It now happens to be Sofia. Before that it was Egypt, and before that, Athens: the locations where Georgios Dedopoulos has worked. The Institut superieur d’economie in Paris, before that, Athens, and again Athens: where he was educated. Athens: where he was born, and grew up, and was raised.
But this is not about being the general manager of AIG Life Bulgaria, an assignment he started in April 2006, after three years in Cairo doing the same. This is about the person who consists of the Georgios Dedopoulos that the world perchance sees.
He is Greek: language is a defining trait; it is the first thing he lists when asked what being Greek means to him. “I think that what has kept us as alive throughout the centuries is the language,” he says. Being Greek means being a people with a very long history, it in itself very diverse.
“If I had to pick a second characteristic, it is our religion. But not that we are Greek Orthodox, but that Greeks have a very human God. And this is unique. We never developed this understanding of a God who punishes,” Dedopoulos says. “In our tradition you talk to Him, ask Him things to do. You even complain to Him. In (non-Greek) Orthodox iconography, you will see scenes from Hell. And not in Greece, as in the West.”
The next question had not yet been formulated when he presaged it: “Now you’re going to ask me what makes me proud to be Greek.” Caught red-handed, or just out-witted?
“They say the beauty of the country – but I did nothing for that. They say the history – but I did nothing for that. I would say the following: like the old people (say), history and landscape matter. But we have to bring all those things to the present time. Therefore, what makes me proud is the progress of the country, my country, thanks to its people. The last 30 years have been hard – I’m proud of the fact that we have successfully transformed the country to a strong country in our (geographical) area.”
He finds the similarities between the two countries to be greater than the differences – there’s the “more or less” common history, which included, in the past, the same social, political and economic landscapes; they both used to be under rule of the Ottoman Empire (Greece was under an Ottoman rule from the 15th century until 1821).
There’s the religion – both are ultimately Orthodox; the music, the food, the social habits – and emotionalism. An “overdose of emotionality”, Dedopoulos puts it, “a lack of intellectual discipline that allows emotion to overtake you”. Still, Bulgarians seem more reserved, he says, noting that they are not Mediterranean. He quotes Georges Duhamel: “The Mediterranean ends where the olive tree no longer grows.” And there are definitely no olive groves in Bulgaria, nor the “exteriority” of Mediterranean people.
The life of an expat has some advantages, he says. The experiences one encounters, through which one is enriched and learns to better understand others. Sofia he calls a beautiful city, with a good quality of life, and the unique advantage of the centre, which, while beautiful, is in need of renovation, combined with the proximity of the mountains… But, there is still that part that remains of what was.
He misses the sea, among other things. In the thought-out manner, the even tone that characterise his responses, he goes further: “I miss the people that I love. … On the one hand, you miss your social circle. It’s not only because you don’t see them very often, but also because you are away from their lives – you’re detached from their lives – and they are from yours, too. It’s unavoidable detachment.” A once-monthly trip to Athens helps, though it is never the same as living among those close to a person.
But this does not stop him.
As he says, being in insurance pays the bills; being a philosopher does not.
After Bulgaria, because this assignment one day, too, will end, Dedoupolos will continue, not as a nomad, but as an explorer.
