As someone who will eventually enter a healthcare profession, I naturally gravitated towards analyzing the parts of Greek culture that impact health. Within my first week, I noticed differences in smoking, eating, and drinking habits. Before coming, I did not realize just how much smoking there would be here compared to the US. I previously thought the secondhand smoke I experienced going to college in an American city was bad, but it was nothing compared to how prevalent it is here in Athens. Despite the “no smoking” signs at the American College of Greece, the students there smoke everywhere including indoors! Aside from the college, people smoke at restaurants, on the ferry, at beaches, and pretty much everywhere else.
Another habit that has been difficult to adjust to is the late dinner times they have here. I have adapted to eating a small pastry or some bacon and eggs for breakfast and then waiting until around 8:30-9:00 pm for dinner. Despite this adaptation, I still find it a difficult habit to adjust to because I have reflux which makes it less than ideal to eat a large meal so close to bedtime. Most times, however, I have to eat late and just deal with the consequences. Additionally, I have noticed the small amount of water Greeks and Europeans in general consume each day. I have not necessarily adapted to this habit since my bright pink yeti water bottle outs me as a study abroad student. At restaurants, water comes in a bottle for the table to share and added to the bill unlike here in America where water is so widely consumed. Finally, alcohol is so freely available that it is sold in every kiosk on the side of the street.
After noticing all of these differing habits of the Greek lifestyle, I immediately made a connection between all of them. As a future voice clinician/researcher, I know that all of these habits can lead to some sort of voice disorder. Smoking can lead to irritation and edema, late dinner times and increased alcohol consumption can worsen acid reflux (which can potentially enter the voicebox), and dehydration can exacerbate everything. I am very conscious of my own vocal health and can see the toll experiencing all of these changes takes on my voice. I cannot help my exposure to secondhand smoke or when some of my mealtimes are, but I can choose to continue using my water bottle despite it outing me as a tourist, and I can choose to abstain from excessive alcohol consumption. I am not sure what accounts for these differences in culture other than less strict laws and enforcement on things like smoking and alcohol. I did bring up my concerns to Dr. Iliadou, the ENT I mentioned in my previous blog, and she essentially told me that it is an uphill battle to shift the culture in Greece towards more healthy habits, especially ones that would preserve vocal health.
