Coffee.  It is the center of the universe for most students in Greece. Even the school system is set up around the coffee break. University students, on the average spend 2-3 hours talking and drinking coffee. It is a civil right.

Greece is an expressive society where everybody has an opinion and likes to share it. This makes it easy to meet people and easy to talk. They love talking about politics, sports, music and religion. The guys love sports (mainly basketball and soccer) – where their support for their favorite team is legendary. The girls are hip and fashionable. One great advantage is that most of them speak English pretty well. It is never difficult to find a student who can easily hold a conversation.

The university situation is a bit “open-ended” – meaning that students often times take more than 4 years to complete their degree. They take very hard entrance exams to make it in, and then the pressure lightens a bit. The university is free of charge (including the food on campus), which gives students more disposable income (to buy coffee).

Though there are some students who live in dorms, most of the students (if they are not from Athens) rent an apartment in the area of the university and share it with roommates.  They are known for not cooking, so the neighborhood cafés are packed with students late into the evening.

Greeks are very proud of their culture, but are adopting many customs of the rest of Europe and America. For instance, many have given up the traditional Greek coffee for a love of Starbucks. They are proud of their food (which is fantastic) and often share wine over a meal. They eat lunch about 2pm, rest during the midday, have a snack at 5pm and often don’t eat dinner until 10pm. But don’t worry, the restaurants open at 7pm.

Almost every Greek student would identify himself as a Greek Orthodox Christian. This isn’t so much a statement about what they believe as to who they are. Very few have much knowledge of the Bible, and other than Christmas and Easter they rarely go to church. But with an openness to spiritual conversations, Greece is a place ready to hear a clear presentation of the gospel message.