Farewell Greece

All good things must come to an end and I’m also pretty sure I’m the last one in the country. I didn’t realize just how much I loved Greece until I spent this past month immersed in the culture (and the food). I’m gonna try and keep this quick but I wanted to thank everyone for making this study abroad program so memorable and life changing. Having the opportunity to learn about geopolitics, democracy, and energy from an international perspective in a case study state has been a highlight of my academic career. Devin had mentioned the “Vamvakas effect” previously: having the ability to experience a once in a lifetime experience multiple times. Between this program and Thucydides I’ve had to the opportunity to learn about both Ancient and Modern Greece. Thank you to everyone who made this trip possible in Boston, Athens, Alikianos, and Nicosia. Goodbye for now Greece.

Matt

A Day at the Base

It’s been quite a day, we’ve been driving around Chania and taking tours of various military bases and speaking with personal about the strategic position of Crete. The first base we visited was the United States support base at Cape Souda. The facility was surprisingly small considering the work that the men and woman put in on a daily basis. Cape Souda acts as a jumping off point for many US operations in the Eastern Mediterranean. When we arrived we were ushered into a command center where we were given a presentation on the history and purpose of NSA Souda Bay. Considering the small size (we managed to drive through the whole complex within 20 minutes) it was no surprise that personal at the base always were deployed solo, without family. Crete is extremely strategic for the United States due to its proximity to the Middle East and Turkey. The other two bases we visited were NATO bases, with my favorite being the missile launch site. The amount of trust between the Greek government and these international actors shows how geopolitically important Greece is as the crossroad between east and west. We ended the day at the beach and having drinks. Couldn’t have asked for a cooler experience for our penultimate day on the island.

Matt

Somewhere Back in Time

This past month I had the opportunity to visit Nicosia, Cyprus as well as the occupied section of the island and i was surprised to see that one de jure state felt like two distinct de facto nations. The Greek Cypriot side of the country, with its Miami-like beaches, resorts, and nightlife contrasted with the Turkish side’s abandoned cities, mounted guards, and guided tours. The Simulation at the University of Nicosia went well and I’m glad to have had the opportunity to role play as Egypt along with Toby and Elina. The role that Egypt places in the energy game of the Eastern Mediterranean is crucial considering the states vast energy resources and infrastructure. One visit that will stick in my mind is the sight of the abandoned city near Famagusta, Cyprus. In the back of the modern beach resorts and restaurants lies the huge urban complex left abandoned after the 1974 Turkish invasion. The Greek Cypriots left everything where it was and fled to the eastern side of the island. It’s hard to imagine that occurring in such a short period of time and it was something to see the armed guards and barbed wire fences separating the two worlds. How something like that can become so normalized I don’t know. On a less depressing note the food of the northern side is amazing. Myself, Ilias, John, and some others ventured off into the city and found an extremely rustic taverna where we got Turkish Raki and a multi-course meal to go. We would have never stopped there if we didn’t have someone, John, who spoke Turkish and I’m really glad we did. We brought the Turkish food back to the Greek side and ate by the beach. Cyprus was beautiful and I’m glad I had the chance to travel there - hopefully I’ll be back someday.

Matt

Migration

Everyone is emotionally affected (i.e. touched, hurt, changed, angered, etc.) by political injustices on different levels. Some people are more affected by things on the international level, some on the state level, and some on the individual level. I personally have always had the most emotional connection to the individuals. Once it is clear to me how the issues that we face are hurting people, then I start to truly comprehend the problems.

When we were in Athens about a week ago, we met with this lady, Ms. Megaloudi, who explained the refugee crisis to us through her eyes. She works for the Red Cross and had traveled to a variety of refugee camps. Her stories were a little tear-jerking. The one that is most striking to me was when she was in a refugee camp and there was a deathly ill baby. She was holding this baby and she demanded that a doctor come and give the infant the necessary medical attention. This, however, did not happen. They couldn’t leave the camp and the on-site doctor had already finished his work day, so the baby had to suffer and, I believe, it had passed away that night. 

That’s just one story from a whole, for lack of a better term, messed up list of things that happen in these camps. Why couldn’t they just leave the camp to get some help, if they returned immediately after? What happened to equal access to medical care? What kind of people refuse an infant emergency medical attention? Who gave them the right to decide this baby’s fate? Really, what happened to humanity here? This story of hers, among others, made me think of these questions. Even though I initially was angry and sad, I am very grateful that we got to meet with Ms. Megaloudi because the refugee crisis was finally put into an individual perspective.

Previously, we only had an academic perspective on the issues with migration. It usually focused on the international or regional issue rather than telling individual stories and how the migrants themselves are affected. The lecturers had given us numbers and policies and issues with the laws of states, the EU, and other institutions that effect the crisis. All these things are very important in order to understand the complexities that come when trying to find a long-term solution to the problem. But I could not truly understand the issues without the personal story.

Even after hearing Ms. Megaloudi’s stories and processing the issues with migration, I felt bad about the fact that we would go to Greece, hear these stories, and then just go back to the United States and continue living the life that we had before. Yes, we know something now that we didn’t before, but I feared that we wouldn’t do anything about it. After thinking about this a little more thoroughly, I realized, yes, doing nothing is one option. The other option, however, is to go out and start making a conscious effort to be the change you want to see in the world (sorry for the cheesy cliché). This could be by working on better treatment of migrants. Or by starting to be more focused on domestic issues concerning, for example, the separation of the migrant families with their children or the opioid crisis. Or even a broader scope on something like climate change or food and water security. There are so many issues that the world faces, and it is up to its population to fix them through resilience, adaptation, and/or preventive action. 

When formulating how exactly to positively impact and hopefully fix serious issue, there are so many elements of the equation: political activism, writing policy, helping the individuals one at a time, providing any needed or necessary aid (housing, financial, medical, and education for example), etc. It is our responsibility to choose which we would like to focus on. On the other hand, some things that absolutely cannot exist in this equation are ignorance, fear of “the other,” hostility, segregation, and harassment. Sadly, I think that the policies concerning migration issue in the Eastern Mediterranean have all the previously mentioned detrimental qualities. And that is precisely why there needs to be a real change in how migration is being handled that will be beneficial to both parties: the migrants and Europe.

So, to make a long story short, I will conclude by stating that it is important to remain vigilant and attentive to what is going on in the world around you. This is true on all scales: individual, domestic, and international. There are many great things about the world that we have been accustomed to and constantly adapt to. There are also a lot of serious issues that need immediate attention in order to preserve the world and provide equal opportunity to those who are in need of, and seeking, some help and a chance to remove themselves from turmoil and conflict. Everyone deserves a chance in this world. So why not make an effort in giving it to them?

Name Day

There’s nothing to compare Greek name days to in the US. The dancing and drinking made for a really special night that I won’t soon forget. The night began with a brief church service - what the priest talked about I have no idea. An hour after we arrived for Dr. Vamvakas name day the fun began with the band beginning to play. Before long the people of the surrounding villages began to dance. We met up with Yota’s daughter and her friend and the two of them attempted to teach us.
I am not a good dancer but I gave it a try. Going around the circle two times was enough for me and a sat down on the stone ledge nearby. Some of the group even danced alone up in front of the large crowd - something that isn’t for me. A young woman motioned for me to join her and her friend back in the dance circle. So I ended back up in the middle of the festivities (hopelessly trying to catch up) and honestly had one of the best nights of the trip. My month in Crete has been amazing and I couldn’t have asked for a better group to share these new experiences and culture with.

Best,
Matt