To pasxa mou stov Poros! My easter in Poros! :)

On Wednesday (11th) night I headed to Pireus with an address with me to find Manos! First I went to the harbour to buy ticket for the ferry next morning to Poros. Then I walked around 20 minutes trying to find the restaurant where he works at. Suddenly it was in front of me but I couldn't see him. He had just left a minute ago but they called him back without telling him why.. When he finally parked his bike and saw me, he was absolutely shocked!!! He just hugged me and couldn't really say anything else than let's get inside since we were standing on the street.. Inside he really couldn't speak much so I explained to him what im doing in Greece etc. and how I had found out where we works at. We talked about an hour or so and then he gave me a lift to the metro station and I promised to call him on easter when we both would be in Poros (or he in Galatas but close anyway).

Finally on Thurday 12th of April the boat strike was over and I left to Poros at 8 am. When I was walking inside the boat I suddenly heard "Geia sou Ira".. I turned around and Manos was standing there. Last night he had told me that he will go to Galatas on Friday night after his work and drive there with his car. He explained to me that he figured to take a day of, since he would have company on the boat. The ferry ride went quickly and I tried to study some Greek.

The hotel owner and his wife where at the harbour to meet me. It's stupid to say hotel owner 'cause they are much more closer to me than that. They are like my "greek parents/granparents" so to say. :) We went to the hotel and I got a room number 2 which used to be me and my family's room every year! It's the biggest one in the hotel with three beds (+one extra bed) and a big balcony with a nice view. I went to the supermarket where one of the owner brothers laughed at me that I really can't stay away from the island.. Then I took a nap and after that it was lunch time upstair in my "greek parents/granparents" home. Since it was easter 30-40 days before they don't eat meat so we ate octopus-pasta, which was really good to my surprise!! We talked a lot about the financial situation, politicians and immigrants which has developed to be a huge problem in Greece. 

After I went to walk around the familiar roads in Askeli. I went to the beach for a little while to enjoy the sun (it wasn't really warm though). When I got enough I went back to my room and watched a bit tv and I noticed that it's a really good excersice for my greek language to watch programs in english with greek subtitles. I noticed that I was almost cabable of reading every word before it changed and I recognized a lot of words! :) 

In the evening I walked to the town (around 2-2.5km) and went to restaurant Oasis just to sit and wander the world go by. There were quite a lot of people since it was easter. I had a really warm welcome in the restaurant and the owner sat on my table when he wasn't busy to chat with me and keep me company. :) I walked back home around 11 pm. :) 

On Friday (Good /Holy/Great Friday) morning at 10 am I headed upstairs for breakfast and it was only me and Angeliki who really doesn't speak English. I think she can barely count to 10 in English and that's all. So it was pretty interesting I would say.. I had troubles understanding her and vice versa. Anyway I stayed there for two hours and I wrote every new word I learnt up so I could remember it better. In that two hours I learnt a lot of vocabulary and how to express myself with cestures and just try to speak Greek! Maybe after an hour or so I ran downstairs to get my dictionary to make our conversation a bit easier.. Some point we basically looked word after word from the dictionary said it aloud and the other one used the dictionary and said what she wanted to say. :D It was fun! :) 

Then I went to walk near taverna Romantza to find out if the owner would be there. I saw him from far away and when I went closer I spotted his father sitting outside their house and I asked in greek if he was there. And he also was really shocked and confused to see me. He invited me in and I immediatelly went to kiss her mother 'cause I was so happy she was doing fine. Maybe 4-5 years ago I had visited her bedside since she was doing really bad and they were sure that it was just a matter of days when she would pass away.. All three of them have seen me since a little baby so they were really happy for me. The mother just kept repeating den einai mikro (she's not small anymore). Finally I ended up giving physical therapy advise to her mother how she has to keep moving every day and not stay in bed. They also told me that I look exactly like my mother and I have all the same expressions and gestures as she does. They also thanked me for coming to visit them. It was great to see them all again! :) 

At two o'clock we ate lunch and as it was the day of when Jesus died we were only allowed to eat soup since meat, olive oil, milk etc. were forbidden. We ate tahini soup with small pasta things and it was okey. Again we only spoke greek at the lunch. Only once in a while Thanassis agreed on translating some words to me. I felt so so stupid!! I repeated that I don't understand or yes, yes or what.. I hate feeling stupid. 

