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Greek Language and Culture May 2010 OMILO Newsletter

Dear OMILO friends,
Greece has never been so much in the International media as this year.It would be great to hear also once the positive sites of this country and not only the negative! We all know this country, its culture and its people have a lot to offer and there for you decided to learn the Greek language. Unfortunately Greece did not have the right political management and organization during the last decades, which is the reason that difficult times for Greek households are now ahead. However, every crisis will also bring opportunities to become better. Greeks will need your support to keep being optimistic and proud..tell them why you visit their country so often, why you decided to learn Greek, why you listen so often to Greek music, why you decided to buy a Greek cooking book, why you like so much the Greek dance lessons (at OMILO!).You are always welcome to write us any comments or positive input to our email address info@omilo.com or to our Facebook page OMILO-Learning Greek in Greece http://www.facebook.com/omilohellas In this Newsletter we will write about : 1. FIGHTING THE FINANCIAL CRISIS 2. LONDON 2012 TUNES TO THE BOUZOUKI 3. GREEK WINESthe product for the future? 4. LETTERS,STORIES and EXPERIENCES FROM OMILO STUDENTS

1. Fighting the Financial crisis

Greece announced new austerity measures on May 2nd, paving the way for a multi-billion euro bailout from the European Union and IMF. Under pressure from financial markets, Greece has announced four austerity packages over the past five months, but failed to reassure markets, partly because the government never spelled out specific budget cuts for 2011 and 2012. Below is an outline of the main measures announced on Sunday 2/5/10: PUBLIC SECTOR SPENDING CUTS - Public sector pay freeze extended until 2014. - Christmas, Easter and summer holiday bonuses in the public sector, also known as 13th and 14th salaries, are abolished for those earning above 3,000 euros a month and will not exceed 1,000 euros for those earning less. These bonus salaries had already been cut by 30 percent in March. - Public sector allowances to be cut by an additional 8 percent. These allowances, which account for a significant part of civil servants' overall income, were already cut by 12 percent in March.

ADDITIONAL TAX MEASURES - The main VAT rate is increased by 2 percentage points to 23 percent. It had already been raised to 21 percent from 19 percent in March. - Excise taxes on fuel, cigarettes and alcohol are increased by a further 10 percent. - The government expects to generate additional revenues through another tax on highly profitable companies, as well as new gambling and gaming licenses and more property taxes. PRIVATE SECTOR - The government said it will revise laws which currently bar companies from firing more than 2 percent of their total work force each month. A new minimum wage will be introduced, applying to the young and the long-term unemployed. PENSIONS - The retirement age, currently 65 years for men and 60 years for women, will be linked to average life expectancy. - Minimum contribution period to qualify for full pension will be gradually increased to 40 years from 37 years by 2015. - Early retirement will be curtailed, with a view to banning any retirement below 60. - Pensions will be cut, to reflect a pensioner's average pay over the entire working life rather than his or her final salary level. On May 5th a general strike against the measures took place, with a lot of violence. Three young Greeks lost their lives. Difficult times are ahead. More strikes will come. Wish us good luck! But lets continue with more positive news..

2. London 2012 tunes to the bouzouki

Virtuoso Yiannis Polykandriotis is preparing to make his Summer Olympics debut with 50 of his students. The sounds of the bouzouki are set to be heard at the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games. A group of 50 bouzouki players, including children as young as 10, will share the stage with other musicians during the Games, lead by Yiannis Polykandriotis, a London based bouzouki maestro who opened that citys most popular bouzouki school more than 10 years ago. Because the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games is watched by millions all over the world, Yiannis says he is vigorously preparing for this day. My students are second- and third-generation Greeks. Many of them didnt even speak Greek when they came to me. But they have learned through the music. We have accomplished so much over the years and it will truly be a great joy to show the world. Here below the interview of the English Newspaper Athens News with Yiannis : Athens News: Did you approach Olympic organizers? Yiannis: Yes, I thought it would be a great idea for these children to play part in the Olympics. I sent a letter to the organizers and they responded positively. We will have a meeting so they

can see us perform. It is a once-in-a-lifetime chance, to see heir hard work recognized. It is also very important for second- and third-generation Greeks to keep their culture and heritage alive. Athens News: How do you see the performance ? Yiannis: I would like us to perform when the Greek team enters the stadium. Another idea is to take Elton Johns recording of the song Candles in the Wind, and adapt it for bouzouki, if we get permission for it. r the organizing committee can tell us what they would like us to perform. Athens News: Will your students be ready in time ? Yiannis: They have such a strong will and desire to succeed. They have a strong belief in themselves that they can reach the sky, which for them is the Olympic Games Book your tickets well in advance for this opening ceremony!

