It’s all Greek to me…

It is no a very well hidden secret that Greeks are in general a jealous type. Being in the same group as the Italians and maybe the Spanish, we are considered to be quite passionate about our relationships which could also be interpreted as being ‘slightly’ possessive, controlling or over jealous…

I was thinking about this theory and how accurate it is. I started thinking about it yesterday while talking to a Greek friend of mine. I told him that ‘JJ’ will arrive around the same time as me in Greece and while I’ll be visiting my parents for some days, he will be having his own vacation in another Greek island. We are supposed to meet the same day in Rhodes when we’ll start our common holidays. He was a little bit amazed when I told him that. His first reaction was doubt and his second question was ‘do you trust him?’. I know for a fact that he is not the type of person being all negative, disbelieving or jealous when it comes to relationships, but according to Greek standards having separate vacations is not good.


To be total honest with you, when ‘JJ’ first told me that he will go on vacation before meeting in Rhodes, I was a little bit surprised. Don’t ask me exactly why. It’s not like I expected him to stay in London and feel miserable while I was having fun at my home town. It just didn’t occur to me that he’d like to go on his own to an island and relax. And it’s not a matter of trust. I don’t believe in this kind of control in a relationship. If someone was to be unfaithful, he will be no matter how close you keep an eye on. So, of course I didn’t mention anything to him and helped him book a nice hotel in Kos, by the sea.

I believe that for a relationship to flourish, both members should feel free, independent to develop their individual personalities with mutual trust and understanding. Of course my personality will be affected by my partner’s, but to a certain degree. I want to be ‘me’ and my partner to be ‘him’. For example, if he feels happy getting an awfully large hideous tattoo of a dodo on his arm, I can’ to be the one to forbid him from doing it.
I am allowed to say my opinion though, right?
If I express my opinion a few times in a civilised way I am not being bad. Am I?
(Thankfully that is not happening. I am just wondering what I would do)