Coffee Grounds and Toilet Water

Whether we like it or not, social media has a significant amount of power in today’s world. People are kept up to date on trends, news and the lives of those they follow. We log onto Instagram and Facebook where we are bombarded with people’s political opinions, family status and in a very relevant context, travel photos. When I log in, I see my friends in England, the Bahamas or Italy and I see their perfect lives with delicious food and flawless hair. I hate to admit it, but I am a victim of this epidemic too.

My most recent Instagram post from Sounion

There is an unspoken contest to portray the most put together, happy and perfect life on social media. The issue is the life we display to the world is far from the true life we experience. What people don’t see on my social media is the coffee grounds I ate on the first day in Greece because I though it was chocolate at the bottom of my friend’s coffee, or an image of our bathroom that leaks water ever time we flush the toilet. 

We have an Instagram life, and an invisible life that we choose to keep secret because we want to pretend we have our life together. If you can’t connect to the social media example, think about a job application. We have to define ourselves on one piece of paper to appear qualified and educated. In reality, our résumé is only a small glimpse into our lives, just like Instagram. There are parts of our lives we deem acceptable to be shared, and our ugly secrets that we keep to ourselves.

While in Greece, I understand the desire to post the best photos to make friends at home jealous. Of course I don’t want to post about coffee grounds or gross bathrooms, but I am trying to make sure I remember those things for myself. Greece isn’t only pink sunsets and delicious desserts. Sometimes the memories we don’t want to share to the world are the ones we’ll remember forever.

The invisible world of mental health while abroad

Traveling abroad isn’t easy.  There are so many details to work out — budgeting, managing that nagging cold that might be getting worse, doing laundry in a too-small sink, the power going out in an apartment in the middle of your shower – all of these things can make an otherwise wonderful adventure a little more stressful.

However, there is something that can add even more stress to travel, and it isn’t as easy to resolve as those other issues may be.  I’m talking about mental health issues while abroad and let me tell you, it brings up a lot of problems that are hard to predict.

It’s fairly standard to be warned about jet lag when you’re taking a 10-hour flight to Europe. When you’re tired, not only your physical self suffers; your psychological self faces the consequences as well.  Travel-related sleep problems can exacerbate any underlying mental conditions as well, which is what I’ve been dealing with.

I was diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder at the age of 13, so I’ve been managing these invisible disorders for the majority of my adolescence and my entire adult life.  I anticipated that studying away would be a potential stressor, and let me tell you that has proved to be true.

Tired, overwhelmed, and sick in front of the National Library of Athens.

A few days ago I started to feel sick- sniffles, then a cough, then a headache, then sinus issues, until I woke up on Monday and couldn’t get myself out of bed to go to class.  It wasn’t after I slept for about 20 out of the 24 hours in that day that I realized just how out of hand I had allowed my health to get, both mental and physical.

It’s hard enough to take care of yourself at home. It’s harder to do it on another continent. Because I wasn’t taking care of myself mentally, I had a hard time taking care of myself physically and this happened.  I managed to reach out to those who support me to figure out how to take care of myself, but I should have done it earlier.

I have a suggestion when it comes to travel:  pay attention to the invisible things that you’re dealing with.  Address the mental hindrances that might be impeding your enjoyment of travel- take a hot shower and make yourself a cup of tea rather than going out at night.  Call your parents.  Call the Wang Center ( M-F 8am-5pm: 253-535-7577 or PLU’s 24-hour emergency line: 253-535-7441).  But most importantly, take care of yourself.  Do what you need to do to make sure that you are able to participate in a one-of-a-kind experience like this one.  It will be hard, but it will be worth it.

Beautiful Views and Automatic Guns

As we travel around Athens we are getting a pretty superficial view. We are visitors, only here for a couple weeks. The citizens here have been here for their whole life, they see Athens in a deeper view.

Kylie, Katelyn and I were walking through the city center, we look up and see about 20 police officers in full dress, gas masks, riot shields, and automatic guns. But why? To us, we do not see the issue that the citizens see. Currently there is a protest over education. The Greek government applied a new system of hiring educators and citizens are not happy about it. As we turned the corner of the road, we looked to the right and saw huge police vehicles blocking the road and many protestors yelling and holding signs. Curiosity overtook me, but wanting to stay safe, we turned the other direction.

Kylie and Katelyn on our way to town- to the right is where the riot was occurring!

To us, this is an invisible world. This problem does not affect us, but it has opened our eyes. The world is not perfect. There are a lot of hidden problems, more than we can imagine. To us, this country seems pretty perfect, but we are just visitors. There are problems that we are not looking at, problems that we cannot see. This experience has opened my eyes to view more than just the superficial. I spent time searching, on our very slow apartment Wi-Fi, to see why these people were so upset. I learned that a couple days ago, just about a mile away from us, citizens were getting gassed and oppressed. What was a peaceful protest turned violent.

