Something many of you will not be familiar with, is that MANY years ago, I went on an international student summer program that placed me in Greece. It was AMAZING! I made some truly wonderful memories, and it kind of inspired me to keep exploring. Among other things, I made some truly wonderful connections with people. First and foremost, with my host family. They were so kind and patient, and really gave me a wonderful experience. The greek and international students I met are still life-long friends of mine, and the program director in greece is both a mentor and friend.
Fast forward to years later, while I lived in Austria, I spent a week in Greece, touring around and visiting friends and family. They were still as wonderful and caring as I remembered.
Fast forward again, to this summer, and I was Greece bound once again!
My flight to athens was EARLY. I had to catch the airport shuttle from our airbnb in Edinburgh at 4am. Both my mom and grandma got up to say goodbye, and my mom walked me to the shuttle stop – they were staying an extra day in Edinbugh without me (probably to get some actual vacation time haha).
I flew from Edinburgh to Brussels, had a 3 hour layover, and then flew to Athens, arriving around 430pm.
This was the easy part!
My family and friends do not live in Athens, they live in Volos, which is about 4 hours by bus north from Athens. So I had to try to catch one of these buses in time, or I would be stuck in Athens overnight.
So from the airport, I had to take a city bus about 45 minutes to the right bus terminal.
And I totally missed it.
It had been a while, okay?! I was tired and hungry, and it just didn’t look familiar enough! So I missed the stop, and as a result, missed the bus I was hoping to be on.
I stayed on the city bus, hoping it would loop around, which it didn’t. So I got off at the end of the line, waited around, and got on the same bus line going the other direction. That was a stressful 20 minutes of waiting!
So I get back on the city bus and about 15 minutes later I push the button to let me off at the right bus terminal. WELLLLLL the bus driver thought it was a mistake and almost didn’t stop! I think it was because the bus direction was heading to the airport, and so he assumed people would only be getting on, not off. But thankfully I called up to him and he stopped!
SO I get off and walk up the road to the bus terminal, and find out the next bus isn’t until 8pm, so I have about 2 hours to kill in the bus terminal.
It’s not super fancy, but it has a bakery and convenience shop, and free wifi, so basically I was covered. Just frustrating that I missed the previous bus by like 15 minutes!
After watching netflix and eating a snack, the 2 hours passed and I got on the bus. It’s a big coach bus, and because of the time of day, it was basically empty, which meant I got my row to myself!!
The bus line drives about 2 hours and stops at a rest stop for 20ish minutes before continuing on. So you can get out, go to the bathroom, get a snack, etc. before getting back on for the last half of the trip.
I slept for a while, watched more netflix, and listened to some music. The drive is beautiful (I’ve done it a few times haha) but hard to appreciate at night in the dark. Basically you drive along the east coastline all the way north , so you can see the sea outside your window the whole ride – it’s really nice.
I FINALLY arrived in Volos just after midnight. I had arranged to stay with Chara (my old program director) and her family in Volos, so I took a taxi to their apartment from the bus terminal. Chara was away until the next day, so thankfully her husband Michael was able to greet me and welcome me into their home!
And before you worry, midnight is not late in Greece. Greek people stay up all hours of the day and night basically. A daily schedule would look something like this:
- you wake up around 7am for work
- you come home for lunch around 2pm (what they refer to as noon)
- you eat lunch and take a nap, getting up around 6pmish
- hang around the house, snack, and get ready for the evening.
- (If you’re young) go out around 10pm, grabbing a gyro or other street food sometime around 11.
- Go to bed again around 2?
Basically, you take 2 naps a day and eat sporadically throughout. It’s a good time.
So when Michael welcomed me in, we stayed up another few hours chatting (which got difficult because I was so tired!)
A fun thing is he pulled up old photos from when I visited greece the first time (when I was 18!). Michael was the official photographer basically for the program, and because he was Chara’s husband, he came on all our excursions with us!
What a throwback, huh?! I look like a baby! It was awesome to look through the pictures because it brought back so many memories and fun times spending every day that summer outside, exploring, swimming, laughing! Life was much simpler as a fresh 18 year old, running around Greece without a care – adult me wishes it could always be like that!
At last I told Michael that I needed to go to bed – I had been awake for so much of the day, and with the time change again I was feeling too sleepy to keep talking. So I very quickly crashed in the spare bedroom and went to sleep.
My very rude alarm woke me up the next morning.
After getting up, chatting with Michael, he sent me off, back to the bus station!
I was there to catch ANOTHER bus, but this time to Stefanovikeio, a small village north of Volos. This is where my host family lives, and where I spent the majority of my summer. It’s only about 30 minutes, so not a big deal to get to.
When I arrived, my host mom Vicky was at the stop to greet me! I was so happy to see her!
She was my best friend while I lived with her. She and I are very similar, and she is so funny! She runs an english school in the village, and when I lived with her she would take me to work with her. I ended up helping to teach english while I was there, and started learning greek as well.
