When I was a kid, “on-time” meant 10-to-15 minutes early. That’s what my parents always did, so that’s what I grew up thinking was right. Movie starts at 8pm – get there at 7:45. Have to meet someone at 5 o’clock? Get there at 4:45, just in case they are early, or just so you don’t make them wait. Nevermind the fact that most people were always late, so YOU were the person waiting for twenty minutes or more. The point is, you should already be there when it’s go-time. Unless, of course, you happen to be Greek. Then, all bets are off.
“Greek Time” is what they call it. Doesn’t sound so bad, does it? Perhaps it is the ancient precursor of “Island Time” which I have heard about from people who have been to Jamaica or the Bahamas. In these parts of the world, the living is slow, and you are on vacation, so you go at your own pace, relaxing lazily at the beach under a coconut palm while drinking some fruity tropical beverage and listening to steel drums play in the distance. Ahhh….Island Time….. Whoa, sorry. Almost drifted off there.
Greek Time, especially in America, is not about taking it easy, or being laid back. Most times it seems like a simple disregard for plans and the people with whom they were made. My first real experience with Greek Time was at my wedding, which was held, of course, in a Greek Orthodox Church. To the priest’s credit (thanks Fr. Lou!), he told us there would be no Greek Time and our wedding did, indeed, begin on time at 5:30pm. Now, at that time, my side of the church had all of my friends and family comfortably seated and ready for the big event. At the same time, on my wife’s side, sat exactly 5 people, one of whom was a church employee who just needed a breather. For those of you who don’t know the Greek wedding ceremony, the bride and groom face the front of the church with their backs to the congregation until the end of the ceremony, when they are led around the altar by the priest in the “Dance of Isaiah”. As we rounded the altar to face our families for the first time, the 5 Greeks had multiplied into nearly 100, vastly outnumbering the xenoi invaders on my side. They had all arrived 15, 20, or 40+ minutes late, but they had arrived nonetheless. Not all of them, mind you. In a time-honored tradition (which bugs the hell out of me), many Greeks only show up for the reception, skipping the tedium of the actual wedding and attending “the good part”, with the food, drinks, and dancing.
Perhaps my most exasperating personal experience with Greek Time occurred on my second day ever in Athens, back in 2001. We had taken the first day there to relax and get over our jetlag, but our second day was to be our first day touring the city, with the Acropolis at the top of the to-do list. That morning we were invited for coffee to my sister-in-law’s house, whence we would depart, astride various motorcycles and scooters, for downtown Athens. We arrived (on-time) for coffee, and talked for a while on the balcony with my wife’s sister and boyfriend, and another couple they knew. Seconds were poured, and croissants were brought out. Cigarettes were smoked and phone calls were made. Then more coffee was drunk, and several more cigarettes were slowly smoked. Apparently sensing my agitation, nearly two hours after we had arrived, my wife’s sister asked, “What’s wrong with you? You look like you have to be somewhere.” To which my wife answered, “He just wants to get down to the Acropolis, and see the Parthenon.” The response? “Relax, it’s not going anywhere.” But they didn’t realize that I WAS going somewhere! I don’t live in Athens, so I can’t just drive downtown for a peek when the urge hits. I was only going to be in Athens for a total of around 8 days, with side trips planned for other parts of mainland Greece, Samos, Cairo, and Turkey. I had the whole day planned out, and was now 2 hours (and counting) behind schedule because everyone needed multiple cups of coffee and a pack of cigarettes each before we left! We finally made it to the Acropolis, by around noon, in the sweltering sun of that Athenian August day. It was everything I had hoped for and more – just three hours later in my life than I had hoped to see it.
I have since experienced several annoying instances of Greek Time. From baptisms to family dinners, concerts to parades, none of these Greek events ever start on time. But the biggest and most public display of doing things on Greek Time, the one that had the most serious possible repercussions for an entire nation, was the planning and execution of the 2004 Olympic Games. The games were a rousing success, and, maybe I’m a little biased, were among the best I ever recall watching. But how close were they to being taken away from Greece, making a mockery of the country that was birthplace to the Olympics? Probably closer than we know.
After being snubbed by the IOC for the Centennial Olympic games in 1996 (a slap in the face), Greece was awarded the 2004 games in 1997. That’s right folks – they had seven years to plan for the return of the Games to their ancestral home and they almost blew it. All of the early planning seemed to go well, but as the IOC began making its inspections of the venues, facilities, and transportation routes in and around Athens, it was becoming painfully clear that the entire country was on Greek Time when it came to preparing for the Olympic Games. After an inspection in 2001, the IOC was so worried that there was talk of them asking Sydney to keep all of the infrastructure in place from their 2000 Olympics so that, if necessary, the games could be held there again in 2004. Can you imagine the damage to the national psyche of Greece and the impact on Greeks and Philhellenes worldwide if this had happened?
Fortunately it never came to that, and through several months of 24/7 construction work (much of the work done by immigrant Albanians, who took on the jobs for striking Greek workers - imagine that!) everything came together in time - just in time – for two wonderful weeks of international sporting events that showcased all the beauty and timelessness of Greece, and the filoxenia – the hospitality - of the Greek people. The Greeks even managed to poke fun at themselves about the delays, as in this commercial for potato chips that came out around the time of the games:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67ykGyZLa9U
The whole concept of Greek Time is very odd to me, because the Greeks are a hard-working people who always take pride in what they do. Those who came here, or went to Australia or the U.K., are overwhelmingly successful at what they’ve chosen to do, because they worked hard to get ahead in their new worlds. And you can’t become a success opening your restaurant 40 minutes late everyday or making your business appointments wait for you while you drink frappe, or running your contracting job weeks behind schedule. Is there a difference to the pace of life in Greece? Absolutely. People there value their time with family (or at least away from work) above all else, and enjoy this time slowly, soaking up all that is has to offer. Work, like the Acropolis, will be there tomorrow, and they’ll get to it then. But for now, they are on their own time – Greek Time – and they aren’t changing that anytime soon.
Σας ευχαριστώ για την επίσκεψη (Thank you for visiting)
Todd
Todd
Next Month - Part 8: "Once a Xeno, Always a Xeno?"
