tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6289938339349690152024-03-06T15:00:37.617-05:00Dispatches from GreeceStories w/ photos about Greece today from someone who lives there, plus historical tidbits and family memories (so that they won't be lost) -- OPA! Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger176125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-628993833934969015.post-89422091915740973072021-08-13T09:51:00.000-04:002021-08-13T09:52:40.679-04:00Back in Greece at last! <p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMILxVIlTYYy9KeN9WrhkjU7fqiWl5YziJa6DJMkjJ08Mw3fMLbRm1UtHW9jtKhh-SN_PKjQHjo8MqdhcyuT866_qPnKW8AlOG7qUVt58QqGkJ8rg3LLvvk4mBHqM8qoQnzGMzDApFVt8/s1600/IMG_20210812_125812560_HDR-760701.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMILxVIlTYYy9KeN9WrhkjU7fqiWl5YziJa6DJMkjJ08Mw3fMLbRm1UtHW9jtKhh-SN_PKjQHjo8MqdhcyuT866_qPnKW8AlOG7qUVt58QqGkJ8rg3LLvvk4mBHqM8qoQnzGMzDApFVt8/s320/IMG_20210812_125812560_HDR-760701.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6995912289620396306" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYXzNtqn87rLGCmLYzle0MtjY3jPHwHWZYAswg-m7kBK7DHhCydEmA2e1t8kzKMYChDRNleIRGX26UB4mqHEA_tDyKHpJMzv0urW-qCGA6KlPJ4TFpp1v9vqbtWsz-XdxyZsMmyDBD3vc/s1600/IMG_20210728_124920187-763050.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYXzNtqn87rLGCmLYzle0MtjY3jPHwHWZYAswg-m7kBK7DHhCydEmA2e1t8kzKMYChDRNleIRGX26UB4mqHEA_tDyKHpJMzv0urW-qCGA6KlPJ4TFpp1v9vqbtWsz-XdxyZsMmyDBD3vc/s320/IMG_20210728_124920187-763050.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6995912297217973106" /></a></p><div dir='auto'><b>Been back in Naousa for nearly 3 weeks</b>, but locked out of my blog's dashboard. Fortunately, I just discovered a work-around. 🤓<div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">The trip via Lufthansa was thankfully uneventful. And my tiny apt was in excellent shape considering that I last walked out on 12/3/19. After laying low for a few days, I had a negative Rapid Test in the town square and got started reacquainting myself with life in a small town in N. Greece. </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto"><b>Then came a record heatwave, way too hot even for Greece in August and which spawned horrific wildfires -- </b>notably around Ancient Olympia, just outside Athens, and on the island of Evoia. Most people do not have AC. I invested in a second fan which sounds like a wind tunnel, but helps me sleep and will be easy to store.</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">Most vexing is the tragic international problem of vaccinated vs. unvaccinated. <b>While "Don't ask, don't tell" is often the path of least resistance, it is no help re staying out of harm's way with the steady uptick in cases.</b> And I have gotten into too many endless arguments. The reality is that Iraklion, Crete, has gone into lockdown for at least a week including the big August 15th religious holiday. I just spent 3 days in Katerini (about 1.5 hours away), where I visited with Girls School grads and even went to the beach. <b>Still the first question re any sort of socializing has to be "have you been vaccinated," a deal-breaker in some cases.</b></div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">It was not an easy decision to come to Greece now given the multi-layered Covid complications. And that I can stay only 4.5 weeks instead of my usual 3 months. <b>So my first reaction to the paralyzing effect of the heatwave was deep disappointment that it cramped my style...Then I realized that just hanging out, shopping here and there, and just being was good enough</b> -- now with a few select side trips. What was once a faraway memory is now delicious reality, no embellishment needed. <b>That's <span style="font-family:sans-serif">how much I missed Greek life with all its real and imagined "kousouria" (shortcomings) -- Covid, be damned.</span></b></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family:sans-serif"><br></span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family:sans-serif">Now about 10 more days to move through my ever-growing ToDo List...opa!</span></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-628993833934969015.post-9970310609911302862021-08-11T11:32:00.001-04:002021-08-11T11:32:14.082-04:00Testing 1-2-3<div dir='auto'></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-628993833934969015.post-90317030898716166522020-03-25T16:50:00.000-04:002020-03-26T00:27:06.903-04:00"Menoume spiti"... even on March 25th!Today is March 25th, Greek Independence Day. Normally we go to church ("The Annunciation," with the <em>Tin Ypermaho </em>hymn), then to a patriotic parade of students and groups in traditional costumes, and finally to a feast of fried cod with garlic sauce. Children wave small flags and adults say "Hronia Polla" on their way to ubiquitous coffee shops. Not this time...<br />
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March 25th parades had long been cancelled and even The Church told everyone to stay home. Greece is on lock-down since Sunday midnight. You can go to essential jobs, the pharmacy/grocery store, the doctor or walk your dog only by permit. So a lot of people probably did not have "bacaliaro me skordalia" on the menu. Instead, "Menoume spiti!" ("We stay home!") was the order of the day. Flags were hung and at noon many people sang the national anthem from their balconies.<br />
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What all Greeks do have is television, where the esteemed <a href="https://www.foninaousis.gr/koronoios-i-galliki-le-figaro-apotheonei-ton-tsiodra-chari-s-ayton,-oi-ellines-echoun-apofygei-na-synomilisoun-me-to-thanato-37490?fbclid=IwAR3MoNhq-4AlEzlk2gvZ1K9Q3Y06QVkBrKHu9cWZwMgwZIzSZ4GWwX1-ZdA" target="_blank">Dr. Sotiris Tsodrias</a> gives the daily COVID19 briefing with both guidelines and data. Greece closed schools etc. relatively early in the game, but there is an uptick that has prompted the government to do more...to ensure that Greece does not become Italy or Spain. <br />
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Yesterday, the new President of Greece <a href="https://greece.greekreporter.com/2020/03/24/we-wont-let-fear-win-president-sakellaropoulou-declares-in-rare-address-to-the-nation/" target="_blank">Katerina Sakellaropoulou</a> gave a rare televised address. She underscored the responsibility of each citizen to follow all the guidelines, allayed fears, and sounded the trumpet for what it means to be Greek. Next year Greece will celebrate the 200th Anniversary of the Greek Revolution.<br />
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Today's data shows 821 cases and 22 casualties...plus the first case in the county of Imathia where my town of Naousa is located. A 49-year-old who recently returned from a business trip to the US has been hospitalized in Veria. Most Naousa citizens have been staying home since March 13, as have many Greeks. "Menoume spiti" is the new normal. </div>
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But I am not there. I did not make it back to Greece after my 90-day exile and before all the border closings. So I can only monitor what's happening via local blogs and by exchanging messages with my friends/relatives. I am thinking especially of those who are older, like my dear friends Voula and Giorgos. And my uncle the germophobe who was at one time Naousa's most esteemed doctor and is now around 95. When I finally return to Naousa, someone I know and love may not be there.<br />
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Meanwhile, "Menoume spiti" in Greece and almost everywhere else in the world...even on March 25th.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-628993833934969015.post-17522483866844901952019-11-03T17:19:00.001-05:002019-11-05T12:09:31.854-05:00Kavala Tobacco Museum well worth a visit!The weather in Greece was fabulous right up until the end of October, and I took full advantage by going to Kavala for the OXI Day weekend<strong>. It was a long-overdue trip to a beautiful city north of Thessaloniki and across from the island of Thassos.</strong> (It was also, of course, a chance to meet up with 5 AFS Girls School graduates who live around there.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmpkzbRM-u48EhHZlQjnEJzJBE3BiJNBygCNWu3kvoBjoxxdq36_Nyspm0_mVNRQvSgsZvxqIQLG6-eJ6WBH-V7TPYWEBCtJhk3b5_61ntQNKcVqEqYTx0iogHMutlgsW5TxBeD9CkX8Q/s1600/tobacco1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1279" data-original-width="856" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmpkzbRM-u48EhHZlQjnEJzJBE3BiJNBygCNWu3kvoBjoxxdq36_Nyspm0_mVNRQvSgsZvxqIQLG6-eJ6WBH-V7TPYWEBCtJhk3b5_61ntQNKcVqEqYTx0iogHMutlgsW5TxBeD9CkX8Q/s200/tobacco1.jpg" width="133" /></a><strong>There is a lot to see and do in Kavala:</strong> Beautiful beaches/marina, remnants of the Roman Via Egnatia, a Byzantine fortress, multiple reminders of the Ottoman occupation (1387-1912), the ferris wheel in Luna Park, and the decadent allure of Iosifidi "kourambiedes" (butter cookies smothered in powdered sugar). <strong>The Apostle Paul landed at Kavala on his first journey to Europe.</strong><br />
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<strong>But it was the Tobacco Museum that really caught my attention.</strong> Once-upon-a-time, Kavala was the center of the tobacco industry in Northern Greece, beginning around 1820. The Municipal Tobacco Warehouse built in 1910 stills stands a few blocks from the museum. Area production and trading of Basma, a fine oriental variety, reached its peak around 1920. After the war years, the Kavala tobacco trade never regained its former importance.<br />
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Nevertheless, I remember a succession of tobacco execs who came through the American Farm School circa 1968-78 when I was there. M<strong>ost of all, I remember villages where producing tobacco was still very much a way of life. </strong>In the summer of '74, I visited my student Maria and her family in the village of Doirani, Kilkis,<strong> wondering exactly how tobacco growers lived and worked. It was a real eye-opener!</strong><br />
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Dried tobacco leaves would later be bundled for market to be further processed -- examined for quality, weighed, sold, and then repackaged according to size and destination -- <strong>as exhibited in amazing detail at the Kavala Tobacco Museum. </strong>Tools, machinery, tobacco samples, photos, documents and much more also tell the stories of the people who made it all happen. <br />
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<strong>The museum showcases an important facet of Greek history and a slice of rural life not to be forgotten. It is definitely well worth a visit.</strong><br />
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<strong>NOTE: </strong>37% of all Greeks are smokers, the most of any EU country. Only 44% say they have never smoked a cigarette. Every year, approximately 20,000 people die from by tobacco-related diseases. And smoking bans are routinely ignored...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-628993833934969015.post-47871591932098766382019-10-04T05:19:00.000-04:002019-10-04T12:39:51.396-04:004th AFS Girls School Reunion: Mission Accomplished, Onward & Upward!The 4th AFS Girls School Reunion took place last Sunday, and I had a blast -- <strong>perhaps because I suddenly realized that all the work t</strong><strong>o make </strong><strong>that happen is now </strong><strong>basically done...</strong><strong>So here indeed </strong><strong>is a good story.</strong><strong><br /></strong><br />
In June 2015 I had come to Greece for a 6-week visit, including my first to Northern Greece in over 30 years. I had worked at the AFS/American Farm School in Thessaloniki from 1968 to 1978, bonding especially with the students of the Girls School Dept. (home economics/handicrafts) and their families. <strong>The AFS was then a school solely for kids from villages, and visiting the students in their villages was my favorite thing to do </strong><strong>du</strong><strong>ring holidays and summer months. </strong><br />
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There being no current information at the School in 2015 as to the whereabouts of the women grads, I set out with 2 of them to find the rest. What would they think, would they even remember me? <strong>By the time I left, I had visited and/or spoken with 51 of those w</strong><strong>omen. We were all simply overwhelmed with joy at the reconnection</strong> -- especially since the Girls School Dept. had been closed in 1978. <span style="font-family: inherit;">Wow!</span><br />
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So with the invaluable help of grads already located, I continued to look for all of<strong> </strong>them<strong> </strong>-- and thus also initiated my ongoing 3-month/twice-a-year stints in Greece. <strong>In April 2016 we had <a href="http://greekamericanfamilynotes.blogspot.com/2016/04/build-it-and-they-will-come.html" target="_blank">the first reunion</a>;</strong> <strong>120 women attended a veritable festival of reconnection.</strong> Soon thereafter I moved from Thessaloniki to Naousa, a Macedonian city of about 23,000 people one hour NW of Thessaloniki <strong>where my father was born and where I still live when in Greece...and where I have lived through a good chunk of the financial crisis.</strong><br />
