Just a quick update this week since papers and exams abound!

On Friday I was able to go on a rare tour of Parliament! CYA organized the tour for about thirty or so students. I've walked through Syntagma countless times, but I was excited to get a look inside the Parliament building and learn more about modern Greek government. Our group learned about the building's original function as King Otto's palace and tried to imagine the assembly room as the grand ballroom it once was.

Our tour guide also gave us an introduction to Greek government today. Greece is a parliamentary republic with a president and prime minister. Some of my peers found it hard to understand how a president could have very little power so our guide explained with a legislation example. If Parliament votes to pass a bill the president must sign it; he has no veto power and if he does not wish to sign the bill he must resign. He has a special box, once belonging to the King, above Parliament from which he can observe meetings, but no President has ever sat there. It is a symbol that Greece will never again be ruled by kings. There are also seats for foreign dignitaries who can observe, but not participate in meetings. Journalists and even the public can attend every meeting and have balconies of their own.

I learned many interesting things on the tour, but I hope that this short recap will suffice for now. Hopefully, it just gives an idea of what the tour was like.