Hello all!
Yes yes I survived the first week of Greek Army. In fact its been an interesting ride. Nothing like the movies and much more relaxed. The only problem I had was the weather in the morning and the Captain and Sergeant stating the obvious for hours lecturing us on cell phones when they have their phones ringing TATU ringtones during roll call. TATU????? What kind of grown man has a TATU ringtone??? Anyways I'll get you all up to speed step by step.
6 November-Monday - Day 1 - Arriving at Stavroupoli
We got there after driving through a series of mountains from Xanthi city. Pretty much a zig zag ride lide Chapmans Peak...just safer and lotsa sheep running around on the roads. We got to the gate and I went solo in. Now...before all this everyone was telling me not to be scared etc. I was like...I'm not going to prison RE. The more people told me to relax the more irritated I got. So I walked in and sat next to this huge dude who happened to be half Greek half Turkish. P{retty weird how the Greeks are training Turks now hey...but hey at least society has advanced here socially...well a bit. Anyways, so we get our bags searched. Nothing new to me since I've been stopped and searched at every airport from Cape Town to Jo'Burg to Athens to Cyprus to Crete to Kavala. The 9/11 attacks were in the US you idiots!!! And how can Colgate blow up a plane...please tell me! Plus they all wanted to see my laptop. Dude...there's no time for Lost or Prisonbreak...gotta catch a plane...malaka. Anyways...sidetrakced again.
After the search I march off to the admin building where I have to explain to some idiots where South Africa is nad how you spell Cape Town in greek. Other than that I get chirps about Cape Town losing the 2004 Olympic Games Bid. Oooooohhhh wow....congrats re. Get over it! Or as we say here..Ksekola RE! Anyways...I went for my medical check up and the doctor ends up asking me if I know where Bloemfontein. Yeh, its where the mielies are Doc. Can you say "mielie"? I get two shot in both my arms...I felt nothing coz they had a hot nurse I was checking out....I think that was why they had her there.
After the medical checkup I'm off to get my clothes. Damn are they heavy. It felt like I was carrying a mini-TANK in there.
By the way...there was a cue at every stop. So for those potential fandares....dudes...get some practise at your closest Department of Home Affiars.
After being alocated a room and bed I finally got to sit down. Only to get pushed around by wannabe drill sergeants who have no military degree. Wear this..wear that...try it all on.
So I did. Half the stuff were either too big or too small! "dude when I go to leopard crawl I wanna be able to move my legs...comprende?
So after checking the f&%^$#ed up underwear they offered us and a pair of long johns that stretched 3 meters after I wore them once....it was clear...I had to go change some clothes. Ie. More ques. Eish!
So we got dressed in our paralagies and reported for roll cal the evening where we were welcomed by the Chief. We went to bed at 10.30. After a long day and so mauch stuff going trough your head you end up konking out coz of info overload and exhaustion.
7 November - Tuesday - Day 2 - Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr its cold!
After months of waking up on your own time its kinda hard to wake up 6.30am in the morning, get dressed, make your bed, polish your boots, shit, shave and shower and brush your teeth in 30min. So some innovation had to take place. You have to be standing in lines by 7am. Now....the temperature is 2 degrees celsius and your wearing a new pair of boots and only the uniform. In your mind you're thinking of Clifton beach and asking why you traded that for ARMY in the Winter. But when the sun comes up....life gets better. At least a bit. After you find out that the Greek version of Breakfast in Greece is bread, butter and marmalde and some seriously dodge coffee in a see through tumbler glass.
The Cooks look like a bunch of thugs from mafia movies. Sitting there grinning as you eat the food....or in other cases..try. But I must say supper is good. We had Carbonara once. They were stingy in the sauce. But oh well.
So on the second day you get to learn about your team and the names etc. I was in team 3, Platoon 4, 1st Company. Feels offficial doesnt it. Well the dudes I was teamed up with were hilarious and made me laugh. The nice thing was they wwere all willing to help me with my Greek which got tested. Greeks here speak like those dudes that commentate on horse racing. They even muble to eachother and somehow they get eachother. Must be Greek ESp or something.
