I'm learning Greek! It's actually quite difficult with the professor I have teaching it to me. Her philosophy is "sink or swim". During certain activities all she will say is, " SWIM!" I appreciate the intensity of the course because it really does force me to learn the words, but at the same time it's very intimidating. There's no time for catching up and my homework doesn't contain a single word of English in it. There are no explanations of what to do, all I can do is swim! Although it's proving to challenge me in ways I haven't really had to deal with since it's been over 3 years since I've taken my last language class, I'm liking the challenge.
I talked with a friend about this the other day and he made a really great point. He said that because I was fully immersed in a place where I have the language being spoken all around me, I'll constantly be practicing. He was right. The shop owners and even the women who work in the dining halls all speak Greek or have a hard time trying to put their English together. Challenging, yet also very helpful. Most the people who I try talking to are super nice and will help me figure out the right words. I've made friends with a wonderful woman at my favorite cafe and she helps me to learn Greek through conversation. She's patient and makes the best shakes. I spend so much time there working on classwork that she'll bring me free pastries and chat with me. I'm glad that there are people like her who are so willing to help.
On top of the language, I'm learning tons about the Greek culture. For example, there is no Greek word for the term "privacy". This is often proven when the men on the street come very close to my face to say hello. I think my time in India kind of prepared me for the gender dynamics, so I'm not too thrown off by them. Although the Indian men did keep a distance, haha. I've also learned a lot of the importance of the family to the Greek culture. In each of my classes I have read about how family always comes first, no matter the context, and even being around the cafe I see how the family works together to successfully run the business. It makes me feel very close to the people around me because they are making an effort to bring me into their families. My Greek professor considers us all her grandchildren and is constantly giving us advice in order to keep us healthy, safe and happy- or as she says, "Full of joy!" Another importance lesson I've learned about this culture revolves around their identities. It was only last year that people who were born in Greece could legitimately be Greek in terms of citizenship. For the longest time it has been blood that makes you a Greek, not whether you were born or raised here. There is so much pride in being Greek. It's amazing. Coming from America has definitely taught me that to be American has so many definitions and pretty much everyone can be an American. To see that blood makes you who you are is something so new to me and while to some people I'm sure they don't agree, I find it extremely interesting.
While these lessons have been incredible to learn, I think the most important lesson I am learning and will continue to learn during my time abroad is how to be a citizen of the world. It's one thing to go to a place, visit and leave, but it's a whole new game when you're living in the community as a member. We must take the time to learn before we assume and even more importantly, we must learn before we get too comfortable in our own ways that we stop learning from the community around us.
I talked with a friend about this the other day and he made a really great point. He said that because I was fully immersed in a place where I have the language being spoken all around me, I'll constantly be practicing. He was right. The shop owners and even the women who work in the dining halls all speak Greek or have a hard time trying to put their English together. Challenging, yet also very helpful. Most the people who I try talking to are super nice and will help me figure out the right words. I've made friends with a wonderful woman at my favorite cafe and she helps me to learn Greek through conversation. She's patient and makes the best shakes. I spend so much time there working on classwork that she'll bring me free pastries and chat with me. I'm glad that there are people like her who are so willing to help.
On top of the language, I'm learning tons about the Greek culture. For example, there is no Greek word for the term "privacy". This is often proven when the men on the street come very close to my face to say hello. I think my time in India kind of prepared me for the gender dynamics, so I'm not too thrown off by them. Although the Indian men did keep a distance, haha. I've also learned a lot of the importance of the family to the Greek culture. In each of my classes I have read about how family always comes first, no matter the context, and even being around the cafe I see how the family works together to successfully run the business. It makes me feel very close to the people around me because they are making an effort to bring me into their families. My Greek professor considers us all her grandchildren and is constantly giving us advice in order to keep us healthy, safe and happy- or as she says, "Full of joy!" Another importance lesson I've learned about this culture revolves around their identities. It was only last year that people who were born in Greece could legitimately be Greek in terms of citizenship. For the longest time it has been blood that makes you a Greek, not whether you were born or raised here. There is so much pride in being Greek. It's amazing. Coming from America has definitely taught me that to be American has so many definitions and pretty much everyone can be an American. To see that blood makes you who you are is something so new to me and while to some people I'm sure they don't agree, I find it extremely interesting.
While these lessons have been incredible to learn, I think the most important lesson I am learning and will continue to learn during my time abroad is how to be a citizen of the world. It's one thing to go to a place, visit and leave, but it's a whole new game when you're living in the community as a member. We must take the time to learn before we assume and even more importantly, we must learn before we get too comfortable in our own ways that we stop learning from the community around us.
it's amazing how similar our struggles with language are. also, i'm going to try to not get too comfortable - that's such a great point. i need to keep learning new things every day!
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