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The Grecian saying, “Αγάλι-αγάλι γίνεται η αγουρίδα μέλι.” translates to English to say “the unripe grape gets sweet as honey, at a slow pace.” The Greeks, all too familiar with unripe versus ripe grapes, tell us through this to have patience. Greece used to be a beautiful empire, the pioneer of all countries, and the cradle of western civilization. Over time, however, it has become a shell of what it used to be. Greece is a beautiful window into what the country used to be, though its current economy falls into horrible disrepair. The euro is becoming weaker, the environment is unstable, and the economy has been deteriorating for years.
The Euro: Are You Sure?
Greece’s economy has been struggling for years trying to decide what to do with its currency. Every few seconds it feels like Greece might decide to leave the euro. The government of Greece as a whole wants to leave it behind, but the people of Greece are quite literally rallying (Beardsley, 2015) in support of keeping the euro. In 2012, Greece’s debt was put in the hands of three banks: The ECB, IMF, and EU. Combined, Greece’s total debt is over three-hundred billion dollars, and it grows by the second.
If a currency is weak, it means it is less valuable in other countries, and the euro is weak compared to the dollar. One US dollar is equal to about eight tenths of a euro, fifty dollars is about forty euros, and one hundred dollars is barely eighty euros. The euro is weaker than the majority of currencies, but it is stronger than the British pound, which is still weaker than the dollar.
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In 2015, Greece’s banks ran out of money. People were allowed to withdraw sixty euros a day, or about seventy dollars, and some of the ATMs would only allow fifty euros to be withdrawn. However, credit and debit cards were not affected since that is only electronic flow of money, but the majority of Greece uses cash. The government of Greece also said that sending money out of the country was also illegal during this time, which greatly limited Grecian business because importing items was not allowed. The government has since fixed this problem, but continues to struggle with its debt and the euro.
Tourism and Grecian Culture
Athens, Greece’s capital, is a tourism hotspot for fans of history, photographers, and the rest of the world. Athens holds the Parthenon and the Acropolis, as well as beautiful beaches, resorts, and access to Greece’s many islands. Zante Plaza Hotel and Apartments is on the island of Zakynthos and costs sixty six euros a night, or a little over eighty dollars. However, on one of Greece’s smaller islands, Liostasi Hotels and Suites costs ninety seven euros a night, or almost one hundred and twenty dollars. The difference is drastic, but for the beauty of Greece, most tourists find it worth it.
However, Greece lies on an incredibly unstable fault line, encouraging earthquakes and other natural disasters and making the environment unstable.Greece’s weak currency and regular economic crises encourage bargaining and haggling in business constantly. Discussions get heated extremely quickly but are incredibly normal. To a foreigner, this aggressive approach to business might seem daunting, but it is quite normal.The culture of Greece centers widely around glory. It is often referred to as “the cradle of western civilization” and “the birthplace of democracy.” With such grand titles comes great food, similar to that of Italy.
Most meals in Greece are centered around pasta, grains, potatoes, and rice, as well as alcohol.Greece’s New Media In Greece, television is not as culturally important as it is in other western cultures. Since 2010, Greece has had fewer than ten Grecian television programs. Despite the lack of television interference in Greek life, social media is still fairly popular in Greece.
The population of Greece is almost eleven million people, and about four million people use social media, while around ninety percent of workers admit to using social media networks. About sixteen percent of workers include a personal blog on their business profile, as well as their professional platform, demonstrating the openness of Greece’s workforce. As it stands, Facebook is the preference of Greece, followed by Pinterest, and Twitter. The least popular method of online communication is LinkedIn, used by less than point one percent of the population. Greece is a lovely country. The senses are overwhelmed with classical elements, but for residents of Greece, the views are a dime a dozen.
The government is struggling constantly with its population, currency, and debt. As Greece’s economy and government struggle, the tourism will exponentially lessen and the overall likability of Greece will lessen as it cannot afford to keep paying for its high standards of beauty.
All in all, Greece is a beautiful and stressful place. Incredible to look at, but not to look into. In time, however, like the unripe grape, Greece will climb out of this hole and become into another glorious era, it is only a matter of being patient and strong.
