Most of them come from Biafra, Nigeria and Senegal. Some of them also come from Congo, Zambia and Angola. The majority of them lives in Patisia and Kipseli area, in Athens. Greeks love the African immigrants, they get influenced by their culture and some reggae alternative movements have incorporated them. Greek girls started having relations with them and generally they are well-perceived. If you are a backpacker or alternative tourist, it will be nice to find yourself in African restaurants-bars in Patisia area. They are full of African languages, people and exotic cheap food. I remember myself visiting such places when I was living in Athens and I have nice memories. They are fantastically friendly.

As for Latin Americans, you will not find a lot of them. I think that the whole community gathers in Fuego bar in Nea Smirni, Athens or in Cubanita.

Arabs? Well, not may of them too. Egyptians work in fisheries, Palestinians and Lebanese are mainly doctors or medicine students.

Kurds is another ethnic group, with good networks and a lot of social capital in Athens. They work in all kind of jobs. They are asylum seekers and Greeks do not discriminate against them, as they feel that they share the same enemy; Turkey.

If any questions come up I will be glad to answer you!
info@hitgreece.com

Hindi people are another immigration flow Greece gets from Asia. They are involved in almost the same activities as the Pakistanis.

Chinese people open their own restaurants, textile commercial shops and generally shops where they sell Chinese products. They tend to make ghettos and they do not socialize much. Small China towns have blossomed in Athens and in Bardaris area in Thessaloniki.

Russians and Georgians, sometimes also referred as Greek-Russians or Greek-Georgians, work in ordinary low-intensive industry sector. Many of them live in the western suburbs of Thessaloniki and Athens. Some of the youngsters of this group are involved in robbing and other small crime. If you want to find the Greek society “banlieues” you have to search within this community, as it is the most discriminated, it has developed a ‘provocative’ (as the society perceives it) sub-culture. This community is supposed to be or actually is of Greek origins. Their fathers immigrated to Ukraine, Russia and Caucasus about 400 years ago as merchants or workers. There they mixed with the locals and after the end of Cold War the Greek government decided to repatriate them. Some say that the origin criterion wasn’t used at all and that they are real Russians, as their characteristics differ from the Greek ones. Those who believe in this theory, accuse the former Greek government of PASOK, of providing Greek citizenship to people willing to vote for it, with the excuse of repatriating Greeks of former USSR. Others believe that these people are of Greek origins and therefore they have a place in the Greek society. Whatever the truth is, this group is really discriminated, along maybe with the Albanians.

In the next article you will find more about the immigrants in Greece. We go on with Africans.

Technorati Tags: immigrants, ethnic groups, Pakistanis

After the end of the WW2, the civil war between the communist guerrillas and the nationalist government army begun. During this period and up to 70s many Greeks migrated to the US, UK, France, Sweden, Belgium and Germany and many leftists were exiled or searched for asylum in Eastern Europe. After the Cold War was ended many of the exiled Greeks in Eastern Europe and former USSR repatriated. Along with them, many immigrants from these comparatively poor countries came and Greece became a receiving country.

Albanians were the first to discover Greece, due to the county’s proximity to Greece and the easily “trespassable” borders. Unfortunately Greeks were not kind to the Albanians. Due to civil disorder in Albania, the jails opened up and many criminals entered Greece, bringing a rise to the criminality rate. Albanians were perceived as criminals, an ease reaction of the people. Although some of the Albanians turned to crime activities, the overwhelmingly vast majority of them were honest, family-men who came to work hard and acquire a better living standard. It was Greece’s fault though. For the inexistent immigration policy to prevent criminals from entering the country, the Albanians cannot be blamed. Nowadays, most of the Greeks have changed their minds and do not discriminate against the Albanians, although some nationalist voices still accuse them of unemployment, undermining of the Greek culture and the like. Albanians worked hard in my country, in the farms in the industry, in job-posts that Greeks considered hard enough for them, what science calls “labour intensive jobs”.

In the next article you will find more about the immigrants in Greece. We go on with Pakistanis and Asians.

Technorati Tags: immigrants, ethnic groups, Albanians

What is the dream of your life? To buy a farm in Greece? Then do it in a Greek island.

It’s the most suitable place to do so. Reasons to do so…

You can build a small house in it and have a constant place to live. Imagine the enthousiasm of your children and grand-children when they know they have a place to visit in greece. You can also organize them so that they visit you yearly. But if you have no family yet, while can flirt a girl, it can be devastating (in the good way) to say “Summertime? I’m going to my house in Greece..”
If you have already a girlfirend, then just buy it, do not tell her word. It is needed to travel in Greece though. Let her know NOT. She thinks that you have another girlfriend. Then take her to your new house or farm and have her excited, it’s simple romantism. Hehe!!

So…, to get once again serious. Go to remax.gr and try to find something. I would recommend Crete (Kriti). It’s a nice place to be. You can find from 45.000 to 500.000 euros estate. But if you wanna be more proffessional, just visit it. You will find real estate bussinesses where you can achieve a better price. A trip to a Greek island is always fine, as well.

