How do foreigners "experience" Greece (Athens mainly) ?

Hi Aim,
   I am from Albania and I live in Greece the last 15 years! I live in Athens.
   In my opinion the time that you decided to come back in Greece is very bad. I don't know your economy status but here the situtation is very poor. There are no jobs and a lot of unemployment.
  The people here are quite friendly and outgoing. Except the problem that your girlfriend will face with the Greek language i don't think she will have any other difficulty.
  I think the better way is to decide both to come a trip here in order your girlfriend to know better the country and then you can discuss the moving theme.
  I wish I helped you.Good luck for the two of you!

First apologies for not responding and thanking Katerina and Adreo.. My bad i did not check responses (although i think i did click for getting an alert whenever someone responds).
Anyway, better late than never.

So, Katerina,wow, that's many years in Greece.. My financial status is not something great although at least for the first feriod of time i can support both of us even without any income. Yet, my objective is to have managed to resolve the income issue before arriving to Greece. On teh otehr hand, this is getting me a bot anxious as the return to Greece may be influenced on whether i do or i do not get a job or establish my own.
Of course and i do no that it is very diffuclt now the situation but what can these are the situation right now and i/we have to adapt.

Andreo, thanks for your kind words. As you say, from my side i perfectly know the culture and situation (besides i visit at least once a year).
May i ask you how is life for a foreigner that also does look like a foreigner in Greece (hope it does not sound racist.. besides i am one of these here in Asia whereas in Italy of course i lookes like locals)- by the way, why not to be proud for your nationality? Do you encounter any unpleasant behaviour or something? For example in Italy, Asian friends mentioned that they did receive some nasty comments while walking around the city.. Another issue that worries me is the rise of Xrisi Augi (GOlden Dawn..). It is humiliating and embarasing... no words to express my discomfort on this phenomenon.
My girlfriend has already been for vacation 3 times and she really enjoyed the trips we did around the coutry. As for Athens she also found nice and bad things (like everywhere).
The good thing is that she seems to be more open-minded on several matters oposed to me that i am hmmm.. a little bit more stubborn. Still though, she visited the country while in relaxing moments and for a short period. Living permanently to a country where you have to deal with all the everyday issues is a total different experience. That is why i am asking the opinion of people who live there.
By the way, she will take some classes to learn at least the basics of Greek when we get there. I saw some schools that however seem to be a bit pricy (like the Hellenoc American Union). Do you happen to know any others that may have a reasonable cost ( i think i would avoid the classes offered by the Universities...).

Thanks again both for the info you shared. Hope all the best for you over there!

I am french , I have been living in Greece for 18 years, I think it is the biggest mistake I have done, the situation here is a nightmare, greek people are getting more more racists...
Up to your girl friend to decide , but I think that Greece is only a nice country for holidays....

good luck

hi nephelie,

Thanks for your response and i am sorry you regret moving to Greece. I understand how it feels to live in a country you do not really like.
Could you please be more explicit on the problems you face and the things in general you do not like? As for the recism issue it does not surprise me (although it is something that is inreasing all over europe) but i did not really expect people from western european countries to mention. How do you experiece racism in greece (if i am not getting into sensitive matters).

"I think that Greece is only a nice country for holidays...."

i know many people say that..

Sorry I might have been a little harsh with the greek people, they are quite open people, but for my point of view I live in a "poor" area, almost every day I can hear racist greeks blaming foreigners for stealing works (but sorry there is no work here !!)
Sorry again..

@ nephelie, no worries, no need to apologize. I understand what you mean and the any feeling of frustration. I do hope that things will get more positive for you in the near future in relation to your life in Greece
@Andreo, thanks again for all the information. The "plan" is to set up our own office so that we can have a more flexible lifestyle so, especially for her, to be able to visit her country more often. This is what we hope for .. now the reality is a different thing. On the other hand, is she manages to land a job i a company the postive side i guess will be that she will meet other people as well and hopefully start building her own network of people there as well.
As for the racism, i was mainly considering how a foreigner is "Accepted" in Public Services, or even while being in a bus or something. Maybe i overthink but i just would like to have an idea of what to expect.
Your comment about Asian travelers and the reaction of a part of white people is valid. I hope you did not have similar experiences in Greece...
As for the greek language classes, it is good to hear that Didaskalio offers material closer to real-life situation... i will chack it out although it will be a bit far away from the area we will be most likely living.. Do you have any experience or heared anything about the Athens Center ( http://athenscentre.gr/ ) in Mets?
Again, thanks again for sharing our experiences.

Andreo hi and thanks again for your insight.

If you would ask me some years ago i would not really consider such questions regarding racist comments/attitude towards foreigners but not really living there for the past few years and all the things happening lately i started to wonder. Thanks again for sharing your experiences. Really appreciated.
As for the Athens Center classes, Mets is a very nice area, the facilities look very nice but my main concern is the price (60 contact class hours : 650euros ). I will keep looking.
Hope that everything goes well there for you! Best of luck and success to whatever you are up to!