Opposition vs. Adaptation

Anonymous I am currently in the process of not passing out, so this entry will be less thoughtful and less (or perhaps more) esoteric than previous and subsequent entries from this camp.
Arguably the best parts of world travel are when locals mistake you for a local. Walking into a bakery and receiving a warm, "Γειά σου" instead of "hello" even when surrounded by my American peers is a pretty basic example of that phenomenon, but it still makes me smile. 

Unfortunately, most of the time,
I probably stick out like a sore thumb.

That is to say, adapting to foreign cultures and blending in is a challenge I readily and excitedly accept. Of course, my value system is not completely malleable, and I must confess that the amount of smoke that fills the air here is rather off-putting. Smoking is still a public pass-time, and passing by cafes and shops, cigarettes are lit, inhaled, and then wafted across the crowded sidewalks. 
Curiously, though, I noticed that the ground is rarely plagued by cigarette butts. In America, the gutters are often lined with them. I wonder if the difference in attitude is such that here, where smoking is more acceptable, people aren't embarrassed or concerned with holding cigarettes, and are willing to take them to garbage cans instead of simply throwing them out of the car window. Alternatively, Americans are unfailingly impatient, and if a trash can is more than 20 feet away, they'd rather just drop their trash on the floor and forget about it.


What would I want to take home with me? Frankly, I'd argue that we do not yet know enough about daily life in Greece to say. We know about their affinity for long conversations in cafes, and we know more or less their rough daily break schedule, but the pace of American life is not at all conducive to either of those ideas. As much as one might like to incorporate a three hour break in the middle of the day, American employers would never tolerate that. We might as well take the whole day off, they'd say, while we look for another job. 
So, personally, I suppose I'd like to find an employer that would allow me to come in to work an hour or so late, and then leave an hour or so late so as to avoid rush hour traffic, thereby maximizing the amount of time I have for everything else while not neglecting any work time. 


Aaaaand *scene*.