The Captains and Seregeants demand you to be able to say your name,surname, serial number and date of entrance before greeting them and asking questions. And they wonder why they such lonely old farts. So you wear a blue beret dude, can you say your name backwards at top speed Sergeant Papadoulopolakides? Bring it on brother!
Moving along now ...2nd day...where you have to fit everything on and find what has to be changed. This process goes on till 10pm coz you get some people who...well....find getting free mathching clothes rather extraordinary. And fear they may lose their freebies.
8 November - Wednesday - Day 3 - More changing of clothes...
Will they ever catch on! Bloody Kolopsara! Some people are slowely finding out that their kahki trousers and jackes are not meant to be tight and make the look like George Micheal or that their patterned trousers are meant to be full lenght and NOT 3 quarter pants. Our superiors are making us stay in our tiny rooms and exchange eachothers carbon dioxide whilse the heaters are on. When I said I wanted heat..this is NOT what I had in mind! And worse...we're not allowed to lie down. they fear we might crease our beds or fall asleep. At this point I'm reconsidering Army. I want my sleep MALAKA! Anyways...after standing up and down with tight boots on we finally get a chance to....GO TO THE LOO...in the other building! Turkish Style! A hole in the ground! Eish!
9 November - Thursday - Day 4 - Off to the Hospital
Becasue of my low blood pressure thay wanted to make sure I'm ready for the army. So they took me and 10 other dudes to Xanthi Hospital...about 30 minutes away. The stupid thing is they made us wait in the cold for 90min coz they couldnt make up their minds about which truck to take! Imagine if we hasd serious injuries and were dying! Greek Buraucracy continues.
On the way back I find out I get sworn in on Friday...TOMMOROW and will get transfered. Duuuuude!! Finnaly away from this Snow mountain.
Log on next week for the Transfer adventure....to Xanthi
Yes yes I survived the first week of Greek Army. In fact its been an interesting ride. Nothing like the movies and much more relaxed. The only problem I had was the weather in the morning and the Captain and Sergeant stating the obvious for hours lecturing us on cell phones when they have their phones ringing TATU ringtones during roll call. TATU????? What kind of grown man has a TATU ringtone??? Anyways I'll get you all up to speed step by step.
6 November-Monday - Day 1 - Arriving at Stavroupoli
We got there after driving through a series of mountains from Xanthi city. Pretty much a zig zag ride lide Chapmans Peak...just safer and lotsa sheep running around on the roads. We got to the gate and I went solo in. Now...before all this everyone was telling me not to be scared etc. I was like...I'm not going to prison RE. The more people told me to relax the more irritated I got. So I walked in and sat next to this huge dude who happened to be half Greek half Turkish. P{retty weird how the Greeks are training Turks now hey...but hey at least society has advanced here socially...well a bit. Anyways, so we get our bags searched. Nothing new to me since I've been stopped and searched at every airport from Cape Town to Jo'Burg to Athens to Cyprus to Crete to Kavala. The 9/11 attacks were in the US you idiots!!! And how can Colgate blow up a plane...please tell me! Plus they all wanted to see my laptop. Dude...there's no time for Lost or Prisonbreak...gotta catch a plane...malaka. Anyways...sidetrakced again.
After the search I march off to the admin building where I have to explain to some idiots where South Africa is nad how you spell Cape Town in greek. Other than that I get chirps about Cape Town losing the 2004 Olympic Games Bid. Oooooohhhh wow....congrats re. Get over it! Or as we say here..Ksekola RE! Anyways...I went for my medical check up and the doctor ends up asking me if I know where Bloemfontein. Yeh, its where the mielies are Doc. Can you say "mielie"? I get two shot in both my arms...I felt nothing coz they had a hot nurse I was checking out....I think that was why they had her there.
After the medical checkup I'm off to get my clothes. Damn are they heavy. It felt like I was carrying a mini-TANK in there.
