Its a cultural thing: A Melted Society

America is referred to as a melting pot, a place where people of all different cultures and backgrounds can come to find a safe haven and not have to worry about whether or not they will fit in.  I think we take the diversity in our country for granted, we think it is completely normal for blacks to marry whites, and for a Hispanic family to adopt an African child and raise it as their own.  In our workplaces, we are taught to treat everyone as an equal, no matter what their skin color is.  Although there are exceptions to every rule, people look at others with the assumption that they are American.  People can come to America and not feel like an outsider, whereas here, I feel like that’s all I am and all people see me as, a foreigner. 

Greece, as a country, is very contained. Geographically, it is a landmass surrounded by water on three sides, socially, it is different than any other culture i have come across.  The people here have roots that date back to ancient times and all they know is the Greek culture and way of life.  They are often hesitant to try something different because why would you fix something that works perfectly fine, right?  Some of the people here have never even been out of the village they were raised in or the island their family has lived on for the past hundred years.  Their culture is unlike any I have ever encountered and is one of they have one of the most unique set of characteristics.  The traditional Greek has olive skin, dark coarse hair, and long faces; I obviously share none of these features.  I stick out like a sore thumb with my blond hair, blue eyes, and Irish heritage (which is often noticeable by my constantly burnt complexion).  Greece’s economy is based on tourism so they are used to having people from different countries here, but that doesn’t stop the constant staring.  Even if I wanted to blend in with the locals, spoke fluent Greek, and lived here full time, I do not think I would ever be completely accepted by the people.  I don’t mean that to sound harsh. The people here can be loving and caring, but they would only see me as an outsider, someone who doesn’t belong in their country.  I have heard stories of Americans that moved here and were faced with enormous obstacles having to do with fitting and blending in.  Like I said in some of my earlier posts, it takes a lot of time to earn the trust and loyalty of a Greek, but once you have passed all the tests, you have earned their friendship for life. In a country based solely on the relationships and connections, the only way to survive here full time would be to befriend anyone and everyone you could.  Everything here is so beautiful and I honestly cant get enough of this country. It is sad to think that we only have a couple more weeks here, but it has been anything but boring that's for sure.