Athens, Greece (April 16th, 2007) - Today, management of a secret Greek organization unveiled the newest member of the global wired world, LingoPass! Born at 2:45 PM, LingoPass! stands 800 pixels tall and weighs 4.5 MB. It was a healthy green color as shown by the picture below.

Prior to the monumental debut, management was logging 16 hour days at Starbucks (Kolonaki) to bring you the latest in language exchange platforms.

What can you do with LingoPass!? Members are able to freely search for and communicate with language exchange partners. Simply create your free profile, send e-mails, instant message, and practice speaking - all for free!

If you need lessons, we can provide that too!

Note: All prior correspondences in this blog were taken from Tito’s e-mails to friends and family around the world.

LingoPass!
The Free Language Exchange Network

Written by Chris Titus

After having had sporadic contact with some of you, I figured it was about time to draft another e-mail. I wish I had some really exciting news to report, like I’ve been off backpacking to the far reaches of the country or wasting away on an island somewhere sipping wine with beautiful women.

Since my last letter, we had a two week vacation for Easter. The date of Greek Orthodox Easter varies every year. It usually increases one week per year until the fourth year, when it falls on the same day as Catholic Easter. This year it was on April 8th and Greece literally shut down. Athens’ 5 million inhabitants evacuated the city as if a nuclear disaster was expected. Most of Greece’s population (10.7 million people) return to their villages. It’s incredible to think that close to 50% of a country literally disappeared! It felt like a bomb detonated and I was the only one left alive. And, it was great! Empty roads and quiet neighborhoods were highly unusual in Athens. I used this time off from class to explore the area around my neighborhood, make a few friends (mainly expats), and go for coffee every few days.

On Easter Sunday, I went with relatives to visit some extended family who I had never met before. I arrived late to Theo (Uncle) Vasili’s house. Thea (Aunt) Stavroula had already left and he was waiting for me at the bus. At 91 years old, Uncle Vasili is a marvel. Shake his hand and you might not get yours back. For most of his life, he worked with iron - welding fences, railings, etc. From his superhuman strength, you’d think he did all of his work without a blow torch.

We took the bus to a stop along Leoforos Vouliagmenis, a major route out of the city. This is also the route I take to get to their home (it’s the bus line 108). From the point on the map, we must have walked close to two miles. I couldn’t believe how well he held up.

When we arrived, we went up to the roof to check on the chef. Thea’s nephew was working the grill. We looked across the roof tops of the city to see neighbors who remained in the city performing the same ritual, grilling lamb on their roofs. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. The deep, rich blue sky of Greece is a color blue we don’t see back in Boston. The temperature was in the upper-70’s. It was one of the first really warm days of the year. I spent a half hour moving between sun and shade, in and out of the smoke as the wind changed, and enjoying the fact that I had somewhere to spend Easter Sunday.

The food was excellent. We had lamb with tzatziki, brizzola, pork, salad, potatoes, feta cheese, olives, and plenty of wine. My advice is to not eat everything on your plate. An empty plate soon becomes a full plate. If you don’t want anymore food, short of breaking your plate (they will give you another, trust me), you must leave some food there and pretend you are still working on it. It took me three plates to learn this!

The most amazing part of the day was watching Theo Vasili sprint for a bus was about to miss. I’ve never seen a 91 year old man sprint before. I almost had a heart attack watching that. I gotta say, he was fast for any age. It’s those strong Greek genes! Where was the marathon born?

LingoPass!
The Free Language Exchange Network

My diet has gone to hell! It is proving very difficult to maintain a Whole Foods lifestyle. Biologics/Organics are quite expensive in Athens, at least 50% more than Whole Foods. And, I’m not convinced they are actually organic. As a result, I’ve resigned myself to taking in chemicals for the next few months and enjoying every ounce of them.

Many people tell horror stories about how Greek farmers use excessive amounts of pesticides, far greater than those permitted by the EU. One of our relatives works for the agricultural ministry in Greece and says that all of the fruits and vegetables are spot checked for pesticide use. Batches that fail are removed from the supply chain. My friend Eleni tells me of another type of horror story - nuclear fall out. She says that northern Greece was affected by the Chernobyl disaster. All of the produce from that region, which is where the majority of Greece’s produce comes from, is tainted by radiation. Having looked into it on the web, I reached a similar conclusion.

