Reception booklet AIESEC in Greece final

"We are happy that you will be

part of the team that will impact the Greek youth and develop your leadership potential�

AIESEC in Greece - Non Corporate Team

Content 0.AIESEC 1. About the country 2. People and Language 3. Culture 4. Financial and Safety information 5. Lifestyle

AIESEC Experience What is AIESEC? AIESEC is a global, non-political, independent, not-forprofit organization run by students and recent graduates of institutions of higher education. Its members are interested in world issues, leadership and management. AIESEC does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, sexual orientation, creed, religion, national, ethnic or social origin.

Our international platform enables young people to explore and develop their leadership potential, to have a positive impact in society.

We are all volunteers!

Leadership we want to develop

Self-Aware Aware of strengths and weaknesses.

Know personal values and purpose in life.

Responsible for the World Aware of the world’s take ownership for it and act

Effective Communication Can engage others with personal purpose and values.

Can communicate effectively and build networks.

Our Projects The projects organized by AIESEC are national or local initiatives that empower a certain category of people or institutions, bring a societal impact and have a high range of relevance – from local to global. These projects offer impactful team and leadership experiences to our members, while delivering powerful GIP or GCDP internships to students from Greece or from abroad, just like you.

Which are our National Projects? What is their purpose?

Young Power: The project runs n Middle- and High schools in order to help students develop their soft skills and global mindset.

The aim is to provide students with practical knowledge on skills that are highly useful for their future both personally and professionally while being aware and provide solutions to tackle burning issues in Greece.

NGO for Change: Is an entrepreneurship Project aiming at contributing actively to Greek NGOs financial sustainability and organizational structure improvement. The vision of the project is to empower Organizational Growth and Sustainability of NGOs in Greece. In this way we can give to them the capacity to act on facing social issues that Greece is facing right now.

About Greece Capital

Currency:

ATHENS

EURO

Location SOUTH EASTERN EUROPE

Population: 10,816,626 Main Ethnic Groups: Greek 91%, Albania 4,3%, Bulgarians 0,7%, Romanians 0,4% Religions: Christian Orthodox 85%, Roman Catholic 1,8%, Islam 2,2%, Atheist-other.: 10% Form of State: Greece is a parliamentary republic. The nominal head of state is the President of the Republic, who is elected by the Parliament for a five-year term. The current Constitution was drawn up and adopted by the Fifth Revisionary Parliament and entered into force in 1975 after the fall of the military junta of 1967–1974.

Legal system: Based on European models and Constitution of 1991.

Climate: The climate of Greece is primarily Mediterranean, featuring mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers. .

Clothing: Just to be sure, ask your EP buddy about the weather in your host city and for any other advice regarding this subject!

If you come during summer, be sure you pack your bathing suit. During is really hot so bring light clothes. During your stay you can visit the Greek islands in your free time or seaside places like Chalkidiki in the North or Peloponnese in the south.

If you come during winter, be sure you pack warm clothes .

You will not freeze but we have a lot of rains and sometimes also snow. So bring waterproof shoes! During winter islands aren’t the number one place to go so you can visit the amazing Greek landscape and make a lot of trips in archeological places all over Greece.

50,949 sq miles

Time zone: GMT +2

Flag: 9 Horizontal blue-white Stripes with a cross

up left

Being a Greek

If something can characterized the Greeks this is the hospitality and the joy for life.

Greeks are by nature fun, loving, warm, hospitable. Someone could call them traditional but the new generations are

eager to learn new cultures.

There are 130 towns in Greece out of which 20 have a population of more than 60,000 while 10 cities count more than 100,000 inhabitants.

40 % of Greeks live in rural areas: 1,500 communes Regarding the Greek islands there are over 600 islands in Greece from which around 80-100 inhabited with the most known of the to be Crete, Santorini, Corfu and Rhodes.

