Hospital survival, part II

It has been a grueling period. I've been sleeping on an uncomfortable wooden chair in a nasty hospital since Thursday. I wasn't fully aware of the lack of professionalism in the public medical field in Greece or why my father needed a relative round the clock to take care of him. I thought all that I had heard was a bit of an exaggeration but today held some surprises.

My father's IV solution finished during the night and the nurse chastised me for not paying attention and telling him to come change it. Doesn't the staff know how long an IV takes to empty and to come check it themselves? What are they here for? I was told to keep an eye on it from now on. Also, I have to repeatedly ask:

• for pain medication as they forget or ignore my requests and my father is in utter agony,
• to empty my father's catheter when it's near bursting,
• for clean sheets because they don't bother to change them (today I changed them myself)
• and to fix the air conditioner because it is 42 C/108 F in Athens and it doesn't work!

The other surprise is that one person adamantly refused to take the fakelaki. She seemed genuinely concerned with my father's well being. Her colleagues also said no with their mouths while pocketing envelopes with their hands. She was applauded by the other people in the room because we've all been abused by this system. She is the only one in 4 days to behave honorably with out receiving any extra money. God bless her and have mercy on the rest of us.

Hospital survival

Though this is off topic for this blog there are a few things you should know if you should become ill or hurt in Greece. First, don't expect the same organization as in American hospitals. You will run in circles for x-rays, blood tests, registration etc. My father came for knee replacement surgery and painfully hobbled to four different buildings. Secondly, the "fakelaki" (envelope) is a must. This is an illegal practice of "under the table bribes" which doctors, nurses, orderlies and the like expect to ensure a slightly higher level of care. There may be ethical medical practitioners somewhere in Greece but I have yet to meet one. Greeks themselves perpetuate the problem rather than solve it as they don't report it to authorities. Even I won't mention which hospital we're in or which doctors we're seeing for fear of retribution of this post. Next, you will be expected to provide the majority of the care for your loved one such as bathing, bedpan duty, etc. At present, there are 2 nurses for over 30 orthopedic patients on this floor. The noise level is unbelievable and doctors and patients smoke while hiding from one another. Last, you will be required to donate blood. If you are unfit to donate you have to find or pay someone else to do it for you. All I can say is what a mess. If you can, go back home and get your health in order or be sure to go to a private hospital. Below are related links to the health care controversies in Greece:

http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_0_18/02/2009_104826
http://greekodyssey.typepad.com/my_greek_odyssey/2007/06/recently_a_youn.html
http://livingingreece.gr/2008/09/24/eu-corruption-perceptions-index-2008/
http://bioethicsdiscussion.blogspot.com/search?q=amalia

Grandparents' ghosts

We spent last week in my father's village of Ag'Yianni. The village is on the southern coast of the Peloponnesus, an arid rough part of the country battered by coastal winds, salty air, and very little rain. Beautiful and wild, I wondered how anyone could have lived here without our modern conveniences. Tenacity, in a word, was the key to their survival. I've met a lot of people from here but never realized before how many faces, expressions and mannerisms of the people of this village remind me of my tenacious grandparents and my father. Many of the villagers saw these same traits in my children and my self, our inheritance you could say. I had a myriad of flashbacks of my first visit here when I was nine and hearing stories of my father's antics as a boy from his parents. Sadly, my grandparents are gone but their home where they bore and reared their children still stands. The old style of architecture can often be seen in converted hotels which keep the old style of furniture, linens, and simple art as part of their ambiance. It may seem clumsy or unrefined but it is often made by hand and is irreplaceable. If you get a chance, stay in one of these hotels and soak up the history and the people. Who knows, maybe you'll see a little of yourself in their faces as I’m sure they’ll see in yours.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monemvasia

Sea urchins!

We went to a beach five minutes from my father's childhood home of Ag' Yanni around 7 in the evening. The water was beautiful. Ten minutes later, as luck would have it, my son and I stepped on sea urchins and we all had to go home! The spines broke off under the skin and do not come out easily even with a pin and tweezers. We have to watch for infection and can't wear shoes. It has been a painful and annoying experience. My Aunt Dimitra recommended applying olive oil to the wounds which did help with the pain somewhat. Her other homeopathic remedy was urinating on the wound. This helped my son but I didn't try it. I broke out the Benadryl, Neosporin, rubbing alcohol and peroxide. If you decide to go swimming in an area that has rocks and sea plants be sure to wear water shoes. You will be made fun of by the locals but you will spare yourself pain. Plan ahead some activities for your little urchins that can be done without too much walking such as a concert or a play or take up the national game of backgammon in case you have a mishap as well but still want to make the most of your time. I found out the hard way that I may not be able to get around as much as I'd like until we heal. This could take weeks!
Here are some additional resources for treatment of injuries and more about fascinating sea urchins:
http://theadventuresofbecka.blogspot.com/2008/07/how-to-treat-sea-urchin-injury.html
http://www.stanford.edu/group/Urchin/nathistory.html

Fate and Faith

There was an iconostasis on an isolated part of a road on the outskirts of my mother's childhood village that was never lit. The chief icon inside was of St. Constantine and St. Helen. I stopped as often as I could to light its vigil lamp whenever we visited family. My mother believes my efforts were rewarded by the saints because years later I married my husband, Constantine. In a sense, though we were separated by time and place, we found each other as these saints had found Christ's cross. Now some of you will say how silly but I assure you we never would have met if it wasn't predestined by God as we lived 330 miles apart in the States. My mother was in Greece having her house alarm repaired by my husband's cousin. He then approached my mother as to whether she had any eligible daughters for marriage as he had a cousin in America looking to get married. We met and despite the physical distance between us we were married within a year. Everyone attributes it to fate or written by the hand of God because so many pieces fell into place for the conclusion. My mother, of course, remembers the little church by the side of the road. If your kids become bored in Greece share the idea with them that destiny has brought them to Greece and one way or another it will be a life changing experience. The above icon is of Sts. Constantine and Helen from http://www.icnograms.org/ where you can send greeting cards with icons on them.