Since there is no escaping it, I have thrown all of my dietary restrictions out the window (no sugars, white flour/rice, dairy, etc.). You’d be shocked to see me eat now. On a daily basis, I eat chocolate croissants, yogurt, white bread, and so on. It’s Great! The worse the better. I’ve put on at least five pounds. And, as reported in an earlier post, COFFEE! It’s too good to pass up here. I drink it even when I’m not tired. I don’t even bother asking if they have decaf. I don’t think they’d understand anyhow.

LingoPass!
The Free Language Exchange

Written by Chris Titus

So, the topic you are all waiting for - women.

Let me start by saying that things are quite different here than in Boston. Maybe it is due to my Greek genes that I find the women here to be incredibly beautiful. In fact, I have seen the most beautiful women in my life during the short time I’ve been in Athens. And, it seems like they are in the majority. On an average day while strolling to school, I will encounter at least six women who look like models.

Competition is fierce among women in Athens. However, I’m not sure what exactly they are competing over. For example, if a woman enters the metro wearing something rather eye-catching, it is difficult to miss the other women glaring at her. However, if a good looking man enters the train, which more noticeable because it happens less often, not one of these women would look up. It’s as if they don’t care about men.

Something else I’ve noticed is that most Greek women walk around with an upset and pouty look on their face. Greeks in general have a very stressed out look. And, the more beautiful the woman, the slower she walks. Maybe it’s a lack of energy because they don’t eat. How else do they stay so thin? One way in which Athens reminds me of Boston is that most women on the street avoid making eye contact at all costs. However, they are usually quite friendly once you engage them. Here is a phrase to help you break the ice - “milAs agglika” (do you speak English?).

Another difference is seen after you engage a woman in conversation. They seem to be more aggressive than women back home. In one week, three women asked me for my number. And, on a fourth occasion, the woman asked if it would be alright to give me hers. After telling my cousin about it, she laughed and said, “it means nothing here.” She was right. Athenian women here love to hand out and collect numbers. However, nobody dates outside of their circle of friends and family. In this way, Athens reminds me of the South.

Women who had seemed very interested were just playing around. There seems to be a genuine lack of sincerity and trust between men and women in Athens. Luckily, none of the women in my class act this way. They are all very nice people. Maybe it’s because we are all teachers.

My friend Eleni has a unique perspective on the evolution of Athenian women. Having spent eight years in London, she remarked on the dramatic changes in the women’s physical appearances in as short of a period as three years. Around the time she left for London, Greek women had been pleasantly plump. Starting five years ago, there was a strong influx of Russians into Athens. According to her, the new Russian women were very thin and attractive. Greek men, attracted to these newcomers, stopped pursuing the heavier Greeks. Soon it was time for the Greek women to play catch up. Competition is a good thing.

Around the same time, Greece adopted the Euro. Economic uncertainty ensued as many Greeks did not know how to adjust to the new currency. It is very common here to see very young and attractive women with older, wealthy men. I’ve also been repeatedly told that the infidelity rate is quite high, possibly adding to the indifference between the sexes.

I have a feeling it will be difficult to find true love in such a complex social structure.

LingoPass!
The Free Language Exchange Network

Written by Chris Titus

Shortly after arriving in Athens, I started classes at CELT Athens. Classes are on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 1PM and 6PM. After class, we have rougly a half hour to do any last minute preparations for our teaching sessions, which finish around 8:30PM. Despite the long hours, classes are a lot of fun.

The school’s owner and director of studies, Marisa Constantinides, has been able to bring the material to life in a way that demonstrates rather than preaches. I believe she missed her calling to be in theater. Classes are always entertaining.

The class consists of five students, 3 women and 2 men. We have been divided into two groups to teach the different levels- Elementary and Intermediate. I chose to begin with the Intermediate group and was paired up with Lina and Eleni (pictured below).

The women are all originally from Greece. Eleni, who has become a good friend, lived in England for eight years. Steven, a former school teacher from England, has many years of teaching experience. However, as we’ve both learned, we are at the same disadvantage being native speakers. Our understanding of grammar is quite limited compared to our peers who have been studying linguistics. So far, I’ve especially enjoyed the areas of learner psychology. It opens me up to a whole new way of thinking.

We’ve taught three times and I’ve enjoy it immensely. I can already tell that the skills I’m developing in this class will help me in which ever field I return to back home.

Here, we are having drinks at a restaurant off of Akademias street.
Picture (left to right): Chris, Lina, Steven, Eleni, Sylvia, Marisa

LingoPass!
The Free Language Exchange Network