Living in Greece 🇬🇷 - 7 Things I Wish I Knew Before Moving to Greece

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I’m an Iraqi Assyrian, I moved to Greece in 2000 I was 18 yrs old and lived there for seven years. Worked very hard as a Ζαχαροπλάστης, paid my taxes, took my Άδεια διαμονή and studied Greek language and history στο Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών στο ζωγράφου Αθήνα. I didn’t have any family there Greeks treated me like a family member and taught me how to be professional, goal oriented, and a hard working man. But I was indeed suffering from “selective racism” since I was an Iraqi (not very exotic) and many Greeks aren’t very friendly with Middle Easterns. I left Greece in 2007 to the US, now I have a bachelor degree in IT from Central Michigan University and work in the field, my life been very successful here in the US and all thanks to those seven years I spent in Greece I learned a lot from them.

I am Norwegian. I lived 20 years in Greece and raised my half-greek children there. I don`t regret anything. I love Greece and consider it my second home. I speek greek and studied to be a nurse there. I didn`t feel I was a foreigner.

44 years in Greece and I dont regret the ups and downs and would never return to England. I love Greece and Greeks I married one and we have a daughter and granddaughter's. I thank God that he bought me here I am so blessed.lots of love to your family from Alexandropoli.

We share many similarities. I'm from the U.S. and my wife is Greek. We moved to Greece in 2012. 40 minutes just outside of Nafplio. Like yourself I have two children and they speak better Greek than me. And we too had people tell us " Are you crazy? You left the US to come here?" And it was during the Grexit and immigration crisis and economic meltdown. But Greece got through it all. It is a wonderful country. But many people don't understand unless they live here.

I’m Greek and I can speak for the majority of Greeks when I say that you don’t need to prove to anyone what you did to deserve the “Greek lifestyle”. Our land is for all to enjoy, no questions asked. You owe no one an explanation. Ωραίο βίντεο φίλε!

I came from Denmark the previous summer, after almost 10 years. I was shocked...how much the Greek public service has improved. Not perfect of course, but absolutely improved remarkably. I have only been to a public service 2 times only, and all the rest through internet. Even in Denmark you can't do that. The main problem is the "fakelaki" (bribery) which I haven't faced so far and the mentality of some employees (they are lazy or slow). The confirmation of my wife's residence permit and her social security number were done within a few days. That is a miracle.

I have to add something here. I am British from generations and I found myself in Greece basically through my interest in the country because of my having studied Ancient Greek (Classics) at University level. I came for a year (1969) and have been here ever since. The first year opened my appetite for the modern language, and I found myself in a non-touristic area (very important factor, and basic in my rapid learning of modern Greek) in inland western Greece which had very beautiful countryside ( I was a mountain hiker) and a wealth of ancient remains of an era I knew very little about as no attention was paid to it even at university level studies. The second year became a third , somewhere there I met my future wife (we have two children and now three grandchildren) and in 1980 I took Greek citizenship. Now I am retired after having taught English here for some 45 years. I have never encountered racism of any kind, and have always got on wonderfully with the locals. I have some excellent friends of decades, and have fully enjoyed my life in Greece.. It gets a bit too hot in summer, though!!

If you don't learn the country's language, you miss MANY GREAT THINGS that make your life better and more enjoyable. And this applies to any country you may move to.

Δεν συνηθίζω να βλέπω μεγάλης διάρκειας βίντεο, ειδικά τέτοιου τύπου. Κατά τύχη το σκόνταψα το συγκεκριμένο, αλλά το είδα ολόκληρο. Μου άρεσε πολύ ο λόγος σου και ασπάζομαι σε μεγάλο βαθμό τα επιχειρήματά σου. Μην αισθάνεσαι καθόλου ξένος πάντως. Μιλάς ελληνικά καταρχάς, θέλεις να προσφέρεις στην Ελλάδα και να μείνεις στην Ελλάδα όσο έχεις τα μάτια σου ανοιχτά. Και αυτό στην πράξη σε κάνει περισσότερο Έλληνα από πολλούς από εμάς τους υπόλοιπους, που είμαστε γεννημένοι εδώ. Μπράβο σου που άντεξες κάνοντας μια τέτοια μετάβαση σε τόσο δύσκολη συγκυρία. Όσοι τα έζησαν, μπορούν να αντιληφθούν και ας θέλουν να ξεχάσουν. Να είσαι καλά με την οικογένειά σου και να περνάς όμορφα στην χώρα μας!

