Culture

Well I've been really bad at keeping up with this blog thing, so I'm going to backtrack a bit. 

On Wednesday evening, a couple of us joined an English as a Foreign Language class. There, about twenty students practiced conversational English with us. We talked about people's names, their families, how old their children are, how long they've lived in Athens, etc. I was very impressed, because most of them had only been studying English for about three or so months, but they were still able to carry on conversations with us. 

We were asked a lot of questions about what it's like to live in America/Texas, and we also learned a lot about what it's like to live as an Albanian in Greece. 

They were surprised at how young we were. A couple of guys were shocked that I am not far from graduating at only twenty years old. Many of them seemed surprised when Emma and Jase shared that they're getting married soon, even though they're only twenty one. 

They asked us why we only know one language. The best answer we could give was that it's not a necessity in America to know more than just the one language. Part of the reason is that even if there are people from other countries and languages, they generally have to know English to make it in America. This is a foreign concept to the Albanian people because knowing multiple languages is a necessity for survival for them. 

They also asked us about traditional songs we had. Unfortunately, we couldn't really think of many, so we shared our school song and national anthem. They also shared their national (Albanian) and them and some traditional songs of their culture. The songs were very upbeat and fun, and I enjoyed it a lot. It was very cool to hear about the deep, rich culture of the Albanian people and learn about some of our differences. 

Learning and Doing

On Monday I was excited to experience a bit of a different side of Athens. We transitioned from tourist mode into more of a volunteer position for most of our activities that day. This enabled us to experience Athens on a more personal and real level. 

We began by going to the local evangelical church, just a couple blocks away, to help with their free food program. They provide meals for people who don't have the means to provide for themselves. It was nice to meet some people up close and personal, but it also revealed just how American I am. Most of the people receiving food knew at least two languages, and many were fluent in three or four. I only know English and a word or two of a few other languages. 

My inability to communicate made me think more about the American culture and about our approach to missions. What does it say about our culture that we (Americans) expect everyone who comes to our country to know our language? And what does it say about us that we are not willing to learn another language when going and experiencing other cultures? There are many reasons for this that go back to history (such as British colonization/"white man's burden" mentality) and also reflect how unaware Americans are (generally) of anything outside of the States. In addition, it seems to show a lack of caring when we don't try to learn the language of those we are trying to help. How are we supposed to minister to others when we can only fully communicate with those who know our language? It is still possible to help people despite the language barrier though. All of the recipients of the food were very gracious and friendly and welcoming, and I think that everyone had a good time together. 

I have never tried very hard to learn the language of countries I've visited, but it may be worth my time to put more effort into that, especially if I am trying to be something more than a tourist. 

That afternoon, we discussed with a local pastor what is is like being an evangelical in a predominately orthodox dominated culture. His perspective was interesting, especially because evangelical Christianity is the dominant religion in the USA. He shared with us the difficulties that come with being more of a minority and we learned a lot about Greek culture in the process. 

Later in the evening, we got to lead some arts and crafts with some Albanian children. There were about eight children, and our craft time took the place of an English class that they normally participate in. We did a few crafts with airplanes, and although their teacher had to translate most instructions for us, I think everyone enjoyed the hour we spent together. 

About thirty minutes later, we sat in on adult "English as a foreign language" classes. Becca and I sat in on a level two course. It was very humbling to see how hard everyone was working to learn a language that I take for granted. For many of them, learning English can help them get better jobs (as many of them work below their educational level, if they are even fortunate enough to have a job at all). They were all very friendly and fun, despite the difficulty of learning English at the end of a long day. 

Monday was a big day of learning for me, and I'm excited to learn a lot more over this next week!

History Dogs

Today we got to meet up and talk about the ministry we have the chance to work with this week. The Nuells, who run PORTA, reach out to Albanians by providing education to them and giving them a safe place to discuss Albanian culture and language. The program also enables Albanians to create better lives for themselves by learning English and computer skills. This is especially significant because the Albanians and Greeks do not generally get along, and the Albanians have a very difficult time getting jobs. 

One of the coolest things about PORTA's programs is that they have an art gallery in the building for Albanians to have a chance to share art. In recent history as a result of communism, Albanians haven't been able to create art of their own choosing. Instead, their art was supposed to portray communism in a good light and it was highly moderated. So I think it's a great thing that this group of people now has a place to share their expressions of self through art in a safe place. 

This afternoon we got to see some of the sights before taking a nap and having dinner with the Newell's! I learned a lot about the diverse history of the Parthenon (it was originally a temple for the goddess Athena, but was at other times used as a Christian church and a mosque.). I've included some pictures below. 

Here At Last!

Well, after over 24 hours of travel, I've made it to Greece! We had a wonderful send-off with some of the Logsdon professors. Some of them were so sweet and gave us goodie bags with snacks for the road. The 11 (not including the driver) of us loaded up in this van and drove to the DFW airport. 

First, we flew to London on a roughly eight and a half hour flight. I had probably the best airplane food I've ever eaten on that flight and watched probably three or four movies. At around 1:30 Texas time, I took the iconic picture of the wing of the plane (below) while the sun was rising and the clouds were all pink like cotton candy. 

We arrived at Heathrow, had about 3 hours of layover time, and flew another three hours till we arrived in Athens! After putting our bags in our rooms, we went out and ate some amazing Greek food. I had chicken gyro in pita and it was some of the most delicious food I've ever had. I'm sharing a small but very nice hotel room and bed with my dear friend Emma. We have a nice little kitchenette, a rain-type shower, and a huge patio looking over the street below our hotel. 

Here is the edge of our little patio. 

It's Saturday morning now. I'm very excited for today and there will be many more pictures to come!

Another

In just a couple of days, I will embark on another adventure to Europe!! This time I am going with a class to Greece, where we will have the opportunity to learn by seeing for ourselves some of the places where Paul traveled and help out some missionaries in Athens by taking part in English classes and a couple other small programs.

Some family has requested that I do another blog for this trip, since they enjoyed following along when I studied abroad in London last spring. This is actually perfect, since I am supposed to be keeping a journal of my experiences in Greece for class, so this blog will help me kill two birds with one stone. 

I am so thankful for this opportunity to travel again and am extremely thrilled to have the chance to experience the similarities and differences between the way that people live in Greece compared with my life. Traveling always humbles me and reminds me that there is so much more to the world than myself. Learning the history of another places, hearing the perspectives of people who live differently than myself, eating food that I have never tried, smelling new smells, hearing different languages, walking a lot, using different currency....all of those things can be a bit of a shock to the system. But the most important thing is not to dismiss it for being different, but to learn from it. And I cannot wait to learn.