Greek has a huge tradition from which many big persons stayed in history:

Alexander the Great — Great king of Greek who lived until the age of 33 and ruled until then the biggest part of the known world Georgios Papanikolaou —known doctor and inventor of the pap test zone of the female reproductive system detect potentially precancerous and cancerous processes in the transformation Socrates— ancient Greek philosopher who was credited as on of the founders of Western philosophy.

Aristotle — Was a Greek philosopher and scientists and a student of Plato. He is considered to be the first scientist in history.

According to the encyclopedia Britanica every scientist is in his debt.

Aristotelis Onasis— Was a prominent shipping magnate. His is the most successful businessman of modern Greece known not only for his life but also for his haritage after his death Read more about other famous Greeks HERE!

15th place at English from nonEnglish countries

Official Language: Greek People speak English in the big cities, mostly the young people. Even if some people don’t completely understand you, Greeks are very sociable and helpful, ready to try to help you even through body language or redirecting you to someone who speaks English.

Over 50% of the population can make a proper conversation in English so don’t worry .If you ask someone in English and he can’t respond you, the next one you will stop will be for sure your guy.

Festivals and events Some of Europe's most traditional folkways are meticulously preserved here, with young celebrants wearing the same costumes and dancing the same steps to tunes played on instruments traditional to their forefathers since time immemorial.

Festivals provide wonderful opportunities for visitors to experience the amalgam of the people who make up this country which was influenced during the year by many civilizations but always holding his uniqueness.

Major festivals throughout the year include: June – July – August Athens and Epidaurus festival — Enjoy a performance as the ancient Greeks would do in this outstanding architectural monument known for its unique acoustics.. Performances are in Greek but in the program you will find summaries in other languages too and English subtitles for the Festival’s productions.

River Party Kastoria— The longest living festival outside of Athens is takes place every year in Nestorio of Kastoria at the river Haliacmon. River Party gives an opportunity for visitors to be entertained and participate for 5 whole days.

Rockwave Festival — The Rockwave Festival journey begins in 1996.This was the first attempt in Greece to create an institution of an annual live music event to host contemporary pop and rock artists and bands.

Kalamata International Dance Festival — Kalamata International Dance Festival was held for the first time in Kalamata on 1995.

Other events — Due to the amazing weather in Greece there is a variety of events that take place in cities, islands an touristic places. So feel free to explore them also by yourself according to your interests.

November Thessaloniki International Film Festival —It has become one of the Balkans primary showcases for the work of new and emerging filmmakers.

January Ragkoutsaria – Is one of the most famous events after new year and it takes place every year between 6-8 January in the city of Kastoria.It is the Kastorian Carnival and has its routes in the greek-roman times.

February Patras Carnival – is the largest event of its kind in Greece.It has more than 160 years of history. It climaxes in the last weekend of Carnival with the Saturday evening parade of carnival groups, the extravagant Sunday parade of floats and groups, and finally the ritual burning of the carnival king at the St. Nikolaos Street pier in the harbor of Patras. Its characteristics are spontaneity, improvisation, inspiration and volunteerism.

Greek Foods "The Greek cuisine, with its wide variety of high quality ingredients and its wisely considered and highly beneficial combinations which encapsulate the knowledge of centuries, enjoys a privileged position in the global culture of taste alternatives.

Greece is characterized by its numerous islands and the rugged terrain of the mainland. This morphological diversity creates "worlds within worlds". A trip to Greece means a fascinating exploration of tastes, flavours, unexpected combinations and endless variety.

The main ingredients used by Greek chefs are meats such as pork, beef and lamb, fish, vegetables, dairy products and fruit. A traditional Greek meal may include: Appetizer Traditional appetizers are Tzatziki, Feta cheese, Fried Vegetables and of course pies with all kind of ingredients inside.

If you are in Crete you should try Dakos and e in Santorini Fava.

Salad Having or ordering a salad in Greece when you are about to eat is something standard.

The most known salad is the traditional salad called ‘’Choriatiki’’.

Fish and seafood: As a Mediterranean country Greece has a lot of seafood like grilled octopus ,squid and mussels but also small fishes like sardines ,anchovy.

