Becoming Greek

Feliz Navidad

Today I bought a couple of toy guitars from a guy selling things at stoplights.  And the boys have been playing their guitars all day long!!  The funny thing is that they have wanted to learn the song "feliz navidad"......  I think from a Dora episode......  I have recently taken up the guitar (not just guitar hero), and so we had a jam session this afternoon. 

Feliz Navidad!!!

Welcome Nubies to internet 2.0

Now that facebook status updates can be google'd (if you choose in your privacy settings) be careful....  I was googling the exact quote for a St Augustine "pray like it all depends on God and work like it all depends on you", and ended up on Dave Ramsey's facebook stutus on July 1st....  He claimed it as his qoute, and in July he was broadcasting to his close cirlce of fb friends....  But this week that all changed.  Now instead of St Augustine being on the front page of google it is Dave. 

So if you choose to go public than try not to plagerise qoutes....  I am not mad at Dave, and St Augustine is no longer around to be upset either.  Its a good lesson for all of us to learn.

Proud of Zach

During my time in PA, I had the time to spend some time with a great young man named Zach.  He was a high school star athlete, but his concern for others is what made him special.  He was a tremendous asset in our after school program as a mentor to younger students.  His athletic career had taken him to South Bend at Notre Dame, and then up to Uconn to play for the Huskies.  After sitting out his first year because of transferring, last year he had a few game time moments when the first team quarterback was injured.  This year Zach started as the number one, but was injured early in the season.  After his recovery ended up back in the saddle as the teams offensive play caller.

I have been following the past couple weeks as he returned to Notre Dame to lead Uconn to a victory.  And then a couple of other wins which has pushed Uconn into a bowl game on Jan. 2.  I am excited to see how the bowl game turns out, and his final year next season.  I am proud of him, and wish him all the best in the papajohn's bowl!!!

World Champions

In case you missed it today was the World Cup draw for the group play.  Several exciting groups are laid out, and I will focus on the US in group C also Greece in group B.  Although this is arguably the largest world sporting event next to the Olympics only 35% of Americans are planning to watch according to the flash pole on cnn.   The other 65% will be tuned into the "world champions" in the other football, baseball, basketball, and hockey.  Just cracks me up how we use that term "world champs" with NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB...... 

So tune in this summer, and watch some World Cup!!!

Preservatives

My friends here in Greece put a vast importance on eating fresh food.  They only get meat from the butcher - fresh.  They buy their bread from the bakery everyday - fresh.  They go to the fruit and vegetable to buy their produce - you guessed it, fresh.  The mere thought of preservatives makes an item distasteful.  In fact canned soup is viewed as a disgusting food due to the vast amount of un-natural preservatives.

This summer my brother (Danny) and I had a good laugh about the difference between American's and Europeans when it comes to food.  We had just been talking about how Danny keeps the food from a care package fresh.  Danny double zip locks his brownies, puts a piece of white bread inside to soak up extra air, and plastic wraps the bag.  He once had a friend eat a brownie which he presumed were a day old, but Danny had a 4 week old brownie still tasting fresh.  We laughed that in America we figure out ways to make food last way beyond its normal shelf life.  As he enjoyed fresh French food all summer, and we work on eating fresh Greek food, it was food for thought, until last week.

We bought a ham from Ikea.....  It was great, and was really a tasty dinner.  All seemed very normal until we tried to heat up the ham in the microwave the next day for left overs.  The ham would catch on fire after a brief second in the microwave.  Our first thought was that a piece of aluminum foil was attached to the bottom, but it was all free and clear.  The ham apparently had a preservative that would catch on fire in the microwave.  Thus making me think that the impracticality of visiting a bakery, butcher, green grocer, and super market every day might not be so crazy after all.....

Trafficking....

As many of you know human trafficking is starting to become a central theme to human activists around the globe.  This once hidden crime is now in the center spotlight, and this week has been flaunted in front of me every day this week so far.

On Monday I was a part of a small group gathering here in Greece, and a member of the group was a victim of human trafficking.  She is now in the process of getting documents, but putting a name, face, and personality to human trafficking is difficult.

Tuesday I spent the morning working with a group dedicated to the abolishing of trafficking here in Greece.  And when I returned home my wife mentioned a story she just heard from my brother in India.  In India trafficking is a large for profit business, and the traffickers target high risk people.  My brother knows a family in India, the mother is terminally ill and the father is on his death bed.  They have a 8 year old daughter and a son about 5 years old.  Traffickers have already offered $1,000 for the girl, which they have refused.  But when her parents die in the next 12-20 months, they will be victims unless someone can step in and help.

