A message only the ones who get to the end will understand: Isn’t Zacharias’ smile simply the best? :) Thank you for watching & engaging! ❤

Stop with the Betterhelp sponsorships, You know they sell the customers' data, and that's the worst thing you can expect from your therapist.

"Where are the depressed people" well in their rooms. Real depressed people aren't usually outside or try to be as little as possible

i didn't know Greece was going through the same exact situation as my country rn (Argentina), i really felt identify with what that guy said, it sucks but we definetly never loose hope for a brighter future💛

Seeing this old man smiling that hard and saying to not stress is really heartwarming. We need to live more and stress less for little things.

Its Wild to me how an unstressed 100 year old man, can look younger than a stressed 60 year old man.

As soon as I saw the title, I knew it was Greece. I’m a greek that moved back to Greece from America in 2021 and this is not the country I remember. Thank you for making this video and creating awareness. People always think Greece is one of the happiest countries in the world because they come for vacation and they just see the front they put on for tourists. Things are terrible! Especially in Athens. The prices are out of control. Example, yesterday, we ordered burgers and fries, nothing fancy but delicious. The burger was 13.5€. An unbelievable price for a country that will pay a 700€ as minimum wage. Don’t even get me started about the groceries, you can buy the same brand of greek yogurt in London for less than you can buy it in its home country. The main reason are the taxes! The greek government is out of control, for many many years now there hasn’t been a government that has truly looked out for the ppl. You pay so much in taxes and you get nothing. The public hospitals are terrible, don’t get me started about the ambulance service. You’re better off taking a taxi than an ambulance in the case of an emergency. How does this translate into the people? They are fed up, most have given up on change and are just miserable, which comes out as hostility when you’re not aware of the situation. When my partner (non greek) and I moved to Greece 3 years ago we were constantly offended by the stares, the rudeness everywhere, and the general condescending tone people in Athens have. Now we understand where that’s coming from, chronic desperation and hopelessness. It’s very sad what has happened to my country and I hope that one day the right government will be elected that will truly look out for its people. On another note, I can’t believe we missed your meet up! 😢 Thanks again for visiting.

I love Greece. I met my wife in Pireus harbor. I have been back to Greece many times and will do it again. Love from 🇸🇪

Greece is my soul country in Europe, even though I am Hungarian by blood and Romanian by birth. Despite all challenges people are truly welcoming and caring. But can still see the sorrow in their eyes and the frustration in their attitude towards their government and leaders. These people went through a lot. I made great Greek friends on my journey. Love and peace for you all!

I love my neighbours. We all deserve to be happier. I hope our economies will be better. Cheers from Turkey!

I think a lot of southern Europeans suffer from the same challenges day by day. Greetings from Portugal. Stay strong Greeks we will all overcome these difficulties one day.

As a 25 year old struggling in Greece and wanting to leave the country for a better future, I appreciate you for taking the time to hear our story and our struggles! Yes Fam Greece is strong! 🫶

I first visited Greece in 2019 and I felt right at home. The spirit, optimism and hopeful outlook of Greeks left a mark in my heart. Their friendliness and willingnesss to connect is heart warming. But I understand their pain and troubles; and I really like how you articulated the intricacies of the country's difficult situation. As rough as Athens may look, there are a lot of good people there which is why I keep coming back every year since (except during lockdown). 😊

I love how this video takes us on a journey beyond the typical tourist experience and dives deep into the real stories and challenges faced by the people of Greece.

Thank you for this , people should know that Greece is not only Gyros and Santorini , we need more videos like this

I’m currently studying abroad in Athens and it was really interesting to see your perspective - I think the cameras were the main thing causing locals to be rude to you, as a tourist myself I have felt very welcomed by locals. Also bummed I missed you guys I recognized the spots you walked through! But keep up the good work 😊

that 100-year old man is such a good soul. seeing him smile made my day

I feel like portugal and specially lisbon is going through the same, so many americans and rich europeans came here as digital nomads and made the rent super high to the point therrs trailer parks in the country. I think this "tourists/digital nomads gp home" mentality is very strong in southern europe right now bc us young people dont have money for nothing, our wages are so little me and my collegues have no prospects of ever owning a house, its so sad

I hope Greece and Greeks can find away out soon, always smiling and being positive. We love Hellas, and your children too. Much ❤ from Portugal!