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<strong>Over time we have located every one of the 232 </strong><strong>women who graduated from the AFS Girls School Dept. (1967-1978), </strong><strong>plus ot</strong><strong>hers who attended for only one year </strong>-- some found after extensive "investigations" (for lack of a better word).<strong> </strong>Most still live in their Northern Greece villages or have moved to Thessaloniki. 17 are unfortunately deceased. A handful of those who went to Germany to work still live there. 7 live in the US/Canada. Over 50 are on Facebook and members of a secret page where they share info and news.<strong> All have been provided with a list of their classmates with current addresses and telephone numbers. </strong><strong><br /></strong><br />
<strong>We also connected w</strong><strong>ith the current occupants of what was the Girl</strong><strong>s School campus, the </strong><a href="https://asylopaidiou.gr/index.php/el/" target="_blank"><strong>Asylo Paidiou</strong></a><strong> </strong>(a not-for-profit school for 370 kids from pre-school to 6th grade) -- asking to come in during a Sunday when the school was closed to have a picnic on our old stomping grounds. Picnic?<strong> They rolled out the red carpet along with </strong><strong>all the tables from the dining room. What great people!</strong><br />
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We have now had 3 reunions there, all volunteer-driven...adding to our lists women who attended the original Quaker-run iteration of the Girls School (1945-1967). When they heard about our reunions, they just showed up, and <strong>we have been blessed with the presence </strong><strong>of </strong><strong>women who graduated from the School in 1949-50-51...</strong>plus visits by 3 of the younger women now living in the USA. Double wow!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaD2H9SYyvYxsEXnv_zAiR3At6LI7zJnIAeNCzZZMOsRwQq65K8ZDvF7tj9tkHxa6hgPxeZSZr4bqaAgQRCV6jOwWnBdbB3tFTKRAfAXdnZt4kNpYwo77ij0OOR6rEq-2vaUYa9W4MB_A/s1600/cyprusplane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="937" data-original-width="1274" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaD2H9SYyvYxsEXnv_zAiR3At6LI7zJnIAeNCzZZMOsRwQq65K8ZDvF7tj9tkHxa6hgPxeZSZr4bqaAgQRCV6jOwWnBdbB3tFTKRAfAXdnZt4kNpYwo77ij0OOR6rEq-2vaUYa9W4MB_A/s200/cyprusplane.jpg" width="200" /></a>Yes, this is a very good story. <strong>The grads of the AFS Girls School Dept. -- who 4 years ago were mostly </strong><strong>out-of-touch with each other -- are now in constant contact</strong> by phone, at coffee klatches/ tsipouro parties and even field trips. Our Travel Team has gone to Cyprus -- where we met up with AFS guy grads/another amazing get-together -- and will soon be going to Madrid. Triple wow! </div>
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The Girls School grads themselves are now charged with organizing a 5th reunion. <strong>Meanwhile, I can happily say, "M</strong><strong>ission accomplished, on</strong><strong>ward & upward!"</strong></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-628993833934969015.post-70027733516841748672019-09-06T12:45:00.000-04:002019-09-21T15:54:43.452-04:00Back in the Greek Saddle<div class="mobile-photo" style="border-image: none;">
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<strong>I can't help feeling emotional as I see the oh so familiar, heart-tugging landscape whiz by</strong>. Sun-kissed farm fields in various stages of use (or not), bales of hay, tractors awaiting their next assignment, homes in distant villages, a water tower here and there, sheep and their shepherd -- and now the toll booth on the impersonal "Ignatia Road." <strong>Impersonal because the bus no longer goes through villages except on a couple of non-"express" runs each day.</strong> There aren't even any signs to say, "Valtohori this way"...</div>
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Most disturbing are the abandoned buildings for homes or businesses that were never finished or later closed down -- <strong>and now stand still in silent protest to all that has befallen Greece financially in the past 10 years.</strong> Those snake-bit buildings are everywhere. The setting sun only accentuates the negative.</div>
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No matter what you hear, things are not yet good for the average Greek citizen. <strong>And despite the cheerful demeanors, everyone on this bus knows it.</strong> </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-628993833934969015.post-5765229391901598892019-08-14T01:17:00.000-04:002019-08-19T11:35:52.202-04:00The Anti-Greek Toronto Riot of 1918 (Never again!)<div class="mobile-photo" style="border-image: none;">
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Finally had a chance last weekend to check out the "Taste of the Danforth" in Toronto's Greektown (reportedly the second largest Hellenic community outside of Greece). <strong>Regularly referred to as Canada's biggest street festival, the 3-day event is really just a big souvlaki fest -- meats of all kinds on a stick for $4</strong>. You can also find yummy spinach/cheese pies and "loukoumades" like my Yiayia used to make...or pay Battle Sports to smash some plates. Opa!</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Walking along Danforth Avenue and watching Canadians of all stripes patiently line up for their souvlakia,<strong> I couldn't help wondering who there -- Greeks or non-Greeks, old or young -- had any concept of the grim (and timely!) history of Greeks in Toronto,</strong> who originally lived around Yonge Street.</span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="font-family: inherit;">101 years ago, Greek-Canadians were the victims of a race riot which lasted 4 days (August 2-5, 1918). It was the worst riot in Toronto history, with thousands of Canadians furiously beating up on Greeks and destroying their property.</span></strong> </span></div>
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World War I veterans had been in town to voice their many concerns. Canadians were misinformed about Greece's role in the war, thinking that Greece -- which remained neutral until 1916 -- was not on the side of the Allies. Moreover, <strong>Greeks in 1918 were simply not thought of as being "white."</strong> * So when an alcohol-impaired vet was removed from a Greek restaurant, the incident was blown way out of proportion...<strong>Greeks, who were already perceived as not doing enough to help Canada, had allegedly mistreated a vet!</strong><br />
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On August 2nd, 600 Canadian vets stormed the White City Café on Yonge Street, destroying everything inside and looting the kitchen...and that was just the beginning. <strong>An estimated 50,000 people joined the fray on both sides,</strong> and police went from doing nothing to indiscriminately attacking rioters and innocent bystanders. The city was on lock-down. <strong>Some 500 people were injured and Greek businesses suffered $1,000,000 in damages by today's values -- all due to an almost (but not quite!) unimaginable act of hate an violence.**</strong><span style="color: initial; font-family: "initial"; font-size: initial;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">To make a long story short: Greek-Canadians ultimately rebuilt and became a vibrant, productive and beloved part of modern-day Toronto -- a town that now prides itself in being multi-cultural.</span> </span><span style="color: initial; font-family: "initial"; font-size: initial;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="color: initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: initial;"><strong>But first they relocated to Danforth Avenue.</strong></span></div>
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*In the USA, Greek-Americans -- just like other immigrant minorities -- were targets of the Ku Klux Klan, leading to the establishment in 1922 of the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA).<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>**For the whole story: "A century later, a vicious anti-Greek riot in Toronto offers lessons for today" by Toula Drimonis (Maclean's Magazine, 8/1/18)</strong></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-628993833934969015.post-80350314363145657492019-07-26T01:23:00.000-04:002019-07-26T14:47:30.860-04:00Think of Greek farmers when you next eat a peach or an apple!<span lang="">Yes, think of Greek farmers, whose trials and tribulations these days are almost too many to bear.<br />
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Let's start with the epic storm that hit Northern Greece <strong>on July 10th. Galeforce winds of 60 mph came out of nowhere,</strong> leaving 7 dead and at least 100 injured in Chakidhiki, not far from Thessaloniki. Aftermath photos/videos of the village of Nea Playia remind us of hurricane damage we see somewhere in Florida every year. <strong>But for the Greeks it was not business as usual. </strong><br />
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News of violent storms, floods, and earthquakes around the globe rarely takes us past damage photos and casualty reports. What happens down the line to real people who have to pick up the pieces literally and figuratively? <strong>For some farmers in Northern Greece, July 10th was a total disaster.</strong> <br />
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<span lang=""><strong>80.000 stremmata or 20,000 acres were devastated in the Nomos of Imathia alone</strong> which includes the municipalities Verria, Alexandreia and Naousa -- with a total of nearly 100,000 acres affected throughout N. Greece...Some families lost entire crops. The freak storm was preceded by 3 hailstorms in the Naousa area, damaging peaches, nectarines, cherries, apples and pears. <strong>Hail brings heartbreak and hard times for people, especially those who live in villages working their farms just like they have for decades.</strong> </span></div>
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<strong>On July 10th, entire trees were uprooted, greenhouses were destroyed, and irrigation systems were knocked out.</strong> It's a long road back as government compensation may not come till the end of the year when total losses can be analyzed by two agencies. Meanwhile farmers have to pay their bills, including insurances/fees and loans. <strong>Some farmers say that without immediate monetary aid they may have to throw in the towel.</strong></div>
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<strong>Many farmers already have,</strong> <strong>digging up trees to either plant something else or to just get out of the game.</strong> Climate change and the dreaded hailstorms too often make selling fruit for juice the only viable commercial option. Actual income from farm production is often poor and/or unreliable. It is not unusual for distributors or coops to pay late. <strong>I have met farmers who were waiting after a year to be paid or had not been paid at all...</strong><br />
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<strong>And what about the ongoing EU Embargo </strong>against buying goods from Russia prompted by the 2014 annexation of Crimea and the retaliatory Russian sanctions against buying EU goods? <strong>At that time,</strong> <strong>Russia absorbed 90% of Greece's peach exports and 60% of the strawberries</strong> -- much of which then ended up rotting in trucks at the borders. 30% of all Greek agri-food exports had been going to Russia. Redirecting exports has been one solution, while another has been going through "middlemen" like the Eurasian Economic Commission. <strong>Flimsy, inadequate markets only add to the woes of Greek farmers who simply may not be able to sell what they grow, let alone make a profit.</strong><br />
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The ongoing financial crisis has, of course, presented another set of problems. <strong>Approximately 1/2 million Greeks have left to find work in other countries, causing a serious "brain drain."</strong> Greece has the highest unemployment rate in the EU at 17.6%. But a marked distaste for working in the fields -- especially by people under 30 (40% unemployment!) -- has caused farmers to rely on foreign workers, mainly from neighboring Albania...much as US farms depend on Mexican workers. <strong>Still, there is a farm labor shortage this year for critical jobs like thinning out the cling peach trees so that the fruit will be bigger. </strong><br />
<br />So when you next eat a peach or an apple, think of Greek farmers. <strong>For some in the Naousa area, the freak July 10th storm may have been the straw that broke the camel's back. </strong><br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-628993833934969015.post-17437583013118487202019-05-31T17:50:00.000-04:002019-08-15T10:42:00.908-04:00Greek elections not for the faint of heart!<strong>BREAKING NEWS: </strong>Nicholaos Karanikolas (ENA MAZI) will be the new mayor of Naousa beginning September 1st!<br />
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<strong>Sunday, May 26th was election day throughout Greece. </strong>Greek citizens 17 and older voted for municipal mayors/councils (DIMOTIKES), local councils (KOINOTIKES), regional governors/councils and European Parliament representatives -- <strong>marking 4 separate paper ballots by hand in 2 adjoining rooms (mostly in schools), each with 2 secrecy booths and 2 acrylic ballot boxes. And at the end of the day, the votes were counted by hand.</strong><br />
