Home is where the Heart is

"I met a lot of people in Europe. I even encountered bits and pieces of myself"

It was a constant rush of emotions as we prepared to bid farewell to Athens, Greece, and Europe.  The whirlwind adventure of travel, food and new faces was coming to an end – but our love for every memory shone ever-bright. ‘Twas the season, as the entire city was decked out in Holiday spirit. Not nearly as decorative as the United States, it still rang true to a merry atmosphere. Setting aside (rather unwisely) the end-of-semester schoolwork and assignments, we frequented trendy bars, many local tavernas and lots of chocolateries that provided yummy comfort and added to our desire to extend our stay. There were delightful visits to the houses of staff members who so graciously invited us for evenings of warm fuzzy feelings (brought on by the copious amounts of wine and delicious home-cooked food) and tinkling laughter.

Dark chocolate Aztec creations, a warm delight for a chilly evening

Food aside, the festivities ensued in the form of lots of get-togethers and parties. The traditional holiday parties attracted excitement at the prospect of returning home. A roommate’s birthday party was a huge success as we hosted most of the students and went all out. The final sendoff party on the last night however, was the most unforgettable; endless displays of food, a video montage of the semester highlights and Greek dancing all forced tears and smiles as we reveled in the moment. That moment we wished we could have frozen in time: we were carefree, beyond grateful for a brilliant semester, and dejected at the fact that we had to leave.

Street performers, Athens-style

As with all good things that indeed come to an end, ours came with quite a bang. The highlights include a day at a fish spa where the notorious doctor fish nibbled at our feet and supposedly ate away the dead and unwanted skin. Whether or not that truly occurred, it was still the weirdest feeling ever – not intended for the squeamish or ticklish. With no idea what convinced me to concede to experiencing it, it was well worth it and our feet did look somewhat ‘polished’ as we carefully extracted them from the aquatic creatures' holds. The day continued with a goodbye visit to the Acropolis, the Agora and the various other ancient monuments in the city. They taught us so much and will always stand clear in our hearts when we remember many a glorious afternoon spent in the timeless Athenian city.

Looking directly at them made it harder not to recoil in fear

Continuing with the fun amusements, there were many stops at local bazaars and markets to splurge on presents and gifts for people at home. It’s going to take considerable will-power to give them away and not keep them myself. Juggling packing, finals and frolicking was difficult, but it had to be done. Papers after papers were somehow written and exams were prepared for; but really all we wanted to do was spend nights out on the town and afternoons in the still-warm Mediterranean sunshine. I tearfully thanked and spent one last evening with the girl I tutor and her family. She had finals as well – that added to the frazzled state of mind, to say the least.By far the most significant event was the day we stumbled upon a silent demonstration. Another protest…in Greece…who would have thought? This one however, was the first of its kind that we witnessed all semester. It was focused on anti-racism and was organized in a spirit of peace. Organized by the European Grassroots Anti-Racism Movement (EGAM), it represented over 27 European countries that assembled to show their solidarity against the growing neo-Nazism in Greece. They have asserted that Greece is the “worst country in Europe when it comes to acceptance of multi-ethnic and multi-cultural diversity”. Probably not a great statistic if the nation hopes to become a prominent player in the European Union and the global network. Immigration and subsequent integration is a central issue to developing and sustaining a socially healthy community.

"Europe against Neo-Nazism"

The next we knew, we were holding signs and being photographed by international media and interviewed by numerous news stations. We held the front banner as they began the symbolic procession from Syntagma Square (also known as Constitution Square) to the Acropolis. Irony aside, this was intended to reinforce the desired approach towards the issue: the current government and political atmosphere is inadequate to address the concern and there needs to be a shift to the ancient but more genuine form of democracy. Several supporting members of Greek Parliament showed up and participated, we met them as well as made friends from all over the continent who were there specifically to voice their perspective on this critical matter.
There has been growing negative illusions about the (permanently) growing non-Greek community, most of them falsely grounded in incomplete knowledge and unfamiliarity. These ‘others’ are perceived as a threat and a risk to a fully functional society. However, we thought it was remarkable that the first and only demonstration that we had encountered that was non-violent, peaceful, practical and ended successfully was this one. It had nothing to do - directly - with the fiscal situation and was largely comprised on non-Greeks. It was promising to meet and observe the few Greeks that were present however. They were all mostly emigrants from Greece themselves and were adamant that things change here – "people cannot expect changes in so many other areas without fundamentally altering their attitudes on this immediate topic".

All of the European organizers - inclusive diversity at its finest

After being invited to a post-demonstration talk and press conference at their hotel, we satisfactorily justified our academic negligence with the real impact we were having. It was the most rewarding instance of being part of the community we have come to call our own in the past few months. We have become invested in their interests and can now to call Athens ‘home’; it goes to show that anyone can belong everywhere. It is true that national, religious and cultural factors, among others, influence true identities and a sense of belonging. On some level, though, it is eternally acknowledged that “home is where the heart is”.
On a different note and at the other end of the spectrum, a couple monasteries within the city were also on the agenda. Just to provide closure to the fact that, for the most part, to be Greek is equivalent to be Greek Orthodox. Beautiful as always, we were blessed and sent on our way with local treats and trinkets from the nuns and priests. Generous as ever, they never fail to add a positive spin to any situation – even if that includes encouraging us to trudge through the mountain of work that never seemed to come to an end.

Casual view from the Acropolis: Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Panathenaic Stadium, and our humble abode

The guards outside the Parliament. Supposedly the most highly trained personnel in the nation

There shall be an Ode of Greece; a heartfelt thank you for the perfect experience it presented; a goodbye that marks only a temporary absence with a promise to reunite and continue life’s unpredictable shenanigans. This is just the end…of yet another new beginning. For, in the end, it is not going to matter much how many breaths you took in the moment, but rather how many moments took your breath away. Rest assured, those moments were ever-present, ever-marvelous, and ever-lasting.