Dear all,
I’d like to
share with you the gifts that the Universe*** gave me for my first weekend in
Kalamata.
Friday
nights EVS volunteers normally gather in a nice place to have some good time,
while enjoying Greek foods, drinks and music and discussing ideas and projects.
Last Friday the chosen place was Σταθμός (Stathmos).
It’s
amazing how lucky we were to go there and realize that a nice exhibition is
taking place, and not only the title and the idea are very interesting “My other self” ,
not only the artworks are with strong messages and made by diverse technics,
but the Curator himself was there and made a special tour in English for us! Thank
you so much Mr. Vasilis Karizonis! Σας ευχαριστούμε πολύ τον κύριο Βασίλη
Καριζόνη!
 |
| WORLD, I wanna show you WHAT VOLUNTEERS’ VIBES (energy, existence, life, philosophy, whatever....) DOES LOOK LIKE... I met these girls less than a week ago... they are gorgeous and I already love them! |
Something
that I really love about Greek restaurant service is that water and bread are
for free. Olive oil which is like brilliant, as well! As proper Greeks, the
guys from Stathmos restaurant showed us their hospitality and generosity –
regularly offering us between our own orders some wine, some local cheese
(different than Feta) and some dessert… then wine again… 😊
When we
were ready to pay and leave, something happened that changed the direction of
our conversations and made us stay for one or two more hours! It was a simple
thing like one of the guys from our company asked the Cook why he is wearing on
his T-shirt the logo of some Water Sports Club. Then the guy explained he is
the President of this club and on Sunday they are organizing an open event with
different activities for free. This conversation lead to another one… and
another one… we were talking about the social-cultural life of Kalamata, the
Stathmos guys were showing us photos and videos from previous projects and
events they were organizing. They even filmed some songs that are taking place in the same
restaurant and on the same streets that we are walking every day. They were
also curious to know more about our projects and ideas, they offered us
cooperation for future happenings.
For me personally it was very interesting the
getting-to-know the other volunteers who has been living in Kalamata for some
months already and who made me think about the fact that going abroad for a long term volunteering makes you become something very particular “a mixture of
a tourist and a local”.
Going to
bed on Friday night I was so happy and fulfilled after this inspiring and
productive (very spontaneous) meeting in Stathmos Restaurant.
The next
experience which was another gift from the Universe was going to ΠεριβαλλοντικηΕκδηλωση στον Ποταμο Αρι (Environmental event on the river Ari).
We received
a special transfer from Stathmos restaurant to the event by a car from the organizers!
The first
minute we arrived, all of us, we jumped to a canoe and a water bicycle. It was
like encouraging act for the other visitors to take action and try the
attractions as well.
I think 11
months will be too short for me to admire and enjoy enough the view of the mountains
around Kalamata. And the feeling to stay in a kayak in the river watching this
beautiful scenery is priceless!
It was so
enjoyable the combination of perfect weather, traditional Greek food and
traditional Greek dances – χορό, which remind me so much the Bulgarian horo. Then I read that there are actually hora in plenty of other countries! *Hora, also
known as horo and oro, is a type of circle dance originating in the Balkans but
also found in other countries - Romania and Moldova, Bulgaria, FYROM,
Montenegro, Turkey, Israel (horah), Klezmer music (horah).
The dancers were dressed with Traditional Costumes and they were so beautiful!
There was a
funny moment when I only remembered the Greek word for “wine”, but I forgot how
“red” is and I ended up having a glass of white wine, which I don’t like so
much, so some of the girls were happy with an extra dose.
Something
that I’m excited about is that for first time I tried riding a horse! It’s a
nice feeling to share energies with such a noble animal.
I feel in love with the Greek talent of having fun and enjoying to dance. Yesterday during
the event I’ve noticed a lady dancing, then I couldn’t stop any more watching
at her… or staring at her with the biggest smile my happy face could produce. I was only thinking I love those people so much, I want to hug them all…
After her dance, the lady came to me and started: “κορίτσι μου”…… bla-bla-bla,
something in Greek, so I only told her “δεν καταλαβαίνω”. Then she went to her
daughter asking her for translation and came back to me telling me “I love
you!” and hugging me. My answer was hugging her back and “κι εγω σ’αγαπω!”
*** For some time now I’ve been practicing in my life the belief that Universe is my best friend
and actually it helps me a lot to enjoy life on Earth. Steps are easy:
1. You
really believe with all your heart and soul that everything happening in your
life is for your own good and for the good of the whole Universe
2. You
trust to Universe for the gifts it brings to your life
3. You receive perfect synchronization of timing, energies & vibes, which
reflects to the places, people and events (happenings) in your life
4. You stay
with open eyes and senses to recognize and appreciate them
5. You feel happy!
