A true path follows no plan…

I’ve left the hotel this morning to go down to Alinda bay and stay there for one or two nights by the water, finish my sightseeing, do some more walking and photography and then head to Patmos on Sunday with the ferry from Ayia Marina. Pandelli and Platonas were both nice to visit.

It has been very interesting in the hotel in Platonas, seeing all the different visitors come and go. It has also been very upsetting and sad and humbling. Yesterday morning I got up and had a coffee up on the roof. There were two ladies, refugees from Syria, with their 6 children ranging in age from 2 months to about 7 years old. The kids had nothing to play with and were causing mischief by climbing around fences and poking their heads through the gaps in railings on the section of bar area being renovated. They had nothing to do, nothing to play with so were doing the best they could to entertain themselves. I watched and they smiled and we waved at each other. I had my coffee then took myself off and found the Leros equivalent of a stationary shop and bought 10 packs of colouring pencils, 3 colouring books and a large pack of white paper and then several packs of baby wipes from the supermarket. I remember my road trips in Australia and when we couldn’t get a campsite and shower for a few days the baby wipes were the best thing ever for freshening up! I thought these might be handy for the woman.

When I got back to the hotel I was greeted by George, the Iraqi, who has been in Greece for 20 years and who is currently helping the staff by working as a translator. He was frantically telling the 5 girls to go get their Mother while he was manoeuvring the 2 month old out of the eldest girls young, weak arms. He looked frazzled! I took the baby, who was crying, and I realised she was wet through from her nappy, and one of the girls had gone to fetch their mother. The mothers arrived and we gestured to go upstairs and they helped with my bags. I shared out two packets of pencils, tore out individual sheets from the colouring book so the children all had about 3 pictures to start with and gave them a pencil sharpener. I gave each woman a pack of baby wipes too. They were all so happy! They children were a little unsure at first but excited all the same. The two oldest kept talking to me and showing me excitedly what they were doing, with great pride, and the Mum’s giggled and explained that I couldn’t understand them. Well, I guessed that’s what was being said! I gestured a lot with “thumbs up” and clapping hands and they were so content, apart from one girl, probably 5, she started to cry. I could see she was looking at the others and her Mum was trying to help her but I honestly think she was sobbing because she thought she couldn’t do it, and didn’t really know how to because she’d probably never had a colouring book before.

These small gifts from me will not change their lives, it will not stop the war, it will not stop them missing loved ones lost and left behind, but hopefully, just for that one morning, it helped to take their minds off it all. I keep telling myself I will go to Lakki and see what happens down there, where the holding camp is, but this morning George dropped me in the village and I asked how long he will stay and help. His reply was this “I do not know. I do not like what I see in Lakki”. He was a refugee, and did the same as these families 20 years ago, first time round when there was “trouble”. I know it will upset me if I go, and I also know that unfortunately there is very little I can do to help. They have supplies coming in for the refugees, there was a container full of donations of clothes and nappies and the likes on Saturday gone. They have all the volunteers they need at present. This is where the help is needed on this little island at the moment, but it is not where the answers lie to stop all the troubles. Who knows how and if this can actually be done?

The men were all sitting round tables together in the rooftop bar, looking and talking amongst themselves, and the women and girls were together, separately. All of the women here are fully clothed in long, dark overcoats or jackets. They looked hot and uncomfortable today in the warmth and when I was speaking to another lady, she explained that they all didn’t have anything else to wear. I asked what was under her long coat and she said a t-shirt. I played dumb and said why didn’t she take her coat off as she was in Greece and I had a t-shirt on and that was ok here. She laughed and said no she could not do that, it was her belief not to. She was a teacher from Iraq, travelling alone heading to Luxemburg to work and live. I wondered if she would embrace the freedom there and be able to relax a little more as well as keep a faith.

I sat for a little while longer but got tired of the men staring and talking, and started to feel a little uncomfortable. I felt a wave of sadness too. The baby never seemed to get changed and the girls were so happy with something so simple it made me realise again how lucky I have been in life. I sat wondering if these families will make it safe to their destinations and hope that they do, and the children can grow up happy, healthy, educated and not in such a dangerous, repressive environment as where they have come from.

I need to sort out more photos and catch up with yet another 4 hours of homework. I haven’t done any for a while. I have, however, bought a smaller bag and have downsized for the next leg of my journey!! This is a HUGE achievement for me as I am terrible at packing light. The thought of lugging around that large, heavy bag again was enough to put me off and be ruthless with the clothes. If these guys from the troubled countries can have their whole life in a small back pack, then surely I can manage on holiday! I mailed the huge bag back to the UK today and feel a load lighter for it, literally, and ready for the next leg of travelling.