What are those little glass boxes on the side of the road?

Throughout Greece you will see small glass boxes on the side of the road called iconostasis. My kids have asked me what these are and who put them there. We place flowers or teddy bears as expressions of love where a crash has taken someone's life. Greeks do the same but instead they put up these little churches where a loved one died, was injured, or survived when they shouldn't have. Inside each are icons, a vigil lamp, 2 bottles of water and oil, matches, wicks, and cleaning items. The vigil lamp is a small glass that is filled with olive oil and water. The water remains on the bottom and the oil floats on top acting as a fuel for a circular floating cork with a hole in its center that holds a small wick. There may be an ornate hanging holder for the glass or just the glass itself. If you pass one by feel free to light it in the late afternoon before it gets dark. Fill with oil and the vigil lamp will burn over night remembering our faith and loved ones. Light the vigil lamp, pray for your family and the one who put up the iconostasis. You can stop at different iconostases to find your patron saint. It can be your kids’ treasure hunt. You can purchase icons of saints which are hand made individual pieces of art, vigil lamps and so on for your home remembering your trip and others always asking for God's grace in all things. Take a look at these sites before you go to Greece to know who is represented in the icons. They have certain elements particular to each.

The icon of the Virgin and Jesus at http://www.aquinasandmore.com%20/

The archangel icon at http://www.icnograms.org/

Cork wick holder http://www.religiousnet.com/greek_7620-50.html
Hanging holder for vigil lamp http://www.archangelsbooks.com/

First day at the beach

I packed up the kids and went to the beach in Gythio. For your viewing pleasure here is a clip of the area www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEUPtao4O8E . I figured Vodafone was not going to call on a Sunday with a solution to my connection problems as its stores are closed. If you are a cautious driver I warn you now about driving in Greece. Few people obey the traffic rules and though passing one another is legal in many places it is often illegally and dangerously done. Around 4 p.m. we drove 32 km from Sparti/Sparta past countless olive groves set in terraced plots on hillsides. Along the way beautiful Weeping Willows, pink blossomed Daphne and proud Mediterranean Cyprus trees lined the road with the steep mountains of the Taigetos, as wondrous as ever, set behind them. The drive took about 25 minutes as the road is quite curvy.
Gythio is rumored to be the port from which Helen sailed from on her fateful voyage to Troy. Every time I drive this route, E65, from my parents' to Gythio I think of Helen's mad abduction by or her elopement with Paris millennia ago. In Greece, Helen is called Beautiful Helen or Helen of Sparta rather than Helen of Troy since she originated and returned here after Troy's fall.
Gythio is also famous for its seafood. You can sit right by the sea and feed bread to little black fish from your table. You are welcomed inside the restaurants to pick the fish you want to eat too. Two popular things for adults to order are wine seared octopus and ouzo served over ice. I'm sure your kids like mine will love to eat the hand cut fries and fresh fish after swimming. Here is a great panorama of a shipwreck in Gythio's bay along with its rumor, a popular Greek pastime, http://www.360cities.net/image/gytheio_shipwreck. Some people crawl around and inside of it but I wouldn't recommend it. From Gythio you can take ferries to some of the islands. Try www.greek-islands-ferries.gr/ferry_gytheio.htm for more information.
One family favorite is the small island of Kythera.This small island is famous as the first place Aphrodite or Venus came to land from her sea foam birth. It is legal for you to scuba dive off its coast and equipment can be rented in the towns. Some of the Parthenon's marble statues fell into the sea off the coast of Kythera when they were stolen from Greece and taken to England for "safe keeping." A site to learn more on the history of the statues and their present state is http://www.greece.org/parthenon/marbles/ . On this site there is a page especially for children. Besides Greek mythology there are strong Greek Orthodox connections of miracles related to the Virgin Mary or Panagia as we call her on this island. Take a look at http://gogreece.about.com/cs/greekislands/a/kytheraaphrodit.htm .
Looking for your kids to connect Kythera and Sparti? Have them make a family tree of the gods and goddesses from Greek mythology. For instance, Kythera is the "birthplace" of Aphrodite. Her parentage is questionable with Zeus possibly being her father. She was married to Hephaestus. Her son was Eros or Cupid. Helen's father was Zeus as well and her mother was Leda (Nemesis). Aphrodite and Eros played some part in Helen's abandonment of Menelaus as pictured in this vase http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen as Aphrodite promised Helen to Paris. Make sure to leave plenty of room on the family tree for all of Zeus' children. Mythological or religious family trees can be done from a variety of countries' perspectives.