I live in other part of the world, but I always adore Greece and it's history, I hope for prosperity and good health for all people in Greece! ❤

Hey I’m a Greek currently back in Greece for college. I use to live here in my younger years, I found it so disheartening to see my beloved country where my family is, thank you for raising awareness!

Dear Yes Theory Team, I have been watching this channel for a while now, and this is the first time I have cried after an episode. I felt emotional many times in the past with your videos, but this was different. This is the first time I will share something personal on KZfaq. I left Greece 8 years ago amid the economic crisis. As a student, I had the privilege to study at a Public University, and because of that, I was able to start my journey abroad. My parents and my friends' parents paid for my education with their taxes, making me the person I am today. As a student, I had to live for years with less than 50 euros per week for my expenses. Thousands of people left the country in the last decade because of the financial crisis and the low wages, while the prices have risen. I feel sad that I can't return to my country and have a proper life. I want to thank all the students who are still fighting for a better future, and I apologize that my generation, which is only a decade older, failed to change the situation. Thank you, yes theory team, for showing the reality of the country and not just the touristic image of Greece, which is 100% fake.

Zacharias is the most youthful 104 year old I have ever seen.

The abonded buildings are not because of the crisis. These buildings have not been maintained for more than 2 decates. It's because the legislation system. Usually these buildings end up to belong to more than 1 owner, but because there are disputes between them, the buildings end up like this. Most of these buildings are "protected" by the government, meaning that because they are old and they belong to a specific architecture, it is forbidden to be demolished. After years, the cost of maintenance is so high, that nobody wants to buy, or renovated.

Always wanna live in such a wonderful place, 104-year-old Grandpa's smile is so pure.

Zacharias is so adorable; he made me tear up. He's so happy and positive. Very beautiful video.

I'm from Greece and I have to say to you guys, thank you so much for filming this amazing video. Keep the good work and remember , try to live your life with good balance and no stress

Thanks for spreading awareness about Greece. Me being in tourism industry, I have the same conversation with every single tourist. "Oh we couldn't imagine that the situation is so bad in Greece". Of course no one knows what is happening here since the propaganda of the government is so huge that people have the idea that the economy is thriving. In reality we sink day by day and we cannot see the end of it yet... It's really sad to see the young generations TRYING to survive in Greece and constantly trying to STAY and the government doing everything possible to push us all away... Thanks for showing the true picture of Greece. We need that because we have zero coverage from big tv medias.

I am a mother of three living in Greece and we're struggling to stay afloat. We are overworked, underpaid, overqualified, and yet we're paying taxes all the time. ALL the freaking time! Bills are so expensive, Greece has the most expensive electricity, fuels, groceries and telecommunications. There are times we can't even find the proper antibiotics because they prefer to sell them outside of the country in a higher price. Public transportation isn't safe at all while politicians are out there living their best lives!I have absolutely no idea what the future holds for my children, for all these ambitious,intelligent young people who leave this country, travel abroad and suddenly flourish! Greek educational system is so absurdly challenging, parents actually pay an entire wage in order to use the school teachers and professors as private tutors, because it's impossible for our children to survive in this educational mess. We need an entire fortune to hospitalize ourselves because public hospitals are falling apart. And don't get me started about bureaucracy. I will NEVER forgive Germany and other Northern countries, for the fact that they demonized my poor nation, us Greeks who gave all our blood in WW II fighting the Nazis for years with tremendous casualties that actually changed the course of war, only to be treated like trash in the end.Blaming us that we are not paying our taxes in order to make Greece a scape goat for Germany's failure. I'm sorry but many people might have forget the racial slurs but they still ring in my ears. 😢 Just because a bunch of destructive bureaucrats are destroying Europe. Why won't anyone yelling about Ukraine now, yet everyone blamed Greece and other Southern countries,while Ukraine war now and Germany's decisions has brought Europe to its knees? Greece is a beautiful country, Greeks are beautiful people, but we we are deeply wounded by the same continent our country was supposed to be it's cultural foundation stone. And there is nothing we can do because for the last 40 years our country has become a roller coaster of politicians that have absolutely no capability of ruling this country. And now the entire planet is suffering from the same inflation but guess what: We tried to warn everyone, but I guess you were all very mad to listen... Yet we're still kind when you're visiting our country, but I guess it's true that we became more rough around the edges and more blunt.

