Our 6-hour intro to Modern Greek Language was quite stressful. Before coming to Greece, I was convinced that I was going to sit in on the Modern Greek classes every week on top of doing my classwork. But, once I started trying (or, rather, failing) to speak Greek, I knew that that particular goal had gone down the drain.
Not to say that there was anything wrong with the class. Personally, I just found the 6-hour course really fast paced, overwhelming, and confusing. I couldn’t figure out the first few things, let alone figure out what Stella was trying to get us to say a little while later. I felt lost and idiotic the entire time. Being expected to understand and to speak a language I had never been exposed to before as soon as I walked in the door to class made me really anxious, and I left the classroom completely exhausted every time. There was so much information thrown at us all at once: a new alphabet, new letter/sound combinations, new language....so, so hard. There are also many sounds that various letters make that Americans simply cannot pronounce easily. Consonants and vowels that don't use your vocal cords at all? Phlegm-y, airy sounds that are nearly impossible to say, especially successfully with a straight face (at one point it sounded like I was making a noise that should have a karate chop motion attached)? I had the hardest time trying to pronounce the gamma sound correctly at first.
This turned out to be a serious test of my will - although I really wanted to learn as much Greek as possible while in Greece, the intro class kind of broke me. My brain actually felt melted once we were finished - and of course I didn't really retain that much. It was frustrating and humbling and utterly exhausting. I haven't felt that physically drained from a class in awhile. However, I was able to successfully read a few words without my self-made, phonetic cheat sheet after a bit. Though, theses words were pretty simple, i.e. plaka, Coca-Cola, pizza, mama, pharmakio, etc. Some words are better than none!
But, I will say that by the end of the class, I was able to order some basic foods in Greek, like chicken gyros or pork souvlaki. So that was definitely helpful - but whether the Greeks can understand my Greek is another question in itself.
Greek Movie: Rembetiko
The critically-acclaimed film Rembetiko describes the age of “Rembetiko” music in early-mid 20th century Greece. Rembetiko is a type of Greek blues music where struggle, loss, and longing are sung about to evoke strong - and often empathetic - emotional responses in listeners. It spawned in a time where there was significant political unrest and economic hardship, largely due to World War II. The songs are deep and powerful, and really create a sense of desolation.
In Rembetiko, viewers follow the journey of Marika, a Rembetiko musician who led a difficult life full of misfortune and abuse. She grows up with parents who were Rembetiko singers, and later enters this particular music scene herself. Personally, I was really looking forward to this movie. I'm a fan of “American blues” that is filled with the soulful sounds of saxophone and piano. However, I ultimately did not end up liking the film - for a variety of reasons.
For starters, this movie was wholly, utterly depressing. From abuse to misogyny to psychiatric illness, the film covers it all. Marika grows up in a household where her father beats both her and her mother with either his hands or a belt - often for only minor disobediences. She also has to cope with the fact that her mother is having an affair with another man. Her father’s rage eventually becomes so uncontrollable that he kills Marika’s mother one night, which Marika unfortunately witnesses. I actually had to turn my eyes away from the screen when the beating scenes took place. I simply couldn’t bear to watch it. I cannot imagine growing up in this type of physically, sexually, and emotionally violent household.
The blatant misogyny present in this film really bothered me, too. As previously mentioned, Marika’s father would beat her mother for various reasons. There were many explicit scenes of people having sexual intercourse where the women looked aggressively and uncomfortably dominated. Additionally, Marika’s first love abandons her and her newborn child, and never bothers to send money or letters like he promised. There were also many, frankly, creepy men who would continue to pursue women even after they clearly said no. This was most evident with the older man Marika’s mother had been involved with briefly, who later in life tried to seduce Marika.
I also really did not appreciate that the women were always the ones being portrayed as crazy. A few specific scenes include when Rosa is drunk and upset at the bar for being outshone by Marika in the band. She seems out of control and is told to not drink so much, even though the men drink large quantities of alcohol and sometimes get into physical fights without being reprimanded. The moment in Mariko’s hotel room in Chicago is also rather haunting. She seems to be 1) having either a psychotic episode or 2) high on drugs. There were no scenes like this that involved men. Rather, the men were seen as rational (like Yorgos) or as makers of people’s success (like Bambis, who claimed he was the reason for Marika’s booming career, among others’ careers as well).
Generally, I left The Athens Centre feeling depressed and a bit upset. While I did enjoy some of the music in the movie, the somber, melodramatic lyrics got overwhelming after awhile. I was not expecting the movie to be quite so dark and psychological. I think the over-the-top sad nature of this movie also ultimately took away from what the original purpose of this movie screening was: to hear and to appreciate the soulful sounds of Rembetiko.
