The voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. -Marcel Proust
Workaway.info is an international platform for volunteering. You work a few hours per day in exchange for lodging, meals, & ideally cultural exchanges. There are 1000s of profiles that hosts create in order to attract “workawayers” which would fit in well with the type of work and atmosphere they strive for. Language practice, farm work, hotel receptionist, child care & house sitting are among the popular categories you can find. It is time consuming and dizzying to scroll through all the profiles, to imagine all the possibilities of what your lifestyle could change to. So what is the right choice?
Needed help with animals & house by the sea in Ionian, NW Greece.
I read the profile & felt the need to send a message right away, even before being sure I’d get my export plates. Most profiles I’ll save in a folder to review the details afterwards, but not this one. Apparently the feeling was mutual, since I got accepted right away by my hosts Barbara & Niko. I called from Germany to appologize when I was delayed by the bureaucratic olympics, & my choice was validated in the reassurance I received over the phone.
“Darling don’t worry, do not lose hope”.
They were looking forward to my arrival, since we had many things in common such as a love of rocks, art & animals. I wanted to be there, not in car registration bureaus!
Barbara’s advice: “build a snowman with big t***, eat pasta and wine, make a mess of this world! Come when you can, I will teach you cello darling, see you soon.”
Her words tethered me to Paleros, this vilage in Greece where I felt pulled to. Pulled? Yanked.
I had tears swell over my eyes at the thought of being there, learning cello and eating real greek yogurt. I felt like it would be love at first sight.
I arrived in the dark. Not knowing where to go, I sought out the lights of a shop still open. Called Barbara to get directions to the little house on the hill. No address for the cabins perched on a hill overlooking the Ionian sea, which I could not see. I walked up the dirt road after a few too many attempts at getting the van up the impossibe slope. Guiding me were the stars, goat bells, & a porch light encased in stained glass.
The first time I saw Barbara, I was alarmed. An imposing frame dwarfed only by her immense presence. And the biggest bluest eyes I had ever seen. Mirrored by the Ionian Sea, which she could not perceive in the dimming light of her failing vision. “What is the use of an impressive view when you cannot move, you cannot see. It is nothing.”
It soon became apparent that I would be her seeing-eye Myrah, especially since Niko had long irregular hours away at work.
The first time I saw Niko, I was reassured. He showed me how to care for the animals & start the fire. Up until that point, I had never met a gentler soul. And so I spent my time doing the chores, cooking, chatting with Barbara, reading, looking into organizations in greek refugee camp, zoning out on my phone & walking along the beach. We had coffees together in the village, where we took our time sitting in the sun. The cats, dogs, goats, chickens (but not the geese) became accustomed to me & it felt like I was a part of the household.
The mountains changed colors behind us as we painted pictures of our lives for each other. Over the horizon, the arrival of a new friend was approaching. Two weeks until we would meet in Thessaloniki, in the NE of Greece. The more time went on, the sadder I was to leave, while also being happier to share the adventure with a companion. Pulled in two directions, yet feeling like I was exactly where I’m supposed to be.
