Kastoria day six. We did nothing in the morning today; we slept in until 1100 then every moment after we spent dreading our 1400 appointment. At 1400 we had a dinner date with some friends of Stella's grandparents. The only reason they are still involved with the family whatsoever is that after Stella's grandparents died they were given the keys to the house in the village. Since we had picked up the keys a few days before we then had to spend an afternoon thanking them for being such “great people”. I can’t remember the last time I felt so awkward. Attending this dinner was Glika, her husband Takki, and their daughter Tonya, and of course us. I think that the only person that wanted to be there less than me was Tonya, she is a high school aged girl that I’m sure had better things to do. What you probably should know is that this family was not only friends but neighbors to Stella's grandparents. All of the summers that Stella spent here Glika and grandmother tried to get Stella and Gkila’s son, Stereo, to date and fall in love so they could get married. As a result Stella spent nearly every day making up excuses why she could not be seen or visited by this family and their son. Because she had made all of these evasive maneuvers over the years, Stella does not know the family AT ALL! The initial meeting was friendly and polite, kisses and hugs for every one. This is the Greek way. We then sat down in the small but cozy living room for some small talk. I picked out a few words here and there. They spoke of the weather here and in Chicago, talked about the bad economy here, and how the fur industry is all but dead. They then reminisced about the good ole days when every one had their own fur business and how nice it was when Stella's grandparents were still around. The TV was playing in the background. I had never before been so engrossed in “The Kid part III, The Next Karate Kid”. It was playing in English with Greek subtitles. It began just as we arrived and ended as we were leaving. One good thing I can say about the visit was that they lived on the fifth and top floor of the building and had a great view of the city and lake from the balcony. After two and one half hours of Karate Kid excitement were on our way home. The walk did not take long, twenty minutes maybe. The rest of the day we just spent at home with the family. Very Nice.

¶ 5/29/2005 04:23:00 AM

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