Just registered...need help..please!

Hello sarokkia.

Welcome to Expat.com

You may in the meantime browse the different discussions on the Greece Forum for better insights.

Thanks.

Karen

hi just to tell you that as you are working in Pireas then its easier for you to live in the area,the rents are affordable there and its nice next to the sea,no travelling expences.Easy to catch ferry boats for little trips away.

Relax and enjoy Saroklia!

Things is Greece work sloooowwwwly! Try and secure temporary housing because you should arrive here first, find out where your jobs are and then with the help of a friend find an apartment that's convenient for commuting as it will be the biggest time waster of your life. Try to use public transportation or at most a motorcycle. Parking in Pireus is impossible and the back streets are so narrow with cars parked everywhere that circulation is impossible. But life is relaxed and enjoyable and since you are near the water, you will enjoy the best of what Greece has to offer.... it's coastline. The mountains are very dramatic but the coastline and the water is unique! December marks my first year here and I still feel very foreign. The culture shock is very heavy and the emotional response to living here is like a roller coaster! You europeans have an advantage over me!

hi nixterman,just to ask you how you are feeling now that you approach 1 year here?more unsure or you have settled down to the Greek way of life?if thats ever possible.I have been here a long time with my Greek husband and its only the fact that we escape to the countryside at our cottage that keeps us sane,the mountains and sea,lots of birds now this time of year,I miss my swifts who have returned to Africa but keep their nest accommodation in my garage for next year,their singing is beautiful.How do you spend your time here?To tell you that there is a wonderful ancient site at Elefsina,very large and worth a visit,and then there is Megara just after that which is very old,new flats but some wonderful old sites,it has a big history,lots of ancient remains.Near Loitraki there is a gorgeous sea fed lake which we swim in,very safe and shallow for a long way out.Near to it by the sea is a most wonderful ancient site set in a cove where you can swim,gorgeous,well worth a visit.Old Corinth is very nice,we drink barrel beer there and buy lovely local fresh food from houses selling by the road down country lanes.Sounds like Greek life is not so bad after all.Id be glad to hear how your doing,how you find things so far.All the best,Concertina

Hello Concertina!

Thank you for a very sweet message! I just completed a year in Greece. My feelings are mixed to tell you the truth. This country feels like its schizophrenic in many ways and that is driving me crazy! After a whole year I still feel like a tourist and i walk around town looking around as if I just landed from a different planet. I feel very vulnerable when I drive or even when I'm in other people's cars. Near misses abound and small accidents have occurred a few times, like a maniac whooshing by my friend's car and actually clipping his mirror at high speed! That's so hard to do even if you tried but then he told me that it's happened to him b4! Then there are all the motorbikes that do crazy, crazy things! I could go on about car experience to bore you silly! But there are some very nice parts of living here too! I really enjoyed the sea in the summer as I love to scuba and snorkel and the water is warm enough to stay in for hours without chilling. There are great cultural events that could not even be imagined back home that have to do with archeological excavations that I just suck in every detail. I am fascinated by trying to imagine how the ancient greeks lived and how their society was able to rise to levels that only now could be rivaled! So I'm torn. I love a lot of what Greece has to offer but I am appalled by the daily life that dulls those pleasures enough to make me want to go home. Every place has its good and not so good qualities and I try to think about that. In the end what i decide to do remains up in the air. For now, I am staying here. To answer your question directly, I don't expect to ever assimilate into greek life; its just too contrary to my way of thinking but that does not automatically mean that life here is impossible for me.

I live in the center of Athens under Lycabetus hill and so I enjoy walking in the city even if there is no reason to go anywhere. I love dense city life. I often head towards the Acropolis and sometimes scale the oldest parts of Plaka that fascinate me. I have friends that I go out with on occasion and I have a cousin who is Swiss/Greek -but much more Swiss than Greek- that lives here who has been my lifesaver as he has a similar mindset and is a foreigner who had to learn the things I am learning now.

I have visited ancient Elefsina and have been up the old city of Corinth but I do not know Megara nor do I know of the wonderful sounding swimming places you mention. It sounds like you've settled in pretty well. Well that's my first year here in a nutshell! I hope you enjoyed my message, it was fun to write it! I hope you are well and settling in for the winter. I am looking forward to warmer weather as I am not used to even this much cold weather! Brrr!

Hi,
I know what you mean about the way of living here in Athens.

I have few friends from other countries that came to live here. They were like you, but when they became part of this life, everything was much better.

My point is, that if you make some greek friends, you will adapt much better. You give the feel of a tourist, even after a year.

Best regards,

Kostas