Entree Here we have 2 types of food: The traditional dishes like Mousaka, Pastisio and from the other hand the traditional street food which is called Souvlaki. d You should taste at least once these dishes but believe me if you taste it ones you will become a fan of it!

Dessert Loukoumi – a confection made from starch and sugar, known in English as Turkish Delight Melomakarona – Christmas cookies soaked with a syrup of diluted honey and then sprinkled s, with crushed walnuts.

Yogurt with honey and wal . nuts.

Halvas with meal

Safety first!

Greece is a safe country and usually there are no major conflicts in any city. Just to be sure, watch your things and try not to bring to many jewelry or cash money if it is not the case – accidents can happen in any country. Make sure you lock them in your dormroom or apartment, to avoid robbery :) Laws that may affect you are: o noise: it is against the law to make loud noise which may annoy your neighbors or other people between certain hours (eg. 10pm- 7am or at noon), consider this when you are partying. Your neighbors can call the police Your legal rights: o Never insult or shout at a police officer! o Smoking in public , on the street or in bars is socially acceptable. The legal age for drinking is 18 years.

Medication: Most basic medical requirements -plasters, bandages, headache pills can be bought in drug stores("farmakio") in Greece.

Many drugs normally available in other countries only on prescription can be bought over the counter on demand and at reasonable prices in Greece.

If you use any prescription drugs in your country regularly, you should bring to Greece a copy of the prescription together with the generic name of the drug- this will help should you need to replace it and also avoid possible problems with Customs officials.

Communication and gadgets This is how sockets look like in Greece, so be sure you bring an adaptor (or you can buy one from here).

Bring an unlocked phone with you, so you can buy a SIM card as soon as possible (maybe at the airport, to call your trainee buddy).

SIM cards in Greece are usually normal size (mini- SIM), for micro-SIM you have to pay extra.

Useful applications for you!

We also have some useful apps for you that will make your life easier during your time in Greece.

1.The Easy Currency converter – will help you to convert Euros to your national currency.

2. Ya! Greek Phrases – has standard phrases that might be useful if someone you want to ask something doesn’t know English.

3. Athens Transportation (for Athens) and Πληροφοριες Ο.Α.Σ.Θ (for Thessaloniki) – are apps that help you with the public transportation. They can show you routes and timetables!

Here are some basic items and prices. For other or if you plan to visit other countries check the link form.

What Restaurants Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant

Avg. Price

What Tomato (1kg)

1,35 €

Potato (1kg)

0,75 €

Lettuce (1 head)

0,56 €

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

0,81 €

[Edit] Avg. 10 €

Combo Meal at McDonalds or Similar

6€

Domestic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

3,5€

Bottle of Wine (Mid-

Cappuccino (regular)

3€

Range) Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

Markets Milk (regular), (1 liter) Loaf of Fresh W hite Bread (500g)

Avg. Price

[Edit] Avg.

1.2€ 0,80€

Pack of Cigarettes

1,62 €

Eggs (12)

2,80 €

Local Cheese (1kg)

7,80 €

Chicken Breasts (Boneless, Skinless), (1kg)

7,05€

Apples (1kg)

1,36 €

Oranges (1kg)

0,94 €

€

1,11€ 4,00

€

(Marlboro) Transportation

Rice (white), (1kg)

6,00

One-way Ticket (Local Transport) Monthly Pass (Regular

[Edit] Avg. 1€ 32

€

Price) Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

3€

Taxi 1km (Normal Tariff)

1€

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

10,70 €

Click on the button below and find out the cost of living in Greece and any other country in case you want to go for a visit!

Numbeo

1 EURO(the official currency) equals 1,26 US dollars.

Transportation Getting to Greece by Plane The airlines member of the Star Alliance partnership offer excellent connections from all major airports all over the world to Greece’s capital city - Athens.

Greece's national airline Aegean as well as most European Airlines are offering flights from cities in Western and Central Europe to Thessaloniki ,Patras and Crete.