When I got back to their home, I saw the 3 little children again! Vicky has 3 kids – Andonis, Katherina, and Garyfallos. When I first met Andonis, he was 5 years old! Now he is 11 – he’s like an adult basically! And his english is really advanced, so he started learning french as well. He also remembered me from when he was young, and from when I visited again a few years ago. When I first lived with them, Katerina was 16 months old, and had not been christened, so she was “Baba”, meaning baby. After I left, she was named Katerina. Last time I visited she was almost 4, and now she is 6! She’s a fireball, with a big personality. Garyfallos had just been born the last time I visited (like 3 weeks old), so now, as a 3 year old, he was very rambunctious, but very shy, because he did not know who I was. He also doesn’t know english yet so he was extra shy.
The whole family got together and drove about an hour to Agiokampos, a super popular beach spot. We met up with Vicky’s sister, her husband, and her kids. Immediately, all the kids ran off to the sea to play, while the adults sat on the beach and chatted. I hadn’t had much opportunity to visit with my family, so we caught up, talked about what was going on for all of us, it was really nice!
I LOVE the ocean. Water is just so calming for me – I don’t have to swim, but to just sit and watch the waves, feel the breeze….. it’s just so nice. One day I want to move somewhere close to the ocean or sea, so I can be close to it always!
We spent the day with a picnic, in and out of the sea. At one point, I fell asleep for about an hour, lying on my towel, and got a sunburn on my shoulders and back (ow).
Eventually, our day in the sun had to end, and we packed up and headed back to Stefanovikeio.
By the time we got back, it had gotten dark. Everyone dispersed a bit, the kids to play, the adults to unpack, rest. And we all came back later around the table outside. This was when Vicky said “would you like to get some gyros?”
UM, YES I WOULD!
Gyros, for those who do it wrong, are the best. Gyros are arguably my favorite food, and I can’t eat them anywhere outside of greece, because everyone else does it wrong! So I was so excited! Plus, this would be my first gyro of the trip, so it was extra special.
Vicky sent me and Adonis to the shop together. Andonis was charged with taking care of me basically, and he took his job very seriously. The whole time we walked he kept saying things like “watch this branch, don’t trip.” or “now, what do you want to order again?” He was determined to be in charge, and order for me. So we showed up, and he stood anxiously waiting to order. He had memorized what I wanted on the walk over, and the whole time narrated what was happening – “now they will put the sauce on the gyro.” and things. He was very responsible, and also very bravely talked to me in english the whole time – speaking in another language is always scary, so he was very brave.
Gyros are basic and amazing. You have the pita bread, meat (lamb/pork), and then onions, tomatoes, tzatziki, potatoes stuffed in the top (french fries), and covered in ketchup and/or mustard (personally, I don’t get mustard). It is warm and juicy and just so dang good I can’t explain, I just love them.
The rest of the evening was spent outside on the patio, chatting and laughing with the children, playing games. They are very fun kids, and they practiced their english and I practiced my greek (they laughed at me if I didn’t get something right, so that was good for my ego).
Eventually, everyone headed off to either have some quiet time or (in my case) go to sleep.
Another bright and hot day in Greece – I have failed to mention up to this point, but Greece is a very different climate to Scotland. Scotland is a little rainy, pretty mild. Greece is high 30s early in the morning. Not too humid though, thank goodness.
That morning Vicky had to go to the school to teach some lessons, so I tagged along with her!
This group of students were very different from the group of students I knew, mostly because all the students I hung out with are now adults and in university haha!
But there were very polite, very kind, and very smart. Their english was very good! It’s always fun to test the kids, because they get so nervous! They just don’t want to look silly in front of me, especially as a native english speaker. So it’s really great to encourage and support them, and make them feel comfortable talking to me, and then in turn talk to them in Greek, and fail miserably haha – that always makes them feel better!
After a few lessons, we walked across the street to Vicky’s parent’s home, where her mother had made us lunch! In true Greek style, she filled my plate before I could say anything!
I have found it is always best to eat food given to you without complaint. Especially in greek families. I remember times when I don’t finish my plate (mostly because I’m full), my greek grandmother (γιαγιά) would be offended and ask “do you not like it?! I can make you something else?!” like no, I’m so full! I actually learned the word φούσκωσα (foos-koo-sah) very early in my greek travels – it means loosely “I’m so full I could burst”. It’s a silly word, so everyone laughs when I say it – they also don’t get offended.
Meals, especially lunch, is very protein and starch heavy. If it’s not potatoes, it’s rice, If it’s not beef, it’s pork. They eat large lunches and then snack throughout the rest of the day basically. And everything is saturated in oil. It’s sooooo good, but soooooo bad for you haha. There’s a reason I gained so much weight when I lived there haha.
The rest of the day was filled with lessons and hanging out with Vicky.
In the evening, we spent time at home, playing in the yard. And before too long, it was time to part ways.