Any Portuguese here in the comment session? Could you relate to every second of this video? Cus I could! 100% what's happening in Portugal, it was almost like looking into a mirror 😭

You guys know this. The ones that have a smile on their face always and show immediate kindness are the ones suffering the most usually.

Mister Zakarias is pure sunshine,may he live forever.😊

I visited Ikaria last summer having become fascinated by the island. It truly is a magical place, and I have never frlt more welcomed and at home than when I was there.

Its not all that surprising that Greece is the most stressed and depressed country. Pretty extreme economic hardship and a constant threat of losing social services including school and medicine to privatization along with a seemingly useless government... I'd be pretty depressed and stressed too.

Depression is suffert in silence and stress does not give you the time to speak about it .... its one of the reasons why its so devestating and hard to get out of because your first instink/trained reaction is to not speak about it.

This video is a REAL eye-opener! THANK YOU for that! ❤

I've been to Thassos, and Paleokastritsa in Corfu, all i felt was chill in these places. I love the Greek islands, perhaps my favourite place in the world. This lady in Thassos was so nice, she kept making me bowls of pasta with cheese, back when i ate cheese, the people of the islands are awesome people.

I moved to Athens from Australia 7 months ago with my partner (she's Greek Australian, always had the dream to move here.) It's been very eye-opening for the both of us. The people we've met here have been the most beautiful, the most kind and the most generous despite making almost no money. They love being out, spending time with people who matter and it does really break my heart that they can't afford to live comfortably. I've spoken with many people who work a service job and get paid 4€ an hour and go back to an apartment they pay 600+ € a month in rent. So many people are looking to get out, but where can they go? A lot of people I've spoken to have said "there's nowhere else for me." That's one giant reason the Greek hospitality is so touching man. I wanted to leave Australia to find myself, not because a lack of opportunity. It was a stunning reminder of just how lucky we were to be born where we were. The one thing I've noticed so much is that even though young people can't breath in Greece, they're still out and spending time with each other - a far cry from what I experienced in Australia (one of the reasons I wanted to move.) It felt like my friends and my community were becoming more and more and more isolated - yes, we can afford a lot more but what's the point if I'm never with people I care about? Life was way lonelier. The biggest impact living in Greece has had on my life is that now, when I go to coffee with my girl, we go out for hours just talking about nothing and enjoying the day as it goes by. Gone are the days of a 30 min power coffee and straight back to it. I really hope the situation in Greece improves, they're beautiful people and they deserve it. Quick note about Exarcheia: It's reputation exceeds the reality. Yeah, it can be a dangerous place - there are frequent clashes with riot police and the anarchists, but it's not so bad. The police are mainly around Exarcheia Square because they are building a train station there, a contentious point because historically Exarcheia used be essentially an isolated community, free of the government's presence. To see the really bad parts of Athens, where the hopelessness, the despair have reached an unbelievable crescendo, you need to go to places like Omonia, Metaxourgeio, Victoria, Attiki etc. You'll find open air drug use in the middle of the day right next to nice hotels. Another thing is that when you were trying to film in Athens around the λαϊκή, people didn't want to talk because they were stressed, I've found Greeks to be much more direct if they don't want to do something: They're blunt as hell and I love it to bits.

I knew it was Greece from the start! Wish more people knew about the actual situation there, it's not all about tourism after all. Thank you all for this vid!

I wish all the best to the Greeks! Un abrazo desde España ❤

I've spent the last two summers in Halkidiki and there's zero stress felt. But business owners give it well! It's not easy to live off tourism, which is seasonal job. They work 4 months in the summer to get by the whole year. Thank you all for hospitality. See you in July. 😊🇨🇦🇬🇷

Damn I would have never responded Greece either. As an Italian, I feel like Mediterranean countries are hardly perceived as depressing just because of the stereotypical narratives surrounding them. But it makes, sense, they also face economic struggles.

