First off, I have to apologize for the late update! The last few days have been a bit insane, but as of Sunday night, I made it back to Philly safely, and have been slowly readjusting to college life.
My last day in Greece was short but sweet, as I spent most of the time relaxing at the apartment with a few members of my host family. I woke up to the kids watching the new version of Annie, and they were sweet enough to let me join in on the fun. Halfway through, I was treated to a steaming hot cup of mountain tea, a Greek staple made from a flower native to the country. It had a really nice herbal flavor to it, and the natural honey sweetener topped it off perfectly.
After the movie, the girls and I ate breakfast and settled down at the kitchen table, where the middle child and I ended up painting. My host family’s mother also paints, and she must have passed down the gene to her youngest daughter, because she has a real gift for it that’s already obvious! I suggested we each sketch out something for the other to paint, and she jumped on the idea, adding in the element of surprise by proposing a grand reveal.
The results were so much fun, and I loved the idea of being able to add to and reinterpret each other’s work. Plus having such a great piece to start with didn’t hurt either!
My painting companion’s interpretation of my sketch was really fun as well, and she has the flower technique down pat, as you can see in her second piece, inspired by a painting in her house of a Greek coastal scene.
For my second piece, she suggested I draw an animal (which I’m actually terrible at), but with the help of google images and lots of encouragement from my friend, I banged out a painting that I actually really like!
After our painting session, we went out with her dad to pick up gelato at Zuccherino’s one last time. We came back with a big bag of flavors that we shared with the family and Cecilia and her friend, who had come over to drive me to the airport. The last bit of the day was bittersweet, but it was so nice to be able to spend it with all of the people I’d spent so much time with, and of course ice cream makes everything better!
In many ways, this trip to Greece is nearly impossible to summarize quickly, but I can truly say that those seven days meant the world to me. Being able to use my 5+ years of training in design (including community college) to help out at such an amazing organization was invaluable experience, and reinforced that fact that doing meaningful things in fashion design is possible! Experiencing life in another culture also broadened my horizons and reminded me that there are many different and incredible ways of living and doing things. The people there truly showed me the value of community, and challenged me to slow down, relax and just enjoy each day for what it is. Looking back, I’m so grateful for the opportunity I had to be there and for all of the people who made that possible, and I can’t wait to see what happens next!
Twenty-One Travels 