The current economic crisis in Greece brought back memories of a trip from a decade ago. Academic mommy is taking the liberty to share some of the highlights of this memorable trip with you. Now, fix yourself some cold frappe (shake instant coffee with some milk until it turns into foam, then add more milk/water and ice cubes) and enjoy the ride:
During the summer of 2000, we drove from Turkey to Northeastern Greece with some friends. We stayed in small, idyllic coastal towns along the way until we reached Thessalonica, which was some 700 kilometers from the border. Thessalonica seemed like a busy city with bustling traffic, air pollution and feisty people, so we rushed back to those peaceful little towns along the Mediterranean -Kavala and Alexandroupolis- to enjoy our vacation.
Our surroundings resembled a movie scene, so much so that I had to pinch myself at times. The towns were extremely picturesque with sparkling clean streets, flowers bursting out of windows, old ladies sitting outside and making embroideries and cats strolling casually…
The houses were exceptionally pretty and well-kept, motor traffic minimal and the towns gently embraced the sea. Every house seemed like a lively primary residence, blending in with its surroundings and covered with lush vegetation. There were no eyesore high rises or ‘walls of privilege’ that isolated neighborhoods and blocked access to the waterfront. Nor were there any traces of characterless summerhouse condos. Unfortunately, those monstrosities have devastated the eastern coasts of the Aegean. Seemingly endless cement cubes that remain empty most of the year have taken over what used to be orchards and olive gardens. Yet, most members of the Turkish middle class are proud owners of these “summer cubicles”, without even a hint of lament in their psyche…
In Kavala, we asked a guy buying a paper from a newsstand if he knew any decent hotels nearby. The place he recommended was a lovely, clean and quiet hotel, which had the most beautiful views when you opened up the French doors in the morning. The kind of place that entices you to become a writer… Too bad my family lacked the requisite real estate stockpile to afford my literary a career… Anyways, both times we were at this hotel (on the way to and from Thessalonica), they forgot to include our breakfast -which was extra- on the bill when we checked out. We noticed this as we were walking away and returned back to pay for it. The old gentleman who owned the place smiled at us and said ‘no important’.
OK, the memories were wonderful, but how does all this story telling relate to the current economic crisis in Greece? Hang on, I'm just about there:
· The whole time we were in Greece, the only businesses that were open during the day, as well as at night were: taverns, restaurants, bars and coffee shops. They seemed to be open round the clock. And were never short of customers, who were mostly locals.
· It was extremely difficult to find open stores, particularly the boutiques, jewelry stores, bookstores, stores that sold handcrafts and fabrics, etc. On weekends, they were closed. Weekdays in the morning, closed… Noon, of course it’s too hot, closed… Afternoon, closed… Some of them cared to open after 4 pm or so, very briefly, and then closed…
· We saw some of the most beautiful silk table clothes and scarves, but I could only watch them through the shop window. None of the stores that displayed these lovely items were open the whole week we were there.
· The business owners that we encountered (mostly the restaurant, hotel and coffee shop owners) seemed at ease with money. They displayed no stress at all to earn more or make the ends meet. They were pretty laid back, almost Zen like, in terms of the way they ran their businesses. Needless to say, this no hassle attitude made our experience in Greece super pleasant.
· People were like Lake Wobegon gone Greek: all the women looked slim and elegant –despite the super greasy moussakkas; all the men handsome and affluent, and all the children happy… They must have done something to hide all their depressed and impoverished because we hardly saw anybody who did not seem content with their lives…
· The class ladder in northern Greece seemed to start from the middle section and then went up. The younger generations looked more fashion savvy and sported expensive brands. However, even the soberly dressed old ladies with their black dresses and black headscarves lived in beautiful homes in smart neighborhoods.
· Most people seemed to be eating and socializing out. The norm was enjoying long long meals in those ubiquitous taverns. For us, it was a great relief to not have waiters whisking away our half empty plates and glasses, in a rush to seat the next unfortunate batch of tourists
Of course, one needs to take such touristic observations with a grain of salt. At times, they might easily turn into blind men describing an elephant. It is only a snapshot of reality, taken during a limited period of time and with very limited contextual knowledge by the observer. Despite all the usual cautionary measures, however, I remained puzzled over how Greece could achieve such high standards of living.
My sense is, either the Greeks managed to create the heaven on earth, where “there’s a lake of stew and whiskey too”, and where “they hung the jerk that invented work,” like they did in the Big Rock Candy Mountain.. :) Or, they were just running the show on borrowed money….
Recent financial turmoil in Europe signals that the second option is more plausible. Invited to help clear the mess, the IMF officials express outrage over many aspects of Greek economy such as:
· the size of public sector in Greece: no one can give a definite number as to how many people are on the public pay roll. Some claim it is greater than the size of state sector in Eastern Europe under socialism!
· generous bonuses: Everyone gets two moths pay as bonuses each year, now isn’t that grand?
· “flexible” work hours: so flexible that you can show up to work whenever it is convenient for you…
Despite the recent vilification of Greece in global press, the above graphic by the New York Times hints that the Greeks are not alone in Europe when it comes to financing their affluence out of their friendly neighbors’ pockets. When you look at the arrows, it portrays an intricate web of “I owe you, you owe me” type of relations across the extended family of core EU countries. Spain, Portugal, Ireland and Italy also seem to be riding on this generous debt tide. Furthermore, the width of the debt arrows indicates that Germany, France and Britain are the largest bearers of this financial burden. No wonder why Sarkozy and Merkel sound so grumpy lately…
Let me not finish without pointing finger at the usual suspects: Global finance capital. Interestingly enough, some of the corporate actors that offered “creative” financial advice to the Greek government were the same ones that were responsible from the implosion of the finance sector in the US. Small world, isn’t it?
Financial crises are the real testing times for all families. Whether it is the irresponsible son frittering away the family savings on girls and booze, or the unfortunate father who looses the family business after a wrong investment choice, it all boils down to the strength of their solidarity as a family. What we are observing is not individual meltdowns in Greece, Spain or Ireland. More importantly, it is a test for the EU to prove itself.
If the EU can resolve this crisis and bring its house in order, it will confirm its position as the only viable supranational body in the current international system. However, if the EU fails and Greece is left to its own devices, I strongly recommend the Greeks to get friendly with the Brazilians. As a country that paid off its IMF debt earlier than scheduled and subsequently enjoyed great economic boom, Brazil might offer valuable advice to Greece when dealing with the IMF.
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