Traditional Pita Cutting (vasilopita) for the New Year
During our first week in Athens, we were lucky enough to be invited to the annual vasilopita cutting at The Athens Centre. This holiday is celebrated around the time of New Year's with the intention of blessing its consumers and bringing them good luck for the year. Vasilopita is not actually "pita" as the name suggests, but rather a sweet, orange-scented cake (that's really delicious!) that was named after St. Basil. The traditional cake also has a hidden secret: somewhere in the cake lies a coin. Whoever gets the piece of vasilopita that has the coin in it is blessed with extra good luck - and, in our case, since one of the PSU students got it - a photograph to commemorate the special moment.
At the time of the cutting, I was rather hungry after a day of exploring downtown Athens. This was particularly unfortunate since vasilopita cuttings take major patience. There are a fair amount of rules that are involved with this practice. When cutting, you make an incision that resembles a cross. The first cut is for Christ, the second is for the head of the household (or the head of The Athens Centre, in our instance), and the third is for the household itself (The Athens Centre).
Once this is finished, you start cutting the cake. A similar rule applies for who receives the first pieces of the vasilpoita: the first is for Christ, the second is for the household head, and the third is for the household. Then everyone else can start receiving pieces. BUT, you are required to wait until everyone has received a piece of the vasilopita before you may begin eating (which took forever given that The Athens Centre hosted a lot of people that day). This is done so that no one can ruin the surprise of who finds the coin.
Finally, after what seemed like forever during this entire traditional ordeal, we each got our pieces and started to eat. It was so delicious, my goodness. Also, one of the Penn State students got the coin! Hooray! While I didn't get to find the coin myself, I thoroughly enjoyed my first piece of vasilopita - and then even got to eat another half of a piece that someone couldn't finish.
Overall, it was a really fun afternoon. I learned about a new cultural practice, got a tasty treat, and shared some memories with the people I will be spending the next 3 months with in Athens.
Rembetiko Music and Taverna
The first Saturday of our study abroad program, my classmates and I met up with our professor for a Greek cultural activity: a long lunch at a traditional taverna, live Rembetiko music (a type of Greek blues), and Greek dancing. Even though we were all a bit wary about this event (especially since it was at 3:00 pm on a Saturday when most people wanted to be doing other things), I actually had a really fantastic time.
The taverna itself was beautiful. The roof was made entirely of glass; the butter-colored walls were covered with plants and artwork; and colored strings of lights hung daintily everywhere. There were also giant wine barrels in several areas of the main room.
However, the big attraction was - obviously - the food. Oh. My. Goodness. The food was so insanely delicious, and it just kept coming out course after course like an endless train of different plates. It was served "family style," so all the plates were shared amongst everyone at the table (for us, we had 3-4 tables pushed together, so we had 3-4 plates of everything). We started out with some bread and tzatziki. Then there was fried feta (nom). Then we had Greek salad. Then a spanakopita-type dish (my personal favorite. It was filled with other vegetables other than spinach, so it wasn't technically "spanakopita," but similar). Then feta-stuffed peppers.
Once we thought all the courses had been served, huge dishes of meat and potatoes were delivered. And then a spinach-covered meat dish. Then pureed eggplant and lamb (my least favorite dish). It seemed never-ending. In addition to all this food, we also had a plentiful supply of red wine flowing at all times. It was great.
As is European tradition, this meal ended up lasting for nearly 4 hours! We talked, and ate, and drank. And then talked, and ate, and drank some more (shout out to Penn State for generously providing the funds for this fun and delicious excursion). We also got to enjoy the live Rembetiko band playing for the majority of our meal. The jazzy, blues-y, soulful music was an excellent addition to the already pleasant environment. The musicians could really play, and the vocalists had fantastic, smooth voices. They sang for hours, but you could never tell just from listening to them. Overall, it was a really fun time.
I'm so glad Dr. Killebrew decided to take us out on this trip in downtown Athens. You simply can't get this type of experience in America; everything is so often too fast-paced and impersonal. We had many great conversations, and even learned some new things about each other. Amazing food + bonding = successful outing.
Wine Tasting and Tour at Karonis Distillery, Náfplio
The second night of our stay in Náfplio, our group of 13 students, Dr. Killebrew, and Katarina went to a wine and ouzo tasting at the Karonis Distillery. Located right in the middle of the shopping area of this adorable little town, the Karonis Distillery is a 5th-generation business that's been operating since the late 19th century. The people were so nice and knowledgeable, and they welcomed any questions we had.
