How did 2022 go so far?
We hope you are fine and still dreaming of speaking Greek fluently, or even better, visiting Greece while communicating with the locals!
The letter omikron did not leave us in peace yet, but no worries, as we also wrote three weeks ago, with our 2022 video wishes;
just take a break – κάντε ένα διάλειμμα,
and enjoy the simple pleasures in life… και απολαύστε τις απλές χαρές της ζωής.
In the meantime, 2022 started with some sunny days here in Greece, as well as some snow as well…
Our daily walks in the Athens streets and parks continued, just like in 2020 and 2021. However, since now there is no corona curfew anymore and we are allowed to go further than our municipality, we can also go for daily trips towards the snowy mountains again…something which was not possible last winter.
In the meantime, the world news seems once again taken over by ‘corona’, or “omikron”. The positive news; we are honored Greek letters are used for a pandemic :-), and the entire world gets the chance to learn the Greek alphabet. We realized many non-Greeks have no clue that the viruses are named after letters of the Greek alphabet, but fortunately, our dear students are very well aware 🙂 .
Do you remember the days you were learning the Greek alphabet? Do you remember how many Greek letters come before the omikron, and what is the difference between omikron and omega?
In 2021 we already heard of the “alpha” (referring to the “British” variant), the “beta” ( “South African” variant), the “gamma”( the Brazilian variant), and the “delta” (the “Indian” variant).
But how did we get to “omikron”, and why 10 letters of the alphabet are left out?
If you also want to learn more about this Greek Alphabet Virus Mystery, then click here!
(If you are interested to learn the Greek Alphabet online, with your very first sentences, then click here)
Staying at home is still very important given the COVID-19 circumstances but it doesn’t have to feel dull. This is why we would like to introduce you to a funny and upbeat Greek song about – what else? – staying at home and relaxing!
#menoumespiti – #westayathome
The song Θα Κάτσω Σπίτι
Even though the song Θα Κάτσω Σπίτι (Tha Katso Spiti – “ I’ll stay at home”) was first aired in 1986, nowadays it feels more relevant than ever. Originally, it was written and performed by Greek singer-songwriter Loukianos Kilaidonis, whereas the version you can listen to here is a remake that is sung by numerous contemporary Greek singers (order of appearance): Violeta Ikari, Giorgia Kefala, Maria Kilaidoni, Christos Mastoras, Panos Mouzourakis, Dimitris Basis, Miltos Pashalidis, Nikos Portokaloglou and Mariza Rizou.
It’s a well-meaning initiative to spread the message that people need to stay home (#menoumespiti) whilst looking at the bright side: staying safe and healthy, maintaining a positive attitude, and making the most of these days spent indoors.
Click below to listen to the new version of Θα Κάτσω Σπίτι and sing along with the help of the lyrics below!
| Θα κάτσω σπίτι, θ’ αράξω σπίτι λοιπόν απόψε δεν πρόκειται να βγω Θα κάτσω σπίτι, θ’ αράξω σπίτι κι άμα πεινάσω τηγανίζω καν’ αυγό Και όταν ακούω να χτυπάει το τηλέφωνο θα το κοιτάζω και δε θα απαντώ γιατί όταν χτυπάει το τηλέφωνο εννιά φορές στις δέκα είναι για κακό γι’ αυτόΘα κάτσω σπίτι, θ’ αράξω σπίτι οχυρωμένος κι από μέσα το κλειδί Θα κάτσω σπίτι, θ’ αράξω σπίτι γιατί αυτό το έργο το ‘χω ξαναδείΘα κάτσω σπίτι, θ’ αράξω σπίτι σεισμός να γίνει, δεν πρόκειται να βγωΘα κάτσω σπίτι, θ’ αράξω σπίτι κι ας με ξεγράψουν τα ρεμάλια απ’ αρχηγόΓιατί άν βγω θα προκύψει κανά μπλέξιμο κι ένας Θεός ξέρει που θα κοιμηθώ και όπως λεν κι οι ινδιάνοι για το μπλέξιμο εννιά φορές στις δέκα είναι για κακό γι’ αυτόΘα κάτσω σπίτι, θ’ αράξω σπίτι και δε σκοπεύω από δω να κουνηθώΘα κάτσω σπίτι, θ’ αράξω σπίτι θα βάλω βίντεο και θ’ αποβλακωθώΚαι όταν ακούω να χτυπάει το τηλέφωνο θα το μουτζώνω[1] και δε θα απαντώ γιατί όταν χτυπάει το τηλέφωνο εννιά φορές στις δέκα είναι για κακό γι’ αυτόΘα κάτσω σπίτι, θ’ αράξω σπίτι από δω μέσα δεν πρόκειται να βγω Θα κάτσω σπίτι, θ’ αράξω σπίτι άμα με δεις στο δρόμο πέτα μου έν’ αυγόάμα με δεις στο δρόμο πέτα μου έν’ αυγό | I’ll stay home, I’ll chill out at home Today I’m not going out at all I’ll stay home, I’ll chill out at home And if I get hungry, I’ll fry an egg And when I hear the phone ring I’ll stare at it and not pick up Because when the phone rings Nine times out of ten is for bad news So…I’ll stay home, I’ll chill out at home Entrench myself and leave the key on the door I’ll stay home, I’ll chill out at home Because I’ve seen that play before I’ll stay home, I’ll chill out at home Even if an earthquake happens, I won’t go outI’ll stay home, I’ll chill out at home Even if my friends write me off Because if I go out, I might get in trouble again And God knows where I’ll sleep afterward And as the Indians say about trouble Nine times out of ten it’s for worse So…I’ll stay home, I’ll chill out at home And I’m not planning to move from hereI’ll stay home, I’ll chill out at home I’ll watch videos until I’m brain-dead. And when I hear the phone ring I’ll make a gesture of insult and not pick up Because when the phone rings Nine times out of ten is for bad news So…I’ll stay home, I’ll chill out at home There’s no chance that I’ll go out I’ll stay home, I’ll chill out at home And if you see me on the street, [feel free to] throw an egg at me. And if you see me on the street, [feel free to] throw an egg at me |
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[1] “mountza” or faskeloma is a very common gesture of insult among Greeks that consists of extending all fingers of one or both hands and presenting the palm or palms towards the to-be-insulted person in a forward motion. It is often coupled with the expletives “να”, “παρ’τα” or “όρσε”, meaning “here”, “take these” and “there you go”, respectively. The closer the gesture is to the other person’s face, the more threatening it’s considered. An even more offensive version is achieved by using both hands to double the gesture, smacking the palm of one hand against the back of the other, in the direction of the intended recipient.
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Are you interested to learn more about Greek music, from any place, any time?
Then take a look at our eBooks,
including;
information about the music genre,
composers, singers,
Greek songs with English translations,
and extra Greek exercises to improve your Greek?
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Working in Greece, during Corona-times – UPDATES!
Omilo regularly writes updates about how we proceed and adapt to a new reality.
Here below are the CORONA updates of the last 2 years…
March 17th, 2020 : We wish you all good health, how it all started..
April 2nd, 2020 : We continue working, click here to read more.
May 2nd, 2020 : Kalo mina and update from Athens, click here.
June 12, 2020 : We will start our summer courses in Syros, click here
November 8, 2020: the 2nd Greek lockdown from November, click here
March 28th, 2021 : Upcoming summer courses in Greece and online cultural events, click here
November 1st, 2021 : Greek Language tips, Videos and News, click here