There is a huge bureaucratic process though to reach this moment. I will tell only one word. Simvoleografos. This is the greek word for “notary”. Find one (it’s not difficult) and he will tell you everything. After having the farm or house bought, it will seem as something normal to happen. Being rich helps a lot. But rich in Greece is somebody who has the average American or European wage.

For any further information do not hesitate to ask me. I can write even more on it, so to clarify it.

Technorati Tags: tips, buying, house, greek islands

Not many people want to live in islands the whole year. What most people do is stay in the islands during summer and they move back when winter approaches.
But you can still have in the winter.

What to do in an island?
-You can buy a house. It’s not that expensive. If you want your new house to be in front of the sea, close to the square or in the neibourhoud of the bars, then just forget it. But if you are satisfied with a house in a village, with a lot of tranquility, not far away from the island’s biggest town, maybe close to the sea, then this is doable. You have to conduct some local research though. You can buy old houses with 10.000 euro. To renew them you will need about 4.000 euros. Of course the prices vary. If you want a new, luxurious appartment or house, with swimming pool etc, then the price would be from
300.000 to a million.
-You can find a job. During the summer finding a job could be difficult cause there are a lot of foreigners who come in Greece to work and have vacations at the same time. But what about winter?
-You can buy a fishing-boat and go fishing. Really much recommended for hippies!
-You can also buy a farm and cultivate it!
-You can start your own tourism enterprise
-You can make your own youth hostel. Well this one is quite good. I have never found a hostel in the islands. I think that somebody who starts one, will get rich!

It is meaningless to tell you about summer. Most of you can imagine what is going on, for the others I will write more later. But in autumn, winter and spring the islands are a nice place to be. You wont find and crazy parties or beaches to swim but if you seek tranquility so to concentrate and write a book, or just want to see terrific winter sighseeing, tumbling see, waves of wrath and windstorms like nowhere else.
The islanders are so welcome to the foreigners. If you are an American for example and relocate to an island, the next day the whole island will be talking about you.

They will offer you help, they will show you the place around and for sure they will employ you in the touristic sector.

Any questions about living in the islands? Hit me at info@hitgreece.com!

Technorati Tags: greek islands, tips, live at Greece, exparts

So let as talk about renting, housing, bills and costs.

If you have the money the things to consider are the reputation of the area and the distance you have to travel to your workplace. A good place to live (always talking about 2 bedrooms apartment over 65sm, with its own wc, kitchen, storage room and a living room) can go up to 900 euros in Halandri. Halandri is considered really a nice place to live in. It is upper class area but not for extreme rich guys. Going down to the centre Kipseli is an overcrowded place, but you can easily find a house of 110sm for 590euros. I would not suggest this one though. Nea Smirni is the place I used to live. It is a nice neibourhoud with middle class, close to the sea, close to the center and a silent oasis into Athens. 520 to 550 is your number! Always for a 2 bedrooms apartment.

For a studio, prices are even lower (350 to 450). Studios, usually, can be found in old block of apartments. Best areas to search in are Nea Smirni, Kallithea, Neos Kosmos, Zografou, Kipseli, Patisia and Brahami. These are areas with a lot of students, working class and some immigrants. If you are a multi-culti person you will love Patisia. It is full of ethnic restaurants owned by Africans and Asians. There are also many gathering points and cultural associations of foreigners as well.

The rent is not the only expenses you’ll have. You also have to pay bills. One person can consume up to 20euros of electricity, 10euros of water each month. Another thing you’ll have to pay is a bill for the expenses of the block of apartments you live in. This bill includes petrol consumption for warming up your place, lift maintenance, maintenance costs generally. This can go up to 25euros summertime, 60euros winter time. Telephones are expensive. I would propose VoIP solutions. If not, a house telephone can cost about 40euros a month using it normally. Cell phone is turning cheaper and cheaper every year. Can be up to 20euros a month. Internet connection is the biggest problem you will face. You will soon understand that the 1Mbps line costs about 30euros. For broader internet connection you simply wont do it! It is required that the provider has a broadband net in your area and also you’ll have to pay a lot. About cell phones and internet connection try us out in some days. We will write about it soon, more extensively.

Areas to avoid include Vathis square and Omonoia square as well as any other house 1km around them. Criminality is elevated, junkies may provoke problems by night, police is absent, ‘red light houses’ attract sometimes dangerous people. Sepolia is also a place not to be. Houses are easily targeted by burglars there. Excepting these three areas Athens isn’t a dangerous city at all.

Another thing you must check out, before renting, is the accessibility of the means of public transport. Center is accessible, while areas like Haidari, Voula, Aigaleo and others are not. Since I will write more about transportation in a later article, I quit for the moment.

Expats! I will appreciate much any of your questions. I have lived for 6 years in Athens, 17 years in Thessaloniki, while now, I am an expat myself. You can write us to info@hitgreece.com or just leave a response.

Technorati Tags: Athens, expatriates, expats Athens, cost of living