As a British guy, when I moved to Greece in my late 30s, the driving culture was a big shock. The lack of safety awareness, consideration or appreciation was very different to what I was used to in England. Although the footpaths are not always good (or even there!) pedestrians still walk in the middle of the road. Some crossroads have no stop signs at any junction and some have a stop at every junction! I was once advised that I should treat everything while driving, including road signs, one way streets and driving lanes as suggestions, rather than requirements and it was pretty much spot on! 😆
Good to see you uploading again, I found your channel while preparing for an extended trip to Greece and I've found your videos very helpful for learning cultural nuances and useful phrases. I'll be staying a bit longer than the average tourist but I won't be there (I think) for more than a few months so I was wondering about a few things I've heard and also wanted to ask about appropriate ways to deal with certain situations. 1. I don't use social media, sans CZcams, so if I want to keep in contact with anyone I might make friends with what would be the best way to go about that? I've heard Viber is a popular messaging service but I'm not sure if that's still the case or if it's limited to a certain segment of the population. 2. To what extent is φιλότιμο expected/appreciated from foreigners? I've found the concept more than a little familiar and it's interesting to have a word for what was otherwise just a way of life for me but will this come off inauthentic or in some way be miscommunicated? Should I "cut loose", so to speak, or will my own self-cultivated integrity serve me well in interacting with locals? 3. In the same vein as above, what is the socially appropriate way of dealing with unscrupulous people? If an apartment I lease hasn't been cleaned, is missing things, or is generally inconsistent with what was described how do I go about remedying that, if at all? Should it be expected that people will cut corners if possible and must be coaxed into providing what was promised to the letter, or can I trust people to give me what I'm paying for/what was agreed to me? 4. If one were to start dating a Greek woman what are social expectations one should be aware of beforehand? What is someone getting themselves into if it were to progress, and what is the cultural climate of dating non-Greeks? Please feel free to disregard this, I know it's quite a bit, but your videos have been most helpful so this fresh upload a week before my trip seems quite serendipitous and I hoped to take advantage of it if I could. Ευχαριστώ
Thank you so much for your wonderful comment! Here are some (subjective) answers based on my perspective: 1) people usually message via viber and facebook messenger in Greece, now more and more people have started using whatsapp. However, these are messaging apps, not social media channels for connecting with strangers. Greeks do love using Instagram for that but they still prefer meeting new people in person, organically. 2) Philotimo is definitely appreciated and admired - the concept is based on having pride in yourself by caring for others. To be a righteous citizen who shares and gives more than he/she takes back. Someone who is generous, respectful, and who remembers those who helped him/her in the past. Giving back to those who were generous to you, even if it is not expected from them. To apologize to those he/she hurt. 3) Usually, Greeks prefer to avoid conflict by communicating their concerns respectfully and indirectly (direct communication may often seem aggressive). As they are also proud people, being yelled at or getting angry demands is not the way to go. Smiling and asking for an improvement in their services is appreciated and, if the people have philotimo, they will try to immediately make things better. 4) Nowadays, Greek women, as most European women, expect a fair, equal treatment. Of course, personal preferences play a role - some may prefer to be taken care of and expect acts of chivalry, while others may prefer a more modern approach to dating. There is no clear standard anymore and no official dating "rules". However, most women will agree that it is appreciated when men pay on the first date. I hope this was helpful. Wishing you an amazing trip!
@@helinika Thank you so much for your reply, it was very helpful! Keep doing what you're doing, your channel is a wealth of information and I've learned a lot from you!
You: this is a good thing: people share meals Me: wow, that's weird and not hygienic, I can't even imagine sharing my meal with someone else, maybe with family but definitely not friends 🙃
@helinika I have seen on the news recently that there are a lot of anti-tourist protests occurring in Athens at the moment. Is this something to be concerned about?
Start learning Greek with Helinika: www.udemy.com/course/helinika-basic-greek-language-course/learn/lecture/19920232?referralCode=8E7C16674FDA34F71834#overview
Another great piece of advice thank you.
So glad to see a new video from you!
These are all very good tips. If you know in advance it's not a big deal. Do your research before staying in Greece. Still the best place to visit!!!
