“Ladies and gentlemen, we have arrived at Chios Airport.”
The relief felt as warm as hot chocolate as the small plane landed safely at the airport of Chios. The uncomfortable feeling in my stomach began to subside. Finally, I was there.
As I have a fear of flying, the last few hours had been nerve-wracking. Leaving my parents behind at the security checkpoint, waiting alone for the plane to take off and at last taking the plane to the island, which looked so small between the other planes and at the same time too heavy to fly, had really exhausted me. But feeling the salty wind on my skin and solid ground under my feet, I was finally able to feel excited. The worries that had been bothering me for the past few hours (ranging from “Will I survive this flight?” to “How will I get along with the other volunteers? Will I be able to handle all the tasks? “) turned into excitement: I would be staying here, on Chios Island, for about half a year, volunteering, hopefully getting to know the Greek culture better and growing through lots of new challenges!
When I arrived at the house with the mentors, I met the other five volunteers who had already been here for a couple of months. The mentors introduced us and at first I felt a little strange joining their group after they had been together for such a long time. But this feeling did not last long: Already the next morning I got to know the other volunteers much better. Together with them, I started my first task: cleaning the accommodation. It didn’t feel real, picking up the leaves from the veranda and terrace while watching the deep blue sea. And it got even better when I met José, the volunteer’s dog, who, after sniffing my clothes, let me pat him.
Later, one of the other volunteers and I took the bus to Chios City for some shopping and to show me around the city centre. Unfortunately we didn’t catch the bus back home, so we walked for an hour and a half to a café near the beach of Daskalopetra, where we met the other volunteers. Although the walk was long and very windy, I enjoyed it: we passed the famous windmills of Chios and the statue of the Unknown Sailor, walking mostly right by the sea, fully arriving in the new environment (and also getting our workout for the day). In the café we played Yahtzee together (a game of dice we would be playing a lot more in future) until we went home. For dinner we all went to the city again in the evening (this time by taxi) – it was great to be welcomed so warmly by everyone!
Two days later arrived my first working day at the 2nd Primary School of Chios. I felt a mixture of nervousness and excitement: What exactly would my task look like? How would I communicate with the children?
I was glad that another volunteer, who also works there, accompanied me to the school. After the prayer that takes place every morning in the schoolyard, she introduced me to the headmistress, who welcomed me and explained my role.
I would be with the children of the second class because there are two boys who are always fighting, which makes it difficult for all the children to concentrate. My task would be to help them focus and to assist the teachers with anything they need. The headmistress introduced me to the teacher and the children. At first I was overwhelmed trying to remember all the names and faces. But my worries were for nothing – everyone welcomed me very warmly. During the break, the girls showed me one of the wall paintings and tried to explain it to me in English and with hand gestures, and before I left, one girl gave me a drawing she had painted herself. I learned a lot that day. Not just a lot of names, some basic Greek expressions and that my name in Greek is the name of a plant – but also about kindness and open-mindedness. Over the following days I gradually got used to my new tasks.
Also, the children and I got to know each other better. We found a good way to communicate using a mixture of English, Greek and hand gestures (which works in almost every situation) – so my worries about that disappeared quickly!
In particular, I tried to help one of the boys to concentrate on his tasks so that he could not fight with the other boy – sometimes this is a real challenge. I also check that the other children have copied everything from the white board or if they need help finding the right page. In Maths and English I can also support them if they do not know how to solve a problem and I have now learnt the Greek numbers to help them with their calculations.
During the breaks I look after the children when no teacher is present and we often play games. The girls especially like to play tag with me or to pretend to be different animals – and the sounds of animals are almost the same in every language. After learning the Greek words for the days of the week, I also write the date on the whiteboard every morning and draw some symbols for the weather. Sometimes, when the weather is so bad that the children cannot play outside, we draw a picture together and learn some new words – the children learn the English expression from me and I learn the Greek translation from them.
One moment I really like to recall is one of these rainy breaks. Two of the girls wanted me to come to the whiteboard, wrote the Greek alphabet and practised all the letter names with me.
Another heartwarming moment for me was my birthday. It was the first birthday I did not celebrate with my family – I was afraid of feeling very homesick on that day. Instead, it turned out to be a very special, great birthday: the other volunteers made a surprise birthday cake for me, and at school the children sang Happy Birthday in English and gave me hugs.
Of course, there are some tasks that I struggle with. When one of the boys ran outside during a thunderstorm and I had to bring him back inside, not knowing the Greek words to explain the danger of what he was doing, or trying to mediate in an argument between the children without fully understanding what it was about. These are the moments when I really feel the language barrier and they motivate me to progress in my language learning.
Meanwhile, I have developed a daily routine. Every morning, as I am preparing breakfast, I can see the sun rising over the sea (and can’t believe I am actually here). On the way to school we meet the same people every day – some even greet us in English. On the way home, I usually meet a few cats enjoying the winter sun on the street. When I arrive at home, José the dog is waiting to be cuddled and fed. I can go for a quick walk to the beach whenever I want and really enjoy all the experiences with the others: eating sushi for the first time in my life in the city, exploring hiking trails, playing Yahtzee, going out for dinner and eating delicious crêpes at the port, completing the next level of the language learning app, cooking and listening to music together, or just talking and catching up on our day.
On the plane to Chios, where my volunteering journey began, I had never expected such wonderful experiences. I am still amazed by the kindness of so many people who made me feel welcome and at home. Even when I faced difficult challenges, I never felt left alone. I am eager to learn more about the language and culture and to share many exciting experiences with my fellow volunteers. This amazing journey is to be continued…
