Easter in Greece

Great Week

The week of Easter begins on Palm Sunday and there are church services everyday commemorating the last week in the life of Jesus Christ. The evening services are the most well attended of course, except for Wednesday when the Service of the Holy Unction is held in the afternoon. On Thursday morning the service commemorates the Last Supper and the Betrayal of Christ. This is the day that the hard-boiled eggs are dyed red, signifying the blood of Christ, and the Easter bread, called tsoureki, is baked. The evening service is a long one and features twelve gospel readings. It is in this service that a two-dimensional figure of Christ on the cross is brought into the church and set up, while the church bells ring. In some places a vigil is kept in the church all night. Epitaphios procession in KeaFrom the point-of-view of a spectator from Friday it starts to get very interesting. The nails holding the figure of Christ are knocked off and the figure is taken down from the cross and wrapped in a white cloth. A large piece of cloth, embroidered with the image of Christ, called the epitaphios which has been decorated with flowers by the girls through the night, is brought into the church where it is sprinkled with rose-water and more flower petals are thrown upon it. The bells of the church begin to toll and all the flags in Greece are lowered to half-mast in while women in the congregation weep in mourning for the dead Jesus. In the evening a funeral service is held and at about 9pm the epitaphios is taken from the church and with the bells tolling mournfully, is carried through the streets in a solemn procession. In cities, towns and villages with more than one church the epitaphios parades may join together at certain points. In Hydra the epitaphios is taken into the sea at Kamini as it is in Tinos at the church of Saint Nicholas at Kalamia. In some places an effigy of Judas is burned while in others Barabbas is. In Skiathos the epitaphios service begins on Saturday at 1am and the procession through the town begins at four in the morning as it does in Zakynthos. On the island of Kea in the village of Ioulida the three congregations meet in the square with their epitaphios after taking different routes through the village. (photo) On Saturday the Orthodox Patriarch breaks the seal of the door of the tomb of Christ in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jeruselem and emerges with the Holy Fire, which is then flown by Olympic Airways, accompanied by high-ranking priests and government officials to Athens airport where it is met by an honor guard to the small church of Agia Anargyroi in the Plaka. From there the light is distributed to churches all over Attika and the rest of Greece. Naxos Easter Lamb and Cheese market in Psiri, AthensMeanwhile around Athens there is all sorts of activity this week. The central market has thousands of lambs of all sizes and in Psiri the annual Lamb and Cheese Market has given the neighborhood a village atmosphere as farmers from the island of Naxos come to the city to sell their goods. Athenians who still have connections to their islands and villages on the mainland are preparing to leave the city as are people with no connections. On the islands people are working feverishly to paint restaurants, hotels and shops, white-wash houses and get ready for the second busiest holiday week of the year (after August 15th the Saint Day of the Virgin Mary or Panagia). By Thursday ferries, flights and the roads leading out of Athens will be full. By Saturday Athens will seem like a giant village. It's a great time to be in Athens which is a good thing because it is a terrible time to leave because the traffic is so bad. The Resurrection or Anastasis Easter at Ag Thomas, Athens, GreeceAt 11pm on Saturday night pretty much the entire country is in church. The lights are turned off at midnight and the priest announces that Christ has arisen from the dead as candles are lit from his and then from each other. The tiny glow at the front of the church grows and soon the whole room is illuminated by the light of everyone's candles. At the stroke of midnight the priest intones the paschal hymn "Christ has risen from the dead and in so doing has trampled on death and to those in the tombs he has given life". The church bells ring in celebration, fireworks go off, ships sound their sirens and the light and sound makes the 4th of July seem tame in comparison. People greet each other happily with the words Christos Anesti (Christ has arisen) which is replied to with Alithos Anesti (Truly He has arisen). Then everyone heads for home with their lighted candles where they trace the cross three times above the door and to bless trees and farm animals. Most people either stay home or go to a restaurant for the traditional bowl of margeritsa, a thick green soup made from the intestines of the lamb that will be roasted the next day, breaking their 40 day fast which began with the end of Apokreas. Gunshots, dynamite and fireworks will be going off for the next 24 hours or more shattering nerves and blowing off a finger or two. There are many traditions and ceremonies held around the country. in fact too many to mention here, but Tomkinson's book goes into great detail and is a very helpful way to decide where to spend Easter if you don't have friends or family to be with in Greece. Easter Sunday easter eggsEaster day is most people's favorite day of the year. A lamb is roasted and friends and families get together to eat, drink, talk and dance. In some towns like Arachova and Livadeia, it is a community celebration with rows of lambs roasting in the village square. In other towns like Monemvasia, Rhodes, Hydra, Halkidiki, Koroni, Chania and Leros the effigy of Judas or Barabbas is burned. In Syros and Karpathos people bring their guns and shoot Judas as a scapegoat for society's ills. In the town of Asine in the Argolid they actually have a street battle with the men of the upper and lower parts of the village hurling insults and fireworks at each other. In southern Messenia people go to the main squares to watch the saetapolemos, which are rockets without sticks that the men hold while the force of the explosions makes them jump as if they are dancing. This practice supposedly goes back to the War of Independence when people of the area fashioned this home-made bombs to scare the horses of the Turks to force their riders to dismount and lose their advantage. During the afternoon the red eggs are brought out and each person takes one and hits their end against someone else's until the last person who has an un-cracked egg is considered the lucky person for the year. Loula: Wife of George the famous Taxi driver with the wreath she made from the wildflowers she picked from the walk we took Many Athenians who have not gone home to their villages or to the islands will go up to Mount Parnitha or somewhere in the countryside surrounding Athens. After their meal some people pick wildflowers and make wreaths like Loula, wife of George The Famous Taxi Driver. (Every flower in this wreath was picked on our Easter Sunday walk in the hills on the outskirts of Athens. They were all growing wild on the side of the road.) There are very few ferries running on Easter Sunday since most people are with their families. There may be one boat a day to and from some of the popular islands and a few boats to the Saronics. People who stay in Athens until Easter Sunday and then want to leave town to celebrate in the country have to drive. From Monday until Wednesday it is nearly impossible to get a flight or ferry back from the islands and the roads are full of returning Athenians. Athens gets busier and busier and if finally back to normal with traffic and horns blaring as people get back into the swing of city life with renewed vigor. Besides being the holiest time of the year Easter also means that in a few weeks it will be summer.

