My Week in Athens… Oct 4

Hi XpatAthens. Thank you for your newsletters and for all the great info on your website – it’s great to have a place I know I can keep going back to. What I’ve written about is my first couple weeks in Athens. I’ve entitled it ‘Greek Neighbourly Love’. Hope you enjoy it.

Well, to start, every week, if not every day, in Athens has been an experience. So far Greece has been better than great on good days, and REAL ‘interesting’ other days. I suppose this is how life goes. But I’m starting to believe that this is how life is in Greece.

The story goes like this, I moved to Athens a couple months ago because my professional life brought me here. Although I’d many times said I’d love to visit Greece one day, I never in a million years thought I’d actually live here. Anyway, back home it wasn’t very common to chat with your neighbours. Conversations usually consisted of:

‘Evening, what floor?’
‘22’
‘Thanks!’

So you can imagine my surprise when the lady next door rang the door bell, welcomed herself in, had a look around, and asked ‘husband?’ For a second I though to myself, I should have her arrested, well, ok, I should just tell her to get out of my house! But I took a deep breath and offered her a glass of water. She didn’t stay long, just enough to hear, ‘No, I’m single’ and ‘Yes I have a good job’.

About a week went by until the next time the doorbell rang, or at least the next time I was home to hear it ring…it was the same lady…except this time she had a plate in her hands. She handed it to me and said ‘You have to eat!’ I thanked her and that was it. Once I finished the incredible plate of food, I washed the dish and returned it. The next day when I got home from work (at just about 9:30), there was a plate on the doorstep. And the next day there was another plate…and the next another. Wow! I must be blessed. So, so far in Greece I’ve discovered that neighbourly love is a wonderful thing – especially if your neighbour is a Greek ‘Mama’!!

Thanks Marianne for sharing your story with us. We look forward to hearing more stories.

Until next week,

Jack

In this weekly space, keep up with ‘Jack’ as he navigates daily life in Athens… Anecdotes, stories, hits & misses, the good, the bad and, well, the rest…