MY BIG FAT FUNNY LIFE

Greeks, especially older Greeks, were raised with a very different relationship to things. You did not replace something simply because it stopped working properly. You inspected it. You tapped it. You unplugged it and plugged it back in with deep seriousness. Only then did the discussion begin.

If you come expecting paradise with no problems, you will almost certainly be disappointed. Because Greece can test your patience in ways you may not be prepared for. A simple administrative task might require three offices, two photocopies, one missing stamp, and a coffee break somewhere in the middle.

Bills, in Greece, are never just bills. They are narratives. You open one with caution. Electricity, water, phone, κοινόχρηστα, something from a municipality, something from a service you do not fully remember signing up for. There are boxes, codes, adjustments, itemized charges, and at least one line that seems written less to inform you than to test your character.