Hello,

welcome to the weekly magazine of a Hungarian woman, who moved to a Greek island in 2017 and writing her book there through an intensive research and interviews with locals. The purpose is giving you an insight about the daily life of this island as a foreigner, and also about the book-writing process.

 

Week 15th / 1st April – 7th April (and all the weeks before…)

Oh yes, I just couldn’t keep my promise about posting weekly. I should have known myself better. And also this island. Because on Rhodes you cannot make plans ever… We say it very often here with the other foreigners. Somehow our experience is this: everything is just a maybe and nothing is for sure here. There is always a problem to solve, there is always an unexpected thing coming to you, so you learn to be really flexible.

Back in Hungary

I have been to Budapest in the meanwhile just for 5 days in February,  which was an amazing trip. Visiting my country after 15 transformative months was very strange and beautiful. I see this country in a complete different way now. First time in my life I felt relaxed, happy and I loved every single moment. After a very short trip maybe it would be early to have big conclusions, but I feel that I can imagine going back and live and create in Hungary in the future. Life will give the answers, I am just very open to this option also and I do not have the weight on my shoulders anymore about the desire to live in a specific place. I got rid of this obsession and it is a very very liberating feeling.

A new start – again

After my trip, I lost my job here on Rhodes from one moment to another which caused me a lot of sleepless nights while I had to search for a new house also (this is another big topic, and I will write about it later on). And it happened after that someone hacked my bank account and stole my money. Incredibly hard weeks were those weeks including even my 33rd birthday on the 31st of March. More than one month full of stress and disappointments. Disappointments in other daily situations, where I felt I start loosing trust in general about people around me. Everything came together. Even a heavy flu. I was in bed with fever completely unable to do anything. I was just checking the advertisements of the houses from my bed and everything seemed impossible and hopeless. Nobody replied to me about the houses, or if they did, they disappeared finally. Nobody called me back, and I couldn’t do more. And everybody told me: “it is impossible to find a place now just before the tourist season!” I knew that this was the time when the control was not in my hands and for sure a solution will come to me. And also it was the time when I said to myself: you deserve much better things, you cannot compromise anymore about house, work and people around you. It was just enough. So I just let it go, let it be. So next day my new house just found me. I received a message out of nowhere. Everything happened very quickly, everything was very clear and smooth and fast. There was no doubt: I didn’t just found a house, but I found my real place. I moved in right after my birthday to a place that I can really call a home. I think that first time in my life I feel that I am on the good place. I don’t need to compromise and I feel relaxed, balanced, I am surrounded by lovely people and a beautiful environment. It is possible. Even before the summer season. We shouldn’t limit ourselves by our limited mind. We should invite life, the uncertain. Because in the uncertain anything could happen! Only our fears make us to accept the unacceptable. We need to grow and develop faith…

The Rhodian spring

And in the meanwhile spring has come to the island. Perhaps the most beautiful time of the year here. I had to bring my bicycle back (because I could use it only during the winter), so I decided to make a nice big tour from the city up to Filerimos mountain on a lovely sunny (but really windy) day in March. I survived (although I couldn’t walk the next days), and did the 26 km long trip within 4 hours. From sea level up to 276 meters till the cross of Filerimos. Fighting with the hill towards the top and fighting with the wind by the sea on the way back home awakened my senses and was a lovely sacrafice for the view, the scent of spring herbs and the forest, and the presence of the peacock families at the top. 🦚🌳🍀 The air was so clear, I could see Turkey very well, even Alimia and Halki islands in the distance. A day alone in Nature helped me to get rid of some unnecessary thoughts. I recommend it to Everyone.