Before any actual tasting occurred, we watched a brief video about how Karonis ouzo (their specialty) is made. Ouzo is a popular (and strong!) Greek alcohol that tastes like black licorice, given that it's made almost entirely from anise and fennel. It is often served with meals and is never taken as shots, although a shot-like amount is typically given to each customer.
Unsurprisingly, ouzo was the first alcohol we tasted. I'd had ouzo once before by this point - and I had liked it - so I was surprised that after about 2 small sips I'd had enough. The anise and fennel were strong really well infused, and the alcohol was quite refined. However, it just got a little overwhelming for me and I didn't end up finishing my shot. Thankfully, cheese and salami toothpicks were offered after each drink, so I got to cleanse my palette.
Next was the house red wine. This was by far my favorite drink of the night (I'm definitely a wine person). It was perfectly dry and had great flavor. Before we left the establishment, I bought a bottle - and it was only 5 euros! I seriously almost bought 2-3, but the rest of the group had cleaned the Karonis' out of their stock out front.
Next and last was the cherry brandy. Served as another shot amount, it was sweet, really sour, and strong all at the same time. Although I managed to finish this one, the brandy wasn't really my jam. The wine 100% won out, in my opinion. I'm going to try to save my Karonis wine as long as possible, but I have a feeling I might crack and open it before I even leave Athens. It's just so tasty!
Before this, I'd never been to a wine tasting before, let alone with a professor. It was a cool dynamic, and I had a great time.
Olive Oil Tasting with Kostas Balafas
One evening at The Athens Centre, Kostas Balafas, an olive oil producer, marketer, and creator, came to give us an olive oil tasting. I had never done an olive oil tasting before this, so it was definitely interesting. While I certainly did not instantly become an olive oil connoisseur from this experience, I will say that I learned more about the different types of olive oil, how to tell whether olive oil is good quality, and how olive oil came to be such a huge part of Greek culture (Greece is one of the largest producers of olive oil in Europe!). Given the limited amount of arable land in rocky, mountainous Greece, only a few crops were able to be grown at decent amounts throughout history - and olives were one of those crops (along with grapes)!
We tried four different oils in total. I thought it was a little odd that we drank the small amounts of olive oil in cups like shots, rather than dipping it with bread. But apparently this is the way to really get a taste for the true flavor of the olive oil. Then you eat a bit of bread between the different oils as a palette cleanser. My favorite was the one that had a floral taste to it. It was a lighter oil that was good for fish. Though the more robust, speciality oil that came in that gorgeous, fancy bottle was really tasty, too. If I’d had 1) more money on me at the time and 2) not been planning to travel around Europe for a bit once this semester ends, I probably would’ve purchased one of these fabulous bottles. Though Mr. Balafas told us that certain airports in the general area sell them, so maybe I’ll grab one on my way out of Europe.
However, at the end of the tasting, I did buy a small, easily portable bottle of olive oil for my older brother who is absolutely obsessed with this substance. He goes through so much olive oil with cooking, salads, and whatnot that it’s actually a bit ridiculous. I think he’ll appreciate this small gift (or I hope he will at least).
Visit to Hellenic Parliament
On the day that is also known as Fat Thursday in Greece (like our Fat Tuesday in America), our class visited Hellenic Parliament. Used as a palace originally, the building was constructed in 1836 just 6 years after Greece became an independent state after the War of Independence (1821). Before the republic we know today formed, Greece was an absolute monarchy that was first ruled by 15-year-old Otto from Bavaria. At the time, the three world superpowers - Great Britain, France, and Russia - wanted a republic with a parliament and president/prime minister. Náfplio was the first capital of the state, but it was later moved to Athens in ___ during an era when Greece was returning to its classical roots. Finally, the palace became parliament one century after its original construction (1936). Before the location of Syntagma Square, there was talk about having the Hellenic Parliament being built on top of the Acropolis! I suppose that would’ve been the most radical way of reinstating the glory of classical antiquity.
Getting into the parliament building was surprisingly easy and low-key. Unlike in the States, we did not have to go through any major security checks. There was one basic scan of bags, but no IDs or water bottle tests occurred. However, we were not allowed to bring our phones, cameras, or video cameras into the main part of the building. Only one person was permitted to carry a camera and to use it only at specific parts - and that person was me! I felt a sense of accomplishment and duty being the official photographer for the group.