In order to book the cheapest tickets to Greece check through: www.skyscanner.com If you want to reach Chios you have also option to travel by plane to Izmir ( Turkey) and afterwards take the ship to Chios.

Domestic Transportation - Train Greece has a well-developed railway network that covers a big part of the country..

It is the most inexpensive but also safe mean of transport and generally on time. The are two types of routes: The cheapest and slowest are night trains.

The fastest and the most expensive are Inter-City Trains, You can check the rail map of Greece here: http://www.trainose.gr/en/ If you are younger then 26 you can have a -25% in the fair prices.

If your internship city is not Athens contact your host committee and ask further information on how to reach Thessaloniki ,Patras and Chios

Domestic Transportation - Bus The most wide spread mean of transport is Buses. The main reason for it is the reach of the bus network and the big amount of routes between the cities.

If you are an EU Student you can have a -25% in the fair prices.

Domestic Transportation - Taxi Taxis are available in every city and larger towns in Greece. They can be summoned by telephone or hailed on the street. Authorized taxis can be recognized by the TAXI sign on the roof. All Taxis should be equipped with meters. Taxis can also be ordered by calling specialized companies which can confirm the rates / mile and approximate cost of the ride. Drivers approaching you at the airport or at the train station in Greece are likely to inflate their rates; please avoid them Domestic Transportation - Ship Ship routes are widely spread during the summer in order to visit the Greek islands . If you plan to make a trip to an island you should book your tickets as earlier as you can because it happens sometimes the boats to be full.

Take into consideration that there are not reduced prices for international students for boat trips.

For more info check the booking site: http://www.bookferries.gr/en

Useful Information Emergency numbers: ◦ General Telephone Information : 11888 ◦ International Phone Assistance: 139 ◦Hellenic Police General Number: 1033 ◦Emergency Number to call Police: 100 ◦Tourist police:171 (information available in English, French and German) ◦Airport Police: (+30) 210-353-6919 ◦Fire Emergency: 199 ◦Ambulance: 166 ◦Poison Control: (+30) 210-779-3777 National Holidays: January 1st New Year's Day. We celebrate the coming of the new year!!!

January 6th Religious Holiday It's the day that we celebrate when Jesus Christ was baptized March 25th Independence Day. In this day you'll have the opportunity to watch a parade of the army!!!

May 1st This day we go to the country side and we gather flowers.

August 15th Madonna's Day - Religious Holiday called "Dekapentavgoustos“.

October 28th National Anniversary. This cerebration is for the resistance in the World War 2.

December 25th Christmas called "Christougenna" December 26th Madonna's Day - Religious Holiday

The Greek Language In Greece, the official language is no other than the Greek one! It is also spoken in Cyprus and throughout the world wherever there are Greek compatriots.

It may seem quite difficult at the beginning, but we are here to help you! Apart from that, we have listed below some phrases you will find handy, to start with, the Greek alphabet and some more useful elements. ` Good Morning

Kalimera

One

Ena

Good Evening

Kalispera

Two

Duo

Good Night

Kalinichta

Three

Tria

Hello/Bye

Geia su

Four

Tessera

How are you?

Ti kanis?

Five

Pente

Thank you

Efharisto

Six

Exi

I don’t speak Greek

Den milao ellinika

Seven

Efta

Eight

Ochto

Please/You ‘re welcome

Parakalo

Nine

Ennia

Help

Voithia

Ten

Deka

How much does it cost?

Poso kani?

Yes

Ne

No

Oxi

The Greek Alphabet In its classical and modern forms, the alphabet has 24 letters, ordered from alpha to omega.

Several letter combinations have special conventional sound values different from those of their single components.

