No Time

Having been recently chastised for not updating my blog, I decided that it was about time to write up the latest news. The truth is that time is of the essence, and lately I have not been able to find enough of that luxurious state of mind.

Having been ill all of last week, I was ordered to stay at home and recover. During that week, I was appalled at the low quality of TV in this country. Now it is almost impossible to stay at home and not watch TV. I did read a lot, but as I read a lot anyway, I thought I would surrender myself to the sofa, and the TV - something that I really do not have time for. After one day, depression started to set in. After one week, I just felt like dying.

Early morning TV was filled with every social problem you can think of. People talking together, with really nothing interesting to say, apart from a whole lot of whinging, were actually preparing the rest of Greece for a good day !!! Then, when these early morning shows finish, the brunch shows begin, giving us lots of information on all the gossip - as if we really need to here about stars who are raking it in and what they are up to in their private lives. Then the rest of the day consists of more idle gossip, repeat TV shows and nothing in the least bit motivating. It is quite disappointing that if you do not have the financial ability to afford satellite tv, you actually have nothing to watch but trash - all day long.

A fairly new Greek Channel, SKAI tv, actually had a great morning programme up until the beginning of this month. I may be biased, but it was great to be able to watch documentaries from other parts of the world, great cookery programmes, and all in all something more motivating than any of the other channels. Unfortunately, they have also fallen into the trap of having a morning show, which for all its great quality, is really not what you need to feel that you are starting a new day.

Thank God I am now feeling well enough to be able to come to work, and fill my time with more imoprtant things. At least I do not feel the worlds problems looming over my head. The flu virus was nothing compared to the psychological and mental torture of Greek TV. Fortunately, some channels have the good sense to show movies and documentaries at night so that we can actually learn something or just be entertained...

ERT 3 in Perdika!!!!!!!!!

What a day!!!! Today our sleepy village awoke with a mission. A day filled with variety, with all our senses on alert, we all flocked our way to the village square to greet the film crew of one of the State owned channels, ERT 3, who were filming an episode of a regular Sunday afternoon programme "Sunday in the village". The crew had been here for three days filming the beaches, the nature reserves, the archaeological sites and many other things, but today was different. The village square had been transformed into what seemed like the set of a film. Traditional taverna tables and chairs had been set up to seat the village spokesmen and women, on one side of the square. On the other side, housewives displayed the local gastronomical delights they had made specially for the day. On each corner dance groups from the surrounding area, and our own, were on standby to show the local dances and in the centre, the orchestra was ready to start the day of festivities. The smell of the different meats cooking on spits filled the air. It was a day to be proud, a day to help, to be part of a community to show who we are to the rest of Greece. As I stood by, waiting to see my daughter dance, I found my feelings to be mixed. I have always been an active member of this community, someone who loves to see people unite in the name of tradition or culture or re education, but as an onlooker, I felt some disappointment. It seemed to be a question of being seen. People who rarely ventured from their homes, who rarely become united, who seldom take part in local activities, and hardly ever show community spirit, were now "showing" the world who they were. This was not negative , though...no...This was the good part, the part where people showed that when need be, they could become one. This was our day, a day in our lives, where we could say, look, we are part of Greece too. Look at the views here, Look at the deep Ionian see which lightly touches our sandy shores. Look at our fisherman, our farmers, our families. Look at what we offer. Yes, dressed in their Sunday best everyone turned out for the cameras. Everyone was there. Then I knew what that feeling was ...disappointment... knowing that tomorrow everyone and everything would be the same as yesterday.