Thelo na po...

Any fool who has ever tried to learn Greek knows just what a difficult task it is. I bet most English speaking folk didn't even know what accusative and nominative meant until they took Greek classes.

I've been learning Greek since October 2005 at the Hellenic Centre, London http://www.helleniccentre.org/
My darling sweety of a teacher Xanthipi is excellent, with boundless patience and enthusiasm. With twelve different words for ‘the’ that’s a much sought after trait in Greek language teachers. She also has excellent dress sense and a very cool name. If I were her, I’d prefix it with ‘Princess’.

Expression is very important to me. This is why I know I need to get fluent in Greek and fast. There’s only so far I can get with phrases like ‘Do you know if there is a bakery nearby?’ Of all the trials I had to endure last summer with my antics in Athens, not being able to communicate was by far the most trying. If I were a man, I would equate it to having your bits chopped off. I felt like Samson without his hair, the Little Mermaid without her tail, Beyonce without the jelly… like I’d lost my Magic Powers because I couldn’t make myself understood.

I’ve got about two weeks now before I come to Athens again for a month, then it’s back to the UK to help out with my sister’s wedding (that will take up most of July), so realistically I can’t commit to Greek classes until August.

And they cost a butt load! It’s around £800 for a four-week class in most places! Cheaper is the National & Kapodistrian University of Athens at about €600 for a year’s worth of classes that run September to May http://www.nglt.uoa.gr/money_en.html

But what I’ll lose in money I’ll gain in expression I suppose, and for me any price is worth paying for that.

Image: http://www.1976design.com/blog/images/65a.jpg

My Life! Now with 50% Extra Difficulties FREE!

Some people just never learn. For a start, I should be working on my university deadlines right now and instead I am updating a blog that no one reads with information that no one cares about. If proof were ever needed of just how foolhardy I am, it’s this: I have less than one month left in the UK before I take myself back to Athens. Yes yes, I know I wept (in a virtual sense) over leaving Athens last time, I kind of got to like it there, the thought of going back does raise a question in my mind:

WHY?

Over the course of this blog, I have deliberately revealed very little about myself. To protect the innocent, you understand. Here’s a brief synopsis:

1. Girl is 22 and looking for fun
2. She applies to the Olympics as a volunteer
3. She gets accepted
4. She comes to Athens. On landing, she thinks “My, I thought it would be flat” This is the first shattered illusion
5. She falls in love (with a person, not Athens)
6. She leaves Athens to finish studying
7. She turns 23
8. She returns to Athens for a summer spell
9. She leaves again for the start of term
10. Now she is almost 24 and almost done with studying so love beckons her back to Athens

Yes you cynical fools, all this is for LOVE! You understand, my behaviour is just about the worst thing that could happen to my unsuspecting parents. Girls of my ethnic and cultural background just don’t do this kind of thing, and boy have I paid the price emotionally! I shall elaborate no further… lest my identity be discovered… So now I am back to moaning about Greece and all their hair-brained ways. It’s only temporary, come on, I’m young.

ps: regulars to this blog (ha! if they exist) will notice this post changed. I realised teamed with certain background info plus details of my schedule, any crazy cousin o' mine could take it upon themselves to cleanse the family's honour... kidding! But you never know eh, one stalker is enough for this lifetime.