Greek Easter

what's in name

Annette Curtain - A net curtain











Tim Burr - Timber














Barb Dwyer - Barbed Wire











Terry Bull - terrible




Mary Christmas




Hazel Nutt - hazelnut














Rose Bush













Bill Board - billboard













Albert Hall -

'Most unfortunate names' revealed

'Most unfortunate names' revealed

A baby
Imagine growing up as Annette Curtain or Tim Burr
What do you call some of the most unlucky people in Britain?

Justin Case, Barb Dwyer and Stan Still.

It sounds like a bad joke, but a study has revealed that there really are unfortunate people with those names in the UK.

Joining them on the list are Terry Bull, Paige Turner, Mary Christmas and Anna Sasin.

And just imagine having to introduce yourself to a crowd as Doug Hole or Hazel Nutt.

The names were uncovered by researchers from parenting group TheBabyWebsite.com after trawling through online telephone records.

Retired airman Stan Still, 76, from Cirencester, Gloucestershire, said his name had been "a blooming millstone around my neck my entire life".

"When I was in the RAF my commanding officer used to shout, 'Stan Still, get a move on' and roll about laughing," he said.

"It got hugely boring after a while."

But 51-year-old Rose Bush, from Coventry, West Midlands, said she loved her name.

MORE UNFORTUNATE NAMES
Pearl Button
Jo King
Barry Cade
Carrie Oakey
Priti Manek
Tim Burr

"I always get comments about it but they are always very positive," she said.

Implications

Researchers also scoured phone records in the US and found some unlikely names there too.

Spare a thought for Anna Prentice, Annette Curtain and Bill Board the next time you sign your name.

A string of Americans also have very job-specific names, including Dr Leslie Doctor, Dr Thoulton Surgeon and Les Plack - a dentist in San Francisco.

A spokesman for TheBabyWebsite.com said: "When the parents of some of those people mentioned named their children, many probably didn't even realise the implications at the time.

"Parents really do need to think carefully though when choosing names for their children.

"Their name will be with them for life and what may be quirky and fun for a toddler might be regretted terribly when that person becomes older or even a grandparent perhaps."

Imagine - John Lennon

Working Mothers

Children whose mothers work are less likely to lead healthy lives than those with "stay at home" mothers, a study says.

The Institute of Child Health study of more than 12,500 five-year-olds found those with working mothers less active and more likely to eat unhealthy food.

Other experts said more work was needed to see if the results applied to other age groups.

