The 2nd Week
During my second week in Athens, I came to rest more and more. Rest in this context doesn’t mean that I have experienced less, but rather that everything felt more structured and unagitated (maybe it’s also due to the yoga I started this week). I have become more and more accustomed to city life in Athens. I can orient myself better now, got to know some parts of the city and started to find my favourite places.
Every morning on the way to Inter Alia’s office, I get my fresh orange juice without having to place an order, as the man already knows me. I have favourite bakers, favourite taverns, favourite bars and favourite discounters. Many things now feel very familiar. I have already taken many typical Greek things into my heart. Not only the Greek wine, but also the small glasses and carafes which are available. Not only the taste of the Greek food, but also the great live music and traditional dances during the food. Not only the sweet fruits, but the places and markets where you can buy it. Not only the Greek language, but also that I can already understand and say a few words. Not only the numerous cats, but also the people who feed them daily. There is no other city (except from Leipzig) in which I felt comfortable so fast.
Every morning I get up and look forward to coming to the office. The team is great and so is the working atmosphere. My task was to reflect on the past Re-Thinking Migration week and write a report about it. In this process, not only my notes were organized, but also my thoughts. It also helped me processing some things. Peace and structure came into my head. As a fitting conclusion for the week I visited the Moviement film festival on the subject of flight and took part in interesting discussions.
I was at a Greek party the first time, experienced a Greek thunderstorm. I visited for the very first time a beach on Greek mainland. I have been to Pendeli and also the first time in a real cave (on top of Pendeli). I think the weekend in nature and the view from Pendeli helped me to take a deep breath and get a different view from (and of) Athens. NAMASTE!
Hi! My Name is Elisabeth Schreier but everyone calls me Elli. I am 25 years old and I have successfully completed my Bachelor of Arts: Social Work in September 2019 in Leipzig. In Leipzig I have gained different experiences as a work student like working for and with a youth living unit for minor, female refugees and working in a close-to-family, integrative, stationary living unit for children and adolescents. Besides social work, my heart beats for animals. For this reason-in addition to the fact that I have two dogs- I absolved an internship at the institute of animal-assisted therapy and pedagogics in Denmark last year. Before going to Athens, I was volunteering in a shelter with over 350 stray dogs in Crete. After this more physical labour, I am excited to absolve a two-months internship at Inter Alia as part of an Erasmus graduate fellowship. The focus is on gaining and experiencing international and new impressions, working methods and diverse perspