Survival Guide

Welcome to

Greece !

Survival Guide

Welcome to

Greece !

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The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.

HelMSIC Exchanges Survival Guide

Table of contents HelMSIC - Who we are Live your myth in Greece Important info Before your departure Communications: cell phones and Internet access Social program Greek culinary Greek refreshments It’s all Greek to me Find your Local Committee

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HelMSIC | Who we are

HelMSIC - Hellenic Medical Students’ International Committee is an independent, non governmental, non profit, non political organisation run by medical students in Greece. It was founded in 1958 and as of today, it has 7 Local Committees, one in every medical faculty of Greece. Our activities and projects are centred around six thematics, our Standing Committees. Research and Professional Exchanges, Public Health, Reproductive Health and HIV/AIDS, Human Rights and Peace, and Medical Education.

HelMSIC works on a national level with Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF), Medecins du Monde (MDM), Therapy Centre for Dependent Individuals (KETHEA), AIESEC, ACT UP, and other NGOs and Governmental Organisations mainly on project based collaboration.

HelMSIC is also an active member of both IFMSA - the I n t e r n a t i o n a l F e d e r a t i o n o f M e d i c a l S t u d e n t s ' Associations and EMSA - the European Medical Students' Association. Participating in HelMSIC gives each medical student the unique chance to invest their free time in a creative and meaningful way to benefit society, their colleagues, and themselves. Our active members develop their communication and organising skills, their leadership abilities and become familiar with project management, and get in touch with medical students worldwide.

Live your myth in Greece

Greece is a South European country, located at the east side of the Mediterranean Sea.

Because of its strategic location between Europe, Asia and Africa, it has always been considered a ‘crossroad’ of commerce and cultures. Its population rises to about 11 million and its capital is Athens, with about 3 to 4 million residents. A prominent characteristic of Greece is the sea, as it is surrounded by it in almost every direction. Greeks have always been known for their nautical skills and ship-crafting talents.

Greece has the eleventh longest coastline in the world, mostly because of the 1,400 Greek islands. Another characteristic is its rich history and ancient civilization, as Ancient Greeks created democracy and set the bases for almost every modern science and philosophy. Greek is also considered one of the richest languages in the world, having lent words to many other languages.

Important Info Health & Safety | Insurances

In order to have access to necessary health care, tourists from member states of the European Union (EU) wishing to visit Greece must be holders of the European Health Card (EHIC) or any other legal Community document issued by their competent social security agency. You can find more info about the EHIC here. Visitors from non-EU countries need to contact their local insurance provider.

In these cases, the necessary treatment in Greece is provided by:

- Social Security Institute Health Units (polyclinics) or doctor’s offices in the region;

- Regional clinics (former rural clinics) or the Health Centres of the National Health System; and

- the outpatients’ departments of the hospitals on contract

Liability insurance

A valid liability insurance is also compulsory and covers the costs of errors/accidents during your exchange. Aside from your insurance company there are a number of online insurance companies that can issue it in a matter of seconds and at a low cost, including, but not limited to, this and this.

In order to have access to necessary health care, tourists from countries other than the member states of the European Union wishing to visit Greece must consult their social security agency for information before travelling.

In case of emergency… Emergency Call Numbers

Ambulance Service: 166 SOS Doctors: 1016 Duty Hospitals and Clinics: 1434 Pharmacies: 1434 Open Line for Alcohol Drug Addiction: 210 36 17 089 Poisoning First Aid: 210 77 93 777 Police: 100 Tourist Police: 1571 European Emergency number: 112

Before your Departure

Contact… your contact person First of all come in contact with your contact person! You can find your contact person in your Card of Acceptance document! This is really important because he/she is the one that will welcome you in your Local Committee. In case of any change or problem, there is a second contact person (Contact Person number 2, you can also find it in your CA) , who will be a local officer of HelMSIC (LEO or LORE), to be precise, that will be there for you.

Get your Logbook! The Logbook (or student’s handbook) is an important document for your exchange; it will be signed by your tutor in a daily basis depending on your presence while working in the lab/ clinic. It has to be filled in order to receive your certificate.

Please ask from your exchange officers to give it to you and have it printed when you arrive

AttendanceDo not forget that you have to attend your clerkship for a minimum of 3 weeks in order to get your certificate. Otherwise, you will lose your right to participate in the exchange program.

