Parga....just 15 minutes away...

For any of you who have visited this area, we are very near a major Greek Holiday resort, Parga. Last week, I visited the town, to see friends, and I was taken aback by the difference in such a short distance. As I walked down the "tourkobazaro" which is a cobbled, steep, narrow lane running through the centre of Parga, all I could hear was " ooh, this would be great for ...." or " gosh, it's hot, shall we go for a beer". Yes, the town was flooded with Brits, spending their vacations in this part of Greece. I must tell you that due to the lack of native speakers around here, when I here English spoken by a native, I get a tingly feeling all over. It's a funny sensation, as nostalgia and surprise seem to take over my senses, and all I want to do is stop and start having a chat with the nearest available tourist. It may seem funny to a lot of people, and disturbing to anybody I am with at the time, but this is why I always get excited about visits to Parga during the summer months. Another thing I like about it is how picturesque it is. Houses seem to have been built upon each other around the small port, each lane leading to a different place, hiding small shops and restaurants. Flowers of all colours adorn doorways, window ledges and gates, and just like the local people, they have become a part of the attraction of the area.

The views are tremendous from wherever you stand, wherever you sit. Watching the sailing boats coming in and out of the harbour, visiting the local historical sites, lying on a beach with the green hills and cliffs around you gives you a feeling of being in another world, where nature and modern life seem to have made a deal to work together.

At night all the local sights are lit up and the effect is superb, and when there is a full moon, well...it seems that the world starts and stops here. But don't just take my word for it...add it to your list of "places to visit".....

Amalia.....a cause worth fighting for

This article has been copied from the blog www.giatinamalia-blog.blogspot.com which I read today. Giving doctor's money for services which they are obligated to provide is something that all Greeks have become used to. Some day this must stop. Amalia's blog is a written documentation of how her struggle with cancer touched the hearts of the people and some true and decent doctors, but also of how yet another person struggles against a system with rules that are consistently broken. Amalia ... for you ...

This one is for Amalia…

"Every patient has the right to being respected and maintaining his dignity."
(Greek law, article 47, L.2071/1992)

"Quacks should be the exception, you guys, not the norm…"
(Amalia Kalyvinou , 1977-2007)

Since the age of 8, Amalia Kalyvinou started having pains. Despite her numerous visits to doctors and several admissions to hospitals, no-one managed to diagnose her in time with the benign neurinoma of her lower extremity, which was the actual diagnosis at that point. 17 years later, Amalia was told that the neurinoma had transformed by then into a malignant tumour.For the next 5 years, Amalia not only had to fight with the cancerous disease and amputation, but also with a corrupt Greek National Health System: it ignores (by choice) the ongoing patient-to-doctor bribery and insists on time-consuming bureaucratic methods and practices. Besides radiotherapy and chemotherapy, Amalia had to face the financial exploitation by doctors that stood opposite to rather than by her side. On top of her pain, she had to endure the greediness of private clinics and the exhaustingly long waiting queues of the health insurance system, in order to get legal approval for some ridiculously low financial compensation.Amalia passed away on Friday, May the 25th, 2007. She was just 30 years old.Before dying, she managed to document her experience and share it with us in her blog http://fakellaki.blogspot.com/. The promising literature graduate named in there each and every one of the doctors she had to bribe, praising at the same time the ones that honoured the Hippocratic Oath. Her testimony moved thousands of people that stood by her side all the way to the end."Amalia's main aim was to tell her story, so that she could awaken as many people and as many consciences as possible. She mainly wanted to show that there are ways to resist not only the self-regulation and authority of dishonest and heartless doctors, but also the bureaucrats of the Health System."(Dikaia Tsavari & Georgia Kalyvinou – Amalia's mother & sister)According to the Greek law, it is considered a major disciplinary offence for the doctors of the Greek National Health System to:"Accept bonus and especially any compensation or property grant, for any medical service provided.” Amalia Kalyvinou fought for things that are taken for granted in a modern European country. Unfortunately, this is not the case for Greece. Continuing Amalia’s effort where she left off, we protest in public and we demand:
* THE STATE TO TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION TO STOP BRIBERY AND THE INEQUALITY BROUGHT IN THE TREATMENT OF PATIENTS.
* THE NATIONAL HEALTH COMMITTEE TO BE MORE FLEXIBLE SO AS PATIENTS STOP FALLING VICTIMS TO TIME-CONSUMING BUREAUCRATIC PROCESSES.
* THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO ENSURE STRICTER CONTROL ON THE RELATION OF DRUG COMPANIES – MEDICAL SERVICE.
* FULL UTILISIZATION OF CURRENTLY ABANDONED HOSPITAL INFRASTRUCTURE. CONTINUOUS AND COMPLETE SCIENTIFIC TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT FOR DOCTORS AND NURSES.
* CREATION OF A NATION-WIDE ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORD SYSTEM, TO SPEED UP PROMPT DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENTLET’S END THE HYPOCRISY OF THE ONES THAT GOVERN, WHO PREFER TO ALLOW DOCTORS TO BE BRIBED BY THEIR PATIENTS, INSTEAD OF PROVIDING THEM WITH A DECENT SALARY.* NO MORE BRIBERY
* NO MORE BUREAUCRACY
* NO MORE LIES WE DEMAND FREE AND EFFICACIOUS HEALTHCARE SERVICES FOR ALL.
Next time you’ll have to bribe a doctor, just don’t. Choose instead to make a donation. Amalia’s last wish was to contribute to the -under construction- Oncological Centre for Children. (Elpida foundation, tel no 0030210-7757153, email: http://giatinamalia-blog.blogspot.com/2007/05/info@elpida.org,Bank accounts: National bank of Greece, account no 080/480898-36, Alphabank account no 152-002-002-000-515. Please remember to quote that your donation is “for Amalia”)INTERNET MOVEMENT OF AMALIA’S FRIENDS

Why Greece....?

I read an article today, about why somebody should move to Greece for a while, maybe to work or study. The question raised was why Greece, or rather, why not anywhere else. I must admit it is a question I have asked myself on may occasions, and the answers may not always be what we are looking for, but they certainly are worth considering. Firstly, the whole Greek attitude to life seems somewhat philosophised. Work is work, but pleasure must be part of the daily routine. Whether it is a walk with the kids, a visit to a local cafe for coffee, meeting with friends at the beach, going for dinner at a seaside taverna, driving to a nearby resort or just strolling along the streets window shopping, there is always something you can do. History, mythology and culture all mingle with daily life, giving a different perspective on things. Just knowing the history of your area, or the people that live in this area, gives you a feeling that you could also become part of that history. Every place has a story, every person has a dream. Multi cultural societies are springing up left, right and centre, and people are even finding new meaning to their lives. Hospitality is a word that can be seen, felt and enjoyed throughout the country, and although the older generation has its flaws, younger people are now coming to terms with those flaws and attempting to change them. Greece is a country associated with bribery, looking the other way, and knowing people who know people. I know this, I live with this, but I am trying to change it. More and more people moving around Europe, searching for a place to live in a united continent, wanting to know more about the more ancient races have found a home here. Others, who cannot live in a society devoid of rules, just visit. But as I look out onto a deep blue sea, and hide from the sun under a clear, cloudless sky, my worries disappear as I answer the question Why Greece..? ...Because such beauty is rare and hard to find, so why not....?