The tour guide that we had was very high energy and talked about many things very quickly, so I’m amazed I managed to get (and to retain) as much information as I did. He took us to various rooms around the Parliament, including both the small and large chambers. In the smaller chamber, the tour guide discussed the current political parties in Greece, as well as how Parliament generally functions in Greece. But once we were in the large chamber, we were not allowed to speak or to take pictures since a session was occurring below. So for about 20-30 minutes, we listened quietly as a woman spoke in dramatic tones of Greek, arguing for the passing of her party’s proposal. It would’ve been nice if I could’ve understood some of what she was saying, but her voice itself indicated that whatever she was pleading was important.
After viewing a bit of the session, we were ushered back to the coatrooms to grab our stuff and headed out. Then we were off to The Athens Centre to celebrate Fat Thursday and to eat some tasty souvlaki. So, overall it was a pretty great day.
Lecture on Modern Greek Economy with Brady Kiesling
After Greek Sport on Monday, Mr. Brady Kiesling gave a special lecture at The Athens Centre about the modern Greek economy. Kiesling is a former foreign service officer and creator of ToposText.org, a site that offers all classical texts online for free in several different languages (it’s actually a fantastic site).
Once finished with his introductory remarks, Kiesling generally discussed the Greek landscape, and how it differs from the United States’. A major feature in the Greek landscape that is also very inhibiting is the lack of arable land. Greece is very mountainous and has very rocky soil that’s unfit for large-scale farming. Olive trees and grapes are able to grow at a modest amount, but cultivating enough food to feed an entire population was very difficult, if not impossible, for the Greeks. Hence, exploring outside countries to exploit trade relations was necessary. This is precisely how Greek colonies sprang up in places throughout the Mediterranean and Aegean since antiquity (the need for more resources, like food and free space, drives exploration). Besides some attempts at modern farming techniques, like man-made terraces, food imports has been a necessity throughout Greek history. Kiesling remarked that the Greek economy began to boom after World War II, thanks to technology and post-revolt relations in Europe. Greece was finally able to feed its own population. It also joined the European Union in 1981, despite being less developed economically than other European countries at the time and emerging from a terrible dictatorship. The EU believed Greece had a civilizing nature (or maybe just felt guilty), so they allowed Greece to join and also provided investments in infrastructure
Thanks to being briefly allowed to borrow huge amounts of money to improve the civil service, the Greeks managed to obtain a very good standard of living. Most people in Greece own their own apartment/house, plus a summer home as well (this is certainly not the case in the States). Everything was fine and dandy until 2008 when a major financial collapse occurred. Greece was then unable to borrow money to pay off its loans, and debt ballooned to 150% of its GDP. Greece was failing, and because of this, the entire EU was in danger of entire system collapse. So major countries in the EU got involved to preserve the safety of this union. Kiesling also suggested that these financial problems have led to increased senses of nationalism, which has consequently led to the rise of dictator-like people such as Trump. This has also created a huge increase in taxes, a rise in black market activity, and insistence of anti-immigrant attitude.
Honestly, I’m not an economics major nor am I that savvy with economical affairs, so this lecture went over my head a bit. However, I remember talking about similar things in previous classes at Penn State, specifically my globalization class. We watched a documentary about the Greek financial crisis (called Agora, if you’re interested), how it happened, and the aftermath of the ordeal. Thus, hearing that the crisis had a ripple effect on other countries throughout Europe wasn’t surprising. I wish that Kiesling has gone more into detail about how the current Greeks are actually feeling about this crisis and how it has affected them/the tourist economy. Has this benefited tourists, or has it made prices rise higher than they were prior to 2008? He really could’ve expanded upon the effects of the crisis and tied it into how we may be experiencing it while here. But overall it was a fairly interesting discussion (and Kiesling seems pretty cool, too).
My favorite part, though, was definitely talking to Mr. Kiesling about his time in the foreign service. I asked about what being a diplomat entailed and how to prepare for the foreign service exam. I feel like being a foreign service officer would be a great job; traveling, learning languages, being immersed into lots of new cultures, talking to all kinds of people about all sorts of topics...what could be better than that?
Guided Tour of Hermitage Collection/Visit to Christian and Byzantine Museum: David Scahill
Thursday morning, we toured the Hermitage Collection at the Byzantine and Christian Museum in downtown Athens with Dr. Scahill. Ketti also joined us, given that she’s an artist by trade and knew a lot about the variety of pieces displayed throughout the villa-turned-museum.
After standing outside the gates for about 10 minutes not realizing that we were supposed to go inside the villa courtyard, we finally met up with the professors. While outside, we admired the beautiful architecture of the villa that formerly belonged to a famous female art patron. We also learned that Catherine the Great of Russia was the individual who created the actual Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.
