Treasure the old and welcome the new

Spending time in a foreigner country has this one disadvantage - when your time there is up you leave people you like and people you like leave you. That is the price you pay for seeing all the amazing places on Earth.
The advantage is you will have a lot of friends all over the world; some of them will be the great kind of friends with whom you can pick up a conversation you started years ago, the kind of friends who will let you sleep in their place and feed you and share what they have, the kind of friends who will help you in spite of the fact they are thousands kilometres away.

I am sure I found precisely this kind of friends here. This was the second best 9 months I have spent somewhere (naturally the best 9 months I spent in my Mum's womb). Unfortunately everything comes to an end and so is this adventure. The hard part is to leave the people and the place and move on. But it is all part of the process and you just need to let things go so better things can replace them. If you cling to something that is already over but you insist on sticking to it you stand in your own way. It's a natural order of things that what is once finished cannot continue, something new has to replace it.

 


Life is a constant change and the best way how to deal with it is to accept it and move with it. Our very essence is to be on the move. Don't you feel alive everytime you leave your home for an adventure? Even if it's just 10 days holiday. Something somewhere deep inside you is excited by this change.

Do not stay at one place all your life. Move around. See the world. It will open your eyes and free your spirit.
To see how differently people live in South and North America, Africa, Europe, Asia and Australia will help you understand that although we all come from different backgrounds, religions and societies and despite the fact we all talk different languages, we are humans and that connects us on much deeper level than all the above.

There is something about these islands...

Paphos International Airport. Ok. We are here. On time. Another trip. From one island to another. It doesn't matter, as long as I am moving. I am flexible. In motion. My style. 

And this is the first image of paradise I can see from my small airplane window.

Not bad, right? Not bad at all. But, please do ignore the brand marked on the wing. No place for promotion here. 

What is this combination of blue, green and white? Is this some kind of a flag? And it's like 27 degrees out there! 

How did that snow get there? I am truly fascinated. 

Hi Crete! Nice to meet you. I wasn't expecting you would be so lovely and charming. What a cool surprise. 

Did I mention that is summer here? 

Very hot. The window is melting. Good thing I have my swimming suit with me. Sometimes you just know what is important to take with you. You know that feeling. Intuition?

Ok. Enough already with the praise. I am not going to tell you where is Crete, how many people live there, which is the main city, how is the economy doing (maybe you don't have to google that one :D) and stuff like that. You can search it for yourself. It's not that important because...

...I would like to tell you how Crete made me feel.

Time for another photo. Right now.

Chania. Our harbour. Our starting/finishing point. Our home in Crete.

My favourite city in Crete. There is something magical in the air. The streets. People. Atmosphere. Smiles and laughter. Cheerfulness. Joy. Lost parts of forgotten paradise. It seems so eternal. Natural. The way it's supposed to be. 

Also... The city is so vivid! All the time! Even on Monday mornings, afternoons, evenings ;). Restaurants and bars full of people just hanging out, il dolce far niente, Mediterranean style. Is it related to the economy in this part of Europe? Nooooooo. Impossible.

It doesn't seem there is a crisis. Maybe I am just not capable of recognizing it? No. No crisis here. Human spirit seems to be quite fine here. General happiness everywhere around me. And nature. Amazing nature. You can have a glimpse of it.

Not now. Not yet. First some advising and good practice examples (checked) :). 

The best way to explore the island is to have a car or hitchhike, or have a friend who has a car or something similar. Uf, my point is next: don't use the buses if you want to act as a real traveler ;). Just go places. Buy a map and just wander around. You cannot get lost on an island so don't worry. Please, don't check TripAdvisor, Lonely Planet and all of those tourist security channels. Be spontaneous, be an explorer, adventurer, take some road which you have no idea where it might lead. You will get an opportunity to see much more than you have imagined ;), Trust me on that one. Just be sure to have enough gas and food in storage, you never know...

Now the nature part I promised before.

 

700 kilometers. Excitement. New horizons. Snowy mountains. Loooooong, sandy beaches. Greenery in between. Greek food - no need for explanations. 4 "big" (it's hard to define this on an island) cities. Lots of happy and chubby stray dogs. That like to cuddle. Comfy evenings with wine on our balcony. Seaview. Lighthouse. The sea traffic controler that made our hotel view fabulous. Pure magic.

I am telling you... There is something special about these islands... They are a reminder of some lost world which we still yearn for... It's not easy to define it. It's just a way they make me feel. Infinite. 

Just like this photo...

The Human Library

Sunday 7th of February was long, intensive and full of emotions. It started early in the morning for some of us, doing a workshop about migration, what actually was an appetizer, waiting for the main dish that took place in the afternoon, a Human Library with a specific theme, refugees and migrants.
It was a different day for all of us who took part of it, receiving some calls from some of the residents of Kofinou, asking when are we going to pick them up, how are we going there...something special was in the air that day.

Migration workshop

When I got there, some of the people were already waiting, ready, prepared and excited with the plan, some of them needed their time to get ready and put their best clothes, finally, after many months, they could have the chance to go to Nicosia and meet people from a completely different background and environment.
I remember the trip in the taxi, when one of them saw Nicosia for the same time and exclaimed, "This is like Beirut, but much cleaner". Looking through the windows, asking where the center was, where our place would be where Lidra Street is... But totally determined with his task: "I will deliver the message"
Finally we arrived to Ifantourgeio, where the venue took place, all of us where hungry, so before starting anything lunch was needed. I remember the faces and the shine in the eyes of the Palestinian-Lebanese when having a lahmajoun, drinking a whiskey and having the feeling of being living a normal life, out of the context of the camp.
But not only people from Kofinou camp participated, also other migrants who struggle for survival in Nicosia, who have many things to say and to tell, and a story that must be told. When talking with one of them a few weeks before the Human Library, he told me: "I don't exist anymore, I cannot work, I cannot study, I cannot do anything, I cannot get money, I cannot go anyhere. Just eating and sleeping, like a baby, too much time to think and nothing to do with my time". Reasons enough to count on him for the event.