The superficial world is beautiful, but the invisible world is dangerous. This has become a reminder to me that each country, despite its strengths, has its flaws. Though we are here learning about the history of Greece and all the Mediterranean, I believe it would also be beneficial for us to look into the current issues, the world that is invisible to us visitors.

5,000 Years Later…

Disclaimer: I am not immune to any of the following.

The cultures of the Ancient Near East in the Bronze Age are known for their tightly-knit communities; individualism was not a concept with which the Bronze Age peoples were familiar. While there were certainly important competitions and an emphasis on honor, people in the Bronze Age managed to navigate their lives towards coexistence through selflessness and communication. The dominant form of communication in Western society is one history has not witnessed until now: social media. The main concept of social media is that one posts a picture, expresses a view, or shares an interesting article, and their “friends” will reciprocate by liking, hearting, favoriting, or (with luck) engaging in some discourse by commenting a reply. Every day, the Western World is flooded with likes, dislikes, shares, retweets, rants, hurtful comments, validation, the news, and so much more. Social media allows individuals to communicate in a way that feels safe to them, tucked behind their screen and snuggled underneath their covers, creating a fabricated sense of bravery.

The first of three (perhaps unintended) effects of this form of communication is an intensified fear of speaking face-to-face. When the majority of interaction becomes digital, there is less of a reason for real life, person-to-person contact. Putting oneself in an uncomfortable situation (i.e. talking to the person in line with you at Starbucks) when there is perfect comfort waiting two steps and a lock screen away seems illogical. Besides, catching your line-buddy’s name at the pick-up counter may be enough to find their profile later.

While it may not be as common to race chariots anymore, another effect of social media is a competitive atmosphere – this one involving pristine photographic evidence of experiences. Being “in search of the perfect ‘gram” means spending all of one’s time flirting with camera angles, light exposure, and filters rather than allowing nature’s camera to do the work – nature’s camera doesn’t have an “instant upload” button to a social media page. The view may be obstructed by the camera, but so often the lens has become a favorite to stare at in the hopes of a photo that might compete with other #travel tags.

Flirting with the camera.

The third effect of social media is a craving for reciprocity through follows and likes. The time spent on social media reinforces our awareness that we are not “the best.” 5,000 years ago, individuals were at the mercy of their communities – not unlike today. The measuring stick we stand next to, however, ticks the number of followers, exactness of photos, and triple-or-more-digit likes. Following a social media account deserves an automatic, reciprocal, “follow-back,” or said account obviously is not friendly, and may even be hostile. One’s following must never consist of “ghost followers,” who fail to donate their likes to the cause of the perfect ‘gram, and therefore fail at reciprocity, instead spending their time dilly-dallying, taking mental pictures or chatting with the Starbucks barista.

In an instant world of posts and reciprocating likes and comments, it is important to take time to be uncomfortable and to simply experience. The individualistic nature of Western culture makes it difficult for us to remove ourselves from the competitive arena of social media, but it is necessary in order to achieve Bronze Age peace and selfless coexistence.

-Recipe for Reciprocity-

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  -Bustling Streets in Plaka-
  

As I walked along the bustling cobblestone streets in the charming Plaka neighborhood I peered into brightly lit shops where busy shoppers browsed through items, discussed prices, and bartered back and forth with shop owners. As I continued to walk observing this busy exchange between people, I decided to step into a store to look at some items myself. While in the store I was able to partake in this exchange of information as I discussed with a store owner if they had the particular souvenir I was looking for. When the store owner told me, he didn’t have what I was looking for he pointed me towards a place that would have it. This store owner was also kind enough to discuss with me that since Greek people often know when you are a tourist that I shouldn’t pay more than ten euros for what I was looking for. On my way out of the store, I noticed a sticker that I liked and wanted to put on my water bottle. I ended up buying the sticker and felt as though it was my small way of saying thank you for the kindness in this interaction and exchange of materials that occurred between us that was mutually beneficial.

-From Greece with Love Sticker from kind shop owner in Plaka-

After I found the souvenir, I met up with my two friends who were in another shop and we continued to wander around the neighborhood until we stumbled upon a quaint Venezuelan and Colombian street food shop. My friends and I tend to enjoy finding hole in the wall restaurants rather than typical touristy places to eat so when we found this place, we were ecstatic. Since it quickly became obvious to the kind workers at the restaurant that we were not familiar with Greek or how to read the menu they patiently explained to us what they recommended and what each item was. We excitedly ordered our food and sat down in anticipation for our food to come. When we heard the ringing of the bell indicating that our food was ready, we giggled amongst ourselves because we weren’t really sure what to expect on the tray when it arrived. Below is a picture of the delicious food that they brought to us along with complementary empanadas for us to try. The food in the brown box was chicharron in a plantain shell. Above that is basically a hamburger in a flatbread and in the circular container was a rice bowl with chicken, citrus slaw, and fresh pineapple with coconut flakes. After we were finished, we went to thank the workers and tell them how amazing their food was.