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By joining the campaign of the only woman running for mayor of the Naousa Municipality ("DIMO"), I got to be a poll watcher with a birds eye view. <strong>And while the above might sound practically impossible to execute, I am proud to report that voting went amazingly well -- certainly no "hanging chads"or malfunctioning voting machines.</strong> Each polling place was run by a designated lawyer; ours was extremely capable and cordial. Everything was clearly done "by the book."<br />
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<strong>For Naousa mayor, the 5 candidates had each formed a "parataxi" or grouping</strong>. Each group had a name like "Koinos Topos" or "Ena Mazi." Pre-voting activities included 2 debates, public speeches, articles in local newspapers, videos on Facebook, and campaigning that extended to the 19 surrounding villages -- <strong>not to mention political pressure applied every which way and lots of decisions being made strictly according to personal relationships.</strong><br />
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<strong>Each mayoral grouping was on a</strong><strong> totally separate ballot -- paid for by the campaigns! -- </strong><strong>with a list of Council candidates that was at least 40% women. </strong>On Election Day,<strong> </strong>each voter was handed a white envelope and all 5 ballots (+ a blank sheet or "lefko" for abstentions) and could choose one, automatically giving that mayoral candidate one vote. The voter then made a cross next to up to 4 names on that ballot, sealed it in the envelope and dropped it into the ballot box. <strong>Polls closed at 7 pm, and b</strong><strong>y 10 pm we had the top mayoral results from 71 polling places.</strong> <br />
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<strong>Official Turnout: 64.32% of 33,102 voters registered throughout the Naousa DIMO with 1.27% "lefka" and 3.53% nullified because of the way they were marked. </strong>(Voting up to the age of 70 is compulsory, but many elderly voters did turn out. Also exempt were voters who were 200 kilometers from their place of registration. Conversely, many voters traveled even great distances to go back to their places of registration. <strong>Citizens are automatically registered and listed by the government when they turn 17. And there appears to be no current penalty for not voting.)</strong><br />
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<strong>In Greece (as in most European countries and many others) there is no "winner take all"; it's the percentage of votes that counts.</strong> No Naousa mayoral candidate got a majority, and only 37 votes separated the two top vote-getters. But the top vote-getter got 12 seats on the City Council by virtue of the percentages, and the top vote-getters on his list won those spots. The breakdown by candidate was 12, 11, 4, 3, and 3 = 33 total seats. <strong>And each candidate not becoming mayor automatically gets one of the Council seats his or her group won. </strong><br />
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On Sunday, June 2nd, there will be a run-off for Naousa mayor between the incumbent Nikos Koutsoyiannis and upstart Nikoloas Karanikolas. <strong>Unfortunately, Ilia Iosifidou did not make the cut, even though some say she was the most qualified.</strong><br />
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Meanwhile, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras acknowledged that his SYRIZA party was thoroughly beaten in the European Parliamentary elections <strong>by calling for "snap" Greek Parliamentary elections. They will be held on July 7th </strong>instead of October as previously scheduled, and during a summer month for the first time. At the moment it looks like SYRIZA will go down to the New Democracy Party largely credited with steering Greece into the financial abyss in the first place circa 2008...<br />
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<strong>Greek elections are indeed not for the faint of heart!</strong>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-628993833934969015.post-75889131034981961792019-04-01T16:54:00.002-04:002019-04-02T12:21:16.037-04:00Archbishop Stylianos Harkianakis buried in his beloved Australia (as promised)<div class="separator" style="border-image: none; clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;">
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<strong>Surreal. That's how it felt to watch the funeral of Archbishop Stylianos Harkianakis in Sydney, Australia, live via YouTube</strong> this past Saturday while sitting in Northern Greece. On the one hand I was heartbroken to hear that my forever friend had left us on March 25th -- but on the other uplifted by the fact that he passed away on Greek Independence Day and the feast day of The Annunciation, <strong>coincidentally the name of both his church in Sydney and mine in North Miami. I am not a super-religious person, but it was a lot to take in. </strong></div>
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It also brought back many memories of precious time spent with His Eminence when he was Abbot at the Moni Vlatadon in Thessaloniki circa 1970; things were a whole lot simpler then. Next he was unanimously elected Exarch of Mt. Athos, and in 1975 made Archbishop of Australia (Exarch of Oceana). <strong>A brilliant theologian/writer and charismatic leader, he was at the time only 40 years old!</strong> <br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>Many years later, I couldn't even begin to fully describe or list the Archbishop's many accomplishments and good deeds</strong> -- from establishing churches, day schools, St. Andrew's Theological College, a myriad of benevolent organizations, and so much more. <strong>In his spare time, he served -- for more than 2 decades! -- as the Orthodox Church's lead in the official "Theological Dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church."</strong> A prolific poet, Stylianos Harkianakis earned many accolades for his 40+ published collections, including the Award for Poetry from the Academy of Athens. (Details can be found in the beautiful 16-page </span><a href="http://www.greekorthodox.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Late-Archbishop-Stylianos-MEMORIAM.pdf?fbclid=IwAR03R9BAh_ykG9KE63rUBK1E7HFHavXNc4xCpEZ6XjDDc1zfSxunaSK6dw4" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">memorial booklet</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> published online by the Australian Archdiocese in both Greek and English.)</span></div>
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On a personal note, I will never forget the kind, gregarious man born in Crete who did not take himself very seriously. <strong>I remember him pulling his hand away when you tried to respectfully kiss it as prescribed by our Orthodox faith. </strong> He was happy to meet my parents when they visited Thessaloniki in 1972 and to see them again years later when he visited the USA. Nearly 4 years ago, <a href="https://greekamericanfamilynotes.blogspot.com/2015/05/a-blessed-letter-from-friend-in.html" target="_blank">I wrote about that friendship</a> and rekindled correspondence. But I knew then that the Archbishop was is poor health and so was not surprised when his letters became shorter and shorter...<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A Facebook post reported that his nephew Nikos Kaliouris -- now a lawyer in Athens and like a son to him -- had been by His Eminence's side night and day for the past nine months. <strong>I was very moved to watch Nikos stay close to him right up until the very end . </strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In his first days and months in Australia, <strong>the newly-minted Archbishop was often moved to tears by the Greek people so far from home.</strong> He totally dedicated himself to their needs and well-being...</span><strong><span style="font-family: inherit;">doubling down by saying that when the time came, he would be buried amongst them in Australia. </span></strong><strong><br /></strong></div>
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<strong>And so </strong><strong>before my very eyes </strong><strong>it came to pass on Saturday, March 30, 2019, after nearly 44 years of service in Australia</strong>. Stylianos Harkianakis' wooden casket was lowered into the ground at the Rookwood Cemetery in far-away Sydney (as promised). <br />
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<strong>May his memory truly be eternal.</strong></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-628993833934969015.post-22994321151387944162019-03-27T15:21:00.000-04:002019-03-27T15:21:29.467-04:00Ammochostos "Ghost Town" ridiculously inhumane -- and also forgotten?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I recently returned to Cyprus with a traveling team of 10 Girls School graduates. We covered a lot of ground in 5 days, but aimed primarily to <strong>reconnect with a group of 17 Cypriots who became students at the American Farm School in October of 1974, most as war refugees.</strong> Our visit was amazing -- we toured, we laughed, we danced, <strong>and were duly appalled at what we saw firsthand</strong> <strong>in the occupied town of Ammochostos (aka Famagusta).</strong> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVvbLVXMqu8iYsf5nqNsNdmyJFKK0-ekncroV07XB7kDeguV4vwySgl-qpeJ_P67AWJSl6N2Gmzgi-Trnx-teVTMQMbTYuC0g-0ULeU0monz4cSwt5rvzm3W9muTxQtf9lih-W5WQoJxE/s1600/FamGhost3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVvbLVXMqu8iYsf5nqNsNdmyJFKK0-ekncroV07XB7kDeguV4vwySgl-qpeJ_P67AWJSl6N2Gmzgi-Trnx-teVTMQMbTYuC0g-0ULeU0monz4cSwt5rvzm3W9muTxQtf9lih-W5WQoJxE/s400/FamGhost3.jpg" width="285" /></a><br />
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In case you have forgotten, Turkey invaded Cyprus on July 20, 1974, bombarding primarily the north including Lefkosia and subsequently occupied 36.5% of the third largest island in the Mediterranean. The occupied areas are recognized as an entity only by Turkey. <strong>The rest of the world recognizes only The Republic of Cyprus, member of the European Union and a </strong><strong>country wrongly partitioned.</strong><br />
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(<strong>Too many people</strong> <strong>have either forgotten what transpired in Cyprus or simply have no clue about the politics of the region.</strong> A recent email from a friend in California admitted: "I was not aware there were still occupation issues between Greece and Turkey." Cyprus is an independent country populated mostly by people of Greek/Orthodox origin; until 1960 she was ruled by the British and never joined with Greece. <strong>The Turkish invasion came in response to a coup supported by the Greek Junta, while the USA stood idly by</strong>...Click on this <a href="http://greekamericanfamilynotes.blogspot.com/2018/10/what-do-you-really-know-about-cyprus.html" target="_blank">LINK</a> to my previous Cyprus report for more background information.<strong>)</strong><br />
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Not only did 200,000 Cypriots become refugees in 1974, but <strong>occupied Cyprus was Turkefied in every possible way</strong> -- including the illegal transfer of Turkish citizens to occupy lands and homes that belonged to Greek Cypriots. We were privileged to be shown around the occupied areas of Cyprus by refugee friends, a couple that was living peacefully in Ammochostos when word came that Turkey was about to bombard the city. People fled south fearing for their lives, leaving everything behind. <strong>30 years later, Sophocles and his wife Koula were allowed back just to have a look.</strong> They knocked on the door of the home they had built and went in to see the possessions they had left behind: glassware, furniture, rugs, etc. - all carefully preserved/used by the not particularly friendly Turkish woman living there. <strong>How would you feel about that?</strong><br />
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<strong style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="639" data-original-width="554" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja_3kkX-OzO1FqiXCVbGpycXc2d4Qvro0Ru7JJbyrjUluTaYbt0EX16tuyDWyI33LtPa4NhDgAcH7jYGYGl98pBpheZ7oaHaokpR8mcEoemDdkwXMnW7TOkvE2LK-Av3D9SoYrxFUPCOI/s320/FamGhost1.jpg" width="276" /></strong><strong>In Ammochostos </strong> <strong>we suddenly came upon what is called</strong> <strong>"The Ghost Town" of Varosha -- a sealed-off area </strong>which before the Turkish invasion had been a modern, high-end tourist enclave and home to 39,000 Cypriots...and a favorite of Elizabeth Taylor's, no less. Now it is surrounded by barbed wire fencing decorated with ominous signs forbidding people to enter or even take photos. <strong>Hotels, homes, churches, schools, and stores are in a perpetual state of decay</strong> -- a monument to both the 1974 invasion and the ongoing unwillingness of Turkey to allow reunification of Cyprus. <strong>In 1984,</strong> <strong>UN Security Council Resolution 550 ordered Turkey to hand Varosha over to the UN for resettlement by the people who were forced out; Turkey did not comply.</strong> Varosha has become nothing more than a bargaining chip for the firmly entrenched Turkish president and provocateur Recep Ertegan.<br />
