Čas od 18.6. do 3.7. sme s babami mali možnosť stráviť v malinkej dedinke Chidira vo vnútrozemí ostrova Lesvos v Grécku. Išlo o tímový dobrovoľnícky projekt, ktorého cieľom bolo zveľadiť verejné priestory dedinky a zorganizovať aktivity pre deti.
Celé naše dobrodružstvo sa začalo už v prístave mesta Pireas, kde sme sa večer 18.6. stretli s väčšinou dobrovoľníkov a organizátormi. Nasadli sme spolu na trajekt, na ktorom sme strávili prvý večer a následne aj noc, nakoľko cesta trvala okolo 13 hodín. S ostatnými dobrovoľníkmi sme sa hneď spriatelili, celý večer sme hrali hry, prechádzali sa po lodi a rozprávali sa. Ráno sme sa už zobudili v prístavnom meste Mytilini, kde už nás čakali ďalší organizátori. Pomocou ich áut nás za hodinku prepravili do našej finálnej destinácie Chidiry.
Naše ubytovanie bolo veľmi jednoduché. Spali v priamo v kultúrnom centre dediny na vojenských posteliach, sprchy sme mali priamo pod holým nebom. Stravu sme mali zabezpečenú od 3 úžasných žien žijúcich v dedine.
Prvé dva dni boli venované “bonding time“. Keď už sme navzájom poznali, prišiel čas na prácu, pre ktorú sme na miesto prišli. Rozdelili sme sa do 3 tímov, podľa miesta pracoviska. Prvý tím bol Wall team. Ich úlohou bolo namaľovať na stenu vysokú asi 8 metrov s textom “Welcome to Chidira“ a doplniť text o aspekty vystihujúce dedinu.
Písmená ich trocha potrápili, no vďaka domácim a ich bagru to nakoniec všetko zvládli. Ďalším tímom bol Bus stop team. V dedine majú jednu autobusovú zastávku a ich úlohou bolo ju trocha oživiť. Portrét významného gréckeho umelca narodeného priamo v dedine, portrét antickej poetky Sappho alebo aj ovečky ako typický symbol dediny nesmeli na stenách zastávky chýbať.
Asi 20 minút pešo od dediny sa nachádza v lese skrytý vodopád, v ktorom sme strávili nejedno teplé popoludnie.
Nebyť ale domácich, len veľmi ťažko by sme ho našli. S týmto mal pomôcť tretí a tiež posledný tím. Dostali niekoľko drevených doštičiek, z ktorých mali vytvoriť značky pre lepšiu navigáciu ľudí k vodopádu. V tímoch sa nám pracovalo úžasne. Prácu sme si spríjemňovali hudbou, občas aj tancom, bavilo nás pracovať v tíme a sledovať ako z dedinky robíme krajšie miesto. Mali sme možnosť sa aj bližšie spoznať. Museli sme pracovať spolu aby sme prácu dokončili, čo nás naučilo komunikovať ale tiež počúvať a nechať sa inšpirovať nápadmi ostatných.
Večery mali zasa trocha inú atmosféru. Niektoré večery sme sedeli v miestnom kafé, hrali hry, smiali sa a rozprávali sa až do východu slnka. Iné sme trávili v obklopení domácich. Spolu s nimi sme zorganizovali social coffee, ktorého hlavná myšlienka bola stretnúť ženy a dievčatá žijúce v dedine. Chceli sme zistiť viac o ich živote, o ich denných rutinách, zvykoch, tradíciách no tiež o ich snoch a záľubách. Celý večer bol jeden nezabudnuteľný zážitok.
