an "Enzone", which means elite military unit that stands guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Presidential Mansion. They guard the tomb round the clock and switch positions with each other every fifteen minutes in a slow and highly stylized manner, kicking their pom-pom covered feet. It's an honor to serve as an Enzone during their required military service after highschool and Georgios was proud of being selected for the volunteer position.
Now that his service commitment is over, he is a waiter at this Italian restaurant in my neighborhood.
Georgios is very polite and polished...proper even. But allll the Greek people know about the legal prostitution in their city center and the many, many brothels. It's such a part of their culture that we have seen grandmothers taking their teenage grandsons to the brothel for their first sexual experience to ensure that he is "on track"! And they all believe that the girls are there by choice and since it's their legal occupation, they must be taken care of and healthy.
He asked what I am doing living in Greece and when I tried to explain it to him (I'm never sure how to launch into it without bringing the conversation to an awkward, not-sure-how-to-respond-to-THAT kind of end) he asked some good questions to learn more.
Georgios: "Are there many girls in Greece that are working that don't have control of their circumstances and have been trafficked?"
Me: "Almost all of the girls we meet in Athens."
Georgios: "O NO, SOMEONE SHOULD TELL THE GREEK PEOPLE!"
It was brilliant.
2 comments:
Brilliant indeed!
I often wonder how much of this is going on here in Los Angeles/Orange County that I don't see. I know the statistics don't speak favorably. Praying for you Holly... Jenny
Great post Holly! Loved the humor but what a sad truth. Thanks for being a light friend.
And by the way to JEM, a friend that is highly knowledgeable on the subject, told me that Santa Ana in the OC has one of the highest incidences of human trafficking in the US. It's big in the US.
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