#votsala

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#mpomponieres #vaptisi #votsala #tradeicons https://www.instagram.com/p/CJ3elPFl4RI/?igshid=1804inqw0yruu

[christinroussi]

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[audreys-travel]

Thursday December 26 - Tucson, AZ 

Six Months Later

So it’s about six months since coming home from studying abroad this past summer. The experience has had a huge impact on how I think, what I think about, and what I want to do after graduation. Before I went, I knew that I wanted to go into Humanitarian Aid as a career field, and someday do project management or coordination, but I had no idea how to go about that. Now I know what kinds of grad school programs would be best for what I want to do, and I know what kinds of volunteer experience I want to seek during the couple years between my undergrad and masters. 

The trip from this past summer also taught me things I need to know about myself if I want to be successful in my chosen career field. I need regular alone time to be able to function in a high-stress environment, to process what I’m seeing and doing so that I can be compassionate and kind. Taking care of yourself is a huge part of this field. I also learned that I prefer more physical work, like improvement projects in the camp, to inventory or reception positions, and that means that I need to be in way better shape the next time I go volunteer or (hopefully soon in the future) get a job with an organization. 

One of the biggest things I learned about myself over the past six months because of this experience is that I hold onto things, and I often let my emotions get in the way of what I’m doing, whether that be homework, or working, or going out with friends. Some experiences stick with you, and crop up at times when you need to be focusing on something else, and it can be hard not to get sucked into the memory. I think about my trip this past summer or the camps nearly every day, and I keep up with news from the Greek islands and the larger region about refugees and current events. 

All said and done, I am even more grateful that I had this experience now that I’m half a year away from it. It gave me insight into what I want to do with my own life after graduation, and ideas about how to get there. I am far more aware of my world now, and I know how I want to participate in it in the future. I remember this time last year starting to think about going on this trip, and I remember being on the fence about it for awhile because I was worried about the money. What convinced me was the realization that this was an opportunity for me not only to learn about myself, go somewhere new and get a new perspective on my life and my world, but also to do a little bit of what I thought I wanted to do with my life long-term. It was terrifying, because what if I got there and realized I actually didn’t want to do this kind of work, but I decided it was better to learn sooner rather than later if that was the case. That wasn’t what happened, but even if it had been, I still would have had an incredible experience, and I still would have learned just as much about myself and the world I live in. 

On the off-chance anyone is reading this who is thinking about going on a trip, my advice is to figure out if it’s something that would benefit you, and if it is, do everything you can to go. Talk to advisors and teachers, talk to people who have gone in the past, find scholarships and fundraise. If you’re considering going on this trip specifically, I can’t recommend it enough. Maybe it’s relevant to what you want to do as a career (which makes it incredible hands-on experience for a resume), but even if it isn’t, you still get the chance to help in one of the largest humanitarian crises of our time. You get the chance to do something worthwhile. It’s hard, and it’s jarring to experience so many paradoxes - you’re in an amazing place with incredible food, and the ocean is blue and beautiful, but thousands of people have died in that water, and people are dying in camps in Turkey, which you can see from the Votsala. But for anyone who wants to learn about the reality of what’s happing in the world, and who wants to get involved in helping the people caught up in those situations, I cannot recommend this program highly enough. 

Photos

1 -   A sign hung outside the Votsala’s office showing how far it is to different European cities. 

2 -  Graffiti on a building just outside Kara Tepe (the Isoboxes on the far right of the photo mark one of the edges of the camp).

3 - A life vest that washed up on the shore about a 10 minute walk from the Votsala.

4 - A typical Greek salad.                                                    

[nnikkoss]

Volcano & Votsala, white pebbles decorating much of Santorini

[mariazil]

Perhaps the ost beautiful #votsala #shawl, ever! Thank you @hiromon_ 💕💕💕 #Repost @hiromon_ with @repostapp ・・・ #votsala_kal by @mariazilakou_designs FO!! 面白い所に引き返しがあったりして、 とっても楽しく編めました🙌🙌 very very FUN🎉🎶💕 This yarn is #beautifulmessyarnworks 💓🌼 #ravelry #knittersofinstagram

[audreys-travel]

Tuesday June 25 - Lesvos (Week 4)

Personal Experiences, aka Greek Food is Incredible

A lot of the prompt questions for the GO Scholarship blog seem strange for this particular study abroad program, which makes sense this program’s content is unique to the standard program. I’ve posted about my ‘academic’ experiences because it feels wrong to focus on my new favorite food when when I could be talking about what we’re learning, which I think is way more important. That said, all study abroad experiences, regardless of content, have some things in common, and I’ve had a lot of those over the past month. So, this is the master post of some of my personal experiences here in Greece these past few weeks that I think are generally relevant to studying abroad.

What did you pack that you wish you'd left behind? What do you wish you'd packed?

Clothes is the answer to both here. I over-packed clothes for volunteering, but brought jeans for the days we weren’t working. It’s way too hot here for jeans, but I refuse to spend money on clothes when there’s so much good food to spend money on. Greece in the summer is great for flowy clothes, no matter what you’re doing, and I wish I’d brought mine with me.