You inspired me with your video and I feel ready to move back to Greece since I was raised in Greece. I have something to give to our beautiful country since now it needs us more than ever. I have been planning this for a while now and your video motivated me to do so. After 26 years in Chicago and 7 years in Cyprus, I feel ready to return. I am a Chiropractor and I will open my own clinic along with my wife, also a Chiropractor and Acupuncturist. I also feel that there will never be a perfect timing when it comes down to these kind of decisions. As my father once said "Son, the big decisions in your life you take them with your heart not with your head" and cheers to that! God bless you ❤

I exactly understand your passion to live in Greece, i lived in a Greek island for 30years and 1 your ago i moved to Norway just for the experience, to see something else, there are many good things here also but my mind and my heart is still in Greece ❤

about a kafeneio=caffe, from another Mediterranean country: (a cup of coffee is a ritual). A busy man comes to the caffe, orders a cup of coffee, drinks it quickly and calls the waiter to pay. The waiter waved with his hand lazily and said : To those who don't know how to drink coffee, I don't charge.

I travelled to Athens on the Magic Bus on 10 May 1979 (we had had deep snow in England the week before). It was non stop, for £15, we left at noon on Monday arrived in Athens, Omonia Square at midnight on the Friday. You had to bring all your food and water, as the toilet breaks were in quiet woods where you wouldn't need to change money to use "toilets"; you got v friendly with strangers v quickly. I was in Greece, island hopping for 6 months, and had to work in a hostel (Dianas) to earn the £15 to get home lol. I learned 10 words a day, and still remember enough to be dangerous lol. It was wonderful to go and stay there before "package holidays" and cheap flights.

I am from Germany and I know Greece very well. I love Greece!!! I think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages in this beautiful country. The people are friendly, the weather is great, the food is amazing, the country is beautiful, and so much more! Bureaucracy and unemployment can be found everywhere in the world. In the big cities there are also many shopping centers. Specially for retirees, Greece is the place to be. Thank you for this video. God bless you and your family.

In my experience people are people. It does not matter what country. Most peope are kind, friendly and welcoming. Sadly some have very poor character flaws, racism, cruelty, criminal behavior. Those things do not know borders.

I’m an American born in America my families from Sparta. They came over in 1921. I love visiting Greece. I’m in the process of applying for dual citizenship. Your videos are the best on the country of Greece on the Internet. I can listen to your voice all day. You’re an inspiration God bless. Keep them coming.

Kafeneio is definitely not the typical coffee shop and I'm really wondering who suggested you could depend on that. In any case, I'm really glad everything worked out eventually

As a Greek fellow... Thank you for your kind words. Bureaucracy and Fakelaki, is something, all Greeks are familiar with! You may never have to pay for it, but you still know, what it is. Greek citizens, are in common, underpaid, and most of them are looking for the extras. We all need to live in a way, that we can keep (retain) our dignity! Dignity meaning, having the essentials. Not the villas of rich people.Not the Latest BMW model. Not the latest Iphone. Watching your videos and listening, to a man coming from another continent, praising my country, makes me feel so thankful! Thank you friend! I hope that you and your family have a great life here in Greece!

About fourth, I am Greek and I Can assure you that racism here is selective but it's not based on the color of the skin. No one cares about skin here. It's about culture and our past relationships with this country. I saw with my own eyes people be skeptical of a black immigrant fellow of mine when he said that he was from Ethiopia and Orthodox almost all of them treated him like a brother immediately. Even the older people ask him to come with them for coffee and play cards.