Today on CNN .com two articles were front and center on the video section.  The first talked an American girl who ran away from home, and ended up trapped in the sex slave industry in America.  She was rescued by the FBI, but there are approximately 25k girls in her situation in America today.  The second story talked about a man from Thailand who was recruited to work in NC on a tobacco farm.  He was promised $8 and hour, but had to pay $11,000 upfront for travel costs.  When he arrived they took his passport, and he was trapped.  He knew no English and became a work slave with 20 other Thai men.  These men survived by trapping pigeons for their main food source.  The eventually escaped and today they are all free, and live in America.

Human trafficking will be the number 1 organized crime worldwide in 2010.  A girl in the sex industry is worth $250k a year.  You can sell drugs and guns one time, but a person can be sold multiple times in a day.

Edmond Burke said, "all that is needed for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing".

Thanksgiving

This year I have a lot to be thankful for as my family has logged a year in Greece.  We are having a huge get together with lots of Greeks, Americans, and Phil (my Danish friend).  Our biggest hope coming to a new country was that we would be able to build authentic friendships here, and I can't imagine living life without come of my new friends.  Our house will be packed with 30+ people who will be devouring turkey, eating pumpkin pie, watching football (an old dvr'd game thanks to my father in law), playing guitar hero, and giving thanks for all that has been provided to us.

My life is dependent on so many people around the globe, and this is a great time to be thankful for so much.  We are thankful for family not with us, friends that are near, friends that are far, and for all that God has provided us this year. 

Thanks!

Health Care Rambelings....

I am not going to make to many political statements, about my thoughts on the Health Care bills. This is coming from a perspective of an American living in a socialized Health Care country.

All of my Greek European friends cannot understand the hesitancy of Americans and the Health Care reform (55% of Americans are in favor).  They all seem overwhelmingly convinced that Americans pay high premiums, insurance, and medical bills.  These are all correct statements.  However, if you were to ask these Europeans how they like their government hospitals, clinics, or services you will get a resounding answer.  They hate the system. 

Level the playing field - the facts.

A few downers

In Greece a person can't get free health care unless they have a job. So those who don't work still pay for health care although the prices are far cheaper.

There are pharmacies on every corner, and state insurance does cover the cost.  The nice thing is that a "z-pack" is only $30 compared to $125 in the States, but the cost is out of pocket.

Most of my friends who have state insurance still purchase private insurance.  So much for no more private health care providers.

Most of my friends use private hospitals, doctors, or clinics.  My friends all pay over $4,000 to have baby's in private hospitals.  The cost is a third of a baby birth in the US, but my insurance covered my kids births.  Most of my friends use private doctors at $75 a visit, and if you need a surgery you will have to go to the private hospitals.

A surgery in a social system puts you on a waiting list which can take up to a year. 

Some positives

We needed x-rays for our visa and without insurance and we paid about $13.00 out of pocket, as opposed to $300 in the US.

Everyone can get service, but this can quickly become negative because of the strain on the staff and massive crowds.

You don't need to pay $1,000 a month for insurance.

The cost.  Is it really free?

Most people who are excited about the new system are looking at how they will save money on the bottom line, but will they?  You have to pay for it somehow...

The sales tax here is 19% on everything (cloths, food, gas, repairs, and everything else you could imagine).

Gas is taxed very high and we pay $5.00+ a gallon

Items are taxed high.  Nike shoes can cost almost $250-300, Levi's are over $100, and 2 pizza's, 3 cokes, and 1 salad at Pizza Hut is $75.00 (without tip).

The positive side to the high cost of living is "free" health care, and free University.

Yet, if the system is so good than why to so many people pay for private medical and education?

My opinion is from a abroad situation, but would love to dialog with those in favor of the system, along with those who disagree.

I realize the health care system is out of control, but we get exceptional service, clean hospitals, care when we need it, and low cost of living.

Our system is not perfect, and neither is Europe.  But there could be middle ground somewhere if we look hard enough.  Your thoughts.....