As a British guy, when I moved to Greece in my late 30s, the driving culture was a big shock. The lack of safety awareness, consideration or appreciation was very different to what I was used to in England. Although the footpaths are not always good (or even there!) pedestrians still walk in the middle of the road. Some crossroads have no stop signs at any junction and some have a stop at every junction! I was once advised that I should treat everything while driving, including road signs, one way streets and driving lanes as suggestions, rather than requirements and it was pretty much spot on! 😆
Good to see you uploading again, I found your channel while preparing for an extended trip to Greece and I've found your videos very helpful for learning cultural nuances and useful phrases. I'll be staying a bit longer than the average tourist but I won't be there (I think) for more than a few months so I was wondering about a few things I've heard and also wanted to ask about appropriate ways to deal with certain situations.
1. I don't use social media, sans CZcams, so if I want to keep in contact with anyone I might make friends with what would be the best way to go about that? I've heard Viber is a popular messaging service but I'm not sure if that's still the case or if it's limited to a certain segment of the population.
2. To what extent is φιλότιμο expected/appreciated from foreigners? I've found the concept more than a little familiar and it's interesting to have a word for what was otherwise just a way of life for me but will this come off inauthentic or in some way be miscommunicated? Should I "cut loose", so to speak, or will my own self-cultivated integrity serve me well in interacting with locals?
3. In the same vein as above, what is the socially appropriate way of dealing with unscrupulous people? If an apartment I lease hasn't been cleaned, is missing things, or is generally inconsistent with what was described how do I go about remedying that, if at all? Should it be expected that people will cut corners if possible and must be coaxed into providing what was promised to the letter, or can I trust people to give me what I'm paying for/what was agreed to me?
4. If one were to start dating a Greek woman what are social expectations one should be aware of beforehand? What is someone getting themselves into if it were to progress, and what is the cultural climate of dating non-Greeks?
Please feel free to disregard this, I know it's quite a bit, but your videos have been most helpful so this fresh upload a week before my trip seems quite serendipitous and I hoped to take advantage of it if I could.
Ευχαριστώ
Thank you so much for your wonderful comment!
Here are some (subjective) answers based on my perspective:
1) people usually message via viber and facebook messenger in Greece, now more and more people have started using whatsapp. However, these are messaging apps, not social media channels for connecting with strangers. Greeks do love using Instagram for that but they still prefer meeting new people in person, organically.
2) Philotimo is definitely appreciated and admired - the concept is based on having pride in yourself by caring for others. To be a righteous citizen who shares and gives more than he/she takes back. Someone who is generous, respectful, and who remembers those who helped him/her in the past. Giving back to those who were generous to you, even if it is not expected from them. To apologize to those he/she hurt.
3) Usually, Greeks prefer to avoid conflict by communicating their concerns respectfully and indirectly (direct communication may often seem aggressive). As they are also proud people, being yelled at or getting angry demands is not the way to go. Smiling and asking for an improvement in their services is appreciated and, if the people have philotimo, they will try to immediately make things better.
4) Nowadays, Greek women, as most European women, expect a fair, equal treatment. Of course, personal preferences play a role - some may prefer to be taken care of and expect acts of chivalry, while others may prefer a more modern approach to dating. There is no clear standard anymore and no official dating "rules". However, most women will agree that it is appreciated when men pay on the first date.
I hope this was helpful. Wishing you an amazing trip!
@@helinika Thank you so much for your reply, it was very helpful! Keep doing what you're doing, your channel is a wealth of information and I've learned a lot from you!
The similarities between Egypt and Greece in all those points are scary and comforting at the same time. I’m planning to move to Greece in a few years
Thank you for sharing! And all the best with your move!
Very nice video setup 🙂
You: this is a good thing: people share meals
Me: wow, that's weird and not hygienic, I can't even imagine sharing my meal with someone else, maybe with family but definitely not friends 🙃
Do you do Greek lessons on line
I'm planning a trip to Athens in October, I'm really hoping there are no strikes then that will affect flights? Is October a big strike month?
@@michaelaronson7253 hi! Normally not :) wishing you a nice trip!
@@helinika Thanks!
@helinika I have seen on the news recently that there are a lot of anti-tourist protests occurring in Athens at the moment. Is this something to be concerned about?
@@michaelaronson7253 I wouldn't be concerned