A Case of Missing Identity

Thursday July 5, 2012

"I lost something once. I lost something I couldn't live without-my identity"
~Spongebob Squarepants

I get where he's coming from, I really do. It all started Thursday morning...

I somehow managed to misplace my student ID sometime between Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning. Fortunately, I was able to get into all our sites with the help of Dr. Kaplan's extra ID, but getting back to school introduced a new dilemma. You see, the American College of Greece is insanely strict about security, so whenever you go to class you have to show your ID at the main entrance. There must've been something in the water, because Corey left her ID back at the dorms as well, so we were both pretty much screwed.

Nevertheless, we still needed to get to class, so we tried reasoning with the campus guard...easier said than done. We sneakily attempted the ninja approach, walking past stealthily, but our valiant efforts failed. He called out to us, so we had no choice but to tell our tragic tale. As he was grilling us about how "you need your ID every day" and "this is the last time I'll let it slide", at least three groups of Greek kids walked by without even so much as reaching into their bags. Keep in mind, this guy has seen us wave our ID's to him at the exact same time every day for the past two weeks. He knows our faces, he knows that we have the right to be on campus, yet the minute we make a boo-boo all hell breaks loose. So off to class we went, angry and frustrated and everything in between.

The only other place I could possibly imagine leaving my ID was the library, so I tested this theory after class. One of the librarians shot that idea down real quick, but she told me to check the Student Success Center; apparently, that's where lost ID's are found. Little did I know that the nice librarian would be the only one actually willing to help my predicament.

When I made it to Student Success, the receptionist was speaking to this man in Greek, chatty as can be. She seemed all to happy to help him, even though his issue involved the hassle of several trips to the back room. Finally, this guy's situation was all sorted out, so I walked up to the counter. The woman's demeanor switched like a light. She immediately went from being friendly and outgoing to cold and uninterested. I stood there for a minute while she fiddled around on her computer, but eventually she gave me a half-hearted indication to speak. I simply asked her if any ID's turned up over the last few days, and she retorted with an annoyed "no". Well, I've seen people get slighted before simply for being foreign, so I asked a second time, but she made this irritated face and shook her head. Throughout this entire interaction, the woman didn't look at me once.

We've been discussing the issues with the Greek bureaucratic system in Dr. Kaplan's class, but I'd never actually had the unfortunate pleasure of witnessing it up close. The types of Greek people we generally come into contact with revolve around businesses. Shopkeepers, restaurant owners, and tourist trappers are usually looking for good money, no matter what nationality you identify with. In retrospect, however, such outward behavior is very abnormal for the Greek culture. "Dinner with Persephone" and "Cultural Dimensions" have stressed that the typical Greek family focuses mainly on the in-group, viewing outsiders with extreme distrust. So you see, it's not all sunshine and daisies over here.

The lines between cultures are drawn very clearly, suggesting an explanation for the receptionist's behavior. She was understandably more comfortable talking to her Greek brethren rather than a strange American student. I may not like it, but this cultural tidbit has been practiced for centuries. Had I reacted by getting smart with her, she would only see it as an excuse to deny me quality aid in the future.

In these culture clash situations, I've noticed it's better to keep calm and move on. Freaking out and getting angry will do absolutely nothing, so sometimes we've got to swallow our American pride and go with the flow. Now without further ado, this is Maddie signing off!

P.S. Found my ID...it was in my computer case. I'd done out-foxed myself....