The olive trees started to blossom. The orange and mandarin trees are blossoming also while they still have some fruits on. The almond trees are the most beautiful ones perhaps…

And if you go out to nature almost anywhere on Rhodes now, you will find those blooming plants:

ξινάκι = Bermuda buttercup = Oxalis pes-caprae

βρούβα = Sinapis = Fehér mustár

άγρια λεβάντα = wild lavender = vad levendula (honey can be made of it, wonderful for tea)

μολόχα = mallow = erdei mályva (perfect tea for cold)

τσουκνίδα = nettle = csalán

χαμομήλι = chamomile = kamilla

Κίτρινο Τριφύλλι = Medicago lupulina = Komlós lucerna

Ανεμώνη = Anemone = Szellőrózsa

φασκόμηλο = sage = zsálya

θυμάρι = thyme = kakukkfű

δεντρολίβανο = rosemary = rozmaring

Since I moved to my new little house, I am having walks every afternoon on Monte Smith. I have a wonderful peaceful walk through the acropolys of Rhodes where 2 shepherds are grazing their sheep every evening. I cannot find words to describe the calmness in those moments. I feel blessed that I live in a city, where there are shepherds, sheep, ancient ruins, Aegean sea, lots of big trees, flowers and butterflies all around us. I feel that I am not stucked in a system, I feel that I am part of nature, therefore my life, my creativity is limitless. I feel connected to something much bigger than what we see.

My Greek Spring Kitchen

In the market last week I bought a big basket of fresh vegetables and feta for a nice spring salad: delicious tomatoes (from Kritinia village – this was the first good one this year), radish, scallion, parsley, peppers in different colors, cucumber. The dressing was: fresh lemon juice, olive oil, honey, salt, pepper. So with this salad I opened the spring season officially. 😉

During the first warmer days in March we enjoyed our yoga classes behind the Aquarium of Rhodes at the beach just before sunset. April is a bit tricky month, there is rain and the weather is not really warm…

Sarakosti

We have also the great lent (= in Greek they call it sarakosti / σαρακοστή) now in Greece. Even McDonald’s has “adopted” to this religious custom and offers various lenten meals without meat. (ooops, I went to McDonald’s….)

And as I see around me, only McDonald’s is lenting, nobody else. This period of the year in the Greek calendar is about silence, about being introvert, about cleaning your house, your mind, your soul, preparing and empty yourself for something new, for the new light. I don’t see anybody who is doing that. Party, live music everywhere. People are constructing all the buildings, preparing them for the tourist season, so there is such a big noise everywhere in general in town. Only the stores are preparing for Easter, offering dozens of things to buy, mainly the candles for the kids. These days only capitalism is preparing for the holidays (religious or not – doesn’t matter), and we humans… don’t we feel that something is missing from our lives? Something real maybe? Anyway, big questions, I don’t go further in this post.

My book

Since there were a lot of things going on, I could not focus on creating. It was the time of filtering information, letting things become knowledge and wisdom from information level. Huge changing processes are going on in me. Everything is clearer and clearer by each painful experience. I want to dedicate my year for my book, so this is my priority. I am committed, I set up the topics and I just need time and space to write. Please cross your fingers for this project and don’t be surprised if I do not socialize too much this year… 😉

Symi island ❤

Finally just a few words and pics about my trip to Symi island, which was on the 30th of March. It was a daytrip, I went with the ship of Dodekanisos Seaways, which was my prize for a previous photography competition. The ship left from Kolona harbour at 8:30 in the morning and came back at 17:10 from Symi. The previous night they were not sure that the boat would go to Symi or not because of the storm, so when I went to the harbour in the morning I didn’t know if I would go to Symi or not. Finally I went. 😉 And I have to say that maybe this is the most beautiful and richest island of the Dodecanese island group. I will write more about it, but let me just put here some photos and then finally a video.

At the end of the day some young boys and girls were playing music and dancing in the harbour. I just adore these moments… Preserving traditions, honoring music through traditional instruments and dances, experiencing unity, a strong cohesion when you feel that you belong to somewhere, when you know your roots. This is why this country mesmerized me.

I am wishing you lovely spring days, lovely new beginnings and wholeness in your life!