GREECE

LEE NIKOLAIDIS BURTON BANK 1979-1984 ATHENS – AUGUST 2020

Greece coped with the pandemic very well. It was contained quite efficiently and people followed the rules. Having got used to the tough years of the financial crisis (which had just ended), the government and the people showed resilience and responsibility, thus keeping the amount of cases very low. That said, cases are up in August due to youngsters partying but once schools/ universities return, it should return to low levels. Overall it was handled well, although the scaremongering and tone should have been more encouraging and reassuring.

Generally, I am not a big fan of how governments manage many things, even at the best of times. I am sure that many things can be said, but I will just mention one. As a teacher I was amazed at how much work school pupils were given during the lockdown. More than before. Unrealistic expectations (from parents too), excessive homework especially with primary school children. Spending so much time in front of a laptop in online classes was unhealthy. There should have been less of the above and more promotion of healthier activity, physical exercise and social skills all round.

I experienced lockdown with my family, a seven year old child and it was very hard trying to explain to him the logic behind the fact that he could not be with or hug any of his friends or family outside of our home. All our work (my wife and I are teachers), and our son’s had to be done at home, in front of a laptop. Not pleasant. To go out, we had to fill out or text a form, stating our business. I made sure that I took my son out for at least 90 minutes of physical exercise per day. We disconnected our car batteries too...it was very limiting, not nice!

It all was and still is unpleasant, however we bonded more as a family, which was good. On the other hand, it was very restrictive since we could not travel back to the UK at Easter to visit family, nor to the USA during the summer to work (something we have been doing for over 20 years during the summer months). The latter had a big impact as it also involved loss of earnings. The big positive that we got from it all was that we were able to take a month off (as teachers) and travel around Greece for its entirety with our young son to see many places we had not seen as a result of our normally very busy lifestyle. That had a healing quality. Being unplugged has been very beneficial.

However, I am most definitely keen to return to normality. I suppose the biggest change is that I will appreciate everything a lot more and be happier with all the things I took for granted in the past.

I do miss MHS. The camaraderie, the togetherness and bond we all shared, teachers and pupils alike. Irreplaceable!