Let’s truly speak about Greece

1. Let’s truly speak about Greece Facts not shown on the media, encyclopedias and travel guides

2. Being a Greek

3. Being a Greek • The Greeks are a positive and peaceful nation. They love good food and good entertainment and they are harsh markers when it comes to restaurants and any kind of entertainment premises and happenings. On the other hand, they try hard to be perfect when they provide these services to others, no matter whether their guests are locals or foreigners, friends or strangers.

4. Being a Greek • The Greeks highly appreciate culture. In summer, festivals occur throughout the Greek territory, including the countryside.

5. Being a Greek • Education is of high importance in Greece; the higher your education, the higher your status. Children start their educational activities from the age of 3 and their training includes playground, preliminary school, primary school, secondary school and high school. Life during the school years is quite harsh and final-year students have to sit nationwide exams in order to enter the university of their choice. School and undergraduate studies are provided for free by the Greek state. On the other hand, there are also private schools and colleges, many of which are associated with various foreign academic institutions.

6. Being a Greek • Since the ancient times, religion has played a major role in the Greek culture. Feasts and other happenings are organized on a yearly basis to honor a specific deity (Ancient Greece) or Saint (Modern Greece). Every city has got its own “guardian Saint”, called in Greek “poliouchos” (from the words polis = city and echo = to have, to own). For example, the poliouchos for Ierapetra is Saint George and the poliouchos for Piraeus is Saint Spyridon. In this way, the city is devoted to this specific Saint and he/she is supposed to protect it.

7. Being a Greek • The Greeks are very proud oftheir traditions, their history and their identity in overall. We consider our civilization the most important part of our existence. The majority of the Greek people are not nationalists, but they do not tolerate offence against their identity and history. If you seek to infuriate a Greek, then try with the Parthenon artifacts and the Macedonian question.

8. Political culture

9. Political Culture • The Greeks invented the Republic, therefore the Greek political system is characterized by intense polyphony. During the last elections, 31 parties and 52 independent candidates participated. Many of these parties were new-founded and many candidates had participated in a national election process for first time.

10. Political Culture • The Greek political culture includes all sorts of ideologies, from far-left to far-right; Socialism, Conservatism, Communism, Nationalism both in their hard-core and modest context.

11. Political Culture • 3 main factors affect a Greek voter’s attitude: (i)ideology, (ii)circumstances and expectations, (iii)family tradition.

12. Political Culture • Greek elections are considered among the most transparent in the world, not only because of their complex and strict rules, but also because of transparency’s “moral context”. Cheating in the elections is considered not only an offence, but also an embarrassment.

13. Doing Business in Greece

14. Doing Business in Greece • Since the ancient times, the Greeks have been proud for their skills and background mainly in maritime, agriculture, tourism and commerce. These are the main fields of the modern Greek private economic activity.

15. Doing Business in Greece • Except for its commitments in the European Communities, Greece has also conducted bilateral economic agreements with many important economies, including China.

16. Doing Business in Greece • Many big European companies have invested in Greece, including the state’s national companies and infrastructure projects, such as Athens Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport and the Attic Metro. German and French corporations, such as SIEMENS and SociétéGénérale, have actively participated in the domestic private economic activity of Greece.

17. The Greek Working Culture

18. The Greek Working Culture • The Greeks are inventive people and always look for the smartest and fastest way to carry out their tasks. We are proud and brag about it and for us it makes sense and is convenient. Full-stop.

19. The Greek Working Culture • Laziness is not part of the Greek culture. Most people engage themselves with several professional activities simultaneously, ending up working for up to 15 hours per day. In the countryside, civil servants are likely to practice farming as well. While they work in their public post, the fields are taken care of by workers, while in the afternoon they are looked after by their owners themselves. In the same way, a teacher can do extra classes in the evenings. Out of their “principal” working hours, many people contribute to the professional activities of other members of their family.

20. The Greek Working Culture • The Greeks are actively accused of focusing more on entertainment rather than work, as foreigners forget that entertainment is actually a job for half of the Greeks. Behind any happening and any all-inclusive hotel, there are countless people who work for up to 20 hours a day to make good mood and famous hospitality happen. As commercial shops close no earlier than 21:00, an evening exodus starts no earlier than 22:00 for most Greeks. But restaurants, coffee shops and bars do not function automatically; they are staffed with people who stand on their feet until the dawn.

21. “See for Yourself, Feel for Yourself” Greece through the eyes of foreign visitors and locals

32. Do you want to see and feel more of Greece? • http://www.visitgreece.gr • http://www.truegreece.org • http://www.ert-archives.gr