Please, respect the fact that we have arranged this exchange program for you and conform to the rules. Should you cause trouble or not adhere to your clinic’s or laboratory’s schedule, you will cause issues with next year’s incomings as well as yourself. We take this matter very seriously. For more information check our Exchange Conditions.

Working hours Normally, the clerkship (in a clinic/laboratory) starts between 8.30 a.m. and 9.00 a.m. in the morning and lasts until 2.00 p.m. or 3.00 p.m., but working hours can vary depending on the department. Working days are Monday to Friday.

Please ask your tutor about your timetable on your first day. If you need a day off, please make sure you inform your tutor in advance.

Certificate You will get an IFMSA certificate at the very end of your exchange program after you have: - completed your logbook successfully, - filled both the Evaluation form on your database and HelMSIC’s online Evaluation Form. Please ask your tutor to sign and stamp your logbook.

Before your arrival Please do not forget to send us back your Card of Confirmation (CC), inform us about your arrival details, and read the Exchange Conditions carefully.

Communications

Internet Most probably, you will have wi-fi in your place of accommodation, just ask the password when you get there. Inside the medical school’s campus you can ask the LEO/LORE or your CP to provide you with the username and password to access the network!

Mobile phones We suggest that you get a Greek SIM card for your cell phone, so that you can communicate more easily with each other and with us, and need it). The SIM card costs around 10€.

To get one, you will need to have with you: a passport/ID card and your university card. Then you charge it depending on how much you want to use it!

Your contact person can help you buy it and he/she will give you any further information you’ll need.

Facebook To make our communication easier, we have created a facebook group just for the incomings and the contact persons of each month.

So, if you have a facebook account, await our invitation for it! Αbout a month before your exchange!

Social Program Get ready for special surprises!

National/Local Food & Drink Party NFDP/LFDP

This party is about tasting and meeting different cultures through the cuisine!

When? The 1st or 2nd second weekend of the exchange period. So, don’t forget to bring your national food and drinks!

As for the rest of the social program, we provide you a schedule with several activities (tours in the city, museums, dinner, trips) that we can do together. The schedule is flexible, so we will follow it according to what you want to see or do.

The social program is organized by HelMSIC members and the contact persons of the month.

We guarantee that you will have a great time!

Exploration and Trips We’ll be more than glad to recommend you a few places to see during your stay here. Whether it be in the Summer or Winter, Spring or Fall, there are many destinations that are waiting just around the corner. For more information you can visit the survival guides of your Local Committee that are linked in the end of this document.

If you are coming in the summer, please do not neglect to ask us about the nearby beaches. Everyone knows that the best beaches in every Greek destination are known only by the locals.

National Social Program For those of you that are coming in July and August, the months where we host most of our incoming students we also organize a National Social Program (NSP).

Your participation at the NSP will give the amazing opportunity to get to know beautiful locations of our country as well as historical monuments but also get to know more students from other local committees.

Get ready for an unforgettable experience!

Greek Culinary

Since you’re going to stay here at least for 1 month, here is what you should definitely try!

Souvlaki Pieces of either pork or chicken meat (you should specify which one you want when ordering), placed through a small stick and grilled. Usually served with pita.

Pita A round, thin, bread-like “pie’” that is used to wrap souvlaki or gyros, with everything else you wish to put inside, like tzatziki, fried potatoes, sauce, tomato etc.

Gyros Layers of pork or chicken meat are pierced through a thin, metallic bar and placed in device which vertically rotates the bar, frying the meat around.

Tzatziki is a Greek sauce served with grilled meats or as a dip. Tzatziki is made of strained yogurt (usually from sheep or goat milk) mixed with cucumbers, garlic, salt, olive oil, sometimes lemon juice, and dill, mint, or parsley.

Greek salad Greek salad is made with pieces of tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, onion, feta cheese and olives, typically seasoned with salt and oregano, and dressed with oliveoil. Common additions include the pickled leaves, buds or berries of capers (especially in the Dodecanese islands).

Croquettes In greek cuisine we have many different croquettes, which we call keftedes. You can find them made out of many different ingredients like meat (plain keftedes), zucchini (kolokythokeftedes), potato (patatokeftedes) or even tomatoes (domatokeftedes).