After eating around two hours I got a lift to the town when I spoted my neighbour from Athens and some other Erasmus students!! They were there for a day trip and were walking to Askeli beach. I told them that I might join them at some point. After maybe half an hour I met one of my greek friends who offered me a ride to Askeli. I hopped of where the other students were walking, thanked for the ride and joined Erasmus people. :) We hang on the beach for many hours talking and playing cards.

In the evening we (me, Thanassis and Angeliki) left to town at 8.30 pm, we walked to the biggest church near the clock tower and outside there were lots of people with long, yellow candles. Inside to the church I could hear some preaching. They handed me one of the candles and it was so crowded that I was afraid of setting some one on fire with the candle.. I kept repeating to myself "you're not clumsy, you're not clumsy". Even the little kids were given this big candles in the crowd. Each one of the kids whom I saw were so concentrated with their candles. It was like an honour for them to be trusted with fire and they wanted to show their parents that they could do it. Then, when they brought out the big flowery-chair or what ever is the right name to the thing (picture below), everybody started making their way down along the slippery steep rock steps. On the main square we stand a while (I really don't know what happened since I didn't see anything) and then we started making our way back to the church again. When in front of the church they hold the flowery-thing up so people would go inside the church under it and it would bring good luck.

When all the traditions were over I got invited to have late dinner with Thannassis nieces' and their friends. We went to eat to this Poseidon restaurant which was so packed with people! Not a single table free. We ate a lot of sea food and traditional greek stuff! At the end of the dinner they wouldn't allow me to pay anything! It got a ride home from the girls. It was so much fun eating with them! :)

On a Satuday morning I woke up at 10 am and headed straight to breakfast. At 11.30 am I got a ride to town and there they showed me my bike! The day before I went to ask for the prices for bikes (not motorbike) but they asked 5€/day so I decided that I can walk around and not pay.. But this was Thannassis niece's old bike and it was so cool!

I went to sit down and have a coffee on the sunshine. I called to Manos and we agreed on meeting on Sunday. When I started biking back to Askeli I saw a woman sitting on the deck with a henna tattoo sign.. Of course I stopped! I talked with her for a good while and she was from Poland but didn't wanne live there so she lives in Athens, or islands or where ever she wants to.. I took a henna tattoo to my arm/wrist and I took three small stars. Biking home I felt so so good! I had a t-shirt on which says Young and free and I really felt like that! Sun, +22C, warm wind, my bike and the place which I love! <3

We had a lunch again at two and after I went to beach for 30 minutes. In like 5 minutes the weather changed! Clouds, the sea got rough and it became cold and it eventually started raining..! So much for sunbathing. I went to my room to watch tv but basically there were onlysome God programs and news going on.

In the evening it was time for some more traditions. This time we left at 11 pm to the Navy base where we lit our white candles 11.45 pm. The place was also so crowded and it was amazing to follow that only couple of persons went inside to the navy base church to lit their candles. After that people shared the fire to the person standing next to them saying Chronia polla (=many happy years/returns etc. Also said when someone has a birthday). Then we walked to the big yard where there was this stand where the priest started his speech. At 12 there was this big fireworks show! And people kissed each other and told Chronia polla, christos anesti = the god has arisen or something like that) it reminded me of the new year's. After we started making our way back to home with the candles. Inside to home door you're supposed to do a cross with the candle and it brings you good luck and protects your home.

At 1 am we went to one of their friends and neighbours to eat this huge dinner since now they were allowed to eat anything. There I finally got introduced to one tradition which I had been wondering what it is. I've seen a lots of boiled eggs painted red. Two people each take an egg and while one hold hers, the other one clicks her against the other one. The one which egg doesn't brake means good luck for its holder. At 2.30 am me and the family's daughter left to town and I saw my friend Martin at Maskes club from were we went with his friends to Sirocco club. During the night I met this guy whom I recognised and he also knew me, we just couldn't figure out from where. Maybe after couple of hours he gave to me telling that he got it. He had been a waitor in a restaurant, where we had used to go, when he was 14 or so, and now he was 23..! I got a ride to home at 5 am. :)

