Back in Athens.... again

Moving to Europe is no longer that big of a deal for me. Packing and planning can be done on autopilot, anxiety and worry have all but evaporated from the routine. The only thing that still takes some time is really settling into my new life. I don’t necessarily mean finding the nearest grocery store, learning maps, and figuring out practice times, though that certainly takes a few days. I’m talking more about finding myself.

Every time I move, I feel like my life gets stripped of routine, of comfort, even to some degree of the love and support around me. So I spend time meeting new people, doing new things, trying to figure out what really makes up my day to day life. And it takes some time, because one actually has to answer the big questions ‘what makes me happy’, ‘when everything else is taken away, what do I want to do with my days?’ I don’t have the constant distraction of the things we do to avoid ourselves; television, internet, a packed social life, a real job.

I am very much enjoying my life here though. I live in a middle class neighborhood in the center of Athens, very much a traditional Athenian burrough, with crazy drivers and erratic motorbikes honking. On Tuesday, I walk to practice early in the morning, while the street market vendors stack their tomatoes and oranges, dandelion greens and homemade honey. I’ve been trying to eat a plant based diet at home so I stock up on green beans and spinach, dried beans and curry powder.

My balcony is huge and I sit out there every afternoon, eating lunch with the sun on my back. I look out over balconies of foliage so I feel like I’m in a floating garden. The flats across from me are overflowing with plants and flowers and vines. People don’t use curtains for privacy or umbrellas for shade; their homes are covered and disguised with plants. My own plant collection has started and it brings me more pleasure that just about anything else; basil and peppers, wisteria and palms. I even bought some birds of paradise that sit in a corner looking at me as I type. Most days after morning practice, I cook vegetables and soy, or grains and rice with dried fruits and nuts. I open up my balcony and water my friends, soaking up the sun and absolutely loving my life.

Someone plays the piano in my apartment building. I have no idea who it is, which makes riding the elevator kind of mysterious and exciting. People get on and off as I ride, exchanging smiles and ‘gia sou’, while I imagine them sitting on a piano bench, their long fingers dancing over the keys. The playing is absolutely beautiful and the sound moves up through the building, a sporadic stream of loveliness that comes in and out of my life multiple times a day.

Waves of happiness hit me with the simple pleasures of life around me. The warmth of the sun, the taste of vinegar and olive oil with basil and black eyes peas, red vines glistening across the street, and that pleasant surprise of piano practice flickering up from the downstairs.

The only inclement weather we’ve had since I’ve been here has been a week of afternoon tropical downpours. Fat drops of cool water hit me as I walked down the sauna of the street. I feel like summer is in overtime these days and I look at the sweaters in my closet and wonder how I’ll ever be able to have such heat on my skin. The breeze in the shade is picking up here though, so I know the cool weather will follow. But for now, I’m drawn to the water every chance I get, the sparkling Aegean that waits for me and takes my breath away every time.

Yesterday after morning practice I went to a beach café. People lay around on palm tree dotted grass lawns with billowing sheets for shade, sipping iced coffees. We sit out on the deck or grab couches inside while the breeze flows through the long

shallow building. Later we move on to beach volleyball, dancing in and out of the lulling surf after erratic balls, the water cool and refreshing. We splash on just enough sunscreen to avoid a burn and start a game of four on four. I like any sport that requires sun screen and bikinis and wonder why I’ve never played till now. We play till the sun starts going down over the water, yellow then pink, not vast like watercolor, just the single color of the sun floating downwards as our game finishes. Afterwards, we were back to the deck, lounging on white cushions and eating in the candlelight and watching the moon cast a glow over the water and sand.

Its nice to be back….