I didn't expect it, but I am in tears... I always had the difficulty of explaining the situation of Greece to my foreign friends, but now this video is bookmarked and ready for sharing each time people don't believe me. I couldn't find a better video even if I made it myself

Tbh I think this part about Exarchia is quite gonzo. I’ve been to Exarchia just 4 months ago and I liked this quarter the most, cause it still has this untouched and wild vibe. Exarchia has the best night life and beautiful cafes bars and restaurant. I also talked to someone who just moved to Exarchia because it has kind of a vibe like Berlin 15 years ago. So I can definitely recommend you to go there👌🏼

You dont see the depressed people because they're all indoors. It takes so much energy to even get up when you're depressed

I live in Bulgaria, right next to Greece, and I go on vacations there every summer for the last 4-5-6 years. I was surprised to hear about your article because Greek ppl are one of the most laid-back, welcoming and happy ppl I’ve seen😃 But that’s probably because I go to the islands and during Summer, when it’s the peak season.👌🏻 amazing beaches, superior, fresh seafood and much more. It’s a beautiful country with many hidden gems and small islands. Maybe it also depends where exactly you go. As any other country they do have issues. We’re also not “thriving” in Bulgaria, but I’d say we’re still doing good.

Great video and content. Really enjoyed watching you guys getting to know things about life in Greece 🙏🏼🇬🇷 Wild be glad to have you here again and explore other parts of the country

Thank you for the video, guys!🙂

From a stressed and depressed 24 year old Greek woman... Thank you Yes Theory, from the bottom of my soul! Σας ευχαριστώ! I truly needed this video, which I found both moving and inspiring. I really hope I get the chance to meet you soon! Sending you much love 🤟💕

I grew up in Athens, and spend a lot of my days in Exarhia and the surrounding areas. I now live in Scotland where I feel much more free and happy. This video really touched me. Thank you for bringing this deep prespective and diving into what is Reality for my country. God Bless

Wow absolutely amazing. I learned so much, I did not know how bad it was in Greece economically. My heart goes out to all of the citizens. Ikaria Greece is somewhere I have always wanted to visit.

18:53 Exarcheia in Athens and the sentence “Tourists go home”: you don’t mention or don’t know, that the city Center of Athens is very interesting for Airbnb and other investment opportunities hunters (small and big ones). Thanks to Airbnb-Tourists and digital nomads the prices for rental apartments increased crazy the last years.After Koukaki, Exarcheia is the next target for investors. Tourism brings money , but unfortunately also greed. This is the new reality of many cities- think of Venice, Paris, Lissabon….

If I had a masters degree and had to drive tourists around all day, not too sure how happy I would be. Did make me appreciate my own country.

You guys finally made it to my homecity! I hope you felt welcome and enjoyed your stay. Greece is a strange country. We're happy and grateful to live here, but also constantly get disappointed and discouraged. I wholeheartedly love this country, but that means hurting for everything that goes wrong here, and unfortunately it happens a lot. I think part of the reason people here are stressed is because we feel responsible for this place, we don't want to leave it behind, but we also often find ourselves unable to do anything to change it.

Come and Live in London for a few weeks, that's where you'll find the most depressing city in Europe.

You guys are even more cooler than you look in the videos!! Beautiful hearts, compassionate, joyful! You really are great peeps!! :))❤

Once again, thank you guys for everything! I had the most surreal and crazy experience of my life. Love you ❤️⚡️

There I was expecting to hear "UK"

My husband and I tried 2 times to go to Greece to live. He is Greek American and I just love it there. It makes me so sad...but before I even knew this video was about Greece, I called it. Cause despite it's beauty, we could never make it there and both times came back to the US because of the way things are over there. It's so sad and your video brought tears to my eyes...cause no one gets it. I wish things were different. 😢

Such a good video. Thank you for visiting our country and getting to know both the ups and downs!

Thank you guys for raising awareness about my country. The economic problems have cut our legs for many years now and the governments of the past years are making terrible mistakes and they don't listen to the citizens. The situation is getting worse and worse sadly. Life is so expensive. For example it's cheaper for us to go on vacations in central Europe during summer than to go to our own islands. The public system is falling apart. Although I'm not very optimistic about the future, I still have a little hope in me that the better days will come. Again thank you for this one. ❤

I'm greek and I've been watching this channel for so long always wishing i could one day just meet them in the street as they film a video but i never knew they were coming to Greece damn. On another note i always knew they would use a bad title for a video dedicated to greece lol

Thank you for this fantastic video! The smile of Zacharia at the end was stunning ! Much love to you:)

Thank you for making this amazing video!

Been all over Greece many times and always found all the locals both in cities and rural to be happy and enjoying life. I have been invited into strangers homes for meals and had locals go out of there way to help me..... Even spent some time in the hospital in Greece (not a super experience)... Love the country, love the people.

