyone else then he's in for a shock. Otherwise it doesn't take that long.

melusina said...

Yea, we have our own car. Of course, it is sitting with a dead battery across the street because we never use it in the city.

Hopefully my Greek will be better by then, but I honestly don't see myself ever being able to speak with confidence. Hell, I can hardly talk in English confidently to strangers. Luckily, we'll be surrounded by family up there because it is a five house block for all of us.

Generally speaking Thanos will have the same work day as everyone else, although when we live up there he'll probably be transferred to somewhere else in Greece for awhile. But I've told him next time he is going alone. I am tired of moving year after year. =p

In the end, though, while we like the idea of living up there, I think we are both a bit unsure of moving out of the city. Especially if Thanos has his practice here in the city center. That will mean twice a day commuting from Hortiati. Ugh. Not to mention, walks will be a challenge, with everything uphill!

teacher dude said...

As far as learning Greek, you'll save yourself a lot of time if you do lessons at some school. It helps build your confidence to be with other learners, knowing that you're not the only one who is struggling.

I remember when I started off, I felt terribly inadequate about my Greek. At the first school I worked in everyone was virtually bilingual. It was lke learning to swim with a bunch of Olympic gold hopefuls, very intimidating. It was much more helpful to be a learner with others at my own level.

BTW avoid private lessons if you can as they are far too easy to cancel.

I can't recommend a school, though, sorry.

melusina said...

Lol, I AM taking private lessons, with my mother-in-law. It would help if Thanos would speak Greek at home more!

I've always been an ace at learning to read foreign languages, but I never get comfortable speaking. I'm too introverted, I think, is part of it. But then also I think about how I criticize (read: make fun of) people who butcher English and don't want to make the same mistake with Greek. =p

teacher dude said...

Believe me, if I can learn to speak a foreign language anyone can. I flunked French so badly at school I bounced. LOL.