And then it started, with many doubts at the beginning, uncertainty about what to say, or what to ask, or how to do. Doubts that were going away as they felt more comfortable telling their stories and being listened and understood. "I delivered the message, to Cypriots, now they know who we are and what we want to do here. Now they know we are not terrorist, we just want a future for our kids".
As the venue was getting to the end, the tiredness and exhaustion was obvious in some of the "books", too many times telling a painful story that they had experienced is never easy, and, as a reader said: "after reading two books in a row you need a break". Now just imagine if it's your own experience and you have to reveal it again and again.

Finally, the Human Library ended, then time for dinner with all the people who organize it and the "books". It was the perfect closure, forgetting the labeling of being refugee, Cypriot, African or Spanish, just people with people having dinner together, enjoying the end of a long, intensive and beautiful day.

A day to remember for all of us, a day when their voices were heard, when the Cypriots and migrants, refugees and asylum seekers could mingle, listen to each other and understand each other. The seed is planted, now is everybody's task to take care of it and let it grow, a better future is possible, for all of us, it's us who can make it possible.

Welcome Mister Fear!

WELCOME MISTER FEAR!

Mister Fear is very clever, always finds the right time to sneak out of your untidy closet, slither out from underneath your dusty bed, peep out of the darkest corner of your house (or of your mind)... No matter where you are, no matter where he's hiding, he always finds his slimy way to you.
He's unpredictable: sometimes you make an appointment, you wait for him hours, even days, and he doesn't show up; he lets you cook in your own steam, untill you start looking for him, calling him and even wanting him back, because "it is simply impossible that I'm not afraid this time". And then, just when you started to believe the impossible and forget about him, the moment you let your guard down...Surprise! There he comes, totally unexpected. 

He's a quick-change artist, too. He's a master... I wonder where he learnt that? He can take as many forms as you allow him to: it can be the shiny yellow eyes of your cat, waiting to assault you on your way to the bathroom during the night. Or the shut wrinkled lips of your grandma when you broke the special vase that your grandfather painted, the irreplaceable one and only. "How many times did I tell you not to play with the ball inside the house?" "Ooops". It's the never-ending waiting that precedes the inevitable impact of your dad's enormous hand with your innocent and way too soft butt. That's pure Fear! It's the dark, the void, silence, heights, loneliness, responsibilities, the white coat of the dentist, failure, pain, something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue,... All of them or none, and, the most amazing thing, all their opposites as well.

Animal or person, tangible or intangible, he likes special effects and fireworks. Loves being in the centre of the attention and making some drama...Oh yes, he (or she?) is the perfect drama queen!

Very considerate of him, he sometimes comes in the very good company of the lovely Miss Insecurity and the adorable Mrs Anxiety. What he absolutely lacks, is some generous portion of Trust and Self-Confidence. But, well, what to do? Nobody's perfect!

He's an unscrupulous and cruel teacher, has no regards for anybody, not even for himself, because you can be afraid of Fear itself. And if you feed him too much, he may turn into mister Panic, the Hyde-version of Dr Jekyll or the secret picture of Dorian Grey, that we all keep in our most remote attic. And trust me, you don't want to meet Mr Panic very often!

Whenever Mr Fear is there, you become lazy, you prefer not to take the risk, you avoid things, run away from people and situations, from emotions and from life itself. Sad, isn't it?

No matter how many mountains you climb, how many continents you explore, if you jumped out of a plane or sank into the deep blue ocean. No matter how many people you met, how many times you stood out, spoke for yourself, faced him, he's always there to accompany you.

But he was also there every time you needed him, to remind you how much it hurts to put your hand on fire, to stop you when you wanted to escape the house jumping from the second floor, to pull your sleeve when you were about to cross that road exactly in the same moment when a car was coming. He was there to prevent you from repeating always the same mistake (at least he suggested you not to do it again, it is your choice if you keep making it). He can be very bossy and strong, sure, but only if you let him take the lead. If you learn how to domesticate him, you will find him a very loyal companion, and he'll become smaller and smaller, not more than a reassuring and pleasant presence whispering in your ears from time to time, just in the right moment, when you need that wise advice from a friend who knows you from very close.

He's not a huge monster with terrifying teeth and claws, he just disguises himself, but deep down he's not more than a

puppy who invites you to play.

And if you accept the challenge, that's when the two of you can have some real fun!

Ok, holidays are gone, now where's summer?

Hello everyone! We wish you a prosperous, happy, joyful and loving 2016!

Did you had fun? Was it calm, amazing, surrounded with the people you love? Or was it far from home, another dimension, unfamiliar ground and strangers around you? It doesn't matter, the most important thing is that another new year is in front of us. New possibilities, new plans, new encounters, new people and new lessons. Leave all the things and people that hurt you and make you feel small behind, in 2015. In 2016 take your wonderful personality and positive attitude with you. It's quite enough for new beginnings.

Please, don't make a new year's wish list. You will give up on it in February, like you do every year. Just learn how to become the master of your own mind. You don't need a new year for that. It's something personal. Hard. Full of temptations. It's very difficult to put your mind and your ego in a proper place. When you accomplish that you will be in peace with yourself. Trust the process of letting go. That's an important part, as well. You know, letting go of friends whom you don't get along the same way you used to. Letting go of memories. Of past experiences. They did their job, now it's time for new adventures. Get ready for what you really deserve! ;)

And, by the way, where's summer? Has anyone seen it? ;)