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<strong>So what about the ghosts of said "Ghost Town?" They happen to be real people, watching and waiting for justice. Have they been forgotten, too?</strong>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-628993833934969015.post-10558902097109756532018-11-28T17:41:00.000-05:002018-12-30T23:06:13.338-05:00Year-End Report: Greek glass half full at best<strong>For the record, I have lived part-time in Greece for the past 3 years, or 18 months out of 36</strong> -- mostly in a rented studio apartment in my father's hometown of Naousa, a traditional yet modern town of about 20,000 people in Central Macedonia about one hour northwest of Thessaloniki. From there I have visited a number of Girls School/American Farm School grads in their villages around Northern Greece and beyond. In September I spent 5 days in Cyprus. You have read many of my "Dispatches from Greece"* -- so you won't be surprised that <strong>I have mixed feelings about</strong> <strong>the Greek reality</strong><strong> </strong><strong>as we gear up for the New Year. Let's call it a glass half full at best.</strong><br />
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<strong>Naouseans are preparing for the holidays enthusiastically just like you and me. </strong>Christmas decorations have filled store windows for weeks. "Kazania" -- the traditional boiling of grape skins to produce stronger than ouzo tsipouro (together with a requisite on-site party) -- continued well into November. <strong>Religious and other holidays are surrounded by name days, concerts, seminars, organizational events (like those hosted by the Pontian or Vlach Associations) and pretty much any excuse for a party. </strong>Education may be king, but skiing is now in ascendance after the first big snows at 3-5 Pigadia. Naousa also has admirable programs for the elderly, people with special needs and families who need assistance. <strong>And on the weekend of December 7-9, she becomes the "City of Wine" celebrating the renown Xinomavro grape. Opa!</strong><br />
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<strong>The devastating economic situation, however, has not exactly gone away despite published reports to the contrary.</strong> Unemployment may be down, but that's from 28% to 20.8 %. <strong>And "the brain drain" continues, over half a million people having left the country since 2008.</strong> You may not realize that the now extended Russian embargo of EU food products in retaliation for sanctions <strong>has taken it serious toll on exports of meat, fish/seafood, vegetables, fruit (especially in Naousa!) and dairy products.</strong> <a href="https://greece.greekreporter.com/2018/10/17/one-in-three-greeks-lives-in-danger-of-poverty-data-show/" target="_blank">35% of all Greeks</a> live in poverty or close to it...<br />
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<strong>On August 20th Greece officially exited the bailout program, but at what price?</strong> After 3 "Mnimonia" (memoranda of virtual servitude to the European Union) and pursuant demands for privatization, Greece has sold control of the Port of Piraeus (China), 14 airports (Germany), and a railway system (Italy). <strong>Greeks -- including me! -- pay the most for electricity in Europe, 42% in taxes and fees. </strong><strong>Heating oil is more expensive this year with record snows predicted for year's end, so how will 60K refugees living in "hotspots" fare?</strong> Official reports may peg the average monthly income at 1000 euros, but too many people live on about 400 euros due to severely reduced pensions or part-time jobs. <strong>Things are happening, investments are being made, but the reported turnaround has simply not yet trickled down to the average Greek citizen.</strong><br />
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<strong>Pensions are scheduled to be cut one last time in a few weeks per Greece's contract with the banks.</strong> For awhile the Tsipras government said it wasn't going to happen, but the Lenders came back with, "Not so fast, a deal is a deal." <strong>May 19th elections are looming on the horizon, so those last bailout bits have become predictable political footballs.</strong> The Syriza government -- which has dealt with this mess with a proverbial gun to its head for 4 years -- is down in the polls by double digits to the New Democracy Party which helped create the disaster in the first place. <strong>Who should Greeks trust? (And most basically trust no one.)</strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiygcJrakTUcpOeFllulC8VCn68B1FQyZF5FZxzkJztNoZDx0_uBOTE-fhqjN7x6RsZZD8ZnyXWmeIWBVGYU0iE5j2vzCidB45hex3P9BFDvVtXF-Hg7HdDn1RYSs1DmiGs_cSumQJxvJ8/s1600/brochure.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="453" data-original-width="313" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiygcJrakTUcpOeFllulC8VCn68B1FQyZF5FZxzkJztNoZDx0_uBOTE-fhqjN7x6RsZZD8ZnyXWmeIWBVGYU0iE5j2vzCidB45hex3P9BFDvVtXF-Hg7HdDn1RYSs1DmiGs_cSumQJxvJ8/s320/brochure.jpg" width="220" /></a><br />
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<strong>On the bright side there is a woman running for mayor of Naousa, which has never put a woman in charge.</strong> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ilia.iosifidou" target="_blank">Ilia Iosifidou</a> is a civil engineer and mother, who is smart and energetic in the face of 4 male opponents. For some time I have been asking, "When will Naousa have a woman mayor?" After years of uninspired leadership, <strong>Naouseans now have a chance to elect a woman who seems to embody transparency and hard work over grandstanding and unfulfilled promises. </strong><br />
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Will Greece really turns the page in 2019? Greeks have swallowed a lot of very bitter medicine no matter what we think about the historic economic meltdown. <strong>They now deserve our very best wishes for a Happy, Healthy, and Prosperous New Year. Kali hronia, to you and yours, too!</strong>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-628993833934969015.post-6957773688017752682018-10-16T17:12:00.001-04:002018-12-30T23:09:56.619-05:00What do you really know about Cyprus? Especially now as the plot surrounding the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi thickens with Turkey and its President Recep Ertogan right in the thick of things. <strong>Turkey is always front and center here in Greece. And certainly no less in the Republic of Cyprus -- </strong>an island surrounded by Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Egypt. Cyprus won independence from the British Empire in 1960...<strong>only to be partitioned in 1974 when Turkey </strong><a href="http://www.hellenicaworld.com/Cyprus/History/en/TurkishInvasionOfCyprus.html" target="_blank"><strong>invaded</strong></a><strong> in response to a coup </strong><strong>cultivated by the Greek Junta</strong> <strong>to overthrow Archbishop/President Markarios and join Cyprus with Greece.</strong> The coup failed, 3,000+ Cypriots lost their lives (many more, including children, still unaccounted for), and <strong>200,000 Greek Cypriots became refuges overnight.</strong> <br />
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<strong>On the plus side, </strong><strong>Greece suddenly became a democracy again</strong> following the collapse of the Junta and return of Konstantinos Karamanlis -- <strong>but not before a rather scary (I lived through it!) </strong><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1974/07/21/archives/reserve-callup-could-involve-160000-men-greece-orders-mobilization.html" target="_blank"><strong>General Mobilization</strong></a> of many thousands of military reservists in anticipation of war. <strong>Turkey would eventually claim 36.5%</strong> <strong>of the island</strong> and create the <span style="font-family: inherit;">Turkish Republic</span> of Northern Cyprus, recognized today only by Turkey. <strong>The two parts are separated by a UN buffer zone, the Green Line, and a </strong><strong>Turkish flag flashes brightly over Lefkosia every night from the "katehomena" (occupied territory) to add insult to injury.</strong> Many thousands of Turkish nationals have been repatriated to occupied Cyprus in defiance of the Geneva Convention. And 44 years later, Greek and Turkish Cypriots are in <strong>perpetual reunification talks constantly complicated by the hostile demands/actions of Recep Ertogan.</strong><br />
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By now you might have forgotten about that Green Line and focused more on oil/gas drilling confrontations or a financial crisis (now mostly resolved) caused in part by a sudden influx of big Russian money. <strong>But did you know that 3 percent of Cypriot territory is still under foreign military control?</strong> And did you notice that during her recent confirmation hearings, the new US Ambassador to Cyprus had trouble acknowledging the events of 1974 as an invasion by Turkish troops? Ouch!</div>
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<strong>It's no wonder that there is not a whole lot of love lost between Cyprus and the UK because of the military bases, Greece for their role in the ill-fated coup, and the USA for supporting the coup and doing nothing to thwart the Turkish invasion. Thank you Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger. </strong></div>
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Last month I revisited that Green Line in Lefkosia (aka Nicosia), <strong>which bears little resemblance to what I saw in 1976 </strong>when barricades were manned by Greek and Turkish soldiers screaming obscenities at each other while UN Peacekeepers patrolled a tiny strip in between them.<strong> I had gone then to visit with the families of 17 boys we took as students at the American Farm School</strong> after the Agricultural High School of Morfou had been closed by the invaders. The students adjusted incredibly well at the School. <strong>But in Cyprus things were super bleak as many lived in refugee camps or over-crowded homes.</strong> From certain vantage points we could see untended crops that had simply dried up. At that point in time there was precious little to look forward to. </div>
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<strong>Today one can cross back-and-forth through checkpoints along the Green Line</strong>. In Lefkosia, show your ID at passport control and go right ahead. The Turkish side is sadly dated; I saw a man in a small, dingy shop actually stuffing a comforter with cotton by hand. No Burger King or Starbucks there. You can buy cigarettes and pharmaceuticals sans EU taxes and then have a leisurely lunch -- <strong>just don't be thinking you can get your property back.</strong></div>
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My Farm School graduate hosts Spyros and Nikos introduced me to their wonderful/most hospitable families and drove me all around free Cyprus. We visited a raft of towns, villages and other sites, including the front gate of the British airbase along the beautiful southern coastline of Akrotiri. Then<strong>, </strong>of course, a pilgrimage to <strong>the final resting place of Archbishop </strong><a href="http://www.hellenicaworld.com/Greece/Person/en/MakariosIII.html" target="_blank"><strong>Makarios</strong></a><strong> at Kykkos Monastery in the Troidos mountains -- </strong>about 11 km from mountaintops planted with British radar stations. <strong>You can read about it, but not fully feel it until you are suddenly told "You cannot be here" by a British soldier on an idyllic Saturday afternoon.</strong></div>
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Most memorably, I was able to visit with half of those students who came to the American Farm School in 1974 at a special "mini reunion" dinner. There were stories, laughter, selfies, great food (love that sheftalia and halloumi!)...plus special music. <strong>While several grads do work in agriculture, Andreas is a music teacher and Tony Solomou a well-known singer/composer/activist.</strong> Tony was especially touched when I showed him a photo of me and his family circa 1976 (see above), as his mom had died about a year ago. <strong>His singular compositions about occupied villages like his own Aghia Marina are both wistful and defiant.</strong> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tony.solomou/videos/1962290717143616/" target="_blank">Have a listen</a>.<br />
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Then think about what you really know about Cyprus.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-628993833934969015.post-26508475473502531012018-09-24T02:30:00.001-04:002018-12-30T23:15:02.387-05:00"500 Years of Greeks in America!"<div class="mobile-photo" style="border-image: none;">
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As the 83rd Thessaloniki International Fair comes to an end, it's a good time to stand back and take a deep breath.<br />
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Even as the United States was the honored country this year -- last year China and Russia the year before -- <strong>there is a not so subtle anti-Americanism that colors almost all political conversations/arguments here in Greece. Everything and anything bad is America's fault, don't you know?</strong> Now with the Macedonia question on top of the various financial/refugee issues, the plot (συμφέροντα!), of course, thickens...</div>