By the way...there was a cue at every stop. So for those potential fandares....dudes...get some practise at your closest Department of Home Affiars.
After being alocated a room and bed I finally got to sit down. Only to get pushed around by wannabe drill sergeants who have no military degree. Wear this..wear that...try it all on.
So I did. Half the stuff were either too big or too small! "dude when I go to leopard crawl I wanna be able to move my legs...comprende?
So after checking the f&%^$#ed up underwear they offered us and a pair of long johns that stretched 3 meters after I wore them once....it was clear...I had to go change some clothes. Ie. More ques. Eish!
So we got dressed in our paralagies and reported for roll cal the evening where we were welcomed by the Chief. We went to bed at 10.30. After a long day and so mauch stuff going trough your head you end up konking out coz of info overload and exhaustion.
7 November - Tuesday - Day 2 - Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr its cold!
After months of waking up on your own time its kinda hard to wake up 6.30am in the morning, get dressed, make your bed, polish your boots, shit, shave and shower and brush your teeth in 30min. So some innovation had to take place. You have to be standing in lines by 7am. Now....the temperature is 2 degrees celsius and your wearing a new pair of boots and only the uniform. In your mind you're thinking of Clifton beach and asking why you traded that for ARMY in the Winter. But when the sun comes up....life gets better. At least a bit. After you find out that the Greek version of Breakfast in Greece is bread, butter and marmalde and some seriously dodge coffee in a see through tumbler glass.
The Cooks look like a bunch of thugs from mafia movies. Sitting there grinning as you eat the food....or in other cases..try. But I must say supper is good. We had Carbonara once. They were stingy in the sauce. But oh well.
So on the second day you get to learn about your team and the names etc. I was in team 3, Platoon 4, 1st Company. Feels offficial doesnt it. Well the dudes I was teamed up with were hilarious and made me laugh. The nice thing was they wwere all willing to help me with my Greek which got tested. Greeks here speak like those dudes that commentate on horse racing. They even muble to eachother and somehow they get eachother. Must be Greek ESp or something.
The Captains and Seregeants demand you to be able to say your name,surname, serial number and date of entrance before greeting them and asking questions. And they wonder why they such lonely old farts. So you wear a blue beret dude, can you say your name backwards at top speed Sergeant Papadoulopolakides? Bring it on brother!
Moving along now ...2nd day...where you have to fit everything on and find what has to be changed. This process goes on till 10pm coz you get some people who...well....find getting free mathching clothes rather extraordinary. And fear they may lose their freebies.
8 November - Wednesday - Day 3 - More changing of clothes...
Will they ever catch on! Bloody Kolopsara! Some people are slowely finding out that their kahki trousers and jackes are not meant to be tight and make the look like George Micheal or that their patterned trousers are meant to be full lenght and NOT 3 quarter pants. Our superiors are making us stay in our tiny rooms and exchange eachothers carbon dioxide whilse the heaters are on. When I said I wanted heat..this is NOT what I had in mind! And worse...we're not allowed to lie down. they fear we might crease our beds or fall asleep. At this point I'm reconsidering Army. I want my sleep MALAKA! Anyways...after standing up and down with tight boots on we finally get a chance to....GO TO THE LOO...in the other building! Turkish Style! A hole in the ground! Eish!
9 November - Thursday - Day 4 - Off to the Hospital
Becasue of my low blood pressure thay wanted to make sure I'm ready for the army. So they took me and 10 other dudes to Xanthi Hospital...about 30 minutes away. The stupid thing is they made us wait in the cold for 90min coz they couldnt make up their minds about which truck to take! Imagine if we hasd serious injuries and were dying! Greek Buraucracy continues.
On the way back I find out I get sworn in on Friday...TOMMOROW and will get transfered. Duuuuude!! Finnaly away from this Snow mountain.
Log on next week for the Transfer adventure....to Xanthi
Labels: Stavroupoli
posted by Mr K at 5:51 PM
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