On Sunday morning I went for breakfast at 10.30 am and we left to Galatas side to eat lunch at 11.30 am. The lunch was tradition again, grilled lamb aka souvlaki. The grilled the ENTIRE lamb theirselves.. It was like finnish cottage and the fire. There were 10 men and me and they were drinking beer and watching to lamb to get ready. It was fun!! :D We werealtogether 10 people (different people) at the lunch and I tested "kokoretsi" which is lamb's heart, liver, lungs and intestines...! I did not like it at all! We ate around FOUR hours!! And from time to time I was soooo bored for not understanding the conversations that much!! After I was supposed to see Mano but his mother had some problems and she was at the hospital. I didn't do anything else that day!

On Monday morning I woke up after sleeping 14 hours!?! After breakfast I biked to the town to the new internet cafe and then I went to book the ferry tickets for the next day to Aegina to visit my greek friend Panagiotis. I also went to the beach since it was nice weather. After lunch we drove to the old windmill and walked on the mountain admiring the view to different directions! :) I also got a car tour around Neorio. In the evening I went to Oasis to eat.

Monastery on the highest point of Poros town or at least on the very top

Poros town <3

Galatas and Trizina <3

Tuesday: read the separate writing about my day in Aegina. :)

Wednesday I woke up at 9 am feeling vey tired since it had rained and stormed outside and I couldn't sleep. I really didn't do anything that special: wrote some letters to home, went to the town to internet, watched tv, went to the gym to visit the boss Vivi and ask for a job for the summer. She basically told me that she can't offer me anything but few hours in the afternoon and maybe some massage clients. I wasn't that excited, so we'll see..

Thurday (19th) was my last day of my easter holiday in Poros. At 12.30 am we left to Galatas side to visit the lemonforest! I found out that they have an other place to stay IN the lemonforest! I absolutely loved to small house! We also climbed to one of the mountainside where I found out that they own over 100 olivetrees in different places. The day was so nice! Relaxing and I really enjoyed myself. In the evening I went to eat to Oasis for the last time and say goodbye. I biked back home and admired the stars. :)

Poros town with the windmill and the monastery taken from the ferry crossing to Galatas

Next morning I left back to Athens at 6 o'clock boat.. :(

Taken from the ferry while going to Athens

The best birthday weekend!

Last Tuesday (3rd of April) was again the practical training in Attiko hospital and after I went straight to the central T.E.I for my greek lessons. The car ride from the hospital to the school was so cool! Car full of students, good greek music, coffee, windows open and everyone going crazy and singing and dancing! That's life! The feeling was so good! That would never happen in Finland unless people had been drinking something else than coffee.. :D

When the greek lessons where over I had a date with my greek friend Dora at Syntagma and we walked to Monastiraki to have a coffee at this so awesome place down the narrow alley. We sat there like over three hours talking about everything! :) it was so great. :) After I walked back to home and was exhausted after being out for over 12 hours..

Wednesday 4th of April the day was similar. After greek lessons I decided to try another way back home by bus which I've seen passing my place, 732. It took a while before I found the bus stop near Larissa metro station. The bus ride took for ever and the bus was so packed with people! When I got home I felt so tired and also a bit sick AGAIN!? My throat was hurting and I had a terrible headache. :( 

Thursday I was supposed to go to the rehabilitation center but I felt not good at all so I just slept for 12,5 hours! Then I tried to do some packing and rested the day. In the evening it was time for the final semifinal game in basketball: Panathinaikos - Maccabi Electra. I went there with Xenofon and Miina and it was so awesome! Like 1,5 hour before the game the stadium was full of people!! Even before the game the noise was crazy! 

Before the game

Me and Miina, PAO fans!

After winning the game 86-85!!

When the game ended everyone run to the court!! :D

It was a really good thing that we won the game 'cause I was afraid how people would have reacted there and also Xenofon told me that he wouldn't speak with me if we would have lost.. :P We got a ride from Xenofon back to home and I went to sleep around 1. 30 am. 

