On Crete, Chinese evacuees keen to learn and say "thank you" in Greek
HERAKLION, Greece, March 1, 2011 -- Among the Chinese evacuees who landed on the Greek island of Crete after a cross-Mediterranean trip from Libya in recent days, "Efharisto" (thank you) has become the most popular native word they are keen to learn.
Since Thursday, more than 10,000 Chinese nationals have been evacuated to Crete so far.
Toula, one of the dozens of Greeks who handed out water and bread to Chinese evacuees at the port of Heraklion, capital of Crete, said she probably has heard "Efharisto" for thousands of times by Monday.
"We can clearly see the relief in their eyes," she told Xinhua, as she greeted a group of Chinese evacuees with a warm smile before they got on buses which would take them to one of the 20 local hotels to rest, relax and enjoy Greek hospitality before their return to China by air.
A Chinese man who evacuated from Libya chooses T-shirt in the southern Greek island of Crete, Feb. 28, 2011. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)
Most of area hotels which usually open in May for the tourism season, have been closely working together with Chinese embassy officials who arrived in Crete last week as well as Greek officials to prepare for the arrival of the evacuees.
"Once we got the request from Chinese officials, we rushed and pulled out a miracle to open the hotel in just over 12 hours," said Theofilos Fragkiskos, a young receptionist who slept four hours on average over the past few days to offer the best accommodation to Chinese nationals.
"It's the least we could do for these people," said Michalis, owner of a nearby hotel.
A Chinese man evacuated from Libya contacts family on line with laptop in the southern Greek island of Crete, Feb. 28, 2011. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)
He told Xinhua that after being informed of the operation to evacuate the Chinese nationals from Libya, he immediately asked the hotel staff to order sufficient towels, vegetables and tea bags across Crete.
As soon as the first batch of Chinese evacuees arrived, hoteliers in cooperation with Chinese embassy officials had
prepared menus to cater to the Chinese taste, with plenty of vegetables, rice, and fish. (speeder: yummy...)
The Chinese nationals, though arriving in Greece for the first time, seemed to enjoy the Greek food as well as the warm hospitality of locals, who were eager to help in any way despite the language barrier.
This explains why many Greek-speaking members of the Chinese community in Athens, such as Anna Chang, rushed to fly to Crete as
volunteers to offer every possible assistance to compatriots. "When we learned that Crete would host thousands of Chinese evacuees from Libya, we were all activated to help," Anna told Xinhua.
(speeder: either in Greece, or in any other European countries, you bet that the local Chinese communities / volunteers would help! If it happened in Benelux in place of Crete here, I would volunteer too. )
Chinese evacuated from Libya wait in a line to call to family in the southern Greek island of Crete, Feb. 28, 2011. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)
She listed a few examples of
volunteer work, such as helping evacuees phone home, as well as facilitate the communication between Greek doctors and evacuees who suffered minor health problems from the rough sea journey.
"A nod of the head or a smile sometimes speaks a thousand words. This is my first contact with so many Chinese people, and from the first moment I have noticed how polite and patient they are, and they stand in order in the queue," said supermarket owner with the first name as Yiannis, who has met a lot of Chinese customers over the past week.
(speeder: average Chinese construction workers - world class too! )
Waiting for the next flight chartered by the Chinese government, evacuees from Libya communicated with their families and friends via the Internet, learned the latest news from home and
watched satellite television broadcasting Chinese channels at the hotels.
( speeder: Chinsese SatTV channels at Crete Hotels? What a treat! )
The efforts made by Chinese embassy officials, Greek authorities and the Greek people to make the days the Chinese spent in Crete as relaxing as possible were deeply appreciated by the evacuees.
Expressing his co-workers' gratitude, a Chinese construction worker wrote a letter left to a volunteer in Heraklion, addressing the Chinese Ambassador to Greece Luo Linquan, as well as the Greek government and people.
He did not know how to write "Efharisto" in Greek, but he repeatedly expressed his thanks to Chinese embassy officials, Chinese community volunteers, Greek authorities and residents of Crete for their help, wishing that bilateral ties will be strengthened.
"I wish the friendship between Greece and China will blossom and the flowers and fruits reflecting this friendship will last long," he wrote.
http://en.showchina.org/CultureNews/News/201103/t867530.htm