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<strong>Even more amazing was the sponsor of that exhibit: "The General Secretariat for Greeks Abroad" of the Greek Foreign Office (www.ggae.gr)</strong> -- "the government's coordinating body for the implementation of state policy with respect to Diaspora Hellenism," about 5 million people of Greek descent on 5 continents and in 140 countries...<strong>an agency created to "support the the interests and the expectations of the Greeks abroad." Who knew?</strong> </div>
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<strong>Three million people of Greek descent live in the US</strong>, thus the long list of distinguished accomplishments -- plus a multitude of organizations, schools, churches, restaurants, newspapers, radio/TV stations, etc. The first Greek in the "New World" was Don Theodoros Griego (1528) and the first Greek colony was in St. Augustine, Florida (1768). <strong>The first Greek Community was founded in New Orleans (Holy Trinity/1864.)</strong> New York, Chicago and San Francisco are all important to the narrative, <strong>but who can possibly ignore Tarpon Springs?</strong></div>
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<strong>More significantly, there was a wave of American Philhellenism that did its part in support of the Greek Revolution of 1821</strong> -- bolstered by Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Daniel Webster, Sam Houston, and Henry Clay. <strong>Others actually fought in Greece against the Turks</strong>, including Samuel Gridley Howe and George Washington's cousin William Townsend Washington. It was a fitting effort to help Greece towards independence while the USA itself was still in its democratic infancy. <strong>To this day there is an active, bi-partisan Hellenic Caucus in Congress fighting for Greece!</strong></div>
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The USA has contributed much to Greece in the last 200 years and still supports Greece in many ways. <strong>Those efforts/policies may not always be perfect or altruistic, but they are way too often misunderstood or taken for granted.</strong> On other hand, it's very clear that Greek-Americans have contributed much to the USA -- 500 years' worth to be exact. </div>
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<strong>I am proud to be a Greek-American and part of the Greek Diaspora story still being written</strong>, thanks to my immigrant father and 4 grandparents who worked very hard for a better life. <strong>It's a rather tricky thing being Greek-American and living part-time in Greece</strong> -- which is why I'm standing back and taking a deep breath. Somewhat hard to explain, but I'll keep trying.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-628993833934969015.post-61936147302940328842018-09-02T18:47:00.000-04:002018-09-03T01:54:56.877-04:00Making Memories with Basketball, Gin Rummy and Refried BeansSo, I was walking up the street in Naousa when someone called my name. Turning around, I saw a man approaching whom I did not recognize...<strong>until he showed me a of photo of himself when he was a student at the American Farm School in Thessaloniki when I worked there (1968-1978).</strong> John Dourakis -- one of my very best English students! -- has lived in Naousa for 13 years working for an agency that coordinates Greek peach canneries. I had absolutely no idea. But about 10 days ago a mutual friend happened to mention my name to him. <strong>Stunned and amazed, he had then been on the lookout for me. Wow!</strong><br />
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We, of course, reminisced about our years at the School -- including when he an a few other students took me to see a big, important soccer match between PAOK and Olympiakos. <strong>I've been a PAOK fan ever since, but I also swore never to set foot in a large soccer stadium again.</strong> Standing on bleachers for all 90 minutes, we were constantly being pushed towards the brink. I was sure we would be trampled to death, but did live to talk about it...<strong>45 years later!</strong><br />
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<strong>More importantly, you'll notice that John is wearing a Delta College basketball uniform</strong> -- and no accident that talk then turned to my pal Ernie Marcopoulos. Many years may have passed since he, Josie and their 3 kids -- from my hometown of Stockton, California -- spent their sabbatical year in Thessaloniki at my urging. <strong>But the revered Coach of the San Joaquin Delta College Mustangs has not been forgotten here in Greece.</strong> <br />
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<strong>Ernie volunteered to coach basketball and teach PE at the Farm School for basic "room-and-board."</strong> He brought with him some retired uniforms and worked tirelessly with the boys. <strong>John was a left-handed sharpshooter who might have excelled further</strong> had he not continued his studies in England.</div>
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<strong>Everyone at the School got super excited</strong> when Ernie was asked to also coach the PAOK professional basketball team for that one season. <strong>We all became PAOK fans. </strong></div>
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<strong>Behind the scenes, however, the Marcopoulos clan and I did our own thing...religiously.</strong> Every Tuesday night -- my day off from my Girls School Dept. dormitory duties -- I headed over to their apartment for <strong>our weekly </strong><strong>Mexican Food Night and </strong><strong>Gin Rummy Marathon. Ole!</strong></div>
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Josie -- of Mexican decent, but who NEVER made tortillas in Stockton --<strong> did, in fact, make tortillas from scratch every week thanks to a rolling pin that our friend Harry Theocharides graciously cut down to size.</strong> I learned to make them, too, along with refried beans and salsa. There may have been some carne asada and beer involved. <strong>The adults played cards until our (self-imposed) 12 o'clock curfew.</strong> <strong>Who was "World Champ" is still in dispute.</strong><br />
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That's what happens when you live in Northern Greece and need a Mexican food fix -- which, in fact, I still often do. <strong>But I don't think I'll ever be able to top basketball + gin rummy + refried beans.</strong><br />
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<img height="96" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTeu-a8UocGOb-82-ASDmhaMnVqEUPLHfPCvhMgrXsfYEsDMhlW7e_DTPLrRteCn4QmkOEhxFGLwpfU3aH3Xta0hhowmPwxgzuvu6S5196qPmQ12au83QzkNUUuUcNhsi3D_VoLvgg5Ro/s320/dourakis2.jpg" style="left: 89.94px; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 239.11px;" width="63" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-628993833934969015.post-88527817207530840952018-06-25T10:45:00.001-04:002018-06-25T10:50:06.273-04:00"No, I am not an enemy of the people" (a Greek story of reunification and quasi-redemption)Sticky wicket might well describe the role of communism in Greek history -- as the promises of the Bolshevik Revolution crept into the consciousness of the working man, captivated some, but fell down during a crushing Civil War following WWII. <strong>In Naousa,</strong> <strong>bitterness and mistrust still simmer under the cover of normalcy. But </strong><strong>little-by-little, lost facts/secrets are being uncovered and confronted...occasionally by people seeking their roots.</strong><strong><br /></strong><br />
So when I heard that <strong>a book entitled <em>No,</em> <em>I am not an enemy of the people</em></strong> was going to be presented at the Naousa cultural center a few weeks ago, I immediately assumed that the reference was to the Greek people with some sort of apologia for someone who had simply been castigated as a Communist. <strong>But it was</strong> <strong>a human story much more complicated than that.</strong><br />
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Markos Markovitis was born in Naousa in 1905, the eldest of 9 children in a relatively prosperous family. He was not alone in falling under the spell of the communist promise. But by 1925 and with a messianic fervor, he was one of the movement's hard core evangelists in Thessaloniki, where he was arrested and condemned to death in 1931. Managing to escape, he went to Russia, the Communist "Fatherland." There he studied, married, and tried mightily to become a citizen. <strong>But in 1937, it all came apart for Markos. He was arrested in a Stalinist purge and condemned to death as an enemy of the state -- prompting the writing of two poignant letters to Stalin.</strong> </div>
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<strong>"No, I am not an enemy of the people," Markovitis wrote to convince Stalin that he was dedicated to the Communist cause.</strong> That he had come to Russia full of joy and hope to serve Stalin and the State. That he wanted to stay and live out his dreams. <strong>But those letters were never read by Stalin. Markos was executed and buried unceremoniously in a mass grave.</strong> Meanwhile, his family in Greece had long lost track of him. </div>
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In Russia he had a new family, with children.<strong> After the execution, that family disappeared itself in order to survive -- his children going into orphanages under assumed names.</strong> It wasn't until 1957 that the KKE (Greek Communist Party) learned of Markovitis's fate, but his family was not informed until 2002. By then his parents had died and other relatives ("down to the last cousin") had also been hounded and stigmatized as Communist sympathizers -- <strong>all due to a lost son of Naousa who had died in Russia 80 years ago as a suspected traitor to the Communist cause! </strong></div>
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Enter Markovitis's grandson Dimitris, whose search for the real Markos Markovitis led to the discovery of the two letters in Russian archives <strong>-- </strong>bringing him into contact with his family in Greece and with Marios Markovitis, nephew of Markos and the author of the aforementioned book<strong>..a labor of love with </strong><strong>a double meaning in terms of political consequence and historical perspective. </strong></div>
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The room for the book reading was full and captivated, especially by the author whose closing comments were so very powerful on several levels: <strong>Markos Markovitis, he declared, died twice in 1937 when he was executed and, even worse, disappeared as a person -- and now in 2018 the truth comes out and "we can mourn him properly."</strong> <strong>He named others who had suffered much the same fate.</strong><br />
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Why did it take so long to find and publicly talk about Markos Markovitis?<strong> Because "history is written by the victors," as you may have heard before. But in Greece, victors have been few and far between. </strong><br />
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<strong>NOTE: </strong>In Greece, as in many parts of Europe, the Communist Party is a legal/viable, if not particularly successful, political party. Indeed the KKE in Naousa recently staged a public event to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution. <strong>But a certain kind of paranoia/hostility abides due to that Civil War which fully impacted Naousa -- and where a pipeline for Communist abduction of young people literally ran down Andarton, the street where my father grew up so many years before. </strong>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-628993833934969015.post-89138754052864680792018-05-03T05:07:00.000-04:002018-05-08T15:21:27.288-04:00On June 3rd we are going to Makronisos!Not because we have been rounded up by the Greek police due to our political beliefs, <strong>but to never forget the 100,000 detainees who were held on that island </strong><strong>1946-1953 </strong><strong>and tortured until they recanted theirs.</strong> There were other islands/prisons where enemies of the state (mostly communists) were <strong>held or exiled for random, indeterminate lengths of time </strong>-- an ugly kind of political punishment favored in Greece during other periods in her history, too.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoVGXgArgqQhDtBvkK01VyTSEMlw6CRnNcHaFM3HfC0BdUCcC5bTRDCwQbOiuGat3pPfslg_jm6ACHVHm6L7q8MFx7oQe_Av-64-vo4zy4daJVSORZEfwjg1Fl-hn8FbtCgCxlBpPIyUQ/s1600/MakronisosStatue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoVGXgArgqQhDtBvkK01VyTSEMlw6CRnNcHaFM3HfC0BdUCcC5bTRDCwQbOiuGat3pPfslg_jm6ACHVHm6L7q8MFx7oQe_Av-64-vo4zy4daJVSORZEfwjg1Fl-hn8FbtCgCxlBpPIyUQ/s200/MakronisosStatue.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Makronisos</td></tr>
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I recently stumbled upon<strong> the not exactly well-known Makronisos Museum and the Museum of Political Exile Agh. Straty --</strong> both located in the same building at 31 Asomaton in the Keramikos area of Athens. Lucky for me, the latter was offering an educational program aptly entitled <strong>"<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Exile-Museum-Athens-Greece-1450848171800452/" target="_blank">My whole world in a suitcase</a>."</strong> It was a heart-breaker regardless of your political leanings, and it also resolved some lingering questions <strong>that had haunted me since living in Greece under the military dictatorship of 1967-1974.</strong> By then Makronisos had largely been abandoned...so those resisting the Junta were reportedly exiled to Giaros and Leros, and/or held at prisons in Oropo, Aegina, Hania and Corfu. <strong>But in our then mind's-eye, our hero friends were all being "sent to Makronisos*."</strong> <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trikeri</td></tr>