The study is in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

About 60% of mothers with children aged up to five are estimated to be in work.

Results

The mothers were asked about the hours they worked and their children's diet, exercise levels and sedentary activities.

With many more mums having no choice but to work these days and with government policy actively encouraging it, it is difficult to know how mums can do better Sally Russell, Netmums Send us your comments

A third of the mothers had not worked since the birth of their child, but the mothers who were employed were spending an average of 21 hours a week at work.

They took into account factors likely to influence the results, such as the mothers' level of education and socioeconomic circumstances.

They found that five-year-olds whose mothers worked part-time or full-time were more likely to primarily consume sweetened drinks between meals.

They used their computers or watched television for at least two hours a day compared to the children of "stay at home" mothers who spent less than two hours on these activities.

They were also more likely to be driven to school compared to the children of "stay at home" mothers who tended to walk or cycle.

The children whose mothers had a flexible working pattern did have healthier lifestyles but when other factors were taken into account the researchers said there was little evidence that these children behaved more healthily.

'Time constraints'

Debbie Bird: "'Being a working mum is very challenging"

Professor Catherine Law, who led the study, said they had not looked at fathers in this study because fathers employment levels had not changed whereas the numbers of working mothers had increased dramatically.

She said: "For many families the only parent or both parents will be working.

"Time constraints may limit parents' capacity to provide their children with healthy foods and opportunities for physical activity.

"Our results do not imply that mothers should not work.

"Rather they highlight the need for policies and programmes to help support parents."

The same children took part in an earlier study by the Institute of Child Health (ICH) which found that those with working mothers were more likely to be obese or overweight by the age of three.

In the latest study, many of the five-year-olds were engaging in health behaviours likely to promote excess weight gain: 37% were mainly eating crisps and sweets between meals, 41% were consuming sweetened drinks and 61% used the television or a computer at least two hours daily.

'Controversial research'

Glenys Jones, nutritionist with the Medical Research Council Human Nutrition Research, said the study was interesting because of limited research so far on the impact of maternal employment on child health choices.

FROM THE TODAY PROGRAMME More from Today programme

"More work is needed to take into account factors such as how related health behaviours are affected and if the age of the child alters the relationships observed."

Sally Russell, a spokesman for Netmums, said: "The stress and guilt associated with being a working mum is something we are all too well aware of. This report adds to that guilt.

"With many more mums having no choice but to work these days and with government policy actively encouraging it, it is difficult to know how mums can do better. "

A Department of Health spokesman said: "Our Change4Life movement is already helping over 370,000 families eat well, move more and live longer by helping them to understand the harm that fat and added sugar can cause to children's health, and offering them simple yet effective ways to make changes to their diet and increase their activity levels."

Greece and taxes

The Greek government is trying to recover billions of euros lost to tax evasion as part of its austerity programme, but as the BBC's Malcolm Brabant finds, many Greeks see it as their right to keep as much black money as possible.

A good friend of mine bent my ear with a vengeance on the day the Greek government cranked up its austerity programme another notch.

"My husband is thinking of writing the word vlacha on his forehead in very big letters," she said.

Vlacha means stupid.

Her husband's name is Stelios and he is anything but a stupid man.

Stelios is a leading cancer specialist whose dedication to saving lives is such that he rarely takes time off, or holidays.

But he has come to the conclusion that he is stupid because he has been honest.

Anyone who has ever been at the mercy of the American health system knows that even if you are critically ill, many hospitals will not let you near a doctor until they have swiped your credit card.

There is an old adage here that Greece is a poor country full of rich people

In Greece, if you try to pay for private treatment with a credit card, even the most distinguished surgeon might raise his eyebrows and click his tongue, which means: "What part of no don't you understand?"

Because the doctor wants cash. Stelios is one of the few doctors who will give you a receipt. He declares his income to the taxman and pays his proper dues to the state. As opposed to many of his colleagues who are pillars of Greece's thriving black economy.

Blackmail fears

"We know surgeons who earn 700,000 euros a year," fumed Stelios's wife. "And they hardly pay any tax at all."

"So why didn't Stelios do what everybody else did?" I asked.

"Partly because of fear," she replied. "Fear of a visit from a tax inspector who would try to blackmail him by demanding 10,000 euros in an envelope in return for not going through his accounts with a fine toothcomb. And also because he wanted to do the right thing."

There is an old adage here that Greece is a poor country full of rich people.

That is only partially true.