This week I was reading an article on cnn where the legal system is 5 years behind online advances such as facebook. The legal system has a difficult time in the increasingly rapid advances of culture, and often times people are slow to advance as well. Not my grandma in CA. This week she started a facebook, and my 82 year old grandmother joined the largest online social network on the planet. Something is so cool when your grandmother uses the message feature to exchange information with her grandson a few thousand miles away. Pretty cool stuff!!

To far away.....

The past two weeks have been full of joys and pains living over 5,000 miles away from family in the United States.  Two major life milestones were robbed from us this month.....

Life:

My sister in law had a baby two weeks ago today, and we missed our time with baby Kylie (nicknamed Kaylie 2.0 by her uncle).  It was hard to to only see the new baby over skype, and watch my wife feel distance and separation from her sisters big day.  She missed out on her new niece and being there for her sister in the hospital.  She will never hold her as a newborn, and we missed some of the most precious moments with her.  I never will smell the top of her newborn head, and get to take a newborn nap with my niece.  At least we will stay connected as she grows, and will hopefully get to visit soon enough....

Death:

About three weeks ago my grandmother had a freak fall down the stairs as she was walking through a new home.  She was 85 but healthy and had at least 10-15 years of life ahead of her, until that accident.  She had emergency surgery for a pool of blood that developed in her brain, and that moment started a time clock no one could stop.  I was on the sidelines helplessly reading email updates, and speaking with my family through the roller-coaster recovery,  She was in a comma, then back to her normal self, and back into ICU.  The battle ended yesterday, and the distance feels immense.  We could not visit her in the hospital, and will not be there for her funeral.  

One one side of the coin we were blessed because we saw my grandma in September, but we are kicking ourselves because we forgot our camera.  We did not get to snap a updated picture with the boys, but even more upsetting is that they will not get to see their great-grandmother again.  I will be preparing some writings for the funeral, and will get to reminisce on some great moments.  My grandmother was a great woman.

It is just hard being so far away.....

A funny story

I have been working on finishing my leadership book, and was doing some re-writing.  I came across this story I forgot, and thought I would throw it on the blog......

There is one individual who I met that has a wild tattoo story.  He is actually a successful business owner of a coffee roasting company in the Seattle area.  He was a huge Evil Keneval fan, and actually met him one day after the show.  He told Evil just how much he admired him and asked for an autograph on his arm.  Evil penned his name on his arm, and then did something totally unexpected.  He opened his walled and pulled out $500.  He handed it over to this grown man, and said, “why don’t you tattoo it”.  I was able to witness the end product years latter on this mans arm with a red, white, and blue number one.

The one that got away......

When we were back in the states we had a little family vacation to Ocean City, MD.  I could pontificate all day on the differences between the beaches in Greece and at OC, but I will spar you my rants and raves....
But a highlight of the trip was fishing each morning with the boys and "Pa".....  Miraculously we caught fish like crazy with the kids.  I normally don't have great luck fishing, and that can be verified by Randy at Beaver Lake, AR.  Yet, at the ocean little seabass were giving our boys tons of fun.  Honestly, since we were fishing catch and release we could have double dipped a fish a time or two but that does not matter. 
On the last morning we saw a couple old guys catch a really nice flounder in the water.  The boys (Mac and Kaiden, my nephew) wanted to see the fish so we wandered on over.  The fish was laying lifeless and Mac really wanted to touch it.  He got up the nerves and gave it a poke.  Nothing happened.  Since Mac was so interested I asked if we could take a photo, and took it a step farther.  We hoisted it up in the air, adn as you can see Mac gave it one more poke.  As he did the fish sprang to life and wiggled like crazy.  I set it on the ground and it flapped and flopped everywhere.  The boys jumped in our arms, the old guys started laughing, people watching all over the boardwalk were entertianed, and Mac had a great adventure.
Truly that was a fish that got away, well kind of.......

Back in the saddle....

    This week we are getting things settled from our crazy visa adventure......  Now we are getting our paperwork processed here in Greece, and getting back into the routine of school life.  Jamie and I plan to really deepen into our Greek this Fall, and continue to deepen our relationship with some of our partners.  It is good to be back, and a relief to have all of our paperwork taken care of!!!
    Last night we went to the circus, and it was a trip!!!  My little tenderfoot Brady was really scared through most of the magic show, clowns, and dances.  However, he loved the acrobats and wanted to see them "fall into the nets".  We tried to explain how that would be a bad thing, and just as we did the acrobat fell and almost flew into the crowd.  Jamie and I dropped our jaws, and Brady clapped as he got his wish.  All in all it was a good night out with the kids, and a nice welcome back to the family!!!