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<strong>Makronisos and Agh. Straty had facilities often built by the prisoners themselves -- </strong>Agh. Straty subsequently becoming more palatable post-1950 due to growing criticism voiced by European allies. A theater there begat plays like "Perses" (Act I), with hand-made costumes and hand-painted backdrops. <strong>There was regular feel-good (censored) correspondence with "greetings to those you know."</strong> Prisoners created poignant "works of art" with whatever materials they could find, including rocks and bones. And a rather remarkable official holiday photo taken on Trikeri clearly shows <strong>to what degree detainees literally put their best foot forward to show that they were all right and still loyal to their beliefs. Just like a bunch of girlfriends on a summer vacation.</strong><strong><br /></strong><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Agh. Straty</td></tr>
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But political exile/detention with was no vacation, especially on Makronisos if you were forced to carry a large boulder uphill on your back while tangled up in barbed wire. <strong>95% of all detainees finally gave into the programs of "reeducation," disavowing their beliefs and signing on the proverbial dotted line to go home. </strong>There are too many stories "pou then leyontai" (which cannot be discussed), despite the creation of the museums, annual pilgrimages and a free press. Fearful former exiles <strong>destroyed documents to protect their children...or maybe to cover up their own capitulations. Many NEVER spoke about time spent</strong> on Makronisos, Agh. Straty, Trikeri, or any other island of torture and dehumanization.<br />
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<strong>It was, after all, a period in Greek history defined by a cruel Civil War*</strong> that followed the German/Italian occupations: Government forces (supported by the UK and USA) versus Communist insurgents (supported by the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria and Albania) who had also fought as partisans during WWII. Brother against brother. Neighbor against neighbor. Too much of what happened then is still under wraps with the hope perhaps that certain people will forget or simply fade away -- a <strong>sentiment shared here in Naousa, where bitterness and mistrust still simmer under the cover of normalcy. </strong>Occasionally some bit of information slips out if you dig deep enough, but the cycle of silence continues...<br />
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Some Greeks disgusted by the current financial/political situation<strong> </strong>have rather casually dared to say: "Bring back the Junta, they gave us discipline and built roads." <strong>Those people should be first in line to visit Makronisos on June 3rd for a much-needed reality check...never forget, or ever repeat!</strong><br />
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<strong>NOTE:</strong> Visit Makronisos** by calling PEKAM (National Union of Those Held on Makronisos) at 210-3247820 or by sending an email to <a href="mailto:info@pekam.org.gr">info@pekam.org.gr</a><strong>. </strong>The <a href="http://www.pekam.org.gr/istoria/syntoma-istorika-stoixeia.html" target="_blank">Makronisos Museum</a> at 31 Asomaton Street is open on Tuesday-Friday 10 am - 1pm and on Saturday-Sunday 11am-2pm <strong>free of charge</strong>. The <a href="http://www.exile-museum.gr/" target="_blank">Museum of Political Exile</a> has identical hours Tuesday-Friday, but is closed Saturday-Sunday. <br />
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*<strong>For a very good understanding of this terrible time in Greek history, please read ELENI by Nicolas Gage (Random House, 1983)</strong><br />
**Makronisos became a Greek Historic Landmark on May 16, 1989 [1285/24255], a decision signed by then Minister of Culture, Melina Mercouri.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-628993833934969015.post-71133234421729054362018-03-19T12:16:00.002-04:002018-03-19T12:50:39.446-04:00Poignant "Never Again" Remembrances in Thessaloniki (aka Salonika)A bad cold prevented me from traveling to Thessaloniki yesterday for the 6th Annual silent march from downtown Liberty Square to the Old Train Station -- under the banner of <strong>“Never Again: 75 years since the first train departed for the Auschwitz-Birkenau camps”</strong> <strong>and led by 92-year-old Holocaust survivor Moshe Aelion in his wheel chair.</strong> Marchers laid flowers on the tracks, lit candles and wrote messages on the old train carriages. I was there in spirit. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Photo Credit: GreekReporter.com)</td></tr>
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<strong>The Jewish people have been an important part of this corner of the world </strong><a href="http://www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/education/learning_environments/salonika/salonika.asp" target="_blank"><strong>for centuries</strong></a><strong>,</strong> but the German Occupation changed everything. Imagine the horror facing Greek Jews who could not escape deportation. Or that of non-Jews forced to bear witness, some who intervened however they could. When I worked at the American Farm School circa 1968-78, I knew both Jews who had been hidden and those who had hidden them. <strong>Nevertheless, </strong><a href="http://www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/education/learning_environments/salonika/salonika.asp#10" target="_blank"><strong>48,533 (mostly Sephardic) Jews left Salonika</strong></a><strong> for Auschwitz on those trains between March 20 and August 18, 1943.</strong> Others arrived to Treblinka and other camps for a total of 54,000. In all, 65,000 Greek Jews perished in the Holocaust.<br />
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A series of annual events has been established <strong>to pay respect to both the Jews who perished and Salonika's rich Jewish heritage. </strong>Two years ago, children from six primary schools in the neighborhoods of that train station were asked to imagine the journey of children who got on those trains, <strong>resulting in amazing heart-breaking creations that were later exhibited.</strong> In the words of Mayor Ioannis Boutaris: “The story of the Jewish matter had been swept under the carpet. We decided to gradually showcase the city’s Jewish identity. <strong>You cannot build the future if you don’t know the past."</strong> <br />
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The future will include a <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/rivlin-greek-pm-lay-foundation-stone-for-thessaloniki-holocaust-museum/" target="_blank">Holocaust Museum</a> (to be built over the train station), a metropolitan park with an olive tree planted for every Thessaloniki Jew who perished, and potentially a Jewish School to support the current 1300-4500 member (depending on who's counting) Jewish Community. <strong>Unfortunately this wave of goodwill was marred this past January</strong> <strong>by the defacing of Thessaloniki's Holocaust Memorial</strong> in the name of the ultra-right party Golden Dawn, a group embodying the populist movements sweeping Europe in response to the Syrian refugee crisis and emboldened by the hardships on the Greek people due to the financial crisis. (<strong>Should I mention that there are currently 65,000 refugees trapped in Greece?)</strong><br />
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<strong>The good news is that some Salonika Jews returned home after the war to rebuild their lives -- </strong> like the family of Heinz Kounio, owners of a camera store founded 100 years ago. They managed to survive because they spoke German and were put to work in several locations before being rescued in Austria by US forces led by General George Patton. Kounio's is the oldest camera shop in Greece <strong>and a tribute to Jewish resilience -- a beautiful and amazing story recently profiled in the </strong><a href="https://forward.com/scribe/395920/this-greek-camera-shop-is-a-testament-to-jewish-resilience/" target="_blank"><strong>Forward</strong></a><strong>.</strong> </div>
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That must-read story rang familiar to me on several levels, <strong>as I had once met Flora Lazar Schneider (mother: last name Kounio) whose parents managed to leave Thessaloniki before the war</strong>...so two weeks ago I went to 24 Komninon Street. Speaking with Heinz Kounio's granddaughter Nora and looking at the graphics on the wall outlining the store's history, it became evident that <strong>this was the place that I had all my Kodak Instamatic photos developed more than 40 years ago. </strong>And it was just blocks away from the renowned Molho's Bookstore -- which, unfortunately, no longer exists -- where I picked up a copy of the <em>International Herald Tribune</em> every Saturday. <strong>They were simply the best camera store and bookstore in town -- and are now part of a lasting Jewish legacy in Thessaloniki, aka Salonika.</strong></div>
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<strong>NOTE: </strong>There is an excellent and relatively new Jewish Museum in downtown Thessaloniki at Agiou Mina 13 and another excellent Jewish Museum in downtown Athens at Nikis 39. Closed Saturdays! </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-628993833934969015.post-32411737769677072382018-03-09T06:59:00.000-05:002018-03-10T13:16:25.700-05:00International Women's Day, then Easter...no contest.<div>
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<strong>It's not like Greece is way behind on the issue of equal rights.</strong>
There is a whole government program in place for that. The "dowry" system was
abolished by the Socialist government in 1982, when <strong>another law also allowed women to
keep their maiden names</strong>. And last October I viewed an extensive exhibit dedicated to feminist activity 1974-1990 at the Parliament Foundation building in Athens where books, posters, demo memorabilia, etc. looked amazingly familiar...</div>
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<strong>So I was rather
shocked</strong> <strong>to hear that a Girls School grad's husband would not allow
her to have lunch with us in Thessaloniki on the occasion of International Women's
Day (March 8th).</strong> She has attended other get-togethers, no problem. And the day is actually acknowledged in Greece where women do get together to party even in villages. So what was up with that?<br />
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<strong>Well! Seems
like some men get crankily insecure around here</strong> at the thought of a day dedicated
to the advancement of women's rights, undermining the notion that women may be at least somewhat liberated. <strong>It looks like a pretty modern society, however, it
is not</strong>...on several levels. Sure, you can sometimes fold old-fashioned habits
into the cultural landscape and say no problem. <strong>Other times, when you are confronted
with clear-cut male entitlement issues, it is not so easy.</strong> Women may have some
legal entitlements complete with outspoken political views (finally!), and also look modern in dress or hanging out/going on trips with their friends. <strong>But when push comes to shove</strong> you better provide and literally put food on the table every single day, run around 24/7 caring for grandchildren (my pet peeve!), and generally play the part of Greek wife/mother with all of its tasks/constraints. <strong>Yes, looks can indeed be rather deceiving...</strong></div>
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And now, here comes Easter. While we may be familiar with certain rituals and
preparations -- like Friday night services, fried cod on March 25th, dying eggs red on Good Thursday, and procuring/cleaning entrails for maghiritsa soup -- <strong>there is one set of chores not so well-know in the States: cleaning the whole
house from stem to stern (think mandatory Spring Cleaning on steroids), </strong>typically involving taking down/washing/ironing all
the curtains and washing all the rugs -- thank God for washing machines! Not to mention, mostly in the
