Customs & Travel Information

After India, here is my advice for travel. Neither place will be nearly as bad as India was, but (especially in Turkey – our first stop, and also a Middle Eastern country) this is what I can recommend.

Food:

Bread/Grains: It is hard to go wrong here. Always a safe choice

Meat: Be Careful! If it is cooked it should be fine, but always double check.

Fruits/Vegetables: Only eat if it has been cooked/boiled thoroughly or freshly peeled by yourself.

Water: Don’t drink. Brush teeth with bottled water. Always buy bottled water when you see it (even if you don’t need it – you never know when you will need it). This also means no ice.

Dairy: Avoid at all times. It is hard to tell how dairy products have been preserved. I know many of you want ice cream, but I would wait until Greece to try it. Europe is safer, and we will be more adjusted after a few weeks.

Exceptions: Chain restaurants like McDonalds, Pizza Hut (I’m not sure which ones will be in Turkey/Greece – but these were pretty typical in India). The ice, ice cream, meat, lettuce is all safe.

Most people will get at least some mild food related sickness on the trip. (Make sure to bring Imodium) This is because our bodies will take time to adjust to the foreign bacteria that we have not built up immunity for. By the end of the trip, after spending a few weeks in a new setting, you will be able to be more adventurous with dietary choices. Just always use common sense, and you will be fine.

Something else I suggest is going to Sweeny’s before the term is over and using some leftover money from your meal card to buy snacks to pack in your suitcase. Some days, a bag of trail mix/protein bar may be all you feel like eating.

Clothing:

For Greece, no restrictions. It is Europe, clothing is not important.

For Turkey, be covered. Turkey is predominantly Islamic, so when we visit Mosques we have to be covered (or if deemed inappropriate, you will be given a cloth to wrap your body with before entering). Bring many clothes that cover your shoulders (no tank tops) and legs (pants recommended, capris acceptable). Also we will have to remove our shoes upon entering. I always brought socks, so my feet would not get burned on hot stone.

Money:

Euro:

$1 = €0.73

€1 = $1.36

Lira:

$1 =1.75

1 = $0.57

Learn how to quickly convert in your head. It will help so much while shopping!!

Learn haggling techniques when shopping for souvenirs!!!

Weather:
Learn Celsius temperature, as it is what both Turkey and Greece use.

The climate is Mediterranean, which means it can warm during the summer months, but we should be there before it is too bad. Plan on about 75-80ᵒF. The winter months are also known to be quite rainy, so we may experience some during the first few days, but by the end of the trip in the middle of May, the weather will be beautiful since summers are dry.

**All in all, no matter how much we do to prepare, the people there will be able to tell we are tourists instantly. The tour company in Turkey, especially, probably deals with uniformed Americans all the time. The important thing is to just try to respect their culture.**

** Lastly, I just have to say, BRING HAND SANITIZER. You can never have enough!!! **

Learning the Greek Alphabet

Hello Everyone,

Here is a Youtube video I found that speaks it slowly, so you can see the letter and hear the sound pronunciation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FyEWbwBarQ

This is just so to help you, I think there is a couple of wrong pronunciations but I will ask Heidi to review this for me.  Good Luck with learning your alphabet.

Letter Upper, lower	Name	Pronounced	When speaking, sounds like
A, α	alpha	AHL-fah	ah
Β, β	vita	VEE-tah	the letter v
Γ, γ	gamma	GHAH-mah	the letter y when it comes before e, u, i; otherwise like a soft gargle gh
Δ, δ	thelta	THEL-tah	hard th as in "there"
Ε, ε	epsilon	EHP-see-lon	eh
Ζ, ζ	zita	ZEE-tah	the letter z
Η, η	ita	EE-tah	ee
Θ, θ	thita	THEE-tah	soft th as in "through"
Ι, ι	iota	YO-tah	ee
Κ, κ	kappa	KAH-pah	the letter k
Λ, λ	lamtha	LAHM-thah	the letter l
Μ, μ	mu	mee	the letter m
Ν, ν	nu	nee	the letter n
Ξ, ξ	xee	ksee	the letter x
Ο, ο	omikron	OH-mee-kron	oh
Π, π	pi	pee	the letter p
Ρ, ρ	ro	roh, roe	a rolled r
Σ, σ, ς	sigma	SEEGH-mah	the letter s
Τ, τ	tau	tahf	the letter t
Υ, υ	upsilon	EWP-see-lon	ee
Φ, φ	phi	fee	the letter f
Χ, χ	chi	hee	a light gargly ch as in "challah"
Ψ, ψ	psi	psee	ps as in "chips"
Ω, ω	omega	oh-MEH-ghah	somewhere between "awe" and "oh"

