Kryoneri and the surrounding area has a lot to offer in terms of landscape and nature, which after 19 years of living in Berlin was a very pleasant and calming change from the usually stressful and hectic everyday life of a big city. The village is beautiful, not exactly big with around 900 inhabitants, but it has everything you need: a minimarket, two taverns, a pharmacy, a bakery, a café and a lot of events and cultural activities you can participate in.
In Kryoneri I supported FILOXENIA, a historically, politically and ecologically active organization. FILOXENIA also hosts national and international youth exchanges where I supported the planning and structuring when needed.
Whenever there were no seminars or groups that we had to support, I worked in the office or helped in the hostel that hosted the groups. In the office we concentrated mainly on video editing, which had been surprisingly fun. Apart from that, we also took care of FILOXENIA's websites by keeping them up to date or doing aesthetic changes which had been our main focus during the winter. At the hostel, we usually helped with cleaning and tidying up after the groups have left. We also had our own project throughout the year, which was a cook book I did together with Anais.
In the evenings I had tandem sessions with various people from the village, most of whom are children between the ages of 9 and 14. I would meet up with one of them for an hour a week and we would play games, talk or do little exercises with the aim of exchanging languages. It was a great way to get to know more people from Kryoneri.
Throughout the year I had a lot of memorable experiences. One of them for sure was the olive harvest end of 2024 where we supported the local farmers during the harvesting season. When you're not from The countryside this is something you can't experience that easily so I was very thankful that the farmers let us come along for the harvest. Also it was very fulfilling to work physically because at the end of the day you could see and feel what you had achieved. Another beautiful experience was the “Act Green” youth exchange with young people from all over Europe where I made some really good friends.
Generally every exchange where I had the opportunity to meet new people was very special because I could exchange experiences, political views and could learn a lot about other cultures and realities of life. On top of that, each exchange offered a new perspective on topics like feminism or anti discrimination which as a result taught me to be more open minded and curious towards others.
I also had the chance to participate in the cultural week of Kryoneri, where different kinds of activities that the village has to offer get presented every year. I was part of the dance group that performed traditional Greek dance that we had practiced for multiple months. By that I could experience a part of the Greek culture very near which was definitely one of my highlights. Of course I also got to see a lot of different places in Greece by traveling or doing day trips with FILOXENIA.
Because I lived and worked together with other volunteers, I could learn a lot about how to navigate a household and workspace in a practical and cooperative way, how to solve conflicts and how to motivate myself and others.
I am more than grateful that I had the opportunity to experience this year full of culture, new people and a life that was way different from what I knew before. I felt welcome from the beginning till the end and hope I could also give something to the community of Kryoneri.
