Monday March 28 2011
Special Olympics at Agios Spiros and other fun tasks
Our team assembled after breakfast early Monday morning and climbed into our bus for our trip up into the mountains to Agios or St. Spiros (agios is Greek for saint). Our bus driver, Nikos, skillfully maneuvered the lumbering coach up the winding, switchbacked road and squeezed it though the village of Krousounas, which is the closest town to the center. This would be our route for the next two weeks and I never tired of the mosaic of vineyards, orchards and lush farm fields with the rocky mountain peaks in the distance. The colors changed gradually from browns and greys to brilliant greens and yellows as spring took hold during our time there.
St. Spiros and view behind the center
The center is above the site of a former Monastery, now a convent, and was built 30 years ago by a Greek Orthodox priest to provide a place for mentally disabled people to get away from the noise and congestion of the city. His daughter is the current director and she greeted us at the door and gave us some background on their program. Our job would be to help the participants in making religious icons to sell in their gift shop and to get them to exercise through somewhat organized games. A graduate student (who was the heartthrob of many of the woman there as he could have been out of central casting for the role of “greek Adonis”) has been working with St. Spiros on his thesis project and comes up several times a week to direct the physical activity of the students and then monitor their progress.
Dapper George and Katerina... let the games begin
Nikos and his icon boards
George, Aphrodite and Yannis "working out"
We divided up into two groups and met our new friends while we worked with them on their projects. Here are just of few of the characters at St. Spiros: Dapper George, who likes to wear suits and read the paper; Katerina, who loves to sing and has a really good sense of rhythm; Aphrodite, who is a superb artist and unfailingly polite and generous; Yannis, a sweet young man who spent time in Canada and can carry on a limited conversation in English; Savros who loves to play basketball; and Nikos, who is very intent on his work (sanding the blocks of wood for the icons) and who doesn’t like anyone disturbing his production line. Having a brother with Down’s syndrome, I had no problem relating to our friends; it was like a whole bunch of “Ken’s” …only they all spoke Greek, which is not unlike Ken’s usual banter.
The graduate student "gym teacher"
Each volunteer selected a day during the two weeks to write for the team journals. I am including my journal and Peter’s, as they are both about our time at St. Spiros:
Global Volunteers Journal Entries
Monday April 4, 2011
by Laura Merriam
Service -- Fun -- Growth --Immersion
That was our discussion after dinner last night. After the first day of the second week at St. Spiros and we all agreed that we are scoring on all four team goals.We arrived this morning to see all the smiling faces waiting for us. Peter got a bear hug from Mickael who then did a jump shot with anticipation of playing ball later. We set to work at our task of producing authentic antiquated religious icons while our Greek chorus watched and cheered us on. Having finished our quota for the day, we then could go and play, which our friends at St Spiros know how to do quite well.
A quick a game of pick up basketball ensued and Savros, who has really has perked up since last week, led the charge. Katerina and George joined in and Mickael recruited others while Peter managed turns at the basket. I ventured into the other icon craft room and Yannis looked at me with his soulful brown eyes and said in his Canadian English: "oh yes... I love to play ball". He jumped up and joined the crowd, which had increased to several groups playing various forms of ball with hoops and gym equipment in surprisingly organized fashion.
Besides getting our charges to move, many of our volunteers have been busy on various art projects which has resulted in a beautiful collage of drawings and paintings on what had been a drab blank wall. Peter has been taking portraits of each of the participants and we hope to have something put together before we leave. -- something we can give these beautiful people who have given us so much.
The serene drive through the valley and up into the mountains each morning to spend a few precious hours each day with our friends is just the icing on the cake (and we get way too much of that!). It has all been so enriching that I can't believe that anyone would consider this work.
Tuesday, April 5th, 2011
by Peter Armstrong“It was once said that the moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy and the handicapped.”
Traditionally, Global Volunteers has served the citizens of Crete in the dawn of their lives; helping to build an educational foundation that allows the children of Gazi a chance to become prosperous, involved and engaged members of a world wide society.
We can’t deny that Global volunteers draws from those of us who have “lost a step” or have more salt than pepper in our hair, a significant number of participants. We offer to share our life experiences in exchange for the benefit of unconditionally helping and contributing. Try as we might, we always come home having received more than we’ve given.
The Greek government seems to be in the background , while the Greek society and culture takes care of those in the twilight. Charlotte has been kind enough to lend us all an insight into the health care system, showing us a level of compassion and care for those of in need that many of us have sadly come to no longer expect from our own medical facilities in the United States.
During this fortnight we have been most privileged to see first hand at St. Spiro’s, how families, a church, dedicated teachers and a community take care of those of their own who are often kept in the shadows.
We’ve done our best, and although it seems small in the scope of the whole, but we hope it’s significant. Each day we lend a hand and hold a hand. We pitch in with our hearts and hands, our legs and our backs, and sometimes our brains. Our labors are to supplement and support-- we’re never tempted to take over an operation or activity, as one of the more experienced participants at St. Spiro’s is always ready to show the proper way to get a thing done. We’ve learned to manipulate paper, leather,wood, fire, water and pigment to make art. We have re-learned how important it is to have a useful contribution to a project be recognized, respected and valued. We know what we’ve always known, that we all have the need to be seen, to be listened to, to be loved. And that we all have the capacity to to value and try to understand and to love one another.
Tuesday was like the other days, Nikos ferried us in his coach up the mountain road, shoe-horned his immense bus in and out or Krousonas--twice. We exchanged smiles and kali-meras. We worked at our tables, toiling at our appointed tasks and instigating art. We played, we laughed. We shared a good and a real life. And then it was time for lunch.
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