My grandfather immigrated to America from Rhodes island in Greece. His father owned a winery that enabled him to send his sons across the world to escape the conflict. I am grateful to hear the story from George and see life around their winery. It makes me think about what my great grandfather and grandmother would have been like. Thank you for providing a view of the culture of my family I never got to know.

UK citizen living in Greece since 1980 . Greek sovereignty was signed over to loan sharks during the economic crisis and will never recover. I personally live on an island where the municipality bankrupt a decade ago which lead to a decline in public services but the tourists come and have a fantastic time . Boing. All of the uni graduates left the country to make a decent living and what is left behind?

Thank you for giving light to this ❤

I rarely comment on videos on KZfaq but i might have to on this one. As a Greek this video hit deep,like really deep.Greece has been in turmoil for centuries now since the Byzantine Empire fell,and never had the chance to get back up and stand on it's feet.I believe that the reason why Greece is the most depressed and stressed country in the EU is simply because we are constantly ruled by corrupt politicians that don't care about the greater good,and only care about how they can steal taxpayer money.Thank you so much for making this video and showing the world the sad reality of Greece.I hope that the situation will change for the better in the coming years.Much love!

I Moved from Helsinki, Finland to Athens 4 months ago and I have been living here in Athens since then and I can all tell you that its completely vice versa for me Finland and finnish ppl seem so much more stressed and depressed than here even tho the living cost is not that different and the normal wage here is much lower. I don't even know how people survive here for only 500EUR a month. Remember this is just my perpective. But now i got a little depressed that i didn't bump into you guys😪

My comment disappeared 😕 So here it is again lol Hey Yes Theory team! I am proud of the youth in Greece and around the globe. Thank you for sharing their perspective and shining a light on the topics that matter. Really enjoying the direction of storytelling you guys are doing. Not just talking about topics but also sharing advice from locals. It shows that no matter where we are, we can all do something. Even if it's only in our immediate communities. Your work is truly inspiring!

KEEP UP THE CONTENT! loving it.

This is perfect timing. Yesterday the education law was voted, although it goes against our country’s Constitution. Also last week was the one year anniversary of a tragic railway crash that cost the lives of around 60 people, most of whom were very young. It was something that could and should have been prevented and the government is still covering the people who were responsible.

that old man seriously has me crying after seeing his military pic, what a man. I work for my mother who is an attorney and serves as POA and/or trustee, and I am constantly around cool old men, but they're dropping in their 80's. That man in your video would be my new best friend if he was in my world. Absolute Soul, Amazing. Keep interviewing the elders!

Really enjoyed this video... I have to say my favorite part was you all meeting the centenarian, Mr. Piroudis, I SOOOO loved his smile... he was absolutely adorable!!

I am from greece and i have to say that life can be depresing and stresing some times but life gives you ways out of your rutine. Also life in smaler cities or islands is not strested at all. Everybody has problems but the thing is how you deal with them in your every day life. Sure the are a lot of problems but we have found ways of getting rid of them.

Wow for 104 years old he looks like a lot of people in America in their 50-60s. All of them look amazing and healthy That says a hell of a lot about clean living and good food

we armenians love greece and greek people ❤️ so much amazing ancient culture and history encapsulated in one country

I know this channel since 7-8 years ago and I watch your videos every now and then but not often. No matter how late I come back across one of your videos you always give me goosebumps. You are very talented Thomas. You are a great storyteller and you have good eyes to capture the special in life. Thank you very much for your work.

that was fantastic and inspiring video. thank you guys

I was stressed out before sitting down to watch this video. Now I have a smile on my face seeing that wonderful 104 year old ❤. Great documentary, like always! 🙏

