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Greek Language and Culture March 2010 Omilo Newsletter

Dear readers!
Hope you are all well and still interested in learning about Greece! Although the international media has been so negative about Greece the last 3-4 months, we are happy there are still so many people interested in the Greek Language, the Greek culture, the Greek people, and wishing Greece will soon stand on his own feet again! We, at OMILO, are also optimistic and believe this crisis is an opportunity for the country to get stronger and better. Yes, we can! The OMILO-team is now preparing the various intensive courses in Athens, Nafplion, Andros and Syros. Time flies, Easter is already there, and then the summer follows! If you were dreaming to book a course in Andros or the 28/8-10/9 period in Syros, do not wait too long, since places are already limited. (photo: walk around Nafplion in spring) We are looking forward to a nice and sunny spring and summer. We already had a very warm winter this year with a lot of sun, which makes it easier to be in a good mood and enjoy every day However, Athens also had some very cloudy days, with orange skies, full with red Sahara-sand! Fortunately the clear, blue skies always appeared quickly after that. In Greece, many changes are happening the last months, too many to mention them all. In this Newsletter we will write about : 1. New laws to fight the financial crisis 2. Strikes : also immigrants strike 3. Olympic and Aegean airlines merge 4. A new Greek movie : Gold dust 5. Happy Easter! 1. NEW LAWS TO FIGHT THE FINANCIAL CRISIS Prime Minister George Papandreou announced that his PASOK party has to take drastic measures to regain the confidence of its euro zone partners and creditors. The new tax bill aims at helping Greece collect an additional 5 billion euros in 2010.

TAX SCALE AND BRACKETS 2009 tax law Income brackets Tax rates 0-12.000 0% 12.001-30.000 25% 30.001-75.000 35% Above 75.000 40% New tax laws Income brackets Tax rate 0-12.000 0% 12.001-16.000 18% 16.001-22.000 24% 22.001-26.000 26% 26.001-32.000 32% 32.001-40.000 36% 40.001-60.000 38% Above 60.000 40%

Other measures to collect 2,5 billion euros, include hikes to VAT and income taxes, as well as extra taxes for high-income groups, large property owners and offshore firms. In the public sector, there will be 30% reductions in the Christmas-, Easter- and summer holiday bonuses for civil servants, which amount to a 60% cut in the so-called 14th monthly. The latter also explains why the last decades so many Greeks were trying with all means to obtain a job in the public sector, and why the public sector is now organizing weekly strikes! Extra taxes - PAY CUTS AND TAX HIKES +2 % VAT hike, +1% VAT hike, from 19% to 21% from 9% to 10% on food, electricity, water, as well as hotel, coffeeshop and restaurant bills

10% 1% 45% 2% 15% 30% 12%

Luxury tax on items such as leather goods, jewellery, carpets, yachts etc. Special levy on earnings over 100.000 euros. Income tax on earnings above 100,000 euros. Special levy on real-estate property above 5 million euros Tax on all properties owned by off-shore companies Cuts in public sector salary bonuses and freeze on state pensions. Cut in auxiliary public sector benefits

Steep rise in fuel tax On top of the measures above, all sectors using fuel will be hard hit . The unleaded gasoline rose this month by 0,15 euros per liter. Maybe Greeks will start using public transportation more, if the transportation does not strike of course!
(photo: Feb. 2010. Cars waiting in line for a petrol station, the day before a strike was announced.)

2. ALSO IMMIGRANTS STRIKE

Every year Athens has hundreds of strikes..nothing really changed this year! The foreign press might think the strikes are related to the present crisis, but honestly, there are not more strikes than any other year! It seems to be a national sport and Greeks are very used to the fact that every year the schools strike for several days, the public transport does not operate, the airport is closed down, the gas-stations are out of gasoline, the port authorities do not work, the farmers block the roads, the post offices are out of service, etcetc. Crisis or no crisis, these strikes are happening every year, but every year for a different reason! But one strike was different this year! A group of Greek and human rights advocates organized on March 1st Greeces first immigrant strike titled A day without us. They advised immigrants around the country not to spend money on March 1, not even on bread or cigarettes. They were also encouraged to boycott public transport. The organizers wanted to show the importance of immigrants in Greece. Immigrants make up 10 percent of the population. They help economic growth as consumers and employees. Research published in 2007 showed that if immigrants would leave the country, most of their jobs would go unfilled by Greek-born workers. The majority of immigrants in Greece are employed in agriculture, domestic work and the service sector. The Gross domestic product would drop by four percentage points if all immigrants were suddenly to disappear. We believe from next year also this strike will be on the list of yearly strikes . 3. OLYMPIC AIR AND AEGEAN AIRLINES MERGE. For all you that booked already a flight ticket with Olympic or Aegean, do not be surprised when your flight will get a different name or number in some months.. Greeces two biggest air carriers, privatized Olympic Air and Aegean Airlines announced an agreement to join together to withstand the economic crisis and tougher competition. The Olympic Air shareholder, Marfin Investment Group, and Aegeans main shareholder have agreed to create an airline servicing 106 domestic and international routes, employing 5,850 staff and operating a fleet of 64 planes. The new companys name will be Olympic Air, better known internationally. The airlines stated that there will be no threat to competition. Sources said layoffs as a result of the merger are not expected to exceed 300. 4. GOLD DUST ( Chrysoskoni ) The difficulty to make choices.. At this moment playing in Greek cinemas.Gold dust is a drama, produced by Margarita Manda, awarded with the Audience Prize at the 2009 Panorama of European Cinema in Athens. The story is about Athens and its transformation from a small European city to a bustling capital, with all the problems that come with it. The main characters are three middle-aged siblings, whose parents have died and who must now decide what to do with the family home. Alexis, the realist, wants to sell up, split the cash and move on. Anna is the romantic who cannot stand the idea of the home being turned into an apartment block. Amalia cannot make up her mind: she had a difficult life and cannot handle the pressure of having to make a decision again. The film is about the true nature of their relationship, but also about how each of them copes with choosing between things that are dear to them and the need to make a new start. An allegory to the choices that have made Athens what it is today: for better or for worse. Actually, this theme is also the discussion going on between many Greeks about the future of Greece. The opinions about What should happen with Greece? are very diverse and very much