Hey Oriole Bird.....

My father-in law is a huge Orioles fan, and since we have been back every game has been tuned in on a local Baltimore station.   Our boys are normally running around, but love watching a particular commercial with the Oriole Bird.

We this has turned into an exciting obsession, and on Friday night we watched the O's beat the Indians at Camden Yards.  My father and I had my two boys, and we brought along another nephew who is 2 1/2.  So we adults were outnumber 3/2, but with a few cheez-its, peanuts, and juice boxes we were able to keep the boys highly entertained.  It was a great night with all sorts of action, but I think the highlight for Mac was getting to hug the Oriole Bird.  He had done the Oriole Bird dance, and then gave the bird a huge hug.  He pumped his fists in the air, and I think it made his night.....

What made my night was the guy behind me in line to hug the bird.  He had an iphone and emailed the picture to me since the camera was at home.....

Back in the USA

The past month we have been back in the USA working on an endless visa struggle.  We went to Greece with the advice from our company to obtain our residency in Europe.  Once we arrived we quickly realized we were given some bad advice and tried to do everything possible to get legal in the country. 

The rule is that you can be in Greece (which is part of a larger group of countries called the schengan) 90 days in the time period of 180 days.  To live in a country this is a very hard rule to follow, and we found ourselves going about it the "old school" way.  This method relies on the boarder police not to enforce the rules of the schegan zone.  Over the past ten years or so this method has worked well, and I personally know many Americans who still try to use this method.  However, the boarders are getting tougher and much stricker.  We were personally turned away at a boarder in March, which made us quickly realize that we had to do something to obtain a visa.

A Greek visa is done by presenting documentation in a US consulate, and then giving paperwork and a visa stamped passport to your local mayors office.  In March we were in Greece, and so going back to a US consulate is not the easiest task.  So we began to pursue the Greek side, and thought we had gotten the legal paperwork only to realize we came up a little short.  While our paperwork was getting processed in Greece we worked on out FBI background checks which can take up to 6 weeks to process. 

In early June we were denied our visa in Greece, because we were lacking he approval from the US consulate.  So we planned a trip to the US to work on an easy to get visa.....  right.....  right......

We arrived the first day of August and visited our consulate of juristiction, however we were denied three times for not having proper documents and not fufilling their requirements.  The short version is that they did not want to get us the visa we needed.

So we reached into our bag of tricks and decieded to fly across the country to a seperate consulate.  Before doing so we switched our residency, got drivers licences to the corresponding state juristrictions, and prepared all our documentation for the 4th time. 

Apparently, the worker in the first consulate did not like us very much.  We fit all the requirements, and in the second consulate we had our passports stamped with visa's in almost 24 hours of flying into that city. 

So at this point we are going to relax and take a couple days off before we head back to Greece in September.  We are really gratefull that we have everything legal now, and look forward to our time back in Greece.

After buying trans-continental flights, getting fined when leaving Greece, travelling across the country, and taking 4 weeks of out of life we have acomplished our goal of getting visas....... 

The A21 campaign

    We have has a group of Students working with us in Greece the past few days, and they have done a wonderful job.  Things have been incredibly busy, but they have been able to touch a lot of people here in the city.  Today the team hit the streets with (thea21campaign.com) A21 team and passed out food items to people in danger of human trafficking here in Greece.  The A21 group is about abolishing injustice in the 21st century, and our students from America were able to be the hands and feet to disburse things on the streets of Thess.  We were given over 450 meals from Goodies and McD's, waters from Carrefour and Coke.......  It was a great afternoon and evening for the team.  They have worked so hard all week in so many diffrent ways and venues over the past week!!!

    We are so glad that they are here with us!!

Halkidiki

    Now that we live in Greece we have become very acquainted with the beach area of Halkidiki.  Since I grew up in Montana I never really had the opportunity to be close to the beach.  All that has changed and we have had the opportunity to visit some of the most beautiful beaches that I have ever been to.  It has been out Saturday morning ritual....  Eat a little "Boo-gat-sa"  and drive 45 minutes to the beach...
    This past weekend my brother danny (who is spending the summer in France) came to visit us for the week.  We went to the "second leg" of Halkidiki where you could swimn in the ocean, and have a wonderful view of the sacrad Mt Athos.  All in all it was an increible time. 
    The only thing that you have to be careful with is the sunburns.....  Currently I am staying far away from the sun burns, but my friends have told me about all sorts of crazy ways to use sun cream.  Check ot this older guy as he keeps his skin fair....  The video is real, and filmed here in Greece.

