Happy Oxi Day!

Today is Oxi Day.  It is the anniversary of the day in 1940 when the Greek Prime Minister told the Italian Ambassador that they would not surrender (oxi means no) and allow Italy to occupy Greece.

It was gutsy and defiant.  The Greeks were not the powerhouse the Italians were at the time.  What ended up happening was Greece fought the best they could and eventually Hitler had to send in German troops to help the Italians.  Greece was eventually conquered, but it was long and very costly for both the Axis countries.  Some even credit it with delaying the German invasion of the Soviet Union until so late in the year that they ended up fighting in winter and losing badly.

You may see it spelled "Ohi" or "Ochi" but I don't like either of those.  The Greek letter x is pronounced like you're trying to pronounce H while clearing your throat.  I would say the closest way to spell it in English is oh-khee.

If you see this before you see any of my in-laws, my kids or any Greek person you know, remember to wish them Happy Oxi Day!

Back and Eating Pizza

I'm back from Tanzania, and I'm eating pizza.  It was one of the things (not people) I missed the most.  I actually got back Thursday, but we've been pretty busy.

I'm going to have to get with a lot of people and share my stories.  I'll be putting a slide show together too.

Special Report #2

I went for a walk yesterday, up the hill a bit.  After a couple of hours I got to the headquarters of the Uluguru Nature Reserves.  It was locked because it's the weekend, but I got some really nice views.  I don't know if I'll be able to make a connection here and actually go on a full hike up to the top of the mountain (they say it's an eight hour round trip hike), but at least I got up to the gate.

Everybody at home is doing okay.  I talked to them yesterday and earlier today.  They went on a campus visit to UIC and liked the place.  They must have changed the place a lot since I went there for several painful trimesters.

I'm still working on my Swahili.  I am making very slow progress, and sometimes I accidentally throw in some Greek.  It is kind of too bad that I probably won't get to use it again.

My other personal goals are Quarterly Dates, New Job and Gold Award for the BSA district for which I'm the District Commissioner.

Working on my new job, well, I'm looking into applying to an on-line grad school.  We'll see how we swing that.  I'm thinking of something that could translate into work use.

I've tried to get in touch with the Tanzania Scout Association (TSA) with no success so far.  I have been in communication with the Scouts back home and trying to do what I can to help them get along without me.

My computer broke down and my internet connection is non-existent during the work day.  It's been a bit of a struggle, but I can Skype which is a great comfort, being able to see my lovelies at home.