Blaxopoulo, Kalamata
As previously mentioned, my project took into account the spatial variations of the debt crisis. In 2013, the last time I visited my father's village near Pylos, Kalamata, the villagers did not seem to be as affected by the crisis as the residents of Athens, considering that the cost of living in the village is a lot lower than in the city. This hypothesis was further explored when I stopped in Blaxopoulo during my Grand Tour this summer. During my stay, I interviewed a small number of villagers to find out if and/or how their lives changed as a result of the debt crisis. As expected, the lives of the villagers I spoke did not seem to change as drastically as those who live in the city. Nevertheless, Greek politics and the current debt crisis remained the main topic of conversation in all the "kafenia" (coffee shops) I went to. At the beginning of June, the million dollar question they spent hours disputing over was whether Greece would exit the Eurozone and revert back to the country’s previous currency, the drachma. The villagers also complained about their pensions having decreased and the very fact that they are required to pay more taxes than ever before. At the time I was there, there was new law being passed about having to pay taxes for their donkeys. “Σε λίγο, θα πρέπει να πληρώνεις για την αναπνοή που αναπνέεις”, they joked. “Soon you will have to pay for the breath that you breathe”. The concerns raised by the people I interviewed in the coffee shops became a reality when Greece's sales tax increased from 13%- 23%. This massive hike in the country's sales tax is a part of the austerity measures negotiated in exchange for a third bailout package.
The elderly men whom I interviewed were all more than willing to discuss the effects of the crisis on their lives. All of them shared that their pensions decreased, which of course is an unpleasant circumstance for anyone. However, they admitted that their daily routines have not changed. The basic necessities they survive on belong to them; their olive trees that produce oil, lambs, pigs, and chickens as sources of meat, an abundance of vegetables that they grow themselves in their gardens, and even grapes for their wine (which they all seem to believe is a necessity in each household). The laiki, the outdoor market that takes place once a week, provides the villagers with other foods or goods that they find at a very low cost. As such, in June, meaning, prior to the referendum and the increase in the sales tax, my hypothesis that the villagers felt the crisis less profoundly than the citizens living in the city, was confirmed.
My grandfather was very proud to have me in the village, interviewing his friends and family. During my stay, everyone knew I was “Barba Dimitris'” granddaughter from Canada and were insisting on treating me to a coffee, a lemonade, and even a glass of ouzo here and there. Filotimos. A word that every Greek person knows and lives by. These villagers, who barely have any savings, were eager to give to me, and when they did, they gave with all their hearts. This tradition of giving is not unique in my father's village, but in all of Greece. "Greeks are dealing with the crisis by giving one another health care, legal advice and food". Find out more here.
On my last night in the village, I had gone for a walk with my 86 year old grandfather. I told him I commended him for everything that he has created for himself and his family. When I asked him what his secret was, how at his age he had the energy and was more than capable of working in the fields and being a true farmer, his response surprised me: olive oil. I quote: “Οι Έλληνες έχουν το καλύτερο φάρμακο μέσα στα σπίτια τους : το ελληνικό λάδι”. “The Greeks have the best medicine inside their households: Greek oil”. He told me that not a day goes by that he does not have olive oil. The fact that my grandfather’s village is located near Kalamata which is renowned for its olive oil may play a role in his mentality and emphasis on its importance, however, the mediterranean diet (a major component of it being olive oil) has proven to come along with numerous health benefits. As such, I am inclined to believe that there is some truth to the power of olive oil that has contributed to my 86 year old grandfather’s excellent health.