Showing posts with label volunteer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label volunteer. Show all posts

Friday, January 18, 2019

Holidays - EVS way


It’s a bit hard to go back to work after holidays, all of the amazing food and relaxed moments with friends and family. Especially if you are an EVS volunteer living far away from home.

So, the holidays for us were everything but usual. We decided to throw a little celebration in the Youth Center as a reward of the successful period behind us. We had a Christmas dinner, spent some time together with nice music and good food (that we prepared by ourselves ^^), received nice presents from our Secret Santas.








We also had to say some goodbyes to friends who finished their EVS projects, but with a promise to meet again soon.
Thessaloniki coastline through the eye of an EVS
Then, all of us haven’t seen each other for a while.
Some went back home for holidays, some were exploring northern parts of Greece, and some stayed to experience the way Kalamata people celebrate holidays.


Traditional French cake through the belly :) of an EVS




All of us were full of stories to tell when we got together in January. 
And of course, full of inspiration New Year resolutions. Classical ones – eating healthier, spending less money, getting more sleep, reading more books. A bit unusual ones – creating medicines by ourselves, learning how to make natural toothpaste etc, but with a common goal of making our lives more enjoyable.







We have even dedicated a whole issue of the next LINK magazine to resolutions. So in case you got hooked to the resolution examples you just red, you’ll love it.  


Friday, January 27, 2017

Why Do I Love Kalamata?

Why do i love Kalamata?


Answer is very simple,
Kalamata is my home after all.

Just imagine yourself,
In a place somewhere in the world,
When you think about your home,
Where would you like to be?
Which bed would you prefer to sleep?
When you close your eyes and think about your “home” , which house do you see?
Which streets do you walk to reach to the place you called home?

Since my childhood, almost every 6 months, I have changed my living environment, sometimes due to my family’s occupation, for summer breaks… And after the university, it turned into my reality and everywhere started being my home. As long as bring my books and my ipod with me, I never looked before for a place permanently.

Until the day I arrived here.

Of course, you may ask, what is special about Kalamata than the other over 200 cities in 32 countries I have been so far?
Let me explain:

No Traffic
Even if you see some, just walk already! You can access anywhere you want by walking max 30min, and voalâ! You are there!


Everything is Available
Every material we may need in daily, professional and modern life is accessible here. From electronics to cosmetics, clothes, food… And c’mon! We have a huge Jumbo here. The place is like a amusement park for adults :D

Fresh Food
How many civilized city do you count for me, where you can pick up fresh fruit right from the branch, every-time-of-the-yeeeaarr! You don’t need to pay for lemons, oranges and mandarins here, at all.
And during orange flower season, streets smell like heaven!

Beautiful Beaches
Even during high tourist period between end of July and middle of August when sea turns into blurry soup, cost line always preserves its beauty. You can just rent a boat and go little bit away from the shore, or you can take small trips to the towns where seas are calmer and fresh on that period.

Food and Bakeries
I think there is no need to mention how awesome bakeries and taverns we have here, make you gain weight like a big fat floating buoy on the sea.

Mountains
When you wake up and go to your balcony, almost from every house, green mountain view is always visible in every season. Sometimes even you can see some snow on them, while you are having fun with beautiful sun on the beach, walking…

It’s Always Sunny in Kalamata
Except for couple of days in winter ( it is very hard to say that we have an actual “winter” here but sometimes it is getting really freezing ) , sun always shows its shiny face. Not only shows, it warms you up until very deep ends of your bones. Yes, even you can swim!


Accessibility
Athens is just 3 hrs away. For me, I am an Istanbulian. I already make this distance in one way, when I want to go somewhere inside the Istanbul! From Athens, you can go every part of the world.

Low Criminal Rate, No Terrorism
Only bad thing you can face here is your bike might get stolen. Actually sorry, be sure that your bike will be stolen one day. It happens to everyone, it’s normal here, just get used to it.
However, be calm, this is the only bad thing that you will see.

Social Life
For this scale of town, we have a quite good social life to have fun every night and weekends. Festivals, concerts, party and dance nights…

Friends
I have already had some “for a life-time friends” here, help me to feel like I am home, everyday.


FOR ME,
For me, when I am on my own, I just take a walk on the beach in the morning, after that, as breakfast, I eat my tiropita or cookie with my coffee in my balcony with mountain view. Just before sunset, I take my tea and my blanket, I go to the marina and read my book there with relaxing Messinian gulf view.

When you lay up all those things one under to the other, it gives you conclusion of the question :
         Where is your home?
And I say it again and again,
Kalamata is my home.