-Our Delicious Food at Los Loros-

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  -Venezuelan & Colombian Street Food-

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  -My friend Yuliya enjoying her food-

This exchange of a positive act such as the workers helping us order with another positive act such as us thanking them and telling them how much we loved their food reminded me of reciprocity. When I think of reciprocity I think of responding to a positive action with another positive action. This type of exchange has occurred many times throughout our short time in Greece and I have quickly come to realize that it is quite powerful. Through the act of communicating and exchanging positive acts with others we in a small way build community. After we thanked the workers at Los Loros we told them that we would definitely be back to try more of their delicious food. They thanked us as we left and in that way, we may not have known it but we made a small community in Athens through food, communication, and reciprocity.

Reciprocity Makes the World Go Round

On the left is all the stairs that I conquered at the theater; On the right is my victory smile (if you look close you’ll see me trying to catch my breath)

Communication is one of the most important aspects of life. It allows us to not only connect with other but exchange ideas and create a relationship. However, communication is not only about communication but about the response. It is from the response that allows the communication to continue and prosper. This realization occurred to me when we went and visited Epidaurus, which is the place where there was the temple of Asclepius and a theater. The theater took my breath away (and not just because I climbed to the top). What amazed me about the construction of the theater was the fact that sound traveled throughout the entire theater equally and everyone was able to hear what the speaker was saying. This gave me insight into how important communication was in the Bronze age and how the exchanging of ideas was encouraged and welcomed. It was through the exchanging of ideas that many ideas were developed into concepts. I could only imagine how many conversations and topics were discussed not only on stage but by the individuals who were listening, developing their own understanding of the topic and willing to share their take on the topic. The patience that it took to not stand up in the stands to object to an idea or to argue a case. Fast forward to modern day and this form of communication is still valued and is seen in many institutions such as higher education (or any place that has more than one person present). While in Greece I have experienced how the exchanging of ideas can be difficult, many because of the language barrier. Although I may not speak Greek, I have noticed that if I am patient with an individual (usually a store owner), then they in return will be patient with me because while I think that they have a hard accent to understand, they have the same view about my accent. Nevertheless, it was through communication with the locals that I have grown as an individual because it is by the response of the conversation that I have learned new thing not only about Greece but also about myself.

The Influence of Street Art

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As my time here in Athens has continued, I have found myself noticing more and more. From the first days of being here, the large amount of graffiti was striking and I noticed it right away. I come from a small town in Washington state where it is mostly cow pastures, neighborhoods, fields, and even more fields. Our downtown is the span of about four or five blocks and the most street art I had ever witnessed was the large miracle of a coke bottle on a brick building located by the local food truck. Art has always been important to me. From a classic painting, to the scribbles in my notebook that are everything short of a masterpiece, any kind of art has caught my eye. I think art is so important to me because it is something else on this planet that has so much emotion that I can relate and find comfort within it. Being an empath can be difficult. Art helps me. It communicates the emotions I feel within. Whether written down or painted across a canvas, I have found a relationship with art that can not only help me, but can help others through the expression of emotions and messages.

Art can be a powerful tool. As it does for me, it can embody a message or feeling that can cause great waves. I like to think that art can be a tool used for social justice. As learned in class, social justice is the act of protecting the weak from the strong, meaning helping those who have been oppressed and systematically disadvantaged from being hurt by the powerful and privileged. This lies within law and ethics and was a major importance in the ancient Mediterranean. As time has progressed, this idea has been pushed aside and not thought as a priority in or society today. And the messages to stop this are clear.

In Athens, the street art speaks for those who wish to achieve social justice for all. Around every corner lies a spray painted message on the side of a wall, pillar, or traffic sign. Most of the street art is in Greek so I am unable to read it, but there are a few in English. As I walk down the streets, I peer up at the walls admiring the beautiful murals, pictures, and colors of the free art show, nothing particular. That is until I say one piece of art. One day, a few friends and I stumbled across a message on a wall that read “welcome refugees united we stand.” When I first read this, I was filled with great happiness. It was amazing to see someone else use art as a tool for change and spread a wonderful message. As the days continued, more and more messages started to stand out. Some street art said “Women unite, reclaim the streets/take back the night”, while others said “Kill Racism”, “Queer Revolt”, and “Drop all negative thought, refugee art trial” with an image of a person thinking of a positive thought as they through away a negative one. These artworks display power and action. They raise awareness to the problem and are trying to achieve change in one of the simplest forms of art, street art. Graffiti is usually ignored or covered up, but these messages produce communication and conversation about the reciprocity all humans have a right to within society no matter who they are or where they are from.

Art is a vessel of emotion and a tool for change. The city of Athens is a blank canvas for social justice movements and artistic inspiration. We must utilize our ability to make people stop and think each time they walk to the metro, the store, or back home. So before you ignore the big purple letters spray painted on the side of a wall, stop to read them. They just might be words of social justice and social change for the better. One person may see graffiti, but I see a movement. I see emotion. I see a yearning for a better world of all.