Running and Stumbling Upon: Filipinos in Greece

Running brings me a lot of new and exciting things -- mental therapy, social happiness, peace of mind.  Sometimes it even stumble upon something new and different -- sometimes surprisingly different.

While running, on the cobblestone streets near the Acropolis, I decided at the last minute to head out to see the Oympican Temple of Zeus.

Then I thought how nice it would be to run by the old Olympic stadium -- the only stadium in the world built entirely of white marble and used in ancient times to host the athletic portion of the Panathenaic games in honor of the Goddess Athena (since 556 BC)

Then while running through the park and the old library, I overheard loud rock music.

The true social runner that I am, I decided to head towards that direction.

The first thing that crossed my mind, was whether this was a rock concert.  What I saw instead completely blew my mind.  I had stumbled upon what is the arguably the largest Filipino Festival in Europe. 

This was the annual Filipino Battle of the Bands -- literally over a thousand Filipinos of all ages were rocking, dancing, serving delicious food and drinks in the open air directly across the Olympic Stadium.

What I discovered was that there are perhaps over 45,000 Filipinos in Greece.  Over 5,000 are land-based and many work as domestic helpers.  Meanwhile there are estimates of close to 40,000 Filipino seafarers aboard ships owned or managed by Greeks.

Many Filipinos are highly educated, have obtained residence permits and have lived in Greece for a couple of generations.

Running is a wonderful recreational sport.  It is also a wonderful cultural activity.

Greek Voices: What Caused this Crisis

Archaeological Museum, Athens

Hundreds Protest Greek Austerity Measures

Everyone's furious at Greece about its debt -- even it's own people.  It's amazing that the government allowed Greece to live in luxury for so long, allowing their deficit to skyrocket.

Now the EU and the IMF must bail out Greece or the country will default.  But along with the bailout, Greece must abide with the requests of the EU, and that is a series of austerity measures that includes a reduction in pay as much as 25%, raising  of retirement age by several years and a massive consolidation of municipalities.

I had met so many young people all around Athens who told me that they were ashamed.  Despite their degrees, they didn't have a job.  There was no hope; their country had no future.

Why I'm Going to Greece

Reflecting:

Athens is one of the oldest named cities in the world. I've always been captivated with mythology. Greek myths have a great appeal because they are great stories full of lessons. I believe we can learn a lot about what it means to be human by studying the myths of ancient Greeks and even fundamental lessons on life that man continues to make.

After all, Greece is responsible for a large slew of inventions from the thermometer to the map. Greece is also the cradle for Democracy.

Understanding

Greece is not only experiencing a hard time. Their debt is on the verge of becoming a global phenomenon. I am intrigued by how Greece was able to stumble so low, especially six years ago, the country was in the limelight of the world, while hosting the summer olympics.

Negotiating

Should the EU bail out Greece. It is hard to believe that a country has important and historic as Greece is on the verge of bankruptcy. This is a political hot potato, but Greece needs to be saved. What happens in Greece will have deep and lasting impact to the entire world.

This is why I want to visit Greece. I want to experience everything: the food, the culture, the history. And I want to talk to the local people to see how they are hurting and how the rest of the world can better understand their situation.