related to history, nationalistic feelings, different mentality and cultural heritage. The difficulty to choose in a changing world. Which choice Greece should make? Feel free to write us your ideas! 5. HAPPY EASTER The OMILO-team is getting ready for the intensive Easter course in Nafplion. This year, Easter will be on the same date as Easter in your countries : April 4th It is a very early Easter this year, and slowly slowly (siga-siga) the country starts preparing itself for the biggest national holiday and celebration Easter is actually announced from Katheri Devtera onwards. On February 15th all Greeks celebrated the national holiday kathera Devtera , which is the last day of carnival and the first day of the so called fasting period. From that day onwards till Easter people say kali sarrakosti (Have a nice 40 days!), since there are 40 days left till the holy week (before Easter Sunday) starts. On Kathera Devtera you DO NOT eat meat, but mostly fish, vegetables, and laganas (special bread). Kathera Devtera is the first day of the so called fasting period and the last day of Carnival. Most people do not bother about the fasting anymore after Kathera Devtera, but start fasting again for just one week before Easter, during the so called holy week! Nevertheless, for those that can do without eggs, milk, meat, etc for 40 days, in every shop you will find nistissima, the foods you can eat during the fasting period! So now we are at the end of the sarrakosti, and getting ready for our Easter course in Nafplion, which will start on March 28th. . In stead of listening to Greek music concerts in Athens, it will be church services and monasteries this time, all in the Easter atmosphere, and between the many Greeks visiting Nafplion!
(photo: the "epitafio" on Friday evening).

Easter in Greece is a very special and holy time indeed! As mentioned before, holy week is a time of fasting, but it is actually something to look forward to, with a lot of special dishes and interesting food creations!! The evenings during the holly week offer church services everyday, with on Good Friday the candlelit funeral processions. On Saturday most Greeks go around 23.45 to church and witness the priest bringing in the Holy Flame, flown in from Jerusalem by Olympic Airlines (lets pray there is no strike!!) . We will light our candle and quickly try to get to our hotel rooms (or tavern) without a) it going out b) wax dripping on our good clothes, and c) someone elses candle setting our clothes or hair in fire!! The candle seems to be the strongest link between home and church. Easter candles, called lambades, are decorated with a hundred and one motifs (especially those for the children), usually tied on with a bright ribbon. Some of the candles even have tied dolls or other items onto it, and seem too nice to even burn! On Saturday night we will also eat the famous mayeritsa soup! (we prefer to give you the recipe after Easter!) During the whole week till Saturday evening you say kali anastasi to everybody you meet, and mind you when you translate it for friends into English!!! (a nice Greek man wanted to translate it for us in English and said have a nice erection!!! ( in stead of resurrection!!). However, from Saturday midnight you greet people with Christos Anesti (Christ resurected) and the answer is Alithos Anesti (yes he truly resurrected!). Easter means classic Greek lamb, kokoretsi, wine, red eggs, tsoureki bread, etc...but also

enjoying the beautiful nature and wild flowers everywhere. For those that are vegetarian, do not worry! Greek taverns have plenty of dishes without meat. However, be prepared, at Easter probably every Greek will try to convince you to taste lamb! On one of our past Easter courses, another nice Greek man tried to persuade a vegetarian OMILO student to taste the meat. He simply said : What is the problem? Also our lambs are vegetarian!! We wish you a very happy Easter . Kalo Pasxa. Maya , Dimitris and the OMILO team!
OMILO, PO Box 61070, 15101 MAROUSSI, ATHENS Tel. (0030)210-612.28.96 email: info@omilo.com