On Friday 6th of April it was my birthday and the day that the long waited sailing trip started!! The trip was organized by Athensmus and it cost us 165€ for three days. We met at Syntagma tram station at 8 and started our way to Edem tram stop near Marina Alimos. We: me, Elise from Holland, Erica from the States, Marti from Italy and Marie from France shared were in the same boat together. We got of the tram at Edem and went to the nearest market to buy stuff to the boat while me and Elise stressed a bit about being on time since it was already 8.35 and the meeting was at 8.30. We went to the pier 2 ahead with Elise after shopping and there really wasn't anyone there.. 

Since me and Elise were the first ones in our boat we got to choose the best room or cabin from our Black Pearl boat! After we got ourselves feel like home and the other girls also came we went to buy coffee and hang around on the deck of our boat. We waited and waited some more.. 

Finally at noon our boat was the first boat the set the sails and leave from the harbour while we enjoyed on the deck of the boat! In our boat also was our skipper (Skippy) and this really nice guy Nikos! :)

We sailed around 4 hours until it was time for the first stop somewhere near Eagina island at some bay. The sailing was so so nice! Just to relax on the boat, enjoy the sea and the sun!

The first stop

All together we had 11 sailing boats. We left from the first place towards Poros around 8 pm and I was so starving! We had a great time sitting outside and talking with the girls and our "grew". We also got to try to sail the boat and it was nice!

While sailing towards my second home we admired the full moon and the people on the boat sang me happy birthday in different languages! I absolutely LOVED the greek version!! <3 Also me and Marie sat like two hours on the deck under blankets watching stars and the full moon and wondering about life..

Titanic :D we felt like being those two guardians on the deck looking for icebergs :D

Marie and me

Poros <3

When we arrived to Poros we left straight to eat at Oasis restaurant which I chose. :) There the owner was really happy to see me, once again, and the girls told him that I have a birthday. We ordered and ate and when I asked for the check they brought more wine to us, when I ordered it again after drinking the wine I got this big ice-cream portion with some sparkler sticks on it and everybody sang to me, again.. :D When we finally got the bill they hadn't included any of my food in the bill. When we were walking away the owner asked where we were going and he told as that the bar Malibu was open and wrote us a note saying 10 free shots from him! :D

The night went really fast and we had fun time at Malibu and we also met Costas and his two friends. Me, Marie and Erica were the last ones from our boat to go to bed around 4 am. :)

The next morning it was so great to open the trap door to the deck and see the sun up and feel the warm weather! Nikos had bought some breakfast for us so we ate it and left to walk around the town. I showed the girls around and we climbed to see the clock tower and the view! :) 

We walked around the town and went grocery shopping since the next time we would touch land would be back in Marina Alimos on Sunday evening.. Then it was time to leave Poros around 2-3 pm and again our boat left first from the harbour. When we were around the corner of the island our Skippy asked if we wanted to swim quickly and of course we did!! That was an extra thing for us since we left first..

Get ready, jump!

We sailed maybe 4 hours to Agistri to some small bay where we "parked" our boats next to each other. On the way there I was sitting on the tip of the boat while the other girls were sleeping on the deck. At some point this other sailing boat which wasn't one of hours sailed right next to us. They started talking with our Skippy, they took pictures of me from their boat and suddenly this one man started climbing to our boat while we were sailing all the time! Once he made it to our boat he came to talk with me. :D He couldn't really speak english that much so I tried to talk in greek with him. He was a funny, 38-year-old guy with wife and children. Everything I told about myself to him he shouted it to his boat to the other guys. They wanted and tried to kidnap me to their boat. :D They were friends of your Skippy. :) 

In the bay some girls went to swim but I was freezing so I took a hot shower and changed warm clothes on and it felt so much better! We played cards inside and at 8.30 pm Nikos made pasta for us to eat at dinner. We made the table outside and enjoyed the best pasta and "white party wine". All the boats were in line and everyone was eating in their own boats. :) 

Little by little the music at the "head" boat started to get louder and they had a dj desk and real sound system! :) The night was awasome! They reflected some lights to the rocks in front of the boats. We had light sticks and some people also had torches and stuff! At some point of the night we had a great idea to get one of the tiny lifeboats to go around the yachts.. So we found our Skippy, who was a bit drank, to take care of us.. :D It was fun to go around them and see the party "outside". The guys who wanted to get me to their boat in the afternoon had decided to join our party so I hang around a lot with them practising my greek skills!! It was so much fun! So much fun! :D I was the last one up from my boat and I went to bed around 4.30 am. 

on a lifeboat

The next morning I woke up at 11 am and went to the deck to enjoy the sun. Everybody had so many bruises on their legs from jumping from boat to boat. I wonder how everyone managed to stay on the boats.. :D We hang around at the same spot, we sunbathed and swam. At 3 pm we set the sails towards Pireus. After one hour sailing the weather changed totally!! It was cloudy, cold and the sea was starting to get rough!