Culture night mala tiež svoje čaro. Tancovali sme tance z rôznych krajín, spievali a rozprávali sa. Aktivita pre deti tiež zožala úspech. Prichystali sme si rôzne stanoviská s hrami, na konci ktorých ich čakalo prekvapenie. Naše voľné dni sme využili produktívne. Spoločne sme precestovali viacero miest na ostrove, kde sme si užívali najmä more a pláže. Navštívili sme ale samozrejme aj historické pamiatky a objavovali čaro jednotlivých miest. Lúčilo sa nám ťažko. Vytvorili sme si nové priateľstvá, ktoré ako všetky dúfame, vydržia ešte dlhé roky. V Chidire sme každá nechali kúsok seba a to nie len ako odtlačok dlane na stene. Dúfame, že sme kúsok seba nechali aj medzi ľuďmi žijúcimi v dedine, že sme im ukázali niečo nové, niečo čo ich môže do budúcna obohatiť. Rovnako si aj my odnášame kúsok Chidiry v sebe. Ešte dlho si v sebe ponesieme všetko čo nás toto miesto a hlavne ľudia v ňom naučili.
Michaela Michalková
From June 18th to July 3rd, we girls had the opportunity to spend time in a tiny village called Chidira, located in the inland part of the island of Lesvos, Greece. It was a team volunteering project with the goal of improving the village’s public spaces and
organizing activities for local children.
Our adventure began in the port of Piraeus, where we met most of the volunteers and organizers on the evening of June 18th. We boarded a ferry together, where we spent our first evening and also the night, as the journey took around 13 hours. We quickly bonded with the other volunteers — we played games, walked around the ship, and talked all night. In the morning, we woke up in the port town of Mytilene, where more organizers were already waiting for us. They drove us to our final destination, Chidira, which took about an hour.
Our accommodation was very simple. We slept directly in the village’s cultural centre on military-style beds, and our showers were out in the open, under the sky. Our meals were taken care of by three amazing women from the village.
The first two days were dedicated to "bonding time." Once we got to know each other, it was time to get to work — the reason we had come. We divided into three teams based on the location of the tasks.
The first group was the Wall Team. Their task was to paint a mural on a roughly 8- meter-high wall with the words “Welcome to Chidira” and add visual elements that reflect the spirit of the village. The letters proved a bit challenging, but with help from
the locals and their excavator, they managed to pull it off beautifully. Next was the Bus Stop Team. The village has one bus stop, and their job was to bring it to life. A portrait of an important Greek artist born in the village, a depiction of the ancient poet Sappho, and even some sheep — a typical village symbol — all found their place on the bus stop walls.
About 20 minutes' walk from the village, hidden in the forest, is a waterfall where we spent many hot afternoons. Without the locals, it would have been nearly impossible to find. This is where the third and final team came in. They were given several wooden boards and tasked with creating signs to help people find the waterfall more easily. We worked wonderfully in our teams. We played music while we worked, sometimes even danced, and genuinely enjoyed the teamwork and seeing the village slowly transform into a more beautiful place. We got to know each other more deeply. Since we had to work together to get things done, it taught us to communicate, to listen, and to be inspired by one another’s ideas.
Evenings had a different atmosphere. Some nights, we sat in the local café, played games, laughed, and talked until sunrise. Others we spent surrounded by locals. We organized a Social Coffee event, with the main goal of meeting women and girls from the village. We wanted to learn more about their lives, their daily routines, traditions, dreams, and hobbies. It was an unforgettable evening.
Culture Night also had its charm — we danced traditional dances from different countries, sang, and shared stories. Our activity for the children was also a big success. We prepared several game stations, with a little surprise waiting for them at the end. We used our free days productively. Together, we travelled to several places on the island, enjoying the sea and beaches. Of course, we also visited historical landmarks and discovered the unique charm of each place. Saying goodbye was hard. We formed new friendships that we all hope will last for many years. Each of us left a little piece of ourselves in Chidira — and not just in the form of a handprint on the wall. We hope we also left something behind in the hearts of the people living in the village, something new that might enrich their lives. And just as we left something there, we also took something with us. We’ll carry Chidira with us for a long time — all the things this place, and especially the people in it, taught us.
Michaela Michalková