Sales draw crowds of window shoppers

I know lots of poor Greeks. I have several friends who are teetering on the precipice of bankruptcy.

Some of my friends' wives are losing their hair and their faces are developing deep lines from the worry of the cash running out.

In my local high street, which boomed after the Olympic Games of 2004, the favourite sport is now window shopping. Clothes and shoe shops seem to be staging permanent sales.

In Kolonaki, the upmarket Athenian equivalent of Knightsbridge, I saw a shop offering 80% off. People are becoming desperate.

Corruption scandal

Last month I went to a hysterically funny play called Mama Ellada, which satirises the corruption and nepotism pervading Greek society.

In it, two corrupt politicians sell off the Acropolis to businessmen so they can turn it into a casino. The purchasers turn out to be priests.

The plot wasn't so far from the truth. It was parodying a land scandal involving ministers from the last government and monks from a monastery on Mount Athos.

One of the co-authors of the play said that Greeks were all in favour of higher taxes, just as long as other people paid them.

The Greek economy is like an aircraft that's caught in a flat spin and the pilot, George Papandreou, is struggling to regain flight by trying to increase tax revenues

Greece used to boast a bold enterprising culture, but now people dare not gamble money on new ventures in case they don't get paid.

The owner of a small computer store I know tries to offer his customers credit in order to shift hardware. He says he has spent a year trying to chase up the money, and he reckons he has just a few months left, if that.

Taking bribes

The Greek economy is like an aircraft that's caught in a flat spin.

The pilot, Prime Minister George Papandreou, is struggling to regain level flight by trying to increase tax revenues. His critics say he is not doing enough to cut the bloated civil service.

Now the government is going to raise income taxes, Stelios the cancer specialist is going to be digging even deeper into his pockets to pay his dues, while his medical colleagues will find new ways of trying to keep as much black money as possible.

Greek public sector workers have gone on strike over the austerity plans

And if that means bribing the odd civil servant then so be it.

Stelios's wife signed off with this missive: "Until they give some incentive for those who actually declare their income and figure out how to get rid of the black money that most rich Greeks see as their right, they will never solve the problem.

"Run that by your friend George for us, would you?"

She meant the prime minister, but I'm not sure I'm welcome back at his residence…

Exercises

B1. Use one of the following words (A-H) in the correct form to complete sentences 1-5 below, as in the example. There are two words you do not need.
A.
information
B.
find
C.
expect
D.
enthusiasm
E.
popular
F.
centre
G.
present
H.
admit



Example: This piece of evidence is central to our case.


1.
Wealth, fame and __________ have become very desirable goals in our days.
2.
Museum Day 2009 means free __________ to hundreds of museums in our country this Saturday.
3.
The research ___________ will soon be published in the official webpage of our University and they are likely to be useful to both academics and professionals.
4.
The book you gave me was very helpful for my assignment; in fact, it was very ___________.
5.
The Embassy of Greece Press and Communications Office invites you to a book __________ of "FOREIGN WORDS" by Novelist Vassilis Alexakis.

Keep politics in the family

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou has told the BBC his country is not looking for an EU bailout to help cut its debt levels effectively.

He said Greece needs political support to enable it to borrow money at the same interest rate as other countries.

Greece has one of Europe's highest budget deficits and has faced pressure to bring its finances under control.

It plans to cut the country's deficit from the current 12.7% of its annual gross domestic product to 2.8%.

Greece's debts currently amount to more than 100% of its GDP.

Mr Papandreou told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show that his party had been voted in late last year on a mandate for change, for which it had the support of the Greek people.

"Give us the time, give us the support - and I'm not talking about financial but political support - in order to show you that what we're saying is being implemented and we are credible again," he said.

"We don't have at this point a need for borrowing. Our borrowing needs are covered until mid-March. What we're saying is simply that we need the help so we can borrow at the same rate at other countries, not at the high rates that undermine the possibility for making the changes [to Greece's deficit]."

Meanwhile, a German magazine reported the country's finance ministry had drafted a plan for eurozone countries to provide Greece with aid worth up to 25bn euros (£22bn) for Greece.

Der Spiegel said each country would pay according to its proportion of capital in the European Central Bank.

However a German finance ministry spokesman "completely rejected" the speculation.

Following concerns that it would be unable to meet its pledges on cutting debt levels, European leaders earlier this week told Greece to make further cuts to spending and public sector wages or face sanctions.

