# looking for expats in Athens



## EvaIlford (Mar 4, 2010)

Hello everyone!
My name is Eva and I'm Greek originally.
I spent four years in the UK studying and working. After that I stayed in Thessaloníki, which I love, for a few months and then moved back to Athens, where I originally come from.
Like I said, I've been living here for a few months, but I'm finding it hard to adjust.
I miss England, my friends and life in the UK in general.
While in the UK, I used to hang out with people from different cultures and with different backgrounds and, basically, from all over the world.
I really miss that!
This is why I'm here posting this thread, hoping to meet new people from different countries.
This is not a personal add. I would like to make this clear.
I'm interested in meeting people to hang out with.
Well, if you're interested feel free to contact me.
Eva


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## Silvie (Mar 3, 2010)

Hello Eva, 

when I was 17 I went to the States for one year and then again when I was 20 I was for one year or maybe a little bit more in Greece. Coming back home is weird, because you think you should know everything and after all it is your home, but life didn't stop without you, right? People moved on and life became different as you knew it. So, coming back to a place that is actually home but doesn't feel like it anymore because you don't have a place in it anymore is, well, it is weird. I know a girl that was also in England and now she is back and doesn't quiet know what to make of it. I know if I would go back to Germany now, I wouldn't fit. I couldn't adjust easily at all. Even the short times that i go there on vacation there is always something that bothers me. If it is not the weather, it is the person at the kiosk that is unfriendly, or that you have to pay for a bottle of water three times the price you would pay here. These are think I found normal when i lived there but now they bug me. 

Did you study in England?


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## EvaIlford (Mar 4, 2010)

*Hello Silvie!*



Silvie said:


> Hello Eva,
> 
> when I was 17 I went to the States for one year and then again when I was 20 I was for one year or maybe a little bit more in Greece. Coming back home is weird, because you think you should know everything and after all it is your home, but life didn't stop without you, right? People moved on and life became different as you knew it. So, coming back to a place that is actually home but doesn't feel like it anymore because you don't have a place in it anymore is, well, it is weird. I know a girl that was also in England and now she is back and doesn't quiet know what to make of it. I know if I would go back to Germany now, I wouldn't fit. I couldn't adjust easily at all. Even the short times that i go there on vacation there is always something that bothers me. If it is not the weather, it is the person at the kiosk that is unfriendly, or that you have to pay for a bottle of water three times the price you would pay here. These are think I found normal when i lived there but now they bug me.
> 
> Did you study in England?


Hi and danke schön for replying to me. You pretty much put it in words how it feels moving back home after having lived in another country for a few years. Basically, I feel like I'm a foreigner. Yes, life and people have moved on, but I think that's normal. I mean, I moved on while in England as well. Maybe that's the problem, the fact that I moved on in a different geographical area of the world than my old friends etc. did. 
I do find a lot of things that annoy me now. They annoyed me before I moved to the UK, but now I have less tolerance for them (because I've experienced in the UK that yes, certain things do work if the people working on them are willing to do the job). 
To be honest, I felt relieved when I read your reply. I thought that no one would understand how I feel (I've spoken to a couple of Greek friends of mine -one of them had also spent a few years abroad-, but they didn't understand why I feel this way. So, again, thank you.

I did study in England and occasionally I worked. 
Is your current stay in Greece your second then? If I got it right, you lived in Greece when you were 20, then moved back to Germany and now you're back in Greece?
Whereabouts in Germany are you from?


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## Silvie (Mar 3, 2010)

Yes, I live in Athens now, 3 years already. I work and live here and I am not planning on leaving again. In Germany I lived in Duesseldorf and my whole family is still there as well. 

You know, not everyone has this feeling, but a lot. I could tell you out of the top of my head 4 people that i know that had the same experience. I will get better at one point. But if you have lived in a different country once in your life you will always miss it at some point or the other. 

So, what are you planning on doing here now? Are you looking for a job now? Or do you still have some studying to do?


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## EvaIlford (Mar 4, 2010)

Silvie said:


> Yes, I live in Athens now, 3 years already. I work and live here and I am not planning on leaving again. In Germany I lived in Duesseldorf and my whole family is still there as well.
> 
> You know, not everyone has this feeling, but a lot. I could tell you out of the top of my head 4 people that i know that had the same experience. I will get better at one point. But if you have lived in a different country once in your life you will always miss it at some point or the other.
> 
> So, what are you planning on doing here now? Are you looking for a job now? Or do you still have some studying to do?


3 years....? that's a long time!
That means that you really enjoy living here and that you also like your job hopefully? I hope you do (I'm starting to lose hope that there are any descent jobs around in Athens...)
By the way, I love how Duesseldorf sounds (when German people say it; I don't have the right accent ).
I'm looking for a job at the moment and I'm also taking Russian lessons and studying Swedish on my own. I like learning foreign languages.
I received your private message.
Check your fb profile in a minute


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## Silvie (Mar 3, 2010)

Hey, how cool I am learning French here. Which of course is kind of difficult because I am hopelessly lazy and never really study on my own, but somehow i get by. I like my job most of the time. But I cannot say anything bad about it because i really got lucky with it. I found it one month after I arrived here and have it ever since. Others here are not so lucky.