The weather was so terrible for the last 2,5 hour of the trip that we couldn't go inside cause immediatelly we felt seasick.. We had to stay outside and freeze. :D But we finally made it safely to the harbour and it started raining a lot. We all got a car ride from Nikos to home, that was so nice! 

Black Pearl family: me, Marti, Marie, Skippy, Erica and Elise

Nikos and his girls

I had absolutely the best birthday ever! I couldn't have asked for more! :) <3

On a Monday morning I woke up late and discovered that my voice was gone. Great. I took the day really easy and in the evening Elise came to stop by my house so I could get pictures from here camera which we used most of the time 'cause it was new and the best camera we had. The next two weeks most of the students have of from their schools because of the Easter holidays!

Tuesday: like I said most of the students.. We still had to go to our practical training but it was actually pretty fun day there since the supervisor/teacher really challenged me to speak Greek and wouldn't let anyone help me by translating.. After I went to the central campus to eat and this really shy professional swimmer boy started talking with me. :) He was a nice guy but really really shy, and didn't speak that good english and I could see that he was really nervous talking to me! Maybe some day I can see him swimming in the "big games". The day was really clod, it was only +12 and I was freezing!

In the evening I walked to Miina's place to say hi since she could go to Corfu for easter and I would be in Poros so we wouldn't see each other for almost couple of weeks! :) She had had her friends from Finland over and she had finnish rye bread and finnish chocolate!! That made my day! Also my voice was getting back and it was stronger!

Today on Wednesday my practical training was really boring since we only had two patients. The teacher let us leave already at 10.30 and I went to school to eat and headed home. I'm planning on taking a nap and then heading to Pireus to try to buy ticket for the ferry tomorrow morning.. All the flying dolphin tickets are sold out. Hopefully I'll get a ticket!! THEN (I've been waiting this for four weeks..!) I'm going to Pireus at this restaurant to surprise a family friend of ours who has worked earlier in Poros..! Manos has NO IDEA that I'm even in Greece or that I know that he doesn't work in Poros anymore.. He is going to be in shock! Last time two years ago when I surprised him he almost stared crying.. :P I just don't have any idea what time he is working so I just have to try to guess. I really hope I can see him tonight! :)

Small stuff I've noticed and I love about:

•  Men and children! Oh my god, it's like a day and night compared to Finland and young men there. Here most people adore children! I've noticed it when spending summers here but I've only thought that it was kind of part of their job to get along with kids so for example their parents would come again to some restaurant to eat. But no. It's the culture. For example the other day at the practical training at the hospital the door for the room where we work at was open and outside sat this maybe 3-year-old cute girl reading her book outloud. One of the manly, muscular, jock boy was the first one to go outside and to kneel down to her and start chatting and reading the book with her! I was shocked! And today on of the boys suddenly just come in with a baby in his lap and told us that isn't she cute!! :DD 

• Most people here buy metro tickets which are only valid for 90 minutes. (In Finland most of the people have these monthly travel cards). So here when people leave from the metro or bus and they don't need their ticket anymore they give it to you straight or leave it on the validating machine for someone to use. That would never happen in Finland. And that's just the most obvious thing here.

• The traffic here is what it is in most of the southern European countries. Also here it's really hard to find a parking spot. So many times here I've seen that when someone is trying to pocket park to some small space people stop to help them by showing how much further they can back. Again, it would never happen in Finland. 

•  Here you can find almost every one carrying in their hands either coffee cup, komboloi (the string with pearls used to relieve stress, keep hands and fingers occupied and generally pass the time), a cigaret or a phone! 

..and hate about:

• People have here usually two phones. And they have these stupid prepaid phone things that they never have credit to call or text. So they can't get a hold of you when they need. So people use a lot their friends phones so I never know who is calling to me from which phone!