Sunday, September 02, 2007

Things I might not have known had I not moved to Greece

  • Being able to walk almost everywhere you need to go is an awesome thing. Of course, that awesomeness is reduced a bit each time you need to schlep something heavy around, but that is what beasts of burden husbands are for
  • I'd rather give a constipated pig an enema than have to park in the city without a dedicated parking spot. I have a whole new appreciation for folks that live and drive and have to park in big cities. I've heard stories about how parking places are like real estate in Manhattan, with some people paying thousands of dollars a month for a space. I don't blame them. I think I would sell my soul to the devil for a dedicated parking spot in the city. Except I don't believe in the devil and in less than a month we'll have our very own parking place.
  • Not having a choice to use self service in gas stations is both annoying and pleasing. Of course, there is something to be said for pulling up to the pump, sliding your credit card through, pumping your own gas and never having to deal with another human being.
  • Turning right on red is not a universal practice. Oops.
  • I love French thriller/horror movies
  • I love Italian pop music, it may be cheesy but it is in Italian so it doesn't matter
  • Rap music in languages other than English sounds really weird and kinda funny. Now I'm not saying that rapping should only be in English, it is just that German/Greek/Polish rap sounds a bit undignified.
  • Dubbing movies and television shows, unless for children, is really awful and embarrassing for everyone involved, especially the viewer
  • The names and faces of a number of world leaders and their cabinet members
  • Longer commercial breaks less often are much better than short commercial breaks. You can actually get random tasks done during longer commercials. Of course, in this world of TiVo no one watches commercials anymore, but we do not yet have the Greek equivalent of TiVo in our household (hopefully soon).
  • What goat poo looks like
  • That living near the sea actually has disadvantages, like high humidity at night
  • Bad drivers are a universal reality
  • You can't flush toilet paper down the toilet if you have a septic tank
  • politicians suck no matter where you go

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Beast of burden..hahahah!

I'm curious though...if you can't flush toilet paper then what do you do with them? *gasp!*

Διαγόρας ο Μήλιος said...

LoL, Melusina... that was good.

Do you really find the badness of Greek drivers comparable to the badness of drivers elsewhere in the civilized world? (The need for the word "elsewhere" in the previous sentence is debatable.)

BTW, the one about the names and faces of world leaders is testament not to the fact that you have come to Greece, but rather to the fact that you have come here from the States.

@gloria: you throw them in the trash bin. You know, the one with a pedal-operated lid. Or, (since technically, nothing prevents you from actually going ahead and flushing the paper,) you throw them in the toilet and delay having to worry about them for a couple of months. You do have to worry about them in the end, though. Unless you move elsewhere. MEL, IS THAT WHY YOU MOVED?

melusina said...

Gloria, just what Diagoras said - a little trash can you can open with your foot. It is nasty. I hate it.

Diagoras - I do find the badness of Greek drivers comparable to the badness of drivers in other places. I mean, the soccer moms in their SUVs in Green Hills (a semi-wealthy suburb of Nashville) are so much worse than Greek drivers. In fact, I don't think Greek drivers could survive against those bitches! And sheesh, driving in Birmingham, Alabama was like a total nightmare. Not to mention the Beltway around D.C. And let's not even get into drivers on the L.A. freeway.

I'm sure the lack of world leader knowledge comes from being from the States. I always said being in the U.S. was like living in a fishbowl where you no nothing about the world outside. I guess it is possible that has changed some, and with the internet you can pick and choose your news.

And no, we are not moving because of a septic tank. Our new place actually HAS a septic tank, which I am dreading. We lived with one for a year on Kos, and the landlady failed to tell us at first (I guess she figured everyone would assume). Even if she had told us it was a septic tank, I wouldn't have known you couldn't flush tp!

Leanne said...

Ha! Mel, you just need a big enough septic tank.

Here in Africa it is more normal to use the rubbish bin for toilet paper, but for instance at our house, we have a "ten year" septic tank and flush away! :-)

There are millions of septic tanks in America- and everyone there flushes their toilet paper- that's what "Honey Dippers" are for. Those tank trucks that drive around and suck the contents of a septic tank out with five in hoses.

Cheryl said...

Mel, the dubbed movies and tv shows for kids are horrific. They use the same people for everything...and I'm not kidding. The worst part is that adults are shrieking like children in every one! It's very annoying and actually quite disturbing. They could at least hire some new talent!!
My favorite subject...the septic tank. I've stopped flushing -but I often forget. The bin is nasty. Good luck with your new bin!!! :)