Once inside, Ketti first showed us a small painting that portrayed the portrait room in the Hermitage Museum. In her description, she told us that crimson walls are the best background for displaying paintings set in gold frames. Of course, the painting proved this; the walls were red behind the large collection of portraits in gold frames. There was also a huge skylight window in the painting to exhibit the use of natural light in display rooms.
We saw a lot of paintings (especially ones of the dark and dramatized Baroque style, which are not my favorite personally. I find the stye a bit creepy), sculptures, jewelry/jewelry boxes, and religious artifacts throughout the museum. There was also a bust of Catherine the Great in honor of her contribution to the Hermitage.
Furthermore, after viewing a golden, incredibly ornate Saints calendar, Ketti was telling us that the Greeks and Russians celebrate similar religious holidays, share a lot of the same culture, and have good diplomatic relations as of present. Apparently in the 1990s, a large flow of Russians settled in Greece and created little sub-communities in the Greek landscape.
It was weird being at the museum at the time. Besides the Hermitage Collection, none of the other permanent exhibits were open to the public since the museum guards were on strike. But what small portion of the museum I did see really made me want to learn more about European art and history. I started wishing I’d studied general history in college so I could’ve taken Russian history classes and learned about the great tzars and their rich material culture. I definitely enjoyed this collection, and would’ve stayed longer if the rest of the museum hadn’t been closed - and if the weather had not been so nice. I was craving some sun, especially after being in that cold museum for nearly 2 hours.
Visit to the Acropolis Museum
During our first of many trips to the Acropolis Museum, our group went on a tour led by Iris, an archaeologist, artist, and heritage site expert (who also was extremely stylish and well spoken).
The Acropolis Museum opened its doors in 2009. Interestingly, the design of the museum arose out of an architectural competition. This particular design ultimately won because it gave a realistic sense of climbing up the actual Acropolis and viewing what used to be there in antiquity. This aspect of the museum was actually so cool. Whoever thought of mimicking the experience of ascending this ancient site was incredibly brilliant.
Upon "climbing" the museum, we entered the sculpture room. This room is lit completely by natural light, just as it would have been back in the Acropolis’ heyday. Being in this room was truly like being in an ancient sculpture garden. Also, while some people didn't like the more modern poles and things holding up fragments of statues to give a sense of what it looked like whole, I thought the modernity added a nice contrast to the ancient sculptures and fit the atmosphere of the place nicely.
I really enjoyed the one display that showed how colored paints were made in ancient times. In a neat case, the curators had shown the different minerals that were ground up to make various colors. My favorite was the deep, rich, lapis lazuli blue.
We also learned that the acropolis has been used as a fortress several times before, notably during the invasion of the Ottoman Turks in the 19th century. Personally, it's hard for me to imagine the acropolis filled with military equipment and weapons. Iris told us that when excavations and preservation of the site were first happening, archaeologists first had to clear the area of more modern debris (i.e. weapons, remains, etc) before getting to the actual ancient stuff of Classical Greece.
Finally, we got to the room where the Parthenon friezes are displayed. Unfortunately, many pieces of the frieze are no longer in Athens. This isn't due to wear and tear of the environment throughout history, but rather the thievery done by the British "excavator" Lord Elgin. Back in the 1800s, Lord Elgin decided to start removing pieces of the Parthenon in order to restore them - back in his home country. Back in 2015, I was actually in London visiting a friend and we took a trip to the British Museum, the museum that houses most of the Parthenon friezes today. Unsurprisingly, the Brits did not mention any acts of stealing, nor the ethical questionability of Elgin's actions. Rather, they were super proud of the fact that they "owned" these literal pieces of history and didn't think twice about how such artifacts were obtained.
For many, many years now, the Greeks have been trying to get their ancestors' artwork back, but with no success. In fact, one of the numerous reasons that the Acropolis Museum was built was to show the rest of the Western world, but especially the Brits, that they now have a very suitable and able building to work on holding and preserving ancient Greek artifacts. However, no transfers of artifacts have occurred and no such returns are likely to happen in the near future.
Personally, I think this is an absolute tragedy. It's ridiculous that the Greeks are being denied artifacts from their own land, history, and ancestors. I'd understand a little of the Greek people didn't have the economic power/stability and infrastructure to responsibly take care of these artifacts, but this is simply not the case. This is purely a game of power and prestige for the Brits. In the 21st century, you'd think that people would be more civil and fair about matters like these, but the holding of history is still a political power struggle. Alas.