'Reckless and corrupt'

Mr Papandreou said Greece was prepared to "go further" to improve its financial position.

He recently said that his country's high levels of debt were simply a consequence of the previous conservative government's policies, which focused too much on "short-term profit".

He called the previous administration, which was replaced by Mr Papandreou's Panhellenic Socialist government in October last year, "reckless and corrupt".

Greece has been hit by a run of public-sector strikes

Following concerns that it would be unable to meet its pledges on cutting debt levels, European leaders earlier this week told Greece to make further cuts to spending and public sector wages or face sanctions.

Despite the fact that Mr Papandreou said his government was enjoying a popularity rating of between 62% and 69%, public sector workers have been striking across Greece.

Greek customs workers ended a five-day strike against the planned austerity measures on Saturday and the country's biggest union is due to hold a major protest action next week.

Questions:

What, according to the Prime Minister, are the main causes for the situation in Greece?


Does Greece want a bail out from other European Union member states?


What does Greece want from the other countries of the European Union?


Will Greece sell bonds to China and Russia?


What does the Prime Minister say about what his family has fought for?

Economic and financial terms

Financially struggling Greece ............Greece is having a difficult time financially .......


in disagreement with ............... not to agree with someone (to disagree)


crumbling economy ............an economy slowly falling to pieces ............


austerity measures .................measures to save money ..............


has urged the commission .......... has asked the commission .................


explicit message ............. a very direct and detailed message ...............


immense difficulty .......................... great difficulty .........................


pay freeze ...........................to stop wages or pay rising ................................


he reiterated ............ he stated again ............he repeated ....................


a bailout plan ..............................a plan to help or support ............................


anticipating something .....................expectging something .........................


plumetting economy ........................an economy which is quickly getting weaker ............


in the wake of what he said ................following what he said ........


Greece has pledged to ............... Greece has promised to .............


To stage a 24 hour strike ............ to go on a 24 hour strike ..............


public sectors workers ................those working in government offices ...........


sanctions .............................penalties ................................


outline plans ........................give some details of plans ......................


to be on target ....................to be able to reach one's goals ..............................


huge ruptures in the financial markets ...................great trouble/unrest in the financial markets


dismissed talk of .............................denied talk of ...........


to trigger ......................... to cause (something to happen) ..............


woes ........................ troubles .....................................

What is happening in Greece right now?

What is happening in Greece right now?

Its long-term deficit cutting plan aims to drastically reduce the budget shortfall to less than 3% by 2012.

Greece has pledged to reduce this to 8.7% during 2010.

In order to do that, the government is planning a package of austerity measures. It wants to freeze public sector workers' pay and raise taxes, and it has also announced a rise in petrol prices.

It also intends to raise the average retirement age in an attempt to save the cash-strapped pensions system.

How has this been received in Greece?

Not at all well. About 30,000 Greek taxi drivers staged a 24-hour strike to protest against the government's financial reforms.

Public sector workers in Greece are planning a series of crippling nationwide strikes.

They believe that the crisis has been engineered by external forces, such as international speculators and European central bankers.

What happens next?

The EU has pledged to help Greece - but no details of any exact proposals have been released.

Eurozone finance ministers are meeting in Brussels this week to discuss the Greek situation.

Greece has been told that it must make further spending cuts or face sanctions, eurozone chief Jean-Claude Juncker says.

The country has agreed to outline additional cuts by 16 March, if necessary.

But the eurozone leaders have told Greece it faces penalties if its debt reduction plans are not shown to be on target by that date.

Will Greece have to leave the euro?

Currency traders have feared that some countries with large budget deficits - such as Greece, Spain and Portugal - might be tempted to leave the euro.

A country which left the euro could allow its currency to fall in value, and thus improve its competitiveness.

But it would cause huge ruptures in the financial markets as investors would fear other nations would follow, potentially leading to the break-up of the monetary union itself.

However, the EU has vowed to keep the eurozone together and dismissed talk of countries leaving the euro.

Is Greece the only country in trouble?

There are fears that Greece's troubles in the international financial markets will trigger a domino effect, toppling other weak members of the eurozone such as the so-called "Piigs" - Portugal, Ireland, Italy and Spain as well as Greece - all of whom face challenges rebalancing their books.

And Greece's woes mean there are fresh fears about whether Portugal and Spain can repay their debts.

That's because they all could face higher costs, as investors sell their holdings of the government debt and make it more expensive for them to borrow.