 

Common Diphthongs

ΑΥ, αυ	au	av or af
ΕΥ, ευ	eu	ev or ef
ΟΥ, ου	ou	oo
ΑΙ, αι	ai	eh

The words we learned:

kalimera = good morning - καλημέρα. Used both when coming to and going away from a place. 

kalispera = good afternoon - καλησπέρα. Used only when coming to a place or meeting someone in the evening or at night.

kalinihta = good night - καληνύχτα. Used only as a goodbye greeting in the evening or at night.


ya-ssou = hello or goodbye - γειά σου (greeting to one person or a friend)

ya-ssas = hello or goodbye - γειά σας (greeting to more persons or a more formal and polite way to greet an unknown person)

adio = goodbye - αντίο

Current Events: Turkey

Crowds in Turkey gather to honor Kurds. Although they are a minority (and generally unsupported) group in many Middle Eastern states, the execution of three Kurdish people in Paris prompted a gathering of tens of thousands of people in the city of Diyarbakir. The government did not stop the rally, a sign that shows promise for peace talks between the Turkish government and the Kurdish people in Turkey. (January 18, 2013)

Support for Turkey joining the European Union is declining. According to a new survey conducted in Turkey as well as in Europe, the idea of joining the EU is losing its appeal even though increased efforts have been made to further free trade across borders and no longer require a Visa for to travel to European countries. Efforts to join were originally suggested to encourage political reform in Turkey about a range of issues that Europe has already adopted. (January 26, 2013)

Turkey concerned about pollution. It is said to be a major problem for 79 out of 81 of the provinces in Turkey. The primary cause for this is waste from industry as well as heavy traffic, problems that also contribute to water and soil pollution. Recently, sea turtles are becoming a larger concern after noticing altered migration patterns.  (January 1, 2013)

Conflict in Syria:

Although this primarily only impacts Eastern Turkey (not the areas where we are travelling) it is still an important issue to be aware of. The revolution, known as the Arab Spring, began in Tunisia and has spread throughout many Middle Eastern countries (notably, Egypt with Hosni Mubarak and Libya with Muammar el-Qaddafi) with the objective of revolting against the dictatorship governments. Many of these revolutions have already had much success, but the conflict in Syria against Dictator Bashar al Assad persists. Because Syria borders Turkey to the south, many of the conflicts occur close to the border. Additionally, Turkey serves as an inspiration as the ideal form of government for many of the Arab protesters, and a significant number of the refugees, from Syria in particular, are currently living in camps in Turkey where they can escape the conflict and experience better living conditions. Although this will not be an issue in the parts of the country that we will be travelling to, it is important to recognize the political situation in Turkey.

Sources:

New York Times

Hurriyet Daily News, Istanbul

Current Events: Greece

As preparation for our trip in just three months, we thought that it would be a good idea to have a few current events posts, so we know what is happening in Greece & Turkey as we prepare for our travels.

Most of us know that Greece is in the midst of a financial crisis due to exceeding the restrictions set by the Eurozone for their budget deficit, as well as the rising tension in Turkey over Syria’s revolt against President Bashar-al-Assad. These posts will just provide additional information as these stories progress as well as about other interesting events happening in the area.

Media sources becoming targets for attacks. Last week, journalists’ homes were bombed by a group that had also raided a radio station earlier this month. The attacks are said to be a response to their coverage of austerity budget measures by the government. (January 12, 2013)

Shots fired into a government building in Athens. These attacks are also said to be motivated by the financial crisis, and by the belief that the government has failed to look into a list of people who have evaded taxes. So far, major opposition parties have not claimed responsibility for the attacks. (January 14, 2013)

Investigation underway about a former Finance Minister. George Papaconstantino is said to have removed his family members from the list of Greeks who have evaded taxes by holding Swiss bank accounts. A committee has been chosen to determine his possible indictment. (January 18, 2013)

Possible gold mine to be opened in Ierissos. A company from Canada who has recently opened copper, zinc, and lead mines in Greece hopes to also open a gold mine within the coming years. The decision is controversial because while it would provide as many as 1,500 jobs during a time when Greece faces many economic concerns, it also could damage plants, animals, and insects in the area.  Old mining operations have been said to pollute the land, water, and air. Opponents also worry about the potential for the price of gold to drop, which would mean that the economic benefits are not guaranteed to be as substantial as currently predicted. (January 13, 2013)

Keep watching on here, as next week I will be posting about Turkey. Also, remember our first class meeting will be Wednesday at 4pm. See you then!!

Source: New York Times