I’m in greece where trash is literally flooding the streets. Disposal workers are on strike.
Busses and trains are off and on because public transport workers are on strike.
My cousin’s six year old is home from school because the elementary school teachers are on strike.
Junior high and high school students will stay home tomorrow because their teachers are striking then.
Policemen are striking too. Right.

The situation as it stands:

• Huge demonstrations have taken place across Greece, from Athens to Thessaloniki and Syros.
• Tear gas and stun grenades used – citizens tell us how the events in Athens unfolded
• Latest Greek austerity package passes first vote in parliament
• European leaders have met in Frankfurt to discuss a solution to the European debt crisis

I’m not quite sure what to say about Greece really. On the one hand, there is very much a crisis. People are leaving their jobs to riot and protest in the street. 70,000 were reported to have come together in Syntagma Square (outside of parliament) in Athens and thats really quite a small area. Who knows how many more people have been protesting country wide. I’ve been in Thessaloniki where the demonstrations are milder and the only thing to do is go to the cafes. Of which there are rows and rows. And bars.

And on the other hand, people are out, at cafes and bars. All the time. Though that’s mostly young people. It’s very apparent that the general population is struggling. I’m struggling. Prices are much higher and the cost of living has certainly increased. Wages have decreased despite this and people are just generally demoralized.

And then the irony of it all is that everyone expects a quick fix. They no longer want their current prime minister, whom might actually be the only man on earth who can help Greece. Consensus seems to be that paralyzing the country with protests is going to bring about change. I wonder how much Greece’s deficit increases for every day everyone strikes. Because most workers get paid when they strike too. No one wants to pay taxes because they don’t trust their government. Which, so far, is actually pretty fair. And I can’t imagine a healthy state model that doesn’t have a solid foundational taxation program. Which Greece doesn’t.

Greek pride is another minus. What Greece should do is welcome private investment. And actually, Greece should sell as much of what it has to the private sector. Parks, stadiums, transport systems, property, whatever. All of it should either be leased or sold to private companies. Foreigners with money. The responsibility for upkeep and maintenance won’t fall on government spending and the proceeds will help Greece get on it’s feet. But from what I understand, this is another no-go because Greek people couldn’t stand the thought of selling it’s heirlooms to “the foreigner”. Okay. If they could get past this hurdle, then the Greek government could be better equipped to handle basic infrastructural management. Like having real streets and sidewalks.

Meanwhile getting a plain filtered coffee at a cafe costs €4,50. Which I think works out to $37.00 but my math may be a bit off with gradual fluctuation…

I guess I’ll do a quality of life index:

Average wage for someone without a degree in Greece: €1.300 – €2.200 a month
Average wage for government/municipal workers: €2.600 a month
Average wage for recent college graduates in Greece: €0,00
Average bag of tomatoes: €1,50
Average bus ticket: €0,80
Average taxi cab to and from the waterfront: €8
Average stick of deodorant: €4
Average low quality made-in-china graphic top: €17
Cigarette Tobacco: €4
Shampoo: €5
Rent for a two bedroom apartment: €300
Doctors visit: €45 or free if you feel like waiting around for their subsidized welfare health insurance doctors (IKA)
Bag of chips: €1,40
Bootleg handbag from nice Kenyan immigrants: €14

October is not a good month to visit Greece. Also the weather has been unusually cold. I only hope there won’t be residual air traffic controller striking when I have my flight.