In France last September, I vowed to read as many of these Culture Shock books as I could about the countries I love or want to love. The most recent of these books I read was the Culture Smart! Greece by a Constantine Buhayer.

I am not sure about Greece, but my friends the Rs have very good stories about their annual visit there. Yes, sitting on a beach reading four books at once kinda does sound good. So does going to beautiful church after beautiful church. And siestas? Where can I sign up?

The author agrees about all these nice Greek things. After realizing the futility of offering advice on banking, housing and drinking water, the author sums up a section on prices by writing:

What the country excels at is allowing you to spend hours sitting in a beautiful, shaded spot, sipping your drink, reading your book, or talking away.

Why is Greece so lacking in professional charms? Here is a quote Buhayer offers from Greece – The Modern Sequel by JS Koliopoulos and TM Veremis:

Modern Greeks entered the civil service as marauding invaders in enemy territory: to plunder, pillage and bring the spoils back to the haven of the family.

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