Day #22: 22 July 2013

Today we started off our day by answering a question for the local newspaper. The local newspaper wanted our opinion about aspects of Cretan culture that we have observed. We had to talk about the hospitality that we observed and whether it was good or bad if the people lived off the land. I think that the hospitality on Crete is amazing. The people here always want to share all that they have, even if it isn’t a lot. They talk hospitality, or fillotimo, very seriously and want to ensure that everyone has a good experience. I think that it is good for the Cretan’s to live off the island. The Cretans are very conscious about their energy consumption through using solar panels and wind turbines. There is also a commitment to growing things from the island and using local products, even meats and cheeses.

We then discussed our paper and areas where we could find resources on BBLearn. Our paper needs to have scientific resources and Theo helped guide us to websites that we could find strong resources. He also showed us general websites that would apply to everyone’s topic and serve as a guiding point for our paper.

We then started watching videos about Mount Athos. It is considered one of the holiest places on earth. Women are not allowed to travel here because the area is meant to be for men only.

We then did our weekly word learning. The words were about health issues typically. We covered words like fever, ο πυρετός, and problem, το πρόβλυμα. Thankfully, none of us needed any of these words throughout the trip. I think that it is surprising how for the medical words, there are many similarities between the English and the Greek words. This must be because most medical terms relate back to the Latin form and both English and Greek are based off Latin. We also learned that instead of saying “It’s all Greek to me!” the Greeks say “It’s all Chinese to me!”

We then discussed the educational system in Greece. Kids start in kindergarten around 4-5 years old. Typically, throughout their 6 years in elementary school, children are screened for disabilities and disorders. If children are found to have any learning disabilities, they are placed into a special school that will help them. While in this school, the children are still screened and if there is significant improvement, the children are placed back into regular school with additional tutoring services. The next level of education is gymnasium where kids stay for three years. The final level of school is three years in lyceum which is like a senior high school. There is then a national exam that students must pass. Dr. Maria Hnaraki was the first person to ever pass the national exam. Theo was the sixth person to ever pass the national exam.