hvactec
VIP Member
They put our feet in one single shoe shouts the old lady as she enters slowly a bakery shop in a middle class suburb of Athens. She stands half-at the doorway and sends a smile to the bakery woman; she shouts over my head I cant buy anything today, Ive run out of money. My pension comes next week. Im the only customer in the bread, cookies and pastry shop. Everything home made, excellent quality. Rather expensive. A luxury, nowadays. But today I need thecomfort that translates into one lemon cream, one chocolate croissant and a Tuscan bread, two pieces of carrot cake for my parents. I was at the bank paying some extra what-ever taxes. The rest of my emergency financial obligations to the broke state are on the way. I hardly dare open my mailing box. Utility bills, emergency taxes and contributions. Modest income with negative outlook. Fitch or Moodys would have stamped me as junk.
Jobs have the value of rarity. There are simply no jobs around. A friend was telling me his son, 26, University degree in computer engineering, was offered a job in a shop. Four hours work, twice a week. Salary 100. No social insurance.
A friend of a friend, 45, widow, one child, finaly got a job. At the promotion stand of a supermarket. Once per week. Salary 4×20 = 80.
If you translate the daily payment in full time work the money is not bad considering todays situation. But the jobless of the last two years hardly manage to get a full time job. Another friend who has a job in an accountant office was telling me With the majority of my friends without job, I will soon be ashamed to say I still work.
I pack my comfort bag and walk out of the bakery. The open market is near to close for the day and prices drop an hour before the closure. Here and there you will see a man or a woman picking up what the vendors have separated as garbage: half rotten potatoes, onions, a tired lettuce, broccoli leaves greens that are not for sale.
At a stand a middle aged woman tries to bargain over a bundle of parsley. Can I have it for 0.30 cents? she asks the seller. Lady, the price is already down from 0.5o to 0.40 cents. The woman walks away, with the frustration written in her face. Not able to buy a bunch of parsley? Who have thought about that two years ago?
As I buy carrots, cucumbers, lentils, herbs and salads, my ears pick up dialogues full fo frustration and anger against the government. They will make us slaves and have us work for nothing says an a man in the 30′s and the vendor shouts over the stand Hanging! All the 300 of them!. With his raised hand shows towards downtown Athens, where the parliament is located.
read more Anger Is Boiling, While Greeks Wait For the “Haircut”… | Keep Talking Greece
One of the comments from the above site
After reading your artical I thought about just pointing out a few extra
points. Ive been living in Greece for the past 21 years. I have raised
three young men here. Two of them at the moment are in the greek army.
When I came here my kids were little. As soon as they were old enough to go to school I realized that this country had no organization. Third world class. No proper educational facilities. No proper medical support. No government information. Just a mess!! Athens is ugly, dirty and at night dangerous. Police are no where, and why should they be cause they have no idea what they are doing. Just a mess. Transit system is basically free cause hardly no one pays ticket. Unbelieavable. Im here til Febuary and then I go home to civilization. Thnks
Jobs have the value of rarity. There are simply no jobs around. A friend was telling me his son, 26, University degree in computer engineering, was offered a job in a shop. Four hours work, twice a week. Salary 100. No social insurance.
A friend of a friend, 45, widow, one child, finaly got a job. At the promotion stand of a supermarket. Once per week. Salary 4×20 = 80.
If you translate the daily payment in full time work the money is not bad considering todays situation. But the jobless of the last two years hardly manage to get a full time job. Another friend who has a job in an accountant office was telling me With the majority of my friends without job, I will soon be ashamed to say I still work.
I pack my comfort bag and walk out of the bakery. The open market is near to close for the day and prices drop an hour before the closure. Here and there you will see a man or a woman picking up what the vendors have separated as garbage: half rotten potatoes, onions, a tired lettuce, broccoli leaves greens that are not for sale.
At a stand a middle aged woman tries to bargain over a bundle of parsley. Can I have it for 0.30 cents? she asks the seller. Lady, the price is already down from 0.5o to 0.40 cents. The woman walks away, with the frustration written in her face. Not able to buy a bunch of parsley? Who have thought about that two years ago?
As I buy carrots, cucumbers, lentils, herbs and salads, my ears pick up dialogues full fo frustration and anger against the government. They will make us slaves and have us work for nothing says an a man in the 30′s and the vendor shouts over the stand Hanging! All the 300 of them!. With his raised hand shows towards downtown Athens, where the parliament is located.
read more Anger Is Boiling, While Greeks Wait For the “Haircut”… | Keep Talking Greece
One of the comments from the above site
After reading your artical I thought about just pointing out a few extra
points. Ive been living in Greece for the past 21 years. I have raised
three young men here. Two of them at the moment are in the greek army.
When I came here my kids were little. As soon as they were old enough to go to school I realized that this country had no organization. Third world class. No proper educational facilities. No proper medical support. No government information. Just a mess!! Athens is ugly, dirty and at night dangerous. Police are no where, and why should they be cause they have no idea what they are doing. Just a mess. Transit system is basically free cause hardly no one pays ticket. Unbelieavable. Im here til Febuary and then I go home to civilization. Thnks
