As a person with family roots from Greece, I consider learning Greek is such a special task. Having a better understanding of the language by taking a Modern Greek class twice a week has its benefits. It has both exposed me to another foreign language and allowed me to communicate with the people in Greece. Although I can’t totally have a full conversation with a person, I do fine by just getting by. Hopefully I can have a full conversation with someone in Greek by the end of the semester.
Before leaving for Greece in September, my family helped prepare me by giving me one Greek word per day so I could build on my vocabulary and not be totally lost. I have about 90 words in my notes that I can refer to whenever needed. The first notification I’d see on my phone in the morning would be a text from my Dad containing a new Greek word and its definition. Occasionally, he’d throw in an image that I can make a mental note of it as well.
Μy first time speaking with one of the locals in Greek had me sweating bullets, not knowing whether my grammar was used correctly and understandable. The question I asked in Greek was, “Που ειναι η αγορα παρακαλο”. In English it meant, “Where is the (food) market?”. He responded, “Ναι, kανε αριστερα”, which means “Yes, make a left (turn)”. So, I thanked him in Greek, “Ευχαριστω!” Thank God we both understood what was said because I probably wouldn’t have found it, even though it was right around the corner from me. I was so proud of myself for successfully engaging in a conversation in Greek!
Now that I have a good month’s worth of Modern Greek class under my belt, I feel like I’m improving every week overall. Not trying to jinx my luck at the moment, but I got high 90’s on my last two Greek exams. I hope to keep retaining the lessons and, in which, will help broaden my speaking ability while here in Greece for the next two months.