Yasou!!!! That’s the more casual way to say hello in Greek. This week has been exciting and challenging in all of the best ways. I’ve been meeting people, stepping out of my comfort zone, settling in with my NGO, and adjusting to living alone (coming from a large family... this is definitely the hardest part).
Last Saturday, I landed in Lesvos running on 6 hours of sleep over the course of 48 hours. Turns out, getting a taxi, finding a house, and buying groceries with a language barrier is a lot harder when your eyes are half closed (shocker). After taking Sunday to sleep, I spent the week meeting with the team at my non-profit, hashing out details of the PR campaign I will be doing, cleaning the old house I am staying in, and exploring the island.
On the tarmac wearing sunglasses because there is no life behind those eyes.
After spending the first few days wandering the city by myself and going for some lovely sunset swims, I challenged myself to get out of my comfort zone and go to an event alone. I am glad did because I ended up meeting an incredible group of volunteers. This past weekend, we explored Mytilini and the rest of the island together. One thing that I didn’t realize about Greece until I came here is that it is incredibly mountainous. Some of the crazy cliffs I’ve seen while I’ve been here are pictured below. I also got to swim in a hot spring for the first time (well... sit) but sadly didn’t get any photos.
Beyond these fun little adventures, however, I have been focused on creating community and routine here. As I learned during my exchange program in Australia, having a routine and people you can call when you’re in a pinch is the key to feeling at home in a new country. Going into this experience, I expected the volunteer house I’d be staying in to be the natural community I’d create here. However, after discovering that I’d be living alone, I’ve had to go out of my way to create those connections.
Thankfully, the team at my non-profit has been incredibly welcoming, and I am quickly settling into life there. These two weeks have been crazy, but I find that every time I step out of my comfort zone, whether it be going to eat alone, swim alone, or go to an event alone, I am always rewarded by the experiences I find and people I meet.
The Statue of Liberty (not to be confused with New York) where I have been going to swim in the evenings to create routine here.
That being said, this trip hasn’t come without its fair share of challenges. The night I arrived in Greece I spent many hours crying on the phone to my parents saying I wanted to go home (My dad made me screen record our conversation to watch back when I leave). Maybe it was just a combination of sleep deprivation and jet lag, but I did want to talk a little bit about how hard the adjustment was coming here because I feel it is less often shared in travel content. Culture shock is real. Homesickness is real. Moving to another country and not knowing anyone is hard. You feel as though your body and nervous system are constantly “on” and no matter how hard you try, you can’t find the off button.
Despite all of this, I am falling in love with this place. I love walking everywhere. I love how friendly the people are. I love stumbling through my broken Greek (and the sense of pride when a Greek person says “bravo” if I get it right). I love the work I am doing. Even when I am homesick, I still wake up every day with gratitude for this experience and this place.
The water is so blue here.
The hills you see in the distance in this photo... that’s Turkey.
It is so crazy to me that I literally live right next to a castle on the hill. Ed Sheeran who?
And, as a final note, here’s the playlist...
Lady Lady by Olivia Dean
Watch Me Go by Lord Huron
Ooh La La by Faces