Return from Greece

Mr. B — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 23:20:47 +0000

I just returned from spending close to seven weeks in Greece. While I certainly enjoyed my time there, I’m happy to be back in America. Living in a tiny Greek village really opened my eyes to the luxuries I enjoy in America (like being able to flush toilet paper… seriously). The sheer amount of poverty I saw startled me – I can’t speak for Greece as a whole, but the divide between rich and poor in my village was striking, and there were a lot of poor.

I saw people living in tiny dilapidated huts, their only possessions being a few articles of clothing, some aging farm equipment, and chickens. Still, they had sufficient food to survive, and were always willing to greet me (the exotic American man) with a smile as I walked by. I like to think that if I were a young boy growing up in that scenario, I would work my butt off to better myself enough to make it out of there and provide a better upbringing for my children. I know that it’s easy to talk about and hard to do, but my own father did just that. He grew up in a mud hut in a tiny Middle-Eastern village, and worked hard enough at his education to first make it into college and then into grad school in America. I am grateful that he did, for I owe my entire upbringing in America to his efforts.

Anyway, I also saw the richest of the rich, including visiting houses that would stun a sultan with their marble construction, artwork, and grandeur.

Now that I’m back, I have a renewed appreciation for my home country. Sure, America has its problems right now, but I have faith that she will hold together easily. Wobbles in the stock market and threats of an economic recession suddenly seem rather moot to me. I would give anything to see America avoid the levels of corruption and political unrest that I saw in Greece.

Ok, that’s enough flag waving for now. Mr. B is back, and InterestingMoney will continue to plod along, though with at least a slightly-higher posting frequency! Thanks for reading.

Update from Europe, Plus Observations about the Euro

Mr. B — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 18:40:57 +0000

Shock and Awe?

What’s happening to my country? I’ve been in Europe for a month now (in a village with limited Internet access), and I stopped by an Internet cafe to check the news only to discover that Indymac Bank failed, oil is (or was) well over $140 a barrel, and the Dow is in the lower 11k range.

I have no insights to give about Indymac’s failure. Honestly, I’m not terribly surprised given the unbelievable hassle I had with them simply trying to open a CD account. Since my account is well under FDIC limits, I’m not worried about it. Heck, I doubt I’ll even look into it further until my return to the USA in August. I know that Indymac has been in trouble since last summer (at least), but news of their collapse is still unsettling.

I haven’t logged into my Vanguard account in well over a month, nor will I have the opportunity to do so for another three weeks. The Dow was around 11,800 when I left in June. I was hoping that my mutual funds might actually increase a bit while I’m away, but it looks like that may not be the case. Oh well, all my mutual funds are “long-term” anyway, so I certainly won’t lose any sleep over it.

Where Am I Again?

I only mentioned it in passing a couple times before, but I’m on an extended visit to Europe – specifically Greece. I don’t wish to reveal too much about the nature of my visit, but it is part of an artistic and cultural collaboration in which myself and a small group of other people live and participate in the daily life of a Greek village. I try to keep this site independent from my main career, but I will mention that I’m one the content creators for a theatrical production in an ancient theatre here. We produce and rehearse the entire production in Greece, and our show involves a number of local Greek students. It’s a fantastic cultural exchange, and living in the village really integrates us into the community.

I enjoy it immensely, but our place of residence has no Internet access. I also have no television, cell phone, or even a radio. Despite the challenges of being “cut off”, I actually find it quite refreshing. As lovely as those tools of connectivity are, they’re also a source of distraction, and life without them helps me focus on my craft. Plus, it affords much more quality time to think, exercise, and even socialize. I’ll return to the “rat race” in a few short weeks, but in the meantime I am enjoying myself.

A Few Thoughts on the Euro

Two years ago, when I last traveled to Europe, one US Dollar equaled roughly 0.84 cents to the Euro. As of this writing, one US Dollar equals somewhere in the vicinity of 0.62 Euro cents. Ouch! Many of the Greeks I’ve talked to non-chalantly say that our Dollar will start increasing again after President Bush leaves office, no matter who else is elected! I certainly won’t bog down this site with political rants, but I suppose we will all see whether or not they are correct.

I DO appreciate how tax is already included when looking at prices in stores here. If the price for an item says “8 Euros”, that’s all it costs. That’s it – no more additional estimating for tax. After living in Europe for several weeks, I think our current system of “$7.99 plus tax” is idiotic. It seems we care more about marketing than simplicity.

One last thing: in case you didn’t know, the smallest bill in Euro form is a “5″. The “1″ and “2″ Euro denominations are in coin form. While I have a strange attraction to the “2 Euro” coin, I also find them disturbingly easy to spend! It’s easy to think of coins as “loose change” and blow them on small items, but given the poor exchange rate, one can easily carry the equivalent of $10 or more in “loose” change! Yikes!

My friends, I will continue to be “out of the loop” for a few more weeks. May they fare better for our great country than the last few have been!

Interesting Money » Travel

Return from Greece

Update from Europe, Plus Observations about the Euro