| Teaching
English in the lazy paradise of Crete |
| By Christopher
Deliso |
Christopher
Deliso is an American freelance travel writer with a master's degree in
Byzantine
Studies from Oxford. Deliso has lived abroad in Ireland, England,
Turkey and Greece. Most of his experiences in Greece came to him
on the island of Crete. This is Christopher Deliso's second article for
Escape from America Magazine.
We ran out
of gas somewhere near Amari, in the olive-gripped mountain folds
of central Crete, in the middle of nowhere, on a listless, steamy
afternoon in late summer. There were neither houses nor
a gas station anywhere in sight. "Now what?" I fumed
at my Greek girlfriend Anastasia, who had gotten us into this mess
by refusing to get gas at the previous village. She had claimed
to ‘know the road’ and had calculated, erroneously, that we'd
make it easily to the next town. "We’ll just have to walk to find
someone," she laughed. |
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| I was dubious;
darkness was not far away, and we were miles from anywhere. The surrounding
woods and olive groves were perfectly still, save for the buzz of
the evening crickets. We marched on up the now-dirt road.
Fortunately
for us, after about fifteen minutes of aimless trudging we were
scooped up by a mustachioed old Cretan farmer, putting along on his tractor.
He had seen our car back aways on the side of the road, and
his broad grin indicated he knew the source of our misfortune. He
offered to take us back to his farmhouse, where we could wait till the
gas was retrieved. After a few minutes of driving we got to the farmer’s
home, where he conferred with his wife, a sturdy, stern-looking old
woman, and a young fellow who we surmised to be his son. Within two minutes
the young, bearded man had jumped into his pickup and wheeled off in a
cloud of dust.
Anastasia
had overheard the conversation, and reported back that the man
was not the farmer’s son, but rather his son-in-law: "That’s why he
rushed off so fast; if he was just his son, he would be too lazy,
and he wouldn’t go," she said knowingly. "All Greek men are that
way." |
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| We were
invited into the old stone farmhouse, and were instantly plied with
wine. The famous Cretan hospitality was in full
effect. The old farmer rumbled around, hauling huge tanks of feta
cheese, while his wife rushed around gathering whatever snacks
she could find. Soon there was a full meal set before us, of
tasty Greek tyropites (cheese pies), Greek salad, and
kokkinisto arni (red lamb). But it was the wine that
really took the cake. It was a strong wine, a rich wine-
one could even say it was a venomous wine- and it was
clearly a point of pride for the hosts. Gesturing with his gnarled walking
stick at the bursting trellises outside, the farmer attested that the
wine before us was from the very grapes clustered there. "It’s
my wine," he said brashly, "It is the best in all
of Kriti."
Evening grew
and we waited for the dutiful son-in-law to return with
the gas. In true Greek fashion, the old farmer regaled us with |
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| stories about
the old days and how the current crop of politicians were messing everything
up, while his wife thrust food at us as if we had been
on a three-week hunger strike. The warmth of the wine set in, and
with the glow of the lights and resonant strains of Cretan
folk music singing out from the beat-up old record player,
we really started to enjoy ourselves in our
new and entertaining company. "They are
the perfect Cretan couple," Anastasia whispered happily.
Even after an hour had passed and the son-in-law returned successful, they
wouldn’t let us leave, insisting that we eat more and relax for the journey
ahead. Finally, and only after accepting a handsome jug of the farmer’s
potent elixir, were we allowed to go. With our tank replenished we made
it past Amari and up to the coastal town of Rethymnon, three hours
late but well pleased with our adventure.
When I came
to Crete to live I had no idea how different it would be from the rest
of Greece. While I had traveled widely in Greece, and had many Greek friends,
I had never met a Cretan. I was warned by the mainlander Greeks that Cretans
were a little bit dangerous- ornery, quarrelsome, vindictive and boorish.
Happily, these stereotypes weren’t true at all -- rather, the
people I met during the course of a year were, like my |
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| kindly hosts
near Amari, very friendly, curious, and hospitable. The relaxed Cretan
lifestyle is well-geared towards those who
enjoy sipping coffee in an outdoor café as the
hours lazily pass, or sleeping in the shade of a palm beach.
For most of the year, one does everything outdoors- there
are no rainy days between May and September, and the summer temperature
averages 80 degrees. Winters are balmy, in the fifties, with occasional
rainstorms, and snow only in the highest mountains. In short, Crete is
a paradise for people who love the outdoors; it is a huge landmass
(taking about seven hours to drive across, on the best roads),
which is covered with eucalyptus, cypress and plane trees,
as well as olive trees- all 25 million of them.
Crete boasts excellent hiking (in both the mountains
and the longest gorge in Europe, the 16 KM Samaria Gorge),
and of course superb beaches, like the pink-sand shores
of Elafonisi in the south. |
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| Nightlife
and cultural events dominate the northern beach towns,
but at the same time quiet, isolated areas still exist
where one can just get away from it all. Crete, in other words, has
it all.