Chara had a group of students on a program similar to the on I had been on years earlier, and one of the excursions was to take the teens to Santourini. NOW, Santourini is the big bucketlist item for everyone, and kind of the reason I went to greece this time. Traveling with a greek guide, who knows the place well, can get good prices, etc. is a great asset. So when Chara told me this group was going, I asked if I could tag along, which she agreed to. And they were leaving that night to go to Athens to leave for the island. So I only had a couple days with Vicky’s family before leaving.
So that night, I had to say good bye to them – it was so hard, and they begged me to stay, but I had paid for my trip and wanted to go (even though I didn’t want to leave them). Graciously, another family in the village offered to drive me back into Volos, where we would be meeting the other students to go to Athens. Turns out they are the family of a friend I had when I lived in Greece, and had since become a host family for other students. In fact, many of the friends I had when I lived there because host families to future international students – pretty cool to have that impact on them! I was the first international student to go to the village before, and I guess I left a good impression!
So we all said a sad goodbye, and me and this family, along with their international student drove off to Volos. It was fun to catch up with the family, especially one of their daughters, who I had known when I was there. I was friends with her older sister, who wasn’t there, but the younger sister still remembered me being around and teaching her lessons, which was pretty cool!
In typical greek fashion, lots of people did not show up on time (including Chara haha). So we ended up waiting around the bus station for some time before we were all ready to leave. Even so, we had to stop a couple times to pick up students along the way!
Chara decided to rent a small coach bus to seat everyone, and we drove all through the night to Athens to make the first ferry to the island.
One thing I learned very quickly is that I was TOO old for this group. They were teens, aged 13-17, and the whole time were talking about this or that gossip, some trends I didn’t know about, and using slang I had never heard. They also were pretty annoying (but more on that later haha).
4 hours squished into this bus, surrounded with children, we FINALLY arrived at the port in Athens. At about 4am.
So we park the bus, we all get out, and we basically have to hang out until we can board the ferry, which isn’t until 5am. So we all just have to sit around and wait.
There was a small bakery close by that we found, to get some food (because no one had eaten all that time), and the 17 of us descended like a hurricane upon the poor place haha.
FINALLY we board at 5am, only to learn that the ferry doesn’t leave until 7:25. THAT’S SO MUCH WAITING TIME! At least the port was pretty.
So what do we do? We set up shop. Hard.
We took over a whole area of the boat for ourselves. As one of the first people on board, we had dibs over certain areas. Because of our tickets, we couldn’t sit in certain places, but the rest was free for all.
And almost immediately, we crashed haha. We laid out and fell asleep. After all, the ferry ride was 8 HOURS. So we had time to kill.
How will Santourini go? Is the island worth the stress to get there?!
TUNE IN NEXT POST!
In all seriousness though, I love my greek family. They are such kind and generous people, and I love to spend time with them.
Vicky and her children, and her school, have been such great blessings.
After so many years, they still message me to see how I am, they still invite me into their home, they still care so much about me. They have always considered me a child of their family, even though I’m way older, live across the world, and visit once every 6 years!
I want to give a special shoutout to my γιαγιά (grandmother).
She is 88 years old, and still kicking! She’s had some health challenges in the last few years, including falling and breaking a hip. But she cares about me so dang much it’s crazy.
When I lived with them, she spent so much time with me. She doesn’t speak english, but she would always worry about me spending time by myself. So if I was sitting outside reading or writing in my journal, she would come sit beside me – she didn’t speak, because we didn’t speak the same language, but she always wanted to make sure I knew she was there for me. She would also give me food anytime I didn’t have food in my hands basically. She would always cheer for me when I learned new greek words, and to this day her favorite thing is to hear me recite the greek alphabet. The 3 things she would always ask me when she saw me was “How are you doing?”, “Are you hungry?” and “Are you tired?”. She would check in about my wellbeing every time she saw me. And now that she’s older she can’t do as much. But while I was visiting she hugged and kissed me, and sat on the porch behind me so I would know she was there.
A really sad thing about saying goodbye to her, is that she felt she wouldn’t see me again. Every time I visit and leave over the last few years, so gets really emotional because she worries I won’t come back or it’ll be a long time, and with her health she may not be around the next time I come to greece. So it was such a tender moment as I left to tell her that I love her and miss her when I don’t see her. She is such a special lady in my life and means so much to me. I miss my greek family always, but she’s just extra special.
She didn’t want to take a picture because she was worried about how she looked, that she wasn’t wearing her best clothes – and I told her that she always looks great and to not worry. But she made me promise not to post her picture anywhere because she was worried, so NO ONE TELL HER!
This family was not something I ever expected to become so attached too, but now I can’t imagine what my experience would have been like without them there. And absolutely I will visit them again – I keep telling them that they can visit me ANYTIME, but travel is hard and expensive and I understand that completely. So one day, I would love to host them and show them what my world is like. Hopefully some day soon!
But the past is behind, and we must look forward! It’s time for Santourini, the hottest tourist destination on the planet! Let’s see what messes we get into!
~ emma.k
Wandering Miss Emma.K 