Omilo Newsletter February 2013

7/27/2019 Omilo Newsletter February 2013

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Kalispera sas,

Hope you are doing fine and had a good start of 2013.

We reached the month of February again and the OMILO team has cut the annual vasilopita! . The

coin went to the "OMILO-team" piece!! Now we are all set and ready to start with the first 2013intensive course in Athens, something we always look forward to. Learning Greek and exploring

Athens at the same time has been a

rewarding experience for everystudent so far. For those in favor of

biking, it might be also a good idea to

explore Athens by bicycle this year,

something that is getting more andmore popular the last years.

The following intensive 1-week

courses in Athens are taking place the

last week of March and first week ofApril, the time you probably have

your Easter or Easter Holidays inyour countries. In Greece however,

this year the Greek Orthodox Easter is

celebrated on Sunday May 5th, andthere for our Greek Easter course in Nafplion takes place from 27/4 till 9/5.

For more information about all the 2013 intensive courses in Athens, Nafplion, Syros, Andros and

Lefkada, have a look at http://www.omilo.com/cms/index.php?

option=com_content&view=article&id=9&Itemid=13&lang=en#nafplion

We hope you like the various course locations and look forward to welcome you in one of our

programs. Greece is as beautiful as ever, the people as nice as ever, the weather as sunny as everand the language as interesting as everWhat are you waiting for??

In this Newsletter we will write about1. Would you cycle in Athens?

2. A walk in Gazi

3. A little bit of Mythology

4. A modern look at the ancient Greek world

www.omilo.com

Greek Language and Culture

February 2013 OMILO Newsletter
http://www.omilo.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9&Itemid=13&lang=en#nafplionhttp://www.omilo.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9&Itemid=13&lang=en#nafplionhttp://arathra.eu/~omiloco/cms/http://www.omilo.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9&Itemid=13&lang=en#nafplionhttp://www.omilo.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9&Itemid=13&lang=en#nafplionhttp://arathra.eu/~omiloco/cms/


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5. Letters from our students

1. Would you cycle in Athens?Do you enjoy bike rides? Do you bike to work? At last, now also in Athens, the bicycle gradually

becomes more and more popular.

The bicycle, as means of transport, was notused at all some years ago. However, in the

last 2-3 years the situation has changedconsiderably. More and more bicycles

circulate on the roads of Athens (and not

only). Initially, the trend began by bikeenthusiasts who wanted to establish it as a

lifestyle. Later, because of the crisis, many

realized that the bike could replace the car, not

only for ecological reasons or physicalactivity, but also for financial reasons. Clean

environment, less traffic, good wellbeing

andfull wallet! So yes, the bike appearsmore and more in the Athens streets.

Perhaps Athens is not a very bike-friendly

city: the lack of bike lanes and the hilly streetsdoes not make it so easy to use a bicycle.

However, a lot of efforts are made to improve the conditions. There is an increasing number of bicycle

parking areas and bike lanes are being constructed or are planned to be constructed (at a slow pace).

Moreover, for some time now, bikers are allowed to carry their bicycles on trains, tram and metro.In general, the mentality is changing and the Athenians are gradually appreciating the benefits of

cycling. Also, in order to encourage the cycling, a lot of bike rides are organized. In big cities weekly

biking meetings are organized for an evening ride. Dont be surprised if on a Friday night you meet 30-40 cyclers on a big avenue, for example on Kifissias Avenue. Some contests are also organized and the

prize of course is.. a bike!

The second campaign, titled Bike to work, took place last May. During the campaign, all bike-transportations to and from work were reported. 776 cyclers participated from 137 organizations and

companies all over Greece. In 2011, only 337 cyclers took part from 40 companies. It is obvious that

biking becomes popular. Maybe next year, the Omilo team and its students should participate as well.


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2. A walk in Gazi

Which is your favorite walk in Athens?Thiseio, Plaka and Monastiraki are beautiful neighborhoods to go for a walk or a coffee. They are

usually crowded and for those of you that visited center Athens, certainly you have been in those areas

at least once. They are the famous touristic areas.

But Athens has more neighborhoods close to the city center, which are excellent for a walk.One of them is Gazi. Gazi is located south of Thiseio, only a ten minute walk away. It includes the

archeological site of Kerameikos and the old Gas factory, from which the area took its name.

In ancient times, the area was inhabited by ceramists, because the soil was suitable for pottery.However, because of a river, which recently came to surface again, the area could not be inhabited for

long, so the Athens cemetery was built there. Today the archeological site is open to visit as well as its

museum, where artifactsfrom recent excavations

are exposed.

About 300 meters from

the ancient cemetery, the

Gas factory wasestablished in 1857. It

supplied Athens with gas,both for public lighting

and for domestic use. In

1984, the factory closedand in 1987 it was

considered to be a

landmark. The City ofAthens undertook its

conservation. The site today is a museum of the factorys history and technology and in the same time

it is used for cultural and artistic events. Concerts and exhibitions are now taking place in Gazithroughout the year.Gazi is changing in the evening. In the area around the factory there are a lot of bars and cafes, taverns

and fine restaurants, night clubs and theatres. Gazi at night turns into one of the most vibrant Athens

neighborhoods and can meet every taste. On top of that, the new metro station kerameikos startedoperating since two years, in the middle of the Gazi square.

We suggest you follow this route and you will have the opportunity to see the history of Athens,

starting from antiquity (ancient cemetery and museum), continuing into the 19th century (Gas factory)and reaching the present, the new cosmopolitan Gazi neighborhood, where you can discover how

modern Athenians enjoy themselves.

