Article by Baki Omer Arioz (Turkey)
«What a month!!!
From the first moment I came here, I already believed that this month would be a good one. But I couldn't have imagined this. First of all, I want to talk about Kryoneri. Kryoneri is a small village, about 800 people know why they live here and live in harmony with nature and greenery. They don't forget to raise their heads and greet passers-by and smile. I think this is a very important point because this is not possible in big cities. The number of people here is low, but the level of communication is high. Moreover, the Greek culture, food, music and warm-hearted people seriously influenced me.
Besides locals, we became like a family in a very short time with the volunteers who participated in the same program with me. That was the best thing that this program brought to me. While sharing the same home with a group of people from different parts of the world, each of them impacted me in different ways, reminding me once again that love is something beyond one's language, race and culture. We made memories I will never forget in my life and we worked, had fun and learned together in this beautiful Greek village. I think living in nature plays a big part in everything turning out so positively, because living a regular life in nature makes you happier, more patient and more enjoyable in everything you do. The breath you take is sweeter, the sleep you get is better quality, the food you eat is tastier.
Kryoneri will always have a special place in my heart, I hope one day I can come back here to relive those beautiful memories and feel that intense feeling again.».
Article by Ceren (Turkey)
«Hello! I'm Ceren. I want to tell you a few words about my experiences. We came to Kryoneri for the volunteer project " Remembrance Trails" held by "Filoxenia" between 17.09.23-16.10.23. This was the second volunteer program I participated in. I love projects that take place in small towns so I enjoyed it very much. We stayed at the Elisson hostel. It was a very cozy house in the middle of nature. We made very good friendships with people from different nationalities. I am sure that these friendships will last a long time. We all had the opportunity to get to know the Greek culture. We all worked together in nature, in the garden and in the forest. I learned many new things about farming, trail maintenance and gardening as we worked. The work we did was very meaningful. Together we all discovered new places, the history of the village and I discovered more about myself. We took Greek lessons and thanks to that I learned the Greek alphabet and many Greek words. Thank you :) We also went to Nafplio and Athens with other volunteers. I had many memorable and funny experiences. Therefore, I would like to thank "Filoxenia" and S&G"»
Article by Andrea and Jacopo (Italy)
"We are Andrea and Jacopo and we are from Italy. We participated from Sunday 17 September to Monday 16 October 2023 in the European Solidarity Corps volunteer project in Kryoneri, Greece, organized by the Greek organization "Filoxenia". The project aims to take care of the paths of Kryoneri and to preserve the memory of the history of the village. We were young people from different countries and we all had to work together as a team, leaving no one out of it. In fact the most important goals were cooperation and communication. These helped us to improve and develop our empathy and personal skills. We had the opportunity to meet new people that we would not have had the chance to meet and understand more about others. Italy, Greece, Greece, Turkey, Spain, Austria and Finland are the countries we can now feel closer to thanks to this project and we hope to have the opportunity to visit them one day. It is really amazing how quickly the time has flown by. One moment we were at the airport waiting for our flight to Athens and almost in an instant, we had to part with our new international friends. This month was the best lesson of our lives!"
Article written by Lola and Claudia (Spain)
«From the first moment we arrived in Greece we felt very welcome, it is a very similar country to Spain, both in terms of people and landscape and food. From the first day we started with the on arrival seminar, with activities to get to know each other. We started working on the trails a week later, which gave us some time to adjust both to the house, the other volunteers and to the locals, who were very kind. We found the activities very fun and original, we also loved the village and the warmth it offered, the nature, the house and the beautiful views. The first days of work were intense, as is typical in Spain. After working and eating, some days we would take a two or even three hour nap. But we were always satisfied and proud of the work we had done, listening to music, singing and always happy and in a good mood.
When the weekend arrived we went to the beach in Kiato. The clear and transparent waters made a very good first impression on us. The fog also attracted attention, we could not see the infinity of the sea. We had an impressive swim, played ball, sunbathed and had our hair done. The hitchhiking experience was great, it was the first time we did it, as it is very dangerous in Spain.
After another week of working in the garden, we decided to go to Nafplio, a charming and beautiful city, with a beach, a castle and a beautiful view. We recovered our strength for another week of work during which we would pave the way for the Karamanos cave. On our days off we went to the capital (Athens), walked around the market, visited the Acropolis, ate souvlaki and went out in the evening to drink beer and dance. A very exciting trip. All in all, this project gave us a very good experience, giving us the opportunity to meet wonderful people from different countries, learn their customs, some words and phrases in different languages, learn to live together, travel, work and collaborate, improve our English, and get out of our comfort zone. We are very happy that we had this opportunity and that we made the most of it, we would repeat it again and again.»
Article by Freja and Fanny (Finland)
«We are Freja and Fanny and we come from Finland. We came to Kryoneri at the end of September to take part in a volunteer project of the organization "Filoxenia". Getting off the train in Kiato we didn't know what to expect, but once we met everyone, our worries were lifted. During the first week of our volunteer program we were given the opportunity to get to know everyone and build relationships with each other.
The impact that the first week had on everyone was amazing! We found our place in the group and began to become a family. Over the next few weeks we worked on the paths we came here for. Because the name of the program is " Remembrance Trails" it was something we needed to focus on. It was something none of us had ever done before in our lives and it opened our eyes to future projects. In our free time and on our days off we visited Athens, Nafplio and Kiato. We had so much fun and the bond between the group became stronger. We enjoyed discovering things on our own and planning our trips independently. We were also given the opportunity to eat traditional Greek food and take part in Greek lessons.
This was the first volunteer project for both of us and we are very sure that it will not be our last! Not only did we find friends for life and new connections across Europe, we also discovered that you just have to try something new, even if you're not 100% sure about it. The best things come from being spontaneous! We would like to thank 'Filoxenia' for this opportunity and also 'Villa Elba' for introducing us to the volunteer program!».
Funded by the European Union
European Solidarity Corps
Volunteering in High Priority Areas 2024
