Easter holidays are over, they were spent in a nice and peaceful atmosphere, I suppose and hope. Now we can comfortably return to our Greek reality, specifically to our expat stories, where foreigners write down their experience and how they come along with the Greek crisis. Three years after the country sought the aid of International Monetary Fund.
Below the story submitted by Rob, a British expat, who move with his partner to west coast of Peloponnese nine years ago:
In February 2012, the British Foreign Secretary William Hague publicly issued a warning to all British people in Greece that they should register with the British Embassy in case they had to be evacuated. This was before the worst of the austerity measures began to take effect, so we wondered if he knew something we didn’t. Were we in danger of being caught up in some kind of Syria-like warzone? — No, of course we weren’t. This was simply another example of Hague’s inane prattling, but it was also thoughtlessly irresponsible. His brainless remark almost certainly decimated the number of British holidaymakers who were seriously considering coming to Greece last summer and bringing in some much needed cash.
Over a year later, we’re still here in Greece and certainly haven’t bothered to register with the British Embassy to book our places on the first RAF transport plane out of here. I’m not denying that the crisis hasn’t got a lot worse. Most Greek people have had to endure appalling hardships, and we ourselves haven’t exactly been immune to the effects of the austerity measures, but even if we wanted to leave, where would we go?
As far as I’m aware, the weather in Britain is still as rubbish as it ever was, and the UK also has its economic problems. I’m not suggesting that the financial crisis is anywhere near as bad as in Greece, but the current British government seems intent on destroying the welfare state and the National Health Service and introducing its own austerity measures. They’re just a bit more subtle about how they go about it. Similarly, Britain has its own share of corrupt politicians, but again they tend to be rather less blatant about their little (sometimes large) brown envelopes.
So thanks for your concern, Mr Hague, but Greece is our home now, and we’re not about to desert the country or the friends we’ve made here just because you were short of a soundbite. As Plato said, “Wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something.”
Rob has also a personal blog site, where he podcasts about life in Greece from the point of view of a British expat.
More expats’ stories published by KTG, you will find published by here.
If you want to send us your contribution, please, do it in maximum 300 words. Do not forget to add your name (or nickname) and country of origin.