By Olamide Ajala
I had the opportunity to live in Athens, the capital of Greece between September 2016 and August 2017. I had gone for my MBA Programme and it was such a refreshing year. First, it was a privilege to live in the capital city. I particularly liked the fact that my apartment was a 20-minute walk away from school. This meant that I had about 40 minutes of exercise daily. ? Then, there was also the fact that living outside my comfort zone led to some of the most fascinating experiences of my life.
It’s hard to be in Greece and not get caught up with its culture, hospitality and amazing landscapes. So, if you are looking for a possible travel destination, here are a few things I experienced to inspire your choice.
My Experience
Although I was in Greece for my MBA which gave me more clarity about my career pursuits, I also saw the year as a necessary break/time off work. Within that time, I learned how to become more self-aware through working with others in teams and getting feedback from others through the Reflected Best Self Portrait exercise. I decided to work on my weakness such as being more patient with people and not judging so fast. Today, I am much more open-minded about life generally and it has helped me to understand that when you have lesser things to worry about such as constant electricity, washing machine, free internet you are more productive.
Clarity of purpose
The phrases clarity and meditation started to resonate with me. I had enough time on my hands which helped me realise that I can be more. Living all by myself in a furnished apartment, not driving and facing traffic for a year and having lesser things to worry about made me more productive as an individual. I discovered more of me.
A different side of me
I had the opportunity to build a website from scratch for my E-Business course. I am naturally not a techy savvy person, but I decided to take this course to break the barriers. It was a challenging but very great experience trying my hands on something different from accounting. #Hehehe. To be honest, I have not posted on the website since after the course, but I intend to revamp it before the end of this year. https://thewisetable1.wixsite.com/wiseone
In addition, I also had the opportunity to act in a Management Acts Theoretical course published on 28 July 2017 on YouTube by thealbatv where I acted as a Greek Chef and I spoke some Greek language. (You can watch here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvQ2aC_F7QI ) or search for Management Acts 2017: Play 2 “The Secret Sauce”.
Food
I was the only Nigerian in my team. I had to go on outings with my Greek friends. I learnt how to eat different types of Cheese such as Feta, Graviera, Manouri. My best Greek meal was Souvlaki. It was my go-to when I did not want to enter the kitchen. Souvlaki is a Greek fast food made with tender cuts of meat, chicken or pork marinated in a lemony olive oil mixture grilled on a skewer.
The Farmer’s market
This was one of my best experiences. I loved going to the market to get fruits, foodstuff and chat with the farmers. Friday was my fruit day. I ate a variety of fruits throughout the weekend. I was very intentional about my fruit intake during this period.
Market tip: A Nigerian who had lived in Greece for 10 years told me that I could get cheaper prices for stuff when I go to the market after 2 pm. This is the power of communication. It gives you access to information.
Language
I learnt to speak some Greek language especially the greetings. It was important to communicate especially when I found myself in places where they hardly spoke English. Some of them are Hello (Yassas), good morning (Kalimera), good afternoon (Kalispera), good night (Kalinihxta), you are welcome( Parakalo) and thank you(efharisto).
Five places you must visit
- Santorini, Cyclades
- Crete
- Mykonos- Mykonos is an island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. It is popularly known for its summer party atmosphere. Massive dance clubs attract world-renowned DJs. If you love to party hard, this is a place for you. There are also a lot of beautiful beaches.
- Athens- The Acropolis of Athens- It forms the greatest architectural and artistic complex bequeathed by Greek Antiquity to the world.
- Syntagma square- It is the most popular meeting point for Athenians. This is the central square of Athens and it is located in front of the 19th century Old Royal Palace, housing the Greek Parliament since 1934. It’s the main transportation hub with the blue and red subway lines intersecting at Syntagma Section under the square.
Favourite travel quote
The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page –
Augustine of Hippo