One thing I’m really glad I brought is citronella bar-lotion. I bought lotion in bar form so I would have less liquids to worry about packing into my carry-on or spilling in my checked bag, and I picked the citronella one because I figured a humid summer climate would mean mosquitoes. It turns out they’re everywhere here in Greece in the summer, especially on Lesvos, and bug spray or insect repellent bracelets will not save you from them. The citronella lotion is the only reason I got minimal bites (and those were always on the spots I forgot to put it on - toes, ears, elbows, weird spots that are easy to forget). If you come to Greece, bring something with heavy citronella in it and bathe in the stuff.

Your favorite or most interesting cultural experience while abroad?

During our second week (Serres), I ordered shrimp one night we went out to dinner as a group. The only times I’ve ever ordered shrimp in the States, it’s come without the shell, mixed into pasta, so I was a little surprised when my plate came with four Large shrimp, with shells and heads still attached. I was so confused where I should start that one of the other students showed me how to shell them. (Photo 1)

What's your favorite food you've tried so far?

There’s a restaurant in Serres that sells a half eggplant (sliced longways), roasted in olive oil with minced garlic, chopped walnuts, and herbs and more olive oil over top. I got it six times during our week there and I took a card from the restaurant so if I’m ever in Serres again I can go back and get it another six times. (Photo 2)

Does being abroad make you think any differently about what it means to be "an American"?

This trip has made me intensely aware of the privilege of an American passport. The fact that I can get one at all, the fact that I can get one as a woman, and the fact that having one grants me the ability to move between most countries of the world without being turned back or detained are all huge privileges. My passport grants certain freedoms and protections that other passports do not, and I’ve taken that for granted in the past. The little blue booklet seems like a huge privilege to me now.

What have you done abroad that you don't do at home? What do you do differently?

I like quiet routines, especially in the morning before the day gets started, but during the school year I don’t usually have time to sit and eat breakfast every day, and I definitely don’t do regular daily breakfasts with other people. So, something I’ve really enjoyed during this trip are the unofficial group breakfasts. Especially here on Lesvos, almost every morning we all end up eating around the same time, usually in smaller groups at different tables, but we still see each other and say ‘Kalimera’ (Good Morning). Breakfast here means picking a table and sitting down with a tray of good food, and tea or coffee, and either reading a bit or chatting, or just enjoying the calm before the day. We also do dinners together most nights, where we talk about our days and what we’re learning. It’s something I know I’m going to miss. (Photo 3 - part of the Votsala’s outdoor area, where we eat breakfasts and dinners; Photo 4 - our group eating dinner together)

[audreys-travel]

Friday June 14 - Lesvos (Week 3)

Welcome to Lesvos

Lesvos is home to 11 million olive trees and three refugee camps. On our drive from the airport to our hotel, we pass Pikpa first. Pikpa is a specialized camp for refugees with specific needs - they’re currently known for their care of people with serious diseases or other medical conditions, though they also take in torture victims and LGBTQ persons. While passing through Mytilene, the main town on the island, we see two small military ships, one belonging to Frontex (the EU border and coast guard) and the other flying a British flag. Further along on our drive, Yiannis (pronounced YA-nees), our driver and patron of our hotel) points out the sign to Moria, the largest camp on the island. We’ve learned about Moria and its reputation for dangerous overcrowding, inhumane living conditions, and deaths already. The last thing Yiannis points out before we get to the Votsala, our hotel, is Kara Tepe (ka-RA teh-peh), the camp reserved for families and where we’ll be working for the next two weeks. 

The Votsala is something close to paradise. Bright colors, lush greenery, a private beach. It’s incredible, and I feel grateful that I get to experience a place like this. The beauty is also jarring though. It’s hard to reconcile the intense beauty and calm of the Votsala with the trauma that has happened, and is happening, on other parts of the island. We’re on the east edge of the island, and you can see Turkey from this one and apparently the north one too. Sitting on the beach at the Votsala, you can clearly see the Turkish coastline, even buildings. At night, you can see the lights of coastal towns. It’s a bizarre feeling to be on a beach in a foreign country and stare at another foreign country, especially when both are new to you. 

I can’t quite wrap my mind around the fact that I’m on Lesvos, Greece, staring at Turkey. It’s so strange to be right where we’ve been learning about, especially because these places have been categorized as “far away” my whole life. I think that’s a common feeling for a study abroad experience, all of a sudden you find yourself somewhere that’s always been ‘on a map’ or ‘in pictures,’ even though you know it’s a real place it hasn’t always felt completely real. It’s also really bizarre to think about the fact that a lot of the people we’re going to meet have come from the place I’m staring at across the water, and that there are thousands more there trying desperately to come here. 

Tomorrow we go to Kara Tepe for the first time, which is where we’ll be volunteering with Movement on the Ground. 

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Lesvos Solidarity - Pikpa Camp https://www.lesvossolidarity.org/en/what-we-do/pikpa-camp

Votsala Hotel https://www.votsalahotel.com/

Movement on the Ground https://movementontheground.com/