This is
why Crete is such a great place in which to teach English. Since
it is such a large and diverse island, it’s hard to get bored;
there is always something going on, and opportunities to
learn more about Greek history, archaeology and language abound.
The students are great, as long as you can handle lively and
inquisitive kids with a penchant for mischief!
My students, who had somehow been taught that it was correct
to call me "Mr. Chris," kept me laughing the whole time with their
inconceivable grammatical mistakes and bizarre imaginative homework.
From eight-year old Maria, who earnestly wrote that both her
parents were dentists, and so she would marry a dentist and be a
dentist herself someday, to sixteen-year-old Costas, who penned a few riotous
scenes for an imagined James Bond film, Cretan kids are forthright
and full of humor. Even in modern Crete,
where all of the teenagers sport mobile phones and ride
mopeds to school, there is still a simple and fresh attitude
found here, one that is not present in the more sophisticated,
duller mainland metropolitan centers.
Teaching
in Crete was a very rich experience for me. I was
exposed to all aspects of life on the island, from the intricacies
of Greek state health care to the routines and habits
of the village elders, with their worry beads and backgammon.
I was helped by the fact that I could speak Greek, but you’ll be
okay even if you can’t, since the Cretans are very warmhearted, and no
matter what the kids will look up to you tremendously. They are very interested
in the latest trends in Western popular culture, especially
as far as sports and music go (somewhat surprisingly, basketball and
rap music are huge in Greece). My advanced class even made me a birthday
cake and gave me roses on my birthday.
Looking back,
I regret only that I didn’t stay longer. Crete, with its fairy tale castles
and ponderous ruins, its gorges and mountains, and above all, its outspoken
and great-hearted people, is truly a great place
to go, whether to live or just to visit.
Tips on
Getting Housing
Youth
hostels are found in several Cretan cities
and towns (Heraklio, Rethymno, Plakias and Siteia), and can
give you a base while you’re looking for an apartment. When
you get to Crete, buy one of the daily Greek newspapers for advertisements
(Nees Angelies, Pankritikes Angelies, etc.). This is where
available flats are listed. Get someone to help you translate, if you don’t
speak Greek. Of course, your boss at the school might be able to
help you find a place also. Most listings are for
the main cities of Heraklio, Rethymno and Chania. If you
choose to go further afield you may just have to ask around
where you go. You should be looking at roughly $160 a month for a
studio, slightly less per person if you’re sharing a house.
And Unfortunately,
the Bureaucracy
When it
comes to the Greeks, cutting through the red tape can be more like
sawing in half the Gordian knot. As long as you are prepared to be
patient, and do some of the legwork before you leave, it should
be fairly easy. All in all, you will need a teaching permit, residence
permit, and work permit. These are all doled out gradually; the school
you will be working for must do part of the application process for
you. If you have only a U.S. passport you should visit the Greek
consulate closest to you and they can get you on your way. It is
a good idea to get in contact with a potential employer
before leaving- but in the worst case scenario, you can always just show
up, and if you are smart and qualified, can
usually find a spot. For U.S. citizens, regular tourist
visas last for 3 months. To renew it, you must leave
the country for 24 hours and return, giving you another three months.
If you overstay your visa- for anywhere from one day to one
year- you must pay a fine of 50,000 GDX upon your next return to
Greece. Bear in mind that if you persevere through the paperwork,
you will not have to worry about visas for a year, and
you are covered under the national health system of Greece
as well.
Tips for
Teachers
It is
a very good idea to get yourself a TEFL teaching certificate.
While the full-course degree is most useful, an abridged "intro"
course can also be good enough (as it was for me). You’ll stand
a better chance of getting a good job with a strong college degree.
Although Greece is now a EU country and, as such, a relatively
tough market for teachers, things are not nearly so dire as those
pessimists at Lonely Planet/Rough Guides would have you believe.
Clearly, there are many language teaching jobs available for native English
speakers in Greece, and if you are reasonably qualified you will get one.
All language
schools in Crete are regulated and organized through a central agency
of school owners called PALSO. Get in touch with these folks
to find out what schools are hiring; they will even take your resume
and send it on to interested schools, saving you a lot of legwork!
PALSO Resources
PALSO Heraklio:
Demokratias St., Heraklio, Crete, Greece
Phone: 00
(30) 81 322-002
PALSO Chania:
Iroon Politehniou 80, Chania, Crete, Greece
Phone: 00
(30) 82 142-546
Email: info@palso-chania.gr
Other Resources
www.creteisland.gr
(A very informative and comprehensive website covering
all regions
of Crete, with many links).
www.greekembassy.org
(Official embassy website). |
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