Sometimes I ask myself how I ended up here. To leave my home and my life as I knew it for one year. On Chios Island, a place that I didn’t know existed before I came here. And now, almost a year later, it feels like home. I found my place, my people and got to know the island. Homesickness isn’t even a topic anymore and I don’t have a place I would rather be right now.
Thinking back all these days, when I was unsure of what to do after graduating feels unreal. The only thing I was sure of was that I wanted to volunteer, preferably in a different county, and when I find something by the sea. Doing something good for a local community and experiencing another culture seemed like something I needed at that moment, so I started researching and browsing through websites until I found the ESC and later Chios and my hosting organization. And that is how it all started. I went through the whole application process, and in the end, I booked a flight and packed my suitcase.
The first few days were intense. I was the only volunteer at that moment and the kindergarten children were still enjoying their summer vacation. So I spend the time helping the teachers in kindergarten and preparing everything for the new school year. I was welcomed so nicely and immediately felt like I can help and like I am a part of the kindergarten now. Of course, the language was difficult but it was also not as bad as I expected. My teacher could speak a little bit of English and for the rest, we improvised with sign language and later even with Greek. I also realized fast that the island is a very beautiful place with the beach 10 min away from the house. I also already looked at the city and the mountains and fell in love right away. What also surprised me is that no one approached me with prejudice but the people were genuinely curious and open-minded towards me.
Before I came here I tried to have zero expectations. I thought that the language barrier is going to be a huge problem, I was a little scared that I wouldn’t like the other volunteers and the people I will live with for a year, and also that it’s just very different from what I know and that this would lead to me being homesick. Of course a few of these ‘problems’ also occurred but there were so many more positive aspects to all of it. Firstly, I love the island with its nature, the beaches, the people, and the culture and I love that I could be part of it. Then, I also really liked the work in the kindergarten and the kids really quickly found a way to my heart. Next up, I also found myself becoming really, really close with the other volunteers and I feel confident saying that I made friends for life. Now, that I am at the end of my project, I am also surprised by myself how much Greek I actually learned. I can follow a full conversation- I would have never thought that.
Back to my first months here. After a week alone, volunteers from a few years ago visited and a new girl arrived that will live here with me. We went to the beach together and on the weekend we all had dinner in the city and some drinks after. It was crazy to see, where I could be in five years from now. The old volunteers shared their experiences and gave us valuable tips on where to eat, what to visit and how to make the year here the best that it can get. They were all really nice and it was great to be shown around by someone that has already done all of what I am about to experience in the year ahead. Additionally, I also got to know my new roommate. Of course, I was really nervous but we got along very well right away and I was relieved that she was nice.
Something big was also happening in school because the summer break was over and I got to know the children for the first time. In the beginning, everyone was a little shy and it was a little overwhelming seeing all the kids and them constantly talking Greek to me. I was sad that I couldn’t say anything to them but I also realized that they were already very happy when I just listened and when I would puzzle or play with them. My teacher also told me that she is very thankful that I am there to help with all the handicrafts which reassured me in what I am doing too. I helped a lot by making decorations, cutting out pieces for the kids to glue together or showing them how to color pictures in or where they have to cut. All in all, I already really liked it in the beginning, but I was also sure that as I learn more Greek, my relationship with the kids would get better and that I would be able to help even more.
This also happened like that. Over time, the kids weren’t that shy around me anymore, I knew what games they like and how to play with them. The more time passed, the more I learned and I liked the work in kindergarten more and more. Simple things like writing the names of the kids on their handicrafts, telling them how to spell words or singing songs with them became more normal and that is also what fully made me a part of them, even though before I also never felt left out.
In the next weeks more volunteers arrived one after another. We spend a lot of time talking and getting to know each other. We went swimming, on walks through the neighborhood and in the evening to the city. On the weekends, we explored the island and looked at different villages or beaches. It was great because we mostly got along so well and doing all those things together, we became very good friends really fast. We developed a routine with the basic things in the house, found our favorite board game to play together and made a playlist with our favorite songs. We figured out what the others like and what not and our daily life was very harmonic right from the start. It was more than I hoped for.
I also really enjoyed doing computer work. That included working on some of the different websites from the organization including 4children.gr, curiosity.gr and of course also 4youth.gr and our online radio chiosradio.gr. I had a lot of fun writing about topics that I am interested in and recording articles about the island. I feel like it improved my English skills and I widened my horizon by researching topics I would normally not research about. Reading and writing about Chios and its places and history, as well as culture made me understand this place better and made me discover things about my new home I didn’t know before. We also worked on some videos about our life here, our trip to Turkey and one for an international competition organized by the EU.
With the kindergarten, we also went on a few excursions. We, for example, watched the olive harvest, went to the beach to pick up trash and to the castle in the city to learn about the history of Chios. Those excursions were highlights for the kids and me. I just had to make sure that no one runs away and everyone knows where to go. Other than that, we just learned a lot and explored the places together. It was very nice to get a different view of things through excursions like this.
I literally went through all the different seasons on Chios. To experience a place other than my home village like this was completely new. At first, it was weird to see the Greek people walk around in rain boots in the rain that I wouldn’t even call rain in my home country or to close the schools because of a small amount of snow. The climate is just different from what I know and the people react differently to different weather. Not that it was negative, but it was just very different from what I know and I had to adjust to that. Of course, it was still amazing to see all of this and also to see nature change with the season. Moreover, different times give places different atmospheres and I am happy that I did not only see Chios in summer with crowded beaches and sweating people but also in winter when there were no tourists, everyone in winter coats drinking their coffees inside a heated coffee shop and not sitting outside. It makes me feel like I actually got to know the true authentic Chios and not only the version you would see in an advertisement.
The whole year here was sometimes challenging, I had to adjust and learn a lot. Not living with your parents for the first time and being in a different country all by yourself can be exhausting and difficult. But because I went here already thinking that I really want to make the best out of it and focus on the positive things, learning as much as possible, making all the memories, seeing new places, making friends and just living life, that is what happened.
I think for me it was the best decision to come here. So many memories that I will never forget. The way the children in kindergarten laughed when we played tag, stargazing at the ocean, dancing until the sun comes up, discovering new restaurants with amazing food, having a cleaning party in the house, sitting on a roller coaster on a different continent, watching the sunrise and eating sweets, playing card games until the middle of the night, dancing Greek dances on the schoolyard, experiencing the rocket war going on vacation and swimming in a waterfall and so much more. I am grateful for every little moment, every kind person that I got to know and for every skill that I learned but also for the thing that I learned also about myself. I feel like I am way more open than a year ago and that I grew with everything that I experienced here.
Now that it is the end of the project, I can say that I don’t regret anything and I also can’t think of anything major that I would change about the past year. I am so happy I did it and I think I will leave this place and my new family here with tears in my eyes. In the last few days I already started to pack my suitcase a little bit and it feels like a part of myself will always stay on this island. I already can’t wait to come back to this special place and see everyone again someday. For now, I wish I could freeze the time just for a little bit longer and stay here for another few weeks.