Next was a brief talk about the caryatids of the Erechtheum. For some reason, I've always been fascinated by these female figures who act as pillars. I like to think that they're a bit metaphorical in their duties; having female figures holding up this important religious building on the Acropolis could symbolize the vital role women play in holding up society's rules, standards, and functioning. But this interpretation is likely much too modern and too based on today's theories of feminism to be the truth. In fact, women were hardly seen at all in ancient Greek society, nor were they citizens. They hid inside their households and did not participate in any public matters. Oh well. I still like to think my interpretation holds some ground.
As silly as it is, one of my favorite parts about this museum was the Lego reconstruction of the Acropolis. It was so insanely well done. It even had little Lego caryatids holding up the Lego Erechtheum! I was seriously impressed.
Funnily enough, our tour concluded when the security guards (who kept creeping closer and closer to us near the end of our lecture) scolded at Iris that the museum was closed. Even though we had 3 minutes until the museum actually closed, these guards clearly wanted to go home. Other than the somewhat abrupt ending, I really enjoyed my time at the museum. It was very informative and well presented.
Tour of Heinrich Schliemann's House
The day before our spring break began, Dr. Killebrew took us on a guided tour of Heinrich Schliemann's one in the center of Athens. Today, this ornate house is also the residence of the official Numismatic Museum in Athens, aka a museum of coinage. I had never been to a numismatic museum before, so it was certainly an experience.
To be honest, I was quite a bit tired during the visit since I’d stayed up until 3:30 am working on my paper for Dr. Diamont’s class.
Walking into Schliemann’s house was like walking into a wealthy residence in ancient Troy or Greece; all the walls and ceilings were painted just as these ancient houses were at one time. It was also very interesting to see the house in person after seeing video clips of it from the documentary we watch in our Troy class. I could imagine Michael Wood walking up the stairs admiring all the fanciful artwork and architecture of the building while romantically telling tales of Schliemann's excavations.
One very fascinating thing we learned on this tour was that the Schliemann bloodline died out after Heinrich's children passed away. His son never married and his daughter never had children through her marriage.
I also really enjoyed the fact that each room had quotes from Homer pertaining to the room’s particular function (i.e. the dining room had quotes about eating, etc.). Schliemann really knew how to add the extra touch, as well as how to pay homage to the classics that he so loved.
Ultimately, I really liked touring the various rooms of the house. However, I thought all the coins were a little overwhelming, to be honest. Perhaps it had to with the fact that I was utterly exhausted at the time. All in all, though, it was a decent excursion.
Brides Movie Screening
The film Brides describes the phenomenon of so-called mail order brides. Typically, this exchange involves women from poorer countries that have few opportunities for females and wealthy men from Western nations. This movie talked specifically about the delivery of women from Greece and Turkey to men in America.
Beyond just speaking about mail order marriages, Brides also covered the short lived, but powerful love story between Niki and Norman that took place on the boat. My favorite aspect of their relationship was how they pushed each other to think differently, especially the female character. Niki was what inspired Norman to get back into his passion for photography. She also gave him a new, and ultimately tragic, perspective about protecting family honor - an idea not too familiar with individualistic societies/people like America/Norman. It was so sad when Niki chose not to go with Norman at the end; they truly would've had a magical love story and life. But, at the same time, I understand why she made this decision. Her personal choice would've impacted her family negatively. By not marrying the man who her sister was originally supposed to marry, another daughter would have to be uprooted from her family in Samothrace and it would've also tarnished the family's name.
At least one young woman got her happy ending: Olga. She and the young, male ship hand fell for each other while on the boat as well, and they ran away together once the ship docked. Olga was also one of the women who was conned by the marriage arranger who was secretly giving several women to the same man (thankfully he got caught before the boat arrived).
I quite enjoyed this movie. However, I really wish that the English subtitles had been turned on for the entirely of the film. While I got the overall gist of the plot, I wanted to hear the precise dialogue that was being shared between characters. I imagine it would have been incredibly powerful and even poetic, given the hardship these women all faced in their home countries, but also in their futures.
Athens 1st Cemetery Tour
Before our trip to Crete, the class toured one of the oldest, if not the oldest, cemetery in Athens with a local historian and archaeologist. Many famous people are buried here, including war heroes, martyrs, and Heinrich Schliemann, the infamous German archaeologist who excavated Troy. Schliemann's grave was actually the first plot site we saw. It was enormous; in fact, Schliemann had not one monument, but two that are located near each other. Both are quite ornate, being covered in scenes of classical myth and utilizing Greek symbols, like lions, as decoration. Schliemann's tomb was actually a bit ludicrous in terms of how much it hearkened back to the Classical Age of Grecian history.