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## anacarol (Apr 2, 2010)

Hello Eva! My name is Carolina and i am from Portugal, i am in Athens almost a month and i will stay here for about 3 months, i am doing little reseach in laboratory in the department of pharmacy of the University of Athens. I am also interested in meeting new people, special from greece to understand and contact with greek culture but I am having dificulty making friends.
I realy would love to go London,  maybe in a near future.
Take care! 





EvaIlford said:


> Hello everyone!
> My name is Eva and I'm Greek originally.
> I spent four years in the UK studying and working. After that I stayed in Thessaloníki, which I love, for a few months and then moved back to Athens, where I originally come from.
> Like I said, I've been living here for a few months, but I'm finding it hard to adjust.
> ...


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## Costas_GB_and_GR (Oct 24, 2008)

*Meetup group in Athens*

Hi Eva,

I am from Athens too, lived in the UK for 23 years, now I am between UK, Athens and Kefalonia. I found a meetup group in Athens (google it). You can join and even put your idea for an event and if people like it it goes ahead.

I believe they organizing a walk at Flisvos on the 11th...it is a nice lot. I went on the curry night but then I may have to be in Kefalonia for the walk at Flisvos...Give it a try ...it is for expats and foreigners staying in Athens..

Take care
Costas





EvaIlford said:


> Hello everyone!
> My name is Eva and I'm Greek originally.
> I spent four years in the UK studying and working. After that I stayed in Thessaloníki, which I love, for a few months and then moved back to Athens, where I originally come from.
> Like I said, I've been living here for a few months, but I'm finding it hard to adjust.
> ...


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## IrinaP (Jun 16, 2010)

Costas_GB_and_GR said:


> Hi Eva,
> 
> I am from Athens too, lived in the UK for 23 years, now I am between UK, Athens and Kefalonia. I found a meetup group in Athens (google it). You can join and even put your idea for an event and if people like it it goes ahead.
> 
> ...


Hello Costas and Eva,

I too am 80% Greek and 20% Maltese, born in Jordan and worked most of my life abroad Dubai and the UK). I have been living in Athens for the past 5 years and still trying to make friends and get to know peple of the same wave length. I did go into the site of meetup group in Athens and it does sound nice that people from all sorts of backgrounds meet and get to know one another. Why dont we get together and meet at the next function??


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## Costas_GB_and_GR (Oct 24, 2008)

Sounds a good plan, but I am between Kefalonia and Athens at the moment. Why don't ring me so we can organise it? Eva if you are interested do you want to leave details and whoever else is in Athens come along....let's organise our own meet-up...anybody in for next week? ( let's say wed 15th at monastiraki outside the metro station about 8:00 pm?) and we go for a walk towards psiri....there are lots of places we can go to there...(as you probably know...)

btw...anybody fancies an impromptu meeting somewhere in Athens ring me on mymobile and we 'll arrange something for tonight...if I don't hear anything by 6 p.m. I will be making other plans...so whoever fancies an impromptu meet-up in Athens tonight...come forward..


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## IrinaP (Jun 16, 2010)

Costas_GB_and_GR said:


> Sounds a good plan, but I am between Kefalonia and Athens at the moment. Why don't ring me so we can organise it? Eva if you are interested do you want to leave details and whoever else is in Athens come along....let's organise our own meet-up...anybody in for next week? ( let's say wed 15th at monastiraki outside the metro station about 8:00 pm?) and we go for a walk towards psiri....there are lots of places we can go to there...(as you probably know...)
> 
> btw...anybody fancies an impromptu meeting somewhere in Athens ring me on mymobile and we 'll arrange something for tonight...if I don't hear anything by 6 p.m. I will be making other plans...so whoever fancies an impromptu meet-up in Athens tonight...come forward..


Hey Costa,

Creating our own meet up for a start is a good plan, will send contact details in an email. Let's put this as a seperat topic so we can keep track of who will be coming and make sure all the details are given out correctly. I can see a merge taking place very soon with the other meet up group 

As for tonight I wont be able to make it... would have been nice.


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## memoli (Sep 21, 2010)

EvaIlford said:


> Hello everyone!
> My name is Eva and I'm Greek originally.
> I spent four years in the UK studying and working. After that I stayed in Thessaloníki, which I love, for a few months and then moved back to Athens, where I originally come from.
> Like I said, I've been living here for a few months, but I'm finding it hard to adjust.
> ...


I'd like to meet you..i am from iran I live in Greece..lefkada


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## LibbaTheGreat (Oct 6, 2010)

*Liz from America*

Hello Eva,
I'm a 24-year-old student, originally from Mississippi, who has spent the last 6 years in New York and have recently come to Athens in hopes of pursuing my Masters studies in archaeology at EKPA. 
I'm looking to meet people also and would love to hear from you and anyone else who'd like to meet up and hang out!
Yours,
Liz


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