Saturday coffee

While Robert was working at the Refugee Center all day Saturday, the only thing on Lindsay's and my agenda involved a vague afternoon meeting with a local physician for coffee. Now, this was very exciting for us, because we have plenty of questions about the Greek medical system that were yet unanswered, and this physician would be involved in the clinic long-term. But we tried to temper our excitement because Greek social meetings seem to be only penciled into daytimers until the very last second, when maybe both parties actually show up. So with a tentative 3pm date for drinks, Lindsay and I set out to explore Athens around noon. We were hoping for a nice long walk, wandering through areas we knew, and expanding our mental map of Athens' streets with more of the unknown.

If you'd like to follow our progress, check out the Athens map with our first landmarks (map key: apartment - red dot north of Omonoia; Nea Zoi office - blue dot west of Omonoia; favorite cheap local restaurant - green dot near Monastiraki; church we're going to, First Greek Evangelical Church - purple dot south of Plaka, just under the Acropolis)

We started from the apartment (Chalkonkondyli 52, which we found out is pronounced 'Khalkonkondeelee' ... Robert and I keep quizzing each other on that one), which is one block from the epicenter of Athen's drug district (location, location, LOCATION, right?). From there we headed south past Omonoia, a huge roundabout with neat shops and coffee cafes. We've learned to head underground to the Metro station and walk underneath the craziness of the street level at Omonoia ... as an added bonus, the Metro system is no-smoking, our one escape! We made our way past the fish and produce markets on Athinas street near Kotzia Square and bought almonds and dried apricots and raisins from a vendor. Lindsay bought a strange white cake of almond-studded sweet stuff, and the vendor gave her quite a weird look before cutting a piece for her. Turns out it's a Greek dessert that everyone can recognize, but no one knows what it's made of ... or eats it that often. We got great looks later in the day when Lindsay would pull it out for a nibble.

Wandering through the shopping district east of Monastiraki, we discovered that the shops tend to be geographically organized by shop type - fabric, electronics, clothing boutiques etc - connected by narrow side streets. Eventually we returned for lunch at the local spot Jennifer took us on Friday turning her grand tour of Athens with us (see the green spot on the map). Around lunchtime we got a phone call postponing our coffee date to 4pm ... not too surprising, and decided to add a walk up to Areios Pagos outlook (Areopagus in Acts 17), around the Acropolis area and to the Prison of Socrates and Filopappou Monument that crowns one of the tallest hills in Athens. The 360 degree view from the top spanned the full panorama of the city, including the not-so-distant coastline.

After our relaxing walk-tour, we had mildly pink skin and great pictures, and pulled out a map to figure out where we were meeting Emma for our coffee date. For the first hour or so, we met with Dr. Nikolai, "Nick", who is a pediatric dentist who just started his own NGO this past year to address trafficking and child prostitution in Athens. He was very "Greek" - dark wavy hair flopped over his forehead that he'd push back with the palms of both hands at once, penetrating, dark eyes and fast conversation. Ultimately, our time together was incredibly productive as Lindsay and I peppered him with questions about the Greek medical system and churned out ideas for the clinic. With his understanding of networking with NGOs and the public health system, we thought through the various options available for integrating the future clinic into already existing support systems. He volunteered to translate our public health survey into proper Greek (I got about halfway through using Babelfish online as a translator ... and who knows if it's right or not, after all, it's all Greek to me - that phrase is surprisingly appropriate these days). And right as he ended our meeting and excused himself, a second coffee date showed up ... Dr. Lydia Ogur. We had no idea we could accomplish so much planning and networking in one day!

The time with Lydia was particularly fun. She is a fairly young GP, witty and refreshing in her perspectives as a clinician here in Greece. Among the physicians we've been in contact with, she is the most committed to both the cause of Nea Zoi and actively promoting the clinic. She is also black and a newly naturalized Greek citizen, which, combined with her enthusiasm and compassion, helps bridge the cultural and trust gap, particularly with the Nigerian women. Her entire demeanor is energetic, from her stylish tight spiral curls to a flashing smile and hilarious banter. Again Lindsay and I started in with rapid-fire questions. Of course I asked her about cigarette use first and foremost (See Smoking), and TB incidence/resistance, health care access, the public health system's set-up, laboratory access, and so on. There is plenty to uncover and learn for the naive foreign medical students, and each tidbit helps direct and solidify our plans for the clinic. Can the trafficked women get any government healthcare at all? What are the attitudes towards trafficking and prostitution among clinicians? Is anyone understanding of the women's situation and willing to help?

As we talked, the sky's colors deepened towards sunset in our view over the city from a hillside cafe. We were thrilled to hear her excitement and ideas for the clinic, and to be able to connect with someone so quickly with the ease of an old friend. Look for more to come as our Athens connections continue to deepen, and please be praying for opening doors as we explore the spectrum of options for the women. The possibilites are very exciting!