BTW- I am not wearing a speedo yet.....

Dr Pepper

    One of the Soda's that I love is Dr Pepper, but this is a very difficult soda to find here in Greece.  There are a few sodas like that such as Mountain Dew, Dr Pepper, Brisk Ice Tea, and Root Beer that are impossible to get unless they are imported....  And normally I do not even have a craving for these soda's until last week.....
    Last week a couple of Navy ships docked here in Thessaloniki spilling American sailors all over the place.  One of our American friends connected with the Navy chaplain and they offered a tour of the boat to any Americans in the city.  So we took the boys on the boat and it was a lot of fun.  They took pictures with machine guns, got to steer the captains wheel, and toured the in's and out's of the ship.  Here comes the good part.....  The dining area had soda machines with all sorts of good stuff - Dr Pepper, Mt Dew, Root Beer, and Brisk Ice Tea.  We were pumped because at the end of the tour the chaplain was going to buy us all a soda.  I was like a kid in a candy store, until the machine was sold out.....  Uhhhgggg.  And the worst part was that it got in my heart.
    So today we went to the import store and they actually had Dr Pepper which is a miracle.  Here in Greece a soda at a restaurant like Applebee's will cost you $6.00, and a 6 pack of Coke at the store is about $5.00.  So the prices are already expensive to begin with, and so when we picked up a 6 pack of Dr Pepper we knew we would pay a pretty penny.  Well, 9.00 Euro's latter (or $13.00) we had our 6 pack of Dr Pepper.  We will enjoy those babys on a much needed craving day!!!

Top 10 ways you know you are not in the US......

    Last night Jamie and I went to a fundraiser for children with down syndrome at one of the nicest party gardens in the city.  People were dressed formally, the food was fantastic, and the atmosphere was like that of an incredible evening wedding reception.  For a few hours we literally forgot what country we were in until a stray dog waltzed his way though the main dance floor.....
    After we had a nice laugh we put together a top 10 list of ways you know your not in the US:

10.  Stray dogs are anywhere and everywhere
9.    People want to help you with directions
8.    You sit down at table with 8 people and everyone can speak at least two languages
7.    No one has heard of the term "customer service"
6.    You have no idea who the president is, or if the president is the man in power
5.    Stop signs really are optional
4.    People still use cash
3.    A total disregard for BO
2.    You can order a beer at McDonalds
1.    A one piece bathing suit is not modest at all

Miss Shannon

    One of the reasons we are here in Greece is to network a study abroad program for AG schools during their University years.  We plan to mentor 6-8 college students each semester as they learn how to live and touch lives while being abroad.
    The past few months we have become great friends with a students named Shannon who is from USF in Tampa Bay.  She was involved in here Chi Alpha program at USF and found us through some mutual friends.  We were a blessing to her life in the form of a place to do laundry, get a home cooked meal, catch up on The Office, and have someone to take here to church.  We were blessed to have a friend to talk English with, a girl who loved our boys, and great person to share life with.....
    Shannon left for the states last week, and the family here in Greece is sad.  Mac fell in love with Shannon and is missing his girlfriend.  We are missing our friend to watch some American tv with, but she is our official represenitive to eat Chic-fil-a for us in the states....
    Some times we get to busy to take time to build new relationships, but we are so glad we became friends with Shannon!!!!

Acropolis Road Rally

       This weekend I went to the famous Acropolis road rally with my Greek friend Thomas.  The rally is a bunch of cars that race on dirt roads over three days to see who can come up with the best time.  So we drove down late Thursday, slept on the ground, and got up early to watch the cars.
    It was wild to say the least.  Greece is one of the few countries that lets the fans near the track, and boy to people get up close and personal.  You can see, touch, taste the cars....  And you can eat as much dust as you want!!!  In the video bellow I am standing with my friend against some trees on the opposite side of the road.  My friend found this video on youtube and we happen to be in the crowd on the other side.....  Wild huh?
    We were at eye level with the cars as they raced by, and it was an experience I will not forget.  At lease we were downwind and did not have to eat a dust sandwich.....