3. GREEK WINESthe product for the future?

There are 300 varieties of grape cultivated by more than 150,000 farmers in Greece. Greece produces some outstanding wines, thanks to its climate rain doesnt disrupt the harvesting and the endless sunshine allows for maximum ripening. With a little imagination, the future of the countrys wines could be ros (rosy). However, when we mention Greek wine, in Greece, the first thing we think of is drinking cheap and bitter house-wine at a seaside tavern. And when you talk about Greek wine abroad, people most of the times will only know retsina. Today, the Greek wine industry faces strong competition from wines from South-America, Southern Africa and Australia. Additionally, local grapes have no name recognition and many wine producers are small, family-run businesses. However, as the Greek industry develops and production and marketing improve, international restaurants may well choose a Greek xinomavro from Paros or a white moschofilero from the Peloponnese instead of a traditional Bordeaux and a California Riesling. Greece has about 130,000 hectares of vines and produces around 400 million liters a year, about 2,5 percent of production in the European Union. This places the country among the top 15 global producers, fifth in Europe in terms of area and sixth for wine production and makes the wine sector one of the most profitable drink industries for the Greek economy. Over the past twenty years, the number of Greek wine producers has increased, but 90% of the production remains that of table wine The worst-case scenario is that Greece risks disappearing of the map of wine-making countries, because of a lack of strategic marketing.

Lets hope producers look towards further development of organic wines, improvement of marketing and promoting the Greek wines in the local and international market. Some of the known names in Greece : Red Wine Agiorgitiko: cultivated mainly in the Peloponnese Karampraimis : found mainly on the island if Evia and throughout the Cycladic Islands Kotsifali : mainly cultivated on Crete Mavrodapni : grown mainly in the Peloponnese and Ionian islands, it is often blended with the Corinthian grape variety to produce sweet dessert wines Xinomavro: the predominant grape variety in the Macedonian region. It has strong ageing potential and can provide rich, full red wines White Wine Athiri: cultivated mainly in the Cyclades, the Dodecanese and on Crete, it is mainly used in the production of dry white wines. Daphni : cultivated in Crete Moschofilero : cultivated in the Peloponnese, it derives from an old, local variety and is mainly used for dry white wines Roditis : a variety found throughout Greece which has an aroma considered mainly fruity with a strong floral character Savatiano: the most cultivated variety in Greece; it displays excellent heat resistance and has a fruity aroma The OMILO-team looks forward to see you all here in Greece and taste together one of those fine, nice Greek wines! Yia-mas!

4. Letters, stories and experiences from OMILO students

a new section for the Newsletter! Anybody wishing to participate in this section, you are very welcome! Write down your Greek experiences, whether you are living in Greece/Cyprus or you are spending your holidays there. Comedies, tragedies or just your thoughts about Greece , the Greek language or culture why not share it with other Greek students? You can write in English, German, French, Dutch, Spanish or Greek. (the languages of our Omilo web-page). (The stories will not be translated to Greek by OMILO.) Susan Hoivik of Norway (susanhoivik@gmail.com ), now living in the mountains of Cyprus, is the Number 1 to start in this section! We hope many of you will follow. Enjoy her story! FROM STORM TO SAFE HAVEN It was a dark and stormy night in Kathmandu years of escalating warfare, low-flying helicopters, bombs and gunfire, combined with shortages of everything from electricity to food had shattered my nerves and my hopes for Nepal, the beloved country where I had lived and worked for over a decade. A chance email opens a new world: Youd love Cyprus, writes my ex-husband, on winter holiday with his octogenarian mother. Cyprus? For many years Id thought vaguely of Greece, perhaps Spain, as alternatives to snow-bound winters at my forest cabin in Norway, but there had never been any urgency. Until now, with the war closing in. Checking the Net whenever the electricity functions, I discover that not only does Cyprus boast the

warmest winters in the Mediterranean, it also abounds in properties for sale. Finally I find an agent who understands my eccentric wish: a simple, quiet place with charm. No frills. No golf-course expat ghetto, with swimming pool and disco. Between February and early April, we exchange over 50 friendly emails but what about properties? Wait till you get here, he advises. Thursday/Friday: On standby and as the sole shuttle-bus passenger among 13 armed guards I reach the airport as curfew falls on Nepals biggest-ever strike. Take-off is set for shortly after midnight, but then the heavens open, submerging the runway under a meter of water. Time passes. Even if the water abates, will we be allowed to take off, now that the curfew has taken effect? Monday morning: it is springtime in the Cypriot hills. With breaks to raid the almond groves and photograph the wildflowers, we turn off onto a local road. As we round a bend, I shout Stop! Red tiled roofs dot the steep hillside, with the Troodos mountains as backdrop. A wild poppy flames from a roadside vineyard. All is quiet. This is it! ....Well, OK, Id better see the house first, I concede. Down a narrow lane, then a series of uneven steps. The valley unfolds below us, trees marking the course of a precious river in this dry land. A donkey is tethered under orange trees at the bottom of the valley, while goats graze on the hills beyond. Behind blue gates is my Dream House, a renovated cottage in golden local sandstone. A tiny, almost abandoned village. Some 36 inhabitants, most of them well over 65. Total peace and quiet in a place that time forgot. A new chance, a new life. I have never looked back. Susan Hoivik ----------------------------------------------------------------------The springtime is indeed beautiful in Greece, with wildflowers everywhere. The weather has been great since Easter, and we hope for the same during our course on the island of ANDROS, starting on May 23rd. OMILO looks forward to explore this new course destination together with so many exparticipants. For those that did not choose to come to ANDROS this year, we hope to see you soon in another location of this beautiful country!

Pollous xairetismous from the OMILOteam.

OMILO, PO Box 61070, 15101 MAROUSSI, ATHENS Tel. (0030)210-612.28.96 email: info@omilo.com