Mousakas Probably the most famous Greek dish in foreign cinematography. Made of potatoes or eggplants more commonly, grinded meat and baked in an oven. One piece is capable to send you immediately to heaven!

Gemista One of the most popular vegetarian dishes of greek cuisine. It is stuffed peppers, tomatoes, and other vegetables.The stuffing is typically rice-based and meatless, though meat versions exist as well.

Salty Pies Greek pies are a culinary masterpiece that have a large variety of scrumptious combinations! They express the Greek spirit by using simple ingredients. They are excellent as a side dish for an elegant dinner or even as a simple snack. Everything can become filling for a pie; cheese, greens (horta in greek), vegetables, meat, fish, pasta, or rice are just some of the delicious products that will give the pie a taste lift. So we have a large number of combinations in pie filling: cheese pie,spinach pie, leek pie, meat pie, mincemeat pie, mushroom pie, onion pie, chicken pie,cabbage pie, potato pie, pasta pie, nettle pie, pastourma pie or pumpkin pie the different variations are unlimited!

Greek variety of Cheeses Greeks have a great tradition at cheese making and cheese plays a dominant role in our everyday diet. You will find unique cheeses of exceptional quality in the market, and you should make the effort to try these cheeses, such as kaseri , graviera, kefalot ir i , myzithra and metsovone. These cheeses vary according to their origin, taste and name. Some of these cheeses are found throughout the country, while others are locally produced for local consumption. The most famous is of course Greek feta cheese. This is a white semi-soft, heavily salted cheese which is the basic ingredient for the Greek Salad, but it is also used in many other recipes.

Diples They are a Greek dessert, made of thin sheet-like dough. The dough is rolled into long, thin strips, fried and folded in hot oil and then dipped in syrup. Traditionally, warm honey is used in place of syrup, and the diples are sprinkled with chopped nuts and cinnamon.Diples can be made in different shapes, of which the most common are bow ties and spirals

Loukoumades Loukoumades are pastries made of deep fr ied dough. In Greece, loukoumades are commonly spiced with cinnamon in a honey syrup and can be sprinkled lightly with powdered sugar. Loukoumades are a traditional Greek dessert with roots in deep antiquity.

Pasteli Pasteli is a sesame seed candy. Sesame seed candy is a confection of sesame seeds and sugar or honey pressed into a bar or ball. The texture may vary from chewy to crisp. In Greece pasteli is generally a flat, oblong bar made with honey and often including nuts.

Loukoumi In Greece, a sweet similar to Turkish delight has been a very popular delicacy, famously produced in the city of Patras as well as on the island of Syros and the northern Greek cities Serres and Komotini but elsewhere as well. It is based on a gel of starch and sugar. Premium varieties consist largely of chopped dates, pistachios, and hazelnuts or walnuts bound by the gel; traditional varieties are mostly gel, generally flavored with rosewater, mastic, Bergamot orange, or lemon. Loukoumi is a common traditional treat, routinely served instead of biscuits along with Turkish coffee. In addition to the common rosewater and bergamot varieties. Mastic-flavored loukoumi is available and very popular. Another sweet, similar to loukoumi, that is made exclusively in the town of Serres, is Akanés.

Amygdalota In Greece, ground blanched almonds are used as the base material in a great variety of desserts, usually called amygdalota . Because of their white colour, most are traditionally considered "wedding sweets" and are served at wedding banquets.

Sweet Preserves (spoon sweets) Linked to the sweet welcome of a visitor, it is the foremost traditional treat in Greek homes. When served, it usually fills a teaspoon, hence its name. The majority of these sweets are prepared during the season when each fruit ripens: wild cherries, grapes, figs, apricots, berries, plums, quinces, bergamots and citrons, with each ripening one after the after from the beginning of summer up to the end of autumn. However, there are variations to these sweets, which are prepared from fruit or seeds that have not yet ripened (e.g. pistachios, walnuts, bitter figs), while there are also spoon sweets with various vegetables as the raw materials (small tomatoes or small eggplants).

Greek refreshments

The “Greek” coffee Greek Coffee (pronounced Ellinikós) is quite bitter and served in a small cup. It has a layer of murky coffee residue at its bottom and when the ladies of old times were done drinking their coffee, they would turn their cup upside down, let the residue run at the cup’s wall and then tell their fortune based on the “designs” of the residue. It is usually served with a teaspoon sweet or a loukoumi.