The Greek economy

Financially-struggling Greece are in disagreement with the European Commission regarding the plans to save the country’s crumbling economy, after they rejected calls from the commission to take more austerity measures.

The idea was raised during a eurozone finance ministers meeting, which takes place in Brussels for the next two days.

However, Greece’s finance minister George Papaconstantinou has urged the commission to show more support for Greece, stating that the best solution for the situation is by a more ‘explicit message’ of what has been decided last Thursday during an European Council sitting.

Papaconstantinou described the situation of trying to save Greece’s economy as ‘changing the course of a Titanic’, and that it cannot be done in a short period, while adding that the country is doing ‘enough’ to reduce its immense deficit.

The public deficit now stands at 12 per cent, and the beleaguered government is aiming to reduce the deficit to 8 per cent through additional measures such as a pay freeze to the public sector.

Olli Rehn, the EU Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs, said today that the risks are ‘materializing’, reiterating the need for additional measures to be taken by the Greek government.

Many investors are anticipating a bailout plan by the EU for Greece, as Greece’s plumetting economy threatens to pull down the economic performance of the eurozone and also the value of the euro.

In the wake of Rehn and Papaconstantinou’s comments, the euro fell 0.3 per cent, and is currently at its weakest trade rate since May last year.

Expressions using the word stone

Common expressions in English using the word stone


It is a stoney path.



It fell like a stone from the sky.






The club's rules are written in stone:







The police said they will leave no stone unturned to find the terrorists.








A rolling stone gathers no moss.







Getting George to say something is like trying to get water out of a stone.

Expressions which have to do with hands

Here are some everyday English expressions which refer to hands:

handful:

Here you can see I have a handful of stones


There were only a handful of people at the meeting





The matter is out of my hands now





His life is in God's hands now.






Things really got out of hand at the demonstration





Can you give me a hand?
Can you lend a helping hand?






I have to hand it too him, he won the race easily.








Try and use each of these expressions using different sentences

Running a business

Running a business these days is no easy matter, you really have to know what you are doing. It requires a lot of skills, I find. First and foremost you have to have a way with people. Although you may not always feel like it you always have to be polite and professional - as they say the customer is king, no matter what.

Apart from interacting with people you need to have a good grasp of accounting and always keep an eye on the finances. Every sector has become so competitive today you really have to be on the ball. Telecommunications and the mobile telephone sector is no exception. Technology is developing at such a pace and young people in particular would find it hard to imagine not to have a mobile. Originally a mobile telephone was just a means of commmunicating orally but now it has become much more than that. It is using for messaging - sending and receiving SMS's, it's used increasingly to access the Internet and I think in the near future one will start using it to buy things off the Internet. In some countries already you can access your bank account and make transfers of money. Now you can even use the newest models as a means of navigation if you are out in the car and unsure of your directions. I think it is hard to imagine what it will be capable of in a couple of years from now.

Setting up a business is complicated on account of all the regulations and bureaucracy. It is a stoney path.

Although the market is very competitive, the telecommunications sector is one which has a future. Things are not easy at the moment on account of the general economic crisis. Greece is also having a hard time economically. Many businesses are finding it difficult to manage. Generally what you see happening in Greece is that the small shop owners are disappearing and it is only the big chains that can survive. The little man can no longer compete. On the one hand it is a great pity because all the little corner shops are disappearing as more and more people find it easier to go to the supermarkets where they can find everything they need under one roof. But as more and more of the little shops close, it detracts from the local colour of the neighbourhood.

But getting back to running a business, although times are difficult, I love my work and would not change it for the world.

Introducing Myself - About Myself

Hello, I am pleased to meet you, my name is Maria and I am Greek. I live just outside Thessaloniki. Thessaloniki is the largest city in Greece after Athens and has a population of about one and a half million people. I was born and brought up there.

I am married and have two small children aged four and two. I have a shop which sells mobile telephones which means I am working everyday so you can imagine I do not have a great deal of time for other things. The children at that age really are a handful and they really keep me on my toes. My husband works in the electronics industry.

I started learning English at school like most children in Greece. Even after I left school I continued taking private lessons in English. But having got married, raising children and running a business, I did not have a lot of free time to continue. I find it important to continue with English. Don't forget that outside of Greece few people speak Greek so if you travel anywhere knowing English is essential to make yourself understood. Without it one would be lost. In general, one can say that for Greeks English is the first foreign language they learn. It is also the language of the music and film industries and, of course, the Internet.