Zacharias’ smile simply the best ❤

I'm a 26-year-old woman in Greece and even though I pretty much knew all about the situation in my country, I'm grateful that you made this video. First of all it's heartwarming to see that someone outside Greece cared to see what's happening within our borders, and secondly it was a reminder even for me, that life isn't supposed to be this stresfull as Greek people especially in Athens live like. I identified myself completely hearing that statement about our generation being disheartened because of the political and economic state of our country, and even tough I would love to say that I want to stay and fight for my country and that I'm proud of my people, I'm really dissapointed to say that I'm not. Greece is a blessed country because of its natural beauty and history, and Ancient Greeks were really capable people and I'm proud to be in the country they built, but 21st century's Greeks do nothing to make me proud at all. There's the mindset that we only care about ourselves and what we can do to have the best for ourselves and our families, even against someone else's sake, and we don't care about anything that belongs to another person or that it's public (hence the graffities). And of course, the top troublemakers, our politicians, have stopped being proper leaders since the '80s. And we keep on electing the same goverments in rotation because no adequate and capable candidate exists. As for the riots, the matter about the private universities that you bumped into is a light one. You didn't happen to see people rioting about the national tragedy we experienced in February 2023 about a train crash that costed the lives of 57 people. That happened simply because the public railway between Athens and the second largest city, Thessaloniki, lacks security, organisation and technological progress so much that a cargo train and a passenger train were randomly put in the same rail and collided head-on. So simply and randomly, 57 people died. Think about how all of us that have been paseengers on that train at least once in our lives felt on that day. Think about how the families of the victims felt when they found out that their loved ones lost their lives in such a stupid way. And all of this because all our goverments for at least 20-30 years now didn't make it a priority to secure the railway that carries hundeads of people daily. It's a country with no progress whatsoever and I'm grieving about our future with this mindset.

I spent 2 weeks in Greece recently and the people were lovely, the food was amazing, and everybody was friendly and laid back. I would go back and visit again in a heartbeat. I can't relate to the message of this video at all.

From this Greek American, ευχαριστώ for this video. You visited deep into where my family came from. A dream I could only hope to achieve in my lifetime.

Crazy how after visiting half of Europe I still managed to meet the chillest, calmest people in the most stressed country, it really depends on what region you visit.

All countries undergoing neoliberal restructuring are bound to suffer from the same syndromes. Add to that the lack of space, parks, parking space, affordable rent etc throughout the country but predominantly in Athens, it's no wonder people are stressed out and quality of life is deteriorating constantly. Greece's saving grace for tourists are its historical landmarks, the weather, the food and the fact everything is open so late at night (which is also owed to the weather).

I’ve been watching y’all for FOREVER can’t believe you finally visited my home country and I didn’t get to see y’all😭😭😭😭😭

it’s about experiencing a rollercoaster of emotions. Greece is a captivating chaos, the most beautiful kind I've ever encountered.

I went on a study abroad to Ikaria almost a year ago now, and I mean it when I say I miss it every day. Everybody is so kind, so nice, so stress free, and comparing it to how we lived in America? The reverse culture shock coming back home definitely hit, I'll say that much. And, it's so interesting to see other parts of greece outside of Ikaria. I heard from locals that the only thing they could say stressed them out in any way was the government, and I guess that rang true even in Athens. Thank you for sharing the struggles to better understand the reality of places like Greece that are often portrayed very differently to foreigners and tourists.

Thank you for tracking Zacharias down, what a powerful smile and soul. Great video!

A smile never left my face the entire time Zacharias was on screen, he truly is a ray of sunshine!

I really like how you just slide into any community you visit, fitting right in like you've been there forever, and the way you tackle their issues is so unique where no one is hurt.

As a member of the stressed and depressed community ✋thank you 🙏

I don't know if the statistical analysis is correct, but it's good for people to understand that taking a holiday in a country is different from living there. Greece is a beautiful country with a huge and meaningful history. But when you live in Greece and experience the labor crisis, low wages, racism on many levels, injustice, a government that in many cases acts in ways that cause insecurity, criminality and certainly lack of justice and more, then you will understand that there is a lot of justifiable stress and depression. Of course in Athens things are more difficult as it is a huge city. In the countryside it's a bit different but still difficult. Thank you very much for the beautiful video. It was very good and true.

Thank you for your amazing inspiring videos. I really appreciate how they make me think differently. There is always hope, love and happiness out there.

Thank you for showing the reality. Greece is and will remain a very beautiful destination however, actually living here is not as beautiful. But we try our best to find the positive.

"The cause of stress is basically external, it becomes internal when we can't deal with it." "The success of life is to live in the middle zone." You don't know how many times i repeated that part. It hits home and is true in many ways than one

Sending hugs from Portugal. 💖

The building and infrastructure changes in preparation for the Olympics is devastating in general to every single host country (city), even in the U.S. a waste of resources that are desperately needed in other sectors within these places. It would be difficult to find any place that did not suffer from this build-up and its after-effects.