After seeing this particular grave, we walked around the cemetery for over two hours. We saw examples of Greek Orthodox, Jewish, Catholic, and Protestant graves, which are usually located in specially designated areas of the cemetery. It was quite interesting how so many different religions were present within one cemetery; frankly, I was expecting most of them to be Greek Orthodox. Furthermore, the diversity of faiths in this cemetery shows a great religious tolerance, which is always positive.
The thing I found most interesting, though, was how people have to continue paying for a grave plot even after their dead are buried there. They do this in order to keep the site cleaned and maintained. It's almost like they pay rent to house their dead for eternity. This is very different from how America's cemeteries work. Once you buy a plot, it is yours forever and you don't need to pay rent to upkeep it. Cultural differences sure can be fascinating!
Greek Movie: Troy
Petersen’s 2004 film Troy follows the events of the Trojan War. His film focuses on the war at Troy, as opposed to detailing all of the events of the Iliad. For Homer, Troy and the Trojan War is simply the location of the poem, not the main subject. The Iliad doesn’t speak so much about the actual war at Troy, but rather the power struggle and quarrels between Achilles and Agamemnon. Petersen based his cinematic interpretation off of Homer’s original epic, but did not do a strict retelling of the tale; rather, Petersen was simply inspired by Homer’s Iliad and adapted it to his own artistic taste and goal. He still payed homage to the argument between the great warrior and the war king, but it is a secondary component in the background of the battle against the Trojans. Petersen ultimately wanted to make a war-adventure movie that features love, sex, bloodshed, fighting, and other popular topics for modern audiences, hence why “Troy” was the chosen name for the film. Considering this, it is unsurprising that the film also does not perfectly follow accurate archaeological and chronological information from the time period of the Trojan War (approximately the 13th century during the Bronze Age). For instance, coins are often shown in Petersen’s film, particularly when someone died. Coins were placed over a deceased person’s eyes while they burned on the pyre. However, coins were not invented until the 7th century or afterwards. It makes viewers think that using coins, specifically to cover the eyes of the dead, was a normal, very Greek custom by this point, but it was not. Likewise, the statues of deities shown in the film are vastly larger than actual votive offerings would have been at this time. Also, they were not typically made from metals. They were often small, clay statues, not large golden ones or massive ones constructed from stone. Furthermore, there were many Hellenistic cultural aspects within this film, despite an apparent attempt to limit the amount of evidence from this phase. Specifically, the style of clothing worn by people, particularly Helen with her dress and wreath, appears very Hellenistic. Clearly, many elements of later Greek history and culture were utilized in this movie as opposed to sticking to strictly Bronze Age culture.
Additionally, there are many revisions to Homer’s original tale. This was done for the director’s personal, artistic vision as well as to engage audiences in a different way. For instance, Hector, the Trojan prince and best soldier in the Trojan military, kills Menelaos in the film. According to later books in the Epic Cycle, Menelaos survives the Trojan War and returns home to Sparta with Helen on his arm. Likewise, Briseis, the priestess and original war prize of Achilles, kills Agamemnon at the near end of Petersen’s film. But in reality, Agamemnon is killed by his wife Clytemnestra in Aeschylus’ Agamemnon upon returning from the war. Helen and Paris are also presumed to run away together at the end of the movie Troy, rather than being separated when Helen returns to Sparta. Andromache and Hector’s son are seen escaping through the tunnels as well, instead of being taken prisoners and/or killed after the sack of Troy. These are just a few of the many inaccuracies in plot that occur throughout Peterson’s film.
These adaptations are made not from lack of historical knowledge, but rather by purposeful artistic choice to accommodate modern audiences and cultural contexts. Petersen’s film makes a conscious effort to explain how and why the events of the movie occur. This is necessary for current audiences as opposed to ancient ones; in Homer’s time, people would have already had the background information about the war due to oral tradition being passed down in their culture for hundreds of years. Petersen had to rewrite Homer for people to understand what was going on in the movie, which is why instead of talking about the wrath of Achilles at the beginning of the film, he shows Paris and Helen sneaking off to have sex while in Menelaos’ palace, aka the main event that originally sparked the Trojan War.
Beyond providing explanations for the plot, Petersen also decided to change the original events of Homer in order to better engage contemporary audiences. This is likely why a historical advisor was not brought onto the project; while the film is inspired by the events of Homer’s epic, they are, again, not an exact retelling of it. Yes, you need to know the general historical and archaeological information from this era, but this film ultimately is not viewed for a history lesson. People watch this film to see an action movie filled with romance and battle, not to scrutinize the historical inaccuracies of it. Troy is meant to entertain modern, everyday audiences, not to satisfy ancient history scholars.
