Settling In...
I made the leap to live in Greece in one swift step, well two if you count my week in Athens. Leaving the hustle and bustle of Athens and coming to the island was an exciting time, but I was dreading 3 or 4 months of the unknown. I had been told horror upon horror story of how painful the winters were by the expats but I decided to find out for myself and make my own mind up.
Yes the winter is bleak, but, as with anything in life it is what you make of it. We are both keen runners, so we take advantage of the cooler weather to train while we can before the summer comes creeping up on us, we explore the island as if we have never seen it before, only at this time of year we find that we have the places to ourselves, we have learned to craft pictures and art from driftwood we have found on the beach, and generally catch up with life.
I am learning or trying to learn Greek which is a tall order at any time of life. I find it isn't the learning, but the remembering, and the grammar rules, of which there are many. I take it slowly (siga siga) and in bite size chunks. Yes, it is frustrating, but learning a new language is complex and I should not be too hard on myself after only 6 weeks. We fill up our days in ways that I could never have done in the UK, and learn every day that there is a lot to be said for the simple life. If I find myself thinking that I am bored, or sad that I am missing my family and friends, I switch my thoughts to those that are negative and remember how lucky I am to be living here in paradise. Things are never easy to begin with, but I have all the ingredients here for a happy life, I just have to throw them into the mixing bowl slowly and begin to bake that cake!
Yes the winter is bleak, but, as with anything in life it is what you make of it. We are both keen runners, so we take advantage of the cooler weather to train while we can before the summer comes creeping up on us, we explore the island as if we have never seen it before, only at this time of year we find that we have the places to ourselves, we have learned to craft pictures and art from driftwood we have found on the beach, and generally catch up with life.
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| A deserted Assos in March 2015 |
I am learning or trying to learn Greek which is a tall order at any time of life. I find it isn't the learning, but the remembering, and the grammar rules, of which there are many. I take it slowly (siga siga) and in bite size chunks. Yes, it is frustrating, but learning a new language is complex and I should not be too hard on myself after only 6 weeks. We fill up our days in ways that I could never have done in the UK, and learn every day that there is a lot to be said for the simple life. If I find myself thinking that I am bored, or sad that I am missing my family and friends, I switch my thoughts to those that are negative and remember how lucky I am to be living here in paradise. Things are never easy to begin with, but I have all the ingredients here for a happy life, I just have to throw them into the mixing bowl slowly and begin to bake that cake!
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