Frappe Coffee Frappe Coffee is a Greek foam-covered iced coffee drink made from instant coffee (generally, spray-dried). Accidentally invented by a Nescafe representative in 1957 in the city of Thessaloniki, it is now the most popular coffee among Greek youth and foreign tourists. It is very popular especially during the summer.

Ouzo Ouzo is traditionally mixed with water, becoming cloudy white, sometimes with a faint blue tinge, and served with ice cubes in a small glass. Ouzo can also be drunk straight from a shot glass.

Wine Greece is not only the birthplace of Dionysus (god of wine), but also the birthplace of wine making. Greek wines are produced from various varieties of grapes, many of which are unknown to Western wine lovers.

Traditional liquors Local liquors cannot but be included among the protagonists in Greek gustations or tastes. Products such as roses, cranberries, plums, mint, mastic, walnuts and many more "lend" their aromas and their tastes to alcohol with exciting results. The most well-known is the mastic

from Chios, from the renowned mastic tree which grows only on the southern side of the island, the citron from Naxos, the koum kouat, or as it is called, the "golden orange“ from Corfy Island and the aromatic Tentouro from Patras made from distilled cinnamon and clove.

It’s all Greek to me Language Guide

Here are some Greek expressions you might hear or want to say yourself. Please pay attention to the proper intonation of the words.

Hello/Hi! Γεια! (Yià) Good morning!: Καληµέρα! (Kal-ee-méra) Good afternoon/evening: Καλησπέρα! (Kal-ee-spéra) Good night : Καληνύχτα! (Kal-ee-níchta) How are you? : Τι κάνεις; (Tee kànis?) I’m fine/ Alright : Είµαι κάλα/ Εντάξει. (íme kalà/ ed-à-xee) Not so well: Όχι τόσο καλά. (ó-hi tóso kalà) Thank you!: Ευχαριστώ! (Eff-ha-ri-stó) Please/ You’re welcome: Παρακαλώ! (pa-ra-ka-ló) I’m sorry: Συγγνώµη. (see-gnó-mi) Excuse me: Με συγχωρείτε. (me see-ho-rí-te) Yes: Ναι. (Ne) No: Όχι. (ó-hi) My name is…: Ονοµάζοµαι… (On-om-àzome…) I’m a Medicine student: Είµαι φοιτητής Ιατρικής. (íme fee-tee-tís ee-a-tri-kís) Where is the…: Πού είναι… (Poo í-ne…) University Hospital: Πανεπιστηµιακό Νοσοκοµείο (to pan-epi-sti-mee-akó no-so-ko-mío) Central Square: Κεντρική πλατεία (ee ken-dree-kí plat-ía) Hotel: Ξενοδοχείο (xen-otho-chío) Park: Πάρκο (to pàrko) Medical School: Ιατρική σχολή; (ee ee-a-tri-kí s-ho-lí) Help!: Βοήθεια! (Vo-í-thee-a) Where can I find a taxi?: Πού µπορώ να βρω ταξί; (poo bo-ró na vró taxi?)

Important gestures & lifestyle notes

In most cultures, a vertical nod of the head means “yes”. However, in Greece, a vertical nod that tilts the head more downwards means “yes”, and a vertical nod upwards, with the eyebrows somewhat lifted means “no”. A sideways nod means “no”. too.

Coughing in public or blowing your nose are acceptable, not frowned upon like some societies. When you sneeze, though, you should put your hand in front of your mouth and when someone sneezes, we say ‘yitses!’, which roughly translates to “health” of some sort.

Find your Local Committee

In the following page you will find all 7 of our Local Committees!

Click on each one and they will lead you to their survival guides, where you can find:

• information regarding how to get to your city • what to see in each city and in the area in general • information regarding the lodging and boarding, the

university, transportation inside the city & • other important information

AlexandroupolisHerakleion

Athens

Ioannina

Thessaloniki

Larissa

Patras

On behalf of HelMSIC - Greece

We’re looking forward to meeting you!

National Exchange Officer (NEO)

National Officer on Research Exchange (NORE)

Publisher Hellenic Medical Students’ International Committee (HelMSIC)

General Secretariat Mikras Asias 75 Athens 11527

Greece Phone: +302107462033 E-mail: info@helmsic.gr

www.helmsic.gr

Copyright © 2015 - HelMSIC