villages, <strong>the whitewashing of inner walls and outside walkways, etc.</strong> All of this is done by the women except for some whitewashing and help with heavy objects, transport needs and the like. <strong>Oh, and don't you dare ask your son to help with these chores </strong>as he will probably be too busy hanging out with his friends when not working. Thus, all Greeks are simply not created equal. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhblC-9CjzEVwBKJV0-4KqYD5mlSRbHh1HQX4mpV4G9aUuExWnmXzCNMTa-HidDL8Kl7IOdu_1B0a5mW1M_zksPyjczTBRtKao58dR0H2mrGW4j0ewJADv0s4zix6isoHwTyPk050TAQn4/s1600/IMG_20170415_111212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhblC-9CjzEVwBKJV0-4KqYD5mlSRbHh1HQX4mpV4G9aUuExWnmXzCNMTa-HidDL8Kl7IOdu_1B0a5mW1M_zksPyjczTBRtKao58dR0H2mrGW4j0ewJADv0s4zix6isoHwTyPk050TAQn4/s320/IMG_20170415_111212.jpg" width="240" /></a><strong>The Easter season in Greece, however, is something to behold -- especially Holy Week. </strong>Two years ago, I spent Easter in my Papou's village of Kyparissi, Lakonias, and joined the many visiting Greeks who ate fabulous maghiritsa at the Trocadero restaurant after church -- and by reservation, no less. Last year, I went to Corfu, with dueling epitafia on Friday and red crockery of all sizes thrown from balconies on Saturday. <strong>This year I will spend Easter in Naousa for the first time.</strong></div>
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Kalo Pascha, Happy Easter!</div>
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NOTE: Must mention that the financial crisis in Greece might have abated on paper and in some news stories -- <strong>but still NO trickle down effect to the everyday, austerity-bitten consumer living on pensions cut many times with increased fees/taxes and 22% unemployment.</strong> Greece has the lowest consumer sentiment index in the European Union, no surprise there. Let's see how many people actually roast whole lambs on Easter Sunday...</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-628993833934969015.post-41514651576610437122018-02-22T19:43:00.000-05:002018-02-22T20:00:28.394-05:00Picture worth a thousand words...News of Mary Theocharides leaving us this week was <strong>hard to swallow on several levels</strong>.<br />
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The Theocharides family was an important part of the Stockton St. Basil's Greek Community for many years before moving to Thessaloniki and the American Farm School circa 1960. There were many good (verging on crazy) times <strong>in the days when the church really was the center of our lives. </strong>Harry, Mary, Terry and Nico were part of the Xanttopoulos/Sarris families, too. And to make a very long story short, <strong>our ties -- from Stockton, to Thessaloniki (where I was for 10 years at the School) and back again -- run deep.</strong><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinEOjqTBj34-wM7S6ioxAV5J02pS36DT2tAB2Pkslsq7pG_SDK5TixHY7UUvqzryH96KEd-cSUWFbzPDyX4U2n1ZWo7HZWM_CUe3qB3ziGfREbyklQWRzfuIg2nF4GeeMMw5iXn6qFsNk/s1600/Yiayia+Thea+Mary+T.+Harry%2527s+Mom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1048" data-original-width="1284" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinEOjqTBj34-wM7S6ioxAV5J02pS36DT2tAB2Pkslsq7pG_SDK5TixHY7UUvqzryH96KEd-cSUWFbzPDyX4U2n1ZWo7HZWM_CUe3qB3ziGfREbyklQWRzfuIg2nF4GeeMMw5iXn6qFsNk/s320/Yiayia+Thea+Mary+T.+Harry%2527s+Mom.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong> Evgenia Sarris, Mary Theocharides, Liberty Sarris and Harry's mother</strong>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<strong><br /></strong><br />
Terry and Nico will surely have many great stories to tell after their mother's funeral at St. Basil's on Friday at 10 am. But this isn't just about memories and stories. <strong>It's really about an entire and in many ways heroic generation -- along with their belief system and work ethic -- having left us one-by-one. </strong>And that is VERY hard to swallow.<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-family: inherit;">May </span>dear Mary's memory -- and those of all our parents/relatives -- be eternal. Zoi se mas.</strong><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-628993833934969015.post-65247881333159074382018-02-02T15:40:00.000-05:002018-02-07T00:06:03.285-05:00Naousean skier will carry the Greek flag at the Olympic Games!As I prepare to return to my father's hometown of Naousa for my fourth 3-month stay, I am really looking forward to Apokries. <strong>This is a super special time in Naousa, where the Carnival tradition is nothing like we see on TV</strong> <strong>from other parts of Greece or Rio or New Orleans. In Naousa it is all about the proud tradition of the "Yenitsari and Boules,"</strong> which dates back centuries -- even during the dark 400 years of the Ottoman Empire, when money collected during the celebrations was hidden under the skirt of the Boules (men) to buy food and supplies for the Macedonian Freedom Fighters. <strong>Each year the entire city follows a specific program of preparation, procession route ("dromemo"), and songs/dances that NEVER changes.</strong> Greeks come from all over to see this amazing, historic spectacle.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNYXOcSVI022ddu_EnOuCKx5ejepoGQ_djZkeP2YHFGPLul-4xVwQi-ffb3tPSSxdxfEXI_gTvMOiTEYh-BADhxJiG2K3H0riAoKRjkxfj2oWAPS5W-S-nt5_B2YzrvsHpXKm-_dQp56E/s1600/IMG_20170219_122658.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNYXOcSVI022ddu_EnOuCKx5ejepoGQ_djZkeP2YHFGPLul-4xVwQi-ffb3tPSSxdxfEXI_gTvMOiTEYh-BADhxJiG2K3H0riAoKRjkxfj2oWAPS5W-S-nt5_B2YzrvsHpXKm-_dQp56E/s320/IMG_20170219_122658.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
By "Tsiknopempti" (Thursday, February 8th), preparations will be at a fever pitch.<strong> But this year there will be something extra in the mix: the opening that day of the XXIII Olympic Games</strong> in <span class="st">PyeongChang, South Korea. And as we learned a few months ago, <strong>Sophia Rally from Naousa will carry the Greek flag in the opening ceremonies. Wow!</strong></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWFR-Tzq0Wn9JwK5uVIxp7Trp_1u6kzygX8abbk9sh_zp4tMi_5CXEmyD1F5uwSDM6Yz-W5LkEdiUhvWSYzzsSDGluKrnNKHNRoUUhqfoEId_dASesHxtjKlfJaCStuQcq81wbM02PheU/s1600/IMG_20171028_225520.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWFR-Tzq0Wn9JwK5uVIxp7Trp_1u6kzygX8abbk9sh_zp4tMi_5CXEmyD1F5uwSDM6Yz-W5LkEdiUhvWSYzzsSDGluKrnNKHNRoUUhqfoEId_dASesHxtjKlfJaCStuQcq81wbM02PheU/s320/IMG_20171028_225520.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="st"><strong>On October 28th, the Olympic Flame came to Naousa</strong> on its way to The Games. Sophia proudly ran it into Platia Karanatsou and lit the cauldron for the poignant ceremonies. We were reminded that <strong>Naousa -- being located in the foothills of Mt. Vermion with access to the ski areas of 3-5 Pigadia and Seli -- has a rich winter Olympic tradition dating back to 1956.</strong> The names of all Naouseans who have skied in the Games were read aloud, and the Odeio Choir braved the cold to serenade our Korean visitors as did the young "Naousa Glee" singers. Beautiful!</span></div>
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<span class="st"><strong>Sophia will actually be competing in her third Olympic Games</strong> along with a few other local skiers. And when she marches into the stadium holding that flag on "Tsiknopempti", all Naouseans will be very proud -- and some will even raise a glass or two of Naousa's renown Xinomavro wine* in her honor...</span><span class="st"><strong>It will be quite a party, wherever you are!</strong></span></div>
<span class="st"><br /></span><br />
<span class="st"></span><span class="st">*Wine lovers should be on the lookout for<strong> </strong>Episode #106 of <em>My Greek Table with Diane Kochilas</em> (PBS.) <strong>"A Bite of Greek Red Wine' is about the production of Naousa's Xinomavro -- double opa!</strong></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-628993833934969015.post-41073842006316713022017-11-18T00:02:00.001-05:002018-02-12T23:01:19.871-05:00Inspiration from an 89-year-old Naousa Facebooker!<div class="separator" style="border-image: none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6qk5xpL3Q4YZbds-7dxuL3RTDPT4463Ly9kN5fyZhhAy71yizOwc28RCiMfzWh6Zx9yWXI1YsZtEM3PPn5u2-RIknf7n-ZgiYKqcho84Y7TR3ujhRrwJ6Lz2HsbUt81921Jai4CceulA/s1600/IMG_20171104_191459.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6qk5xpL3Q4YZbds-7dxuL3RTDPT4463Ly9kN5fyZhhAy71yizOwc28RCiMfzWh6Zx9yWXI1YsZtEM3PPn5u2-RIknf7n-ZgiYKqcho84Y7TR3ujhRrwJ6Lz2HsbUt81921Jai4CceulA/s320/IMG_20171104_191459.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Sometimes a writer needs inspiration, especially when wondering if a book in my head will ever make it to the printed page...<strong>I recently got a big dose of that in my Greek hometown of Naousa</strong> when getting to know more about Manolis Valsamides, a legendary local historian who has written 23 books. <strong>His latest, <em>Psifidhes </em></strong><strong><em>Istorika </em></strong><strong><em>Vol. 6,</em> was unveiled at a packed public event that not only inspired me, but gave me new insight into the Naousa psyche. </strong></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
"The Heroic Town of Naousa" is a fascinating place located just below the ski line and bifurcated by the ever-downward-rushing Arapitsa River. The town was officially designated "Heroic" by King Paul in 1955 in recognition of all-out efforts to gain independence from the Turks in 1822 -- <strong>an uprising that resulted in Naousa being burned to the ground, but which also taxed Turkish forces so much as to facilitate the independence of Greece in the Peloponnesus.</strong> Only the small Profit Ilias church and three people survived that watershed event. Then, the rebuild from scratch.</div>
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<strong>For a town of only 23,000 people, Naousa is surprisingly flush with activity</strong>: an indoor and outdoor theater, a first class ski venue with its history of local winter Olympians, lectures/seminars/book readings, an indoor swimming facility adjacent to the renown St. Nicholas Grove (with its tennis courts), music events of all shapes/sizes, a large movie theater, numerous traditional organizations/dance groups, <strong>and the historic Carnival tradition which lasts about 2 weeks...not to mention being ground zero for the fabled </strong><a href="http://www.xinomavronaoussa.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Xinomavro</strong></a><strong> grape and 19 area wineries.</strong> </div>
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<strong>But Naousa also seems to have a few chips on her august shoulders. </strong></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
This I understood better when presenters for the Valsamides book emphasized the detailed recounting of Naousa's "heroic" times as information that some had not been totally aware of. They expressed wonder at Mr. Manolis' prodigious output, <strong>but focused on the fact that this chunk of Naousa history has not been written about as much as the stories of the independence movement/heroes from southern Greece -- where, in fact, some of the Naousa freedom-fighters escaped to in 1822 to became heroes yet again.</strong> Naousa simply didn't have chroniclers like Lord Byron and Kostis Palamas, <strong>so she was kind of left out of the historical narrative. That had been deemed an "injustice." </strong></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<strong>Valsamides' newest book helps right that wrong</strong>. He described his book as both "a product and a dialogue." For the grand finale he shared the news that in 1932 a journalist had interviewed a nun purported to be the 110-year-old daughter of Naousa freedom-fighter Dimitrios Tsamis Karatasou. <strong>The crowd was stunned...but no more stunned than I upon hearing that "Kyrios Manolis" at 89 is Internet savvy with a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100007292470093" target="_blank">Facebook page</a>. I immediately ran home and friended him. Very soon thereafter he both accepted and answered my questions on the nun story!</strong></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<strong>About 10 days later, Manolis Valsamides posted a lengthy and rather urgent request for help researching the above matter</strong> -- for people to look for various Thessaloniki newspaper articles for the period 1931-1940. "This is a difficult topic," he wrote. "It needs deep research, so we can find facts that can be cross-checked...Every bit of help is welcome. Search!"<strong> This from a historian who was not going off half-cocked because he was on to something. He will be satisfied only when he has proven facts worthy of his next book.</strong> </div>
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Now, that's inspiration.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-628993833934969015.post-4921122002973147592017-10-15T00:15:00.000-04:002018-02-09T13:09:50.141-05:00What goes around, comes around...<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Last
week, the 3rd AFS Girls School Reunion took place at the Asylo Paidiou
("Children's Refuge") on a chilly Sunday morning. <strong>No one seemed to mind
that we had to cram into the dining hall instead of sitting outside,</strong> <strong>
since we were back on our old stomping grounds.</strong> The Girls School complex
had became a campus of the Asylo Paidiou (</span><a href="http://asylopaidiou.gr/"><span style="font-family: inherit;">asylopaidiou.gr</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">) in 1978
after a destructive earthquake hit downtown Thessaloniki. It was summer,
and they needed a place to bring the children. Thus our beloved school
-- where I worked for many years -- ceased to exist as such. <strong>But the
main building and the spirit of the place live on.</strong></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Last year we took a leap of faith and approached the ED of the
Asylo Paidiou -- a non-profit with a variety of children's educational
