I just read an article on smoking in Greece. In 2009 the Greek government tried for the third time to impose a ban on smoking in restaurants and bars. Greece has the highest number of smokers in Europe, 42 percent of the population. 20,000 deaths each year are attributed to smoking related diseases and yet the number of smokers is steadily increasing here.
It is a challenge for us in the evenings to spend much time with our friends in the bar. My observation is that more young women than men are addicted. Cigarettes are expensive so most young people still roll their own, inserting a filter into the end. It is an art! It is also an art to keep these creations lit!
On a more positive note, I started my Greek lessons yesterday with Malpo. She says that my pronunciation and knowledge of the alphabet is good. Now it's time to tackle the verbs and pronouns! I am reminded of the challenge when learning French in High School over 50 years ago. My mind was more supple and the synapses seemed to connect more easily.
This afternoon Yorgos gave me a little book of Greek idioms "Playing with words". It has some hilarious translations of English expressions. "I smell a rat" becomes " My ears are full of fleas" and "I blew my top" becomes " My little lanterns were lit". Another one actually makes sense -"Be careful" translates to "Have 14 eyes"! The advantage to this little book is that I can practice reading the Greek versions of these expressions while having a chuckle.
This is what we are living with for a few days. Sometimes the wind blows the clouds away for a few minutes and our hopes soar. Otherwise we are cold indoors and blown about outdoors. It was a good day for a ferry strike because the seas are very rough!
It is a challenge for us in the evenings to spend much time with our friends in the bar. My observation is that more young women than men are addicted. Cigarettes are expensive so most young people still roll their own, inserting a filter into the end. It is an art! It is also an art to keep these creations lit!
On a more positive note, I started my Greek lessons yesterday with Malpo. She says that my pronunciation and knowledge of the alphabet is good. Now it's time to tackle the verbs and pronouns! I am reminded of the challenge when learning French in High School over 50 years ago. My mind was more supple and the synapses seemed to connect more easily.
This afternoon Yorgos gave me a little book of Greek idioms "Playing with words". It has some hilarious translations of English expressions. "I smell a rat" becomes " My ears are full of fleas" and "I blew my top" becomes " My little lanterns were lit". Another one actually makes sense -"Be careful" translates to "Have 14 eyes"! The advantage to this little book is that I can practice reading the Greek versions of these expressions while having a chuckle.
This is what we are living with for a few days. Sometimes the wind blows the clouds away for a few minutes and our hopes soar. Otherwise we are cold indoors and blown about outdoors. It was a good day for a ferry strike because the seas are very rough!
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