Omilo always organizes a cultural walks in this area during the intensive language courses in Athens.

In case you are not a student taking Greek lessons, but exploring Athens during a city-trip, then you cansimply book the cultural walk of your choice. Have a look at:

http://www.omilo.com/cms/index.php?

option=com_content&view=article&id=30&Itemid=39&lang=en
http://www.omilo.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30&Itemid=39&lang=enhttp://www.omilo.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30&Itemid=39&lang=enhttp://www.omilo.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30&Itemid=39&lang=enhttp://www.omilo.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30&Itemid=39&lang=en


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3. A little bit of Mythology

Every place in Greece has a mythical tradition.Ancient Greek always wanted to associate places

with stories about Gods or famous heroes. Since

OMILO organizes in June 2013 a course on the

island of Lefkada, we would like to mention therich mythological tradition of this island.

Lefkada, one of the Ionian Islands, took its name

from the cape of Lefkata. There are two versionsabout the origin of this name. One version says that

the name comes from the white color of the capes

rocks. The other version says that the name comesfrom Lefko, an unlucky Zakynthian friend of

Odysseus.

In Antiquity, the cap of Lefkata was famous.According to a tradition, anyone who jumped from

the rocks could escape the torment of love. Theregion had this status because Jupiter used to have a

rest there between his love adventures. A lot ofpeople are said to be saved jumping from the rocks. Sappho also jumped, because she wanted to relieve

herself of her love to Faon.

Another tradition is associated with the temple of Apollo, which is situated in the region. According tothe myth, once a year, Lefkadians had a ceremony to purify the city. They threw a convict from the

rock so as to prevent the evil for the city or because this way the Gods could punish the convict.

Certainly, there are a lot of other myths for Lefkada and many beautiful rocks with splendid views!

You are welcome to jon us during the June course to explore all this and hear much more stories!

And do not worry; we never throw students from the rocks..

4. A modern look at the ancient Greek world

Greek Antiquity attracts everyones interest. The Trojan War, the Athenian democracy and Alexanderthe Great are few of the ancient worlds highlights, causing admiration to those involved in the

Antiquity, and not only.

During their scholar years in Greece, Greek children are taught Homer, Thucydides, Sophocles, Platoetc. At the same time, they learn ancient Greek (or at least they try to!). After 12 school years of

contact with the ancient world, children either adore it or they find it incredibly boring. As always, the

way of teaching plays a major role and it usually depends on the teacher if a student is motivated or

would like to learn more about ancient times

Two history teachers in Honolulu found an entertaining way to keep the childrens interest alive. Theymade video clips using images from the Antiquity and changing the lyrics of well-known songs, in

order to give them an educational content. Here are some examples: http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=pdTigtNMmDQ

andhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jz3d5x-MUT4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdTigtNMmDQhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdTigtNMmDQhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jz3d5x-MUT4http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdTigtNMmDQhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdTigtNMmDQhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jz3d5x-MUT4


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In Great Britain there was a similar project. This time, the students from two schools in Reading

created stories using images of ancient Greek vases, which are exhibited in the Ure Museum of Greek

Archeology. The result is fascinating .Have a look at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asfj4FoGwcI

However, Antiquity does not only inspire people for educational purposes, but also for commercial,

aesthetic and other purposes.

The results are sometimes impressive, sometimes funny or sometimes lack taste.!

For example:

1. A successful shoe company produces fashion ancient Greek style sandals. The sandals are nice and

highly shouted in Greece and abroad.

2. In 2009, students at Fairfield University College of Connecticut worked on a project titled:The Caryatid Hairstyling Project.

They are pieces of art.

Would you try them?

3. Of course it is hard to say what is

nice and what is not. A matter of

taste!What do you think about the proud

Cretan who built his restaurant as if

it were the Knossos Palace? Red columns in the entrance, the prince with the lilies on the faade, allharmoniously blended with the Greek and the

European flag?

In general, the Greek Antiquity is everywhere around us:in the Hollywood movies, the hairstyles the clothes,buildings, etc

For even more modern versions of the Greek world,

just click on: www.consumingantiquity.blogspot.gr

And let us know your opinion!!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asfj4FoGwcIhttp://www.consumingantiquity.blogspot.gr/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asfj4FoGwcIhttp://www.consumingantiquity.blogspot.gr/


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5. Letters from our students.

filoi ,

, ! ; ; , , . , 700 !

, "Greece 1940-41 Eyewitnessed", . ,

26.4.41. ( ) "", .

!

, ,

, 28.8.41:"After the wounded and officers had been

removed in captured British trucks, the rest of us

were marched to Nafplion, where we were putinto an improvised camp in the playground of a

school.", .

, . (

!) " ", .

o , ' .

David rown+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

++++++++

We thank David for his nice and interesting letter

+ photo. Soon we will be in Nafplion again, where

history is all around us. Fortunately the school is areal school again and will serve as an ideal place

to motivate students to learn Greek!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

++++++++

We hope we will receive more emails andletters. You are all welcome to send us letters

and impressions, to be part of this Newsletter.

The next one is foreseen in two months.

Many greetings from Athens,

The OMILO team.


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OMILO, PO Box 61070, 15101 MAROUSSI, ATHENS

Tel. (0030)210-612.28.96email: [email protected]
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]

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Omilo Newsletter February 2013