programs -- about having a picnic there on a Sunday afternoon so that
the Girls School grads could revisit their many good memories. <strong>The
response? Wonderful idea, we will put out tables and welcome you with
open arms. And they have done just that, 2 years running.</strong></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-gmSQ6zYkAACaU8PckZC3ApWszzgHycTR7NahGKP2Lg88Z3TQ_bniV_LiTvR5IUlgueQm5-qPXyVb9cWmN7AcYqJjgWYuPD_5FO4eyQ_JIIMq9lT7JgAjfbDCBLHYhRCaC3hmvDnAn1Y/s1600/picmix-43.691-774846.jpg" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" id="aolmail_aolmail_BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6477275293076456674" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-gmSQ6zYkAACaU8PckZC3ApWszzgHycTR7NahGKP2Lg88Z3TQ_bniV_LiTvR5IUlgueQm5-qPXyVb9cWmN7AcYqJjgWYuPD_5FO4eyQ_JIIMq9lT7JgAjfbDCBLHYhRCaC3hmvDnAn1Y/s320/picmix-43.691-774846.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>The grads are now organized into a sorority of sorts ("Syndesmos
Kakavinon")</strong> whose purpose is to reconnect the 275 or so "girls" who
attended the home economics/handicrafts Girls School from 1967-78. <strong>Most
have now come to at least one reunion, even some who attended for only one year! And all have the updated contact
info of their classmates</strong> -- spawning smaller gatherings and coffee
klatches, plus a whole lot of telephone talk. They even have their own
(secret) Facebook page.</span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>We have also reconnected with women who attended the original Girls
School on those premises as run by the Quakers from 1945-1967.</strong> Six
reunion attendees graduated in 1947, 1948, and 1950. They first came to
the School during an ugly Civil War to live away from home in wooden
barracks that had been built by the Germans to house the staff of
American Farm School during WWII. <strong>What an honor to meet those
enthusiastic women!</strong></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Moving forward, the Girls School grads have been invited to come
again...<strong>and there are preliminary plans for a next reunion in 2019, when
Asylo Paidiou will be celebrating 100 years of public service.</strong> We want
to continue our relationship with that special place, whose spirit is
so much like that of the Girls School. Even as a department of the
American Farm School, <strong>we were located on a separate campus which created
a special bond and family feeling. Walking through the halls now, you
can sense the same feeling. </strong></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Indeed,
some Girls School grads will be donating items for Asylo Paidiou's big
fund-raising "bazaar" November 25-26. They want to be more involved
with helping those children, especially during the (dratted) financial
crisis. <strong>It's a beautiful thing.</strong></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>What goes around, comes around.</strong> </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">PS:
The reunion program included a drawing for 14 prizes donated from
businesses owned by grads -- from hotel stays in Halkidiki to a
hand-painted icon -- for the benefit of the Asylo Paidiou. <strong>We raised 634 EU
($752) to go along with our heartfelt thanks for making us feel right at
home.</strong></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "slate pro" , sans-serif , sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone.</span></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">--</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Posted By Paula to <a href="http://greekamericanfamilynotes.blogspot.com/2017/10/what-goes-around-come-around.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Greek-American Family Notes... </a> at 10/15/2017 06:55:00 PM</span></span><br />
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</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-628993833934969015.post-89637034588870689672017-09-20T16:23:00.001-04:002017-12-05T10:57:38.475-05:00The Game-Changing Salonika/Thessaloniki Fire of 1917 <span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>Ever wonder why Thessaloniki is such a beautiful, well-ordered Greek city in comparison to the helter-skelter, traffic-choked capital Athens?</strong></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">While trying to come to grips with devastating hurricanes and earthquakes, I saw a jarring yet uplifting 60-minute
film entitled <strong>"Thessaloniki1917, the fire that birthed a city."</strong> It
showed with amazing documentation -- moving pictures, photos and
testimony -- how a good part of the city <strong>burned down 100 years ago and
was then re-imagined/rebuilt.</strong> Not, of course, before many residents
suffered great loss and displacement. Sound familiar?</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I
had learned at the Thessaloniki Jewish Museum that the fire had
decimated the Jewish community, but it was more complicated than that. <strong>In
August1917, a bustling "Salonika" -- as Thessaloniki was then known --
had about 158,000 residents, mostly Jews.</strong> She was a diverse commercial
hub only recently freed from the Ottoman Turks, basically under French
command, and hosting 200-300,000 French etc. troops. <strong>It was very dry at the time, and as food was cooked over open flames there were frequent fires.</strong> The troop encampments to the west of the city consumed a lot of the available water.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<div style="border-image: none;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>An initial small fire spawned a 3-day nightmare waiting
to happen,</strong> with huge flames spreading while people watched in
disbelief from various vantage points. The Vardari wind turned those
flames southward, and suddenly the restaurants and hotels quayside were
also burning. People were running everywhere along very narrow streets
trying to save themselves and a few belongings. <strong>Slow to respond, the French forces did too little too late.</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "slate pro" , sans-serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>75,000
people were rendered homeless:</strong> 54,000 Jews (many of whom emigrated to
France and Palestine), 11,000 Muslims, and 10,000 Christians. 16
synagogues were lost along with 12 mosques and 3 churches. Gone
were the market areas at the city's core and most of the historic
eastside. 3 camps were set up, and 20,000 people lived in tents while
many elders perished. <strong>Message to the outside world: <span style="font-family: inherit;">"Old Salonika
Finished!"</span></strong></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "slate pro" , sans-serif , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>Enter Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos, who had a very soft spot in
his heart for Salonika.</strong> Three months after the fire he went to work on a
plan for rebuilding the city, to be followed by a succession of
leaders/planners that created the new Thessaloniki -- but not before more synagogues came down and small businesses were closed. Deeds for
property were sold at open auctions displacing more people. Add to that
many, many refugees that poured in from Asia Minor in 1923. The rich
took advantage of the poor, eliminating the middle class. <strong>Real people
paid a price for progress.</strong></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "slate pro" , sans-serif , sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>Nevertheless, a new "Greek city" emerged, with a vertical axis north and south of Platia Aristotelous.</strong> Planner Hebrard saved the historic
Ano Polis, while cross streets with marketplaces were included downtown
to bring back the flavor of Old Salonika. The urban plan hatched in the
ashes of 1917 became the Thessaloniki of today -- and <strong>the envy of many
in that the main square opens down to the sea, the only large European city
to do so.</strong> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">That's why Thessaloniki is so beautiful and well-ordered -- because of
the Game-Changing Fire of 1917, a remarkable piece of history that seems
too familiar as we watch destruction in the Caribbean, Florida and
Mexico. <strong>And as everyone is asking, "What's next?"</strong></span></div>
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Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone. </div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-628993833934969015.post-76983537517611126952017-09-17T06:45:00.000-04:002017-12-05T10:40:28.179-05:0082nd Thessaloniki International Fair + China = Game on!<div class="mobile-photo">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Been too long since I had last attended the Thessaloniki International Fair. <strong>But what really caught my attention was this year's "honored country," China...especially after reading the NYT article "Chastised by E.U., a Resentful Greece Embraces China's Cash and Interests"</strong> updated online August 27th, the day I came back to Greece. You can say what you want about leftwing PM Alexis Tsipras -- who recently also organized a love fest in Athens with France's President Macron -- <strong>but he's no capitalist slouch!</strong></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO4DRRYcrdqZ8IeNbV96ePDFGd7uVB4fgOQjsNbQuTKSeCQP6fJt2bUUYznJDv8gZ8qu1p15hUEvRBdoHoKX0Dhuyx11l6zxs_PdCt-ddmfVEkfyjkOACPyWPNIjt4rUI6HvTW600AdNg/s1600/picmix-45.646-727345.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6466697014055424210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO4DRRYcrdqZ8IeNbV96ePDFGd7uVB4fgOQjsNbQuTKSeCQP6fJt2bUUYznJDv8gZ8qu1p15hUEvRBdoHoKX0Dhuyx11l6zxs_PdCt-ddmfVEkfyjkOACPyWPNIjt4rUI6HvTW600AdNg/s320/picmix-45.646-727345.jpg" /></a></div>
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The Fair (since 1926, minus time-outs for war) is basically a trade fair, <strong>with many interesting pavilions which run the gamut.</strong> Let's just say that I tasted a lot of cheese from Crete. Also saw a jarring 1-hour movie titled "Thessaloniki 1917: The fire that birthed a city." An, of course, I LOVED the Nescafe "Frappe Museum" -- <strong>the frappe having been (accidentally) invented at the 1957 Fair.</strong> Lucky to stumble upon the fascinating radio museum as I was exiting. But I was most curious about Pavilion #13.<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "slate pro" , sans-serif , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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The Chinese seemed to have spared no expense to put their best industrial/technological foot forward (see photos),<strong> in a country that they consider a linchpin of their "One Belt, One Road" economic campaign to move into Europe and anywhere else they can.</strong> Proof of that is their moves on the Port of Piraeus, where COSCO Shipping has invested heavily since 2008. By 2016, COSCO owned 51 percent of the Piraeus Port Authority, transforming it into the busiest Mediterranean port. Another big-time (currently stalled) investment revolves around the development of the former Athens Ellinikon Airport property. <strong>Lots of serious -- some say practically neo-colonialistic, for better or worse -- Chinese business in a country trying to become solvent again. </strong></div>
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Tsipras had opposed the port's privatization when he was elected in 2015 -- <strong>but in the face of tortuous and unrelenting EU austerity measures, he chose to be nice and deal with a country throwing money, modernization and progress Greece's way </strong>since the beginning of the financial crisis in 2008. In return, Greece has been China's political friend when it counted, even casting questionable EU vetos -- and <strong>causing Europeans to complain that Greece is abandoning it European alliances.</strong> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "slate pro" , sans-serif , sans-serif;">You must read that NYT article for a thorough report on 10 years of Greece-China economic/political relations. Therein, a prominent </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "slate pro" , sans-serif , sans-serif;">Dutch EU Parliament member is quoted as saying that <strong>"...the EU is not only a market, but first and foremost a community of values." Really?</strong></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Costas Douzinas (head of the Greek Parliament's foreign affairs and defense committee) said this: "If you're down and and someone slaps you and someone else gives you an alm, <strong>when you can do something in return, who will you help, the one who helped you or the one who slapped you?"</strong></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>Game on!</strong></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">NOTE: Last year's "honored country," much to my dismay, was Russia. Indeed Barack Obama visited Greece after last year's election primarily because of fears that Putin was gaining too much traction here. If there was a Russian display of any kind this time, I didn't run into it.<strong> Hacking, fake news, and sports doping do not, after all, put food on Greek tables</strong></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "slate pro" , sans-serif , sans-serif;"><strong>.</strong></span></div>
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Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0