Greek English Greek English Aα

Aa

Νν

Nn

Ββ

Bb

Ξξ

Xx

Γγ

Gg

Οο

Oo

Δδ

Dd

Ππ

Pp

Eε

Εe

Ρρ

Rr

Zζ

Ζz

Σσς

Ss

Hη

Ιi

Τ τα

Tt

Θθ

ΤΗ th

Υυ

Yy

Iι

Ιi

Φφ

Ff

Κκ

Κk

Χχ

Hh

Λλ

Ll

Ψψ

Ps

Μμ

Mm

Ωω

Oo

Greek

English

Greek

English

ΜΠ μπ

Βb

ΟΙ οι

Ιι

ΝΤ ντ

Dd

ΟΥ ου

Uu

AΙ αι

Εε

ΓΚ γκ

Gg

ΕΙ ει

Ιi

ΓΓ γγ

Gg

Lifestyle During the day – beside regular work or study activities, Greeks use to take long walks ,go to cafes or bars, go to the Seaside during summer, do sports or just sit somewhere random and discuss.

Greek's nightlife can be easily matched with the one that you usually see in other European countries. There is something for everyone here, and the lively people and the great atmosphere make any choice as a good one for a night out. Whether you are having a traditional dinner in a fancy restaurant, get a cheap and tasty beer in a student's bar or just dancing all night long in posh nightclub you will definitely get the taste of true fun and spirit of the locals.

Greek cities Athens is best known for its temples and public buildings of antiquity. Old Athens is still evident in the streets near the excavated Agora and in the colorful Plaka district on the northern slope of the Acropolis.

Near the Parliament building is the National Garden and Sintagma (Constitution) Square, which caters to tourists with its luxury hotels and cafes.

Important museums include the Acropolis, the National Archaeological, and the Byzantine museums. Among the city's academic institutions are the University of Athens , the Greek Academy, and the National Library.

Chios is one of the biggest islands in Greece and it’s a convenient and relaxing destination and you'll get away from it all enriched in contrasts and natural diversity offers you spectacular sea views along the savage shoreline. Villages built on plains or rocks and others nearby the cost, full of smells and sounds of the fresh wind and the deep blue of the Aegean Sea hugging around the island!

Greek cities Thessaloniki is second largest city of Greece with a population of 1 million persons. It is considered as one of the most youth friendly city because of the big number of university students(over 100,000) In 2014 Thessaloniki is the European Youth Capital an many events and happenings take place there.

The big history during the ages and the mixture of many cultures (ottoman ,Jewish ,Greek) gives to Thessaloniki the Aura of a cosmopolite place. You should definitely visit the White Tower and walk at the seaside. The Museum of Byzantine Culture is Patra is Greece's fourth largest the most worth visiting musem in urban centre and the capital of the prefecture of Achaea, located in the city northern Peloponnese, 215 kilometers west of Athens. The city is built at the foothills of Mount Panachaikon, overlooking the Gulf of Patra. Patra was European Capital of Culture 2006.

Patra is well known for the Patra Carnival.

Let’s check some experiences!

Pernilla J. - Sweden I worked as a marketing assistant at CITY College in Thessaloniki.

My main tasks were to assist the marketing department in their day-to-day activities, conduct market research and write promotional material.I learned a lot about how to market an educational institution in a Southeast Europe. Another good thing about my stay in Greece was that I got to experience Greek culture from a different perspective than that of a tourist.there.

Stephanie My role was to help Sopsi to make some marketing proposals to find partnership and contribute to donations. I think my work do help the development of the NGO because I didn’t just accomplish my job, but also had many great communications with both staffs and patients there. My host was an AIESEC member Elias. .He and his families helped a lot to get to know the Greek family life and live happily in Greece. To adapt to different culture, to communicate with people I didn’t know before, to work with people who speak different language and cooperate with them. Of course I will recommend the project to everyone who can afford it!

During my time in Greece, I acquired the happiness and the sense of achievement that even more than what I expected.

National contact Catalina Hascu GCDPi National Vice-President

+30 694 780 8085 Catalina.hascu@aiesec.net

MORE INFORMATION about Greece: http://www.visitgreece.gr/en

Thank you for reading!

We are waiting for you!