Tour to Sounion, Thorikos, and Lavrion: Ann E. Killebrew
The first stop on our Sounion trip was visiting the site of Thorikos. We sat in the U-shaped theater and learned about the silver mines that were located here in ancient times. Supposedly, 80,000 slaves once worked the mines and it was one of the most dangerous jobs you could have; it was essentially a death sentence. We learned about the moving, refining, and general process of silver mining while standing on the remains of the refinery area.
Afterwards, we climbed the mountain on the site. I climbed to the very top - in sandals. It was painful and took awhile, but I did it anyway and ended up getting some really cool pictures. We then went to Lavrion and ate lunch by the water. I ordered fried eggplant and shared an enormous seafood platter with one of the other girls on the trip. There was a ton of leftover food, so we fed some of it to the stray dog that was chilling outside the restaurant.
Next was visiting Sounion. We learned the basic info about the site, including that this was a temple to Poseidon, that it was built in 444 BCE, and that it was the mythical location where Aegis threw himself off a cliff when his son Theseus sailed back to Athens with a black sail, thinking he was dead (he forgot to change his black sail to a white sail, meaning he was alive). We played a trivia game where whomever answered the question correctly got a free ice cream. I got the question, "Why was the temple rebuilt?" right (it was destroyed by the Persians). I knew several other. Awes as well, but I either didn't say it fast enough or was waiting for others to get it. Afterwards we all wandered around the site for awhile looking for the inscription of Lord Byron's name and eventually got back on the bus. Then we went to the beach and relaxed for about an hour. While I enjoyed the beach, I didn't like my feet getting cut up from walking on the stones nor did I like stones in my shoes. But overall, it was a good trip and a fun day.
Cretan Cultural Event/Broad Overview of Our Trip to Crete
The 5-day class trip to the island of Crete was, by far, my favorite planned excursion during this study abroad program. I had so much fun visiting the ancient sites included on this trip, especially Zakros. The area of Zakros is absolutely beautiful; it's right by the sea as well as the mountains. The apartments we were fortunate enough to stay in were luxurious, especially in comparison to some of the hostels and hotels I've stayed in this last semester (basically, if the place had hot water it was A+). They were right by the beach and looked like we had entered a resort. I had an entire queen bed to myself. There was breakfast foods waiting for us in the fridge. The shower pressure and temperature were divine. And the wifi actually worked reliably. The food in Zakros was amazing as well. I had some of the best moussaka I've eaten in Greece so far, as well as my first taste of Cretan dakas, which are now one of my favorite Greek dishes.
Visiting Gournia was also really cool. My term paper for the Crete class actually directly involved this site. I discussed the life and influence of Harriet Boyd Hawes, a pioneering female archaeologist who greatly impacted Cretan archaeology upon discovering Gournia, a Minoan town. This excavation revealed the daily lives of everyday Minoans, from their lodging, to their industries, to their religious practices. I presented my research at the site, which was really neat. I stood in the same spot Harriet Boyd Hawes once stood and gave reverence to her life and accomplishments.
However, my absolute favorite part of our trip to Crete was the entire last day. Throughout the day, our class visited an apiary, an olive oil factory, and a winery, where we had a dual tasting of wine and olive oil. While the wine and oil olive tasting was excellent, I truly was enthralled with the apiary and the people who worked there. This was the first time I ever visited a bee farm. I enjoyed putting on the beekeeper uniform and talking to Adonis, the owner, about his bees. I actually ended up holding one of the wooden containers that holds the bees' honey and honeycomb - while there were hundreds of bees still on it. And I did so with completely bare, exposed hands! As someone who is afraid - but appreciative - of bees, I was quite proud of myself for leaping out of my comfort zone. It was honestly such a cool, surreal, and humbling experience.
Later that day, we were invited to a huge family dinner at the beekeeper's house. Dish after dish of food kept appearing from the kitchen. We had bread, Greek salad, dakas, a grain salad, beans, roasted lamb, fried potatoes. And, of course, plenty of both white and red wine flowed throughout this meal. Then for dinner, they brought out panacotta with house-made honey on top. Oh my goodness. It was so good. Everything was insanely tasty and plentiful, and I swear I thought I was in heaven.
I'm so thankful that this day was included in our itinerary. The people were so nice and knowledgable about nature and history. The apiary grounds were beautiful. And the weather was perfect. I highly, highly recommend this specific event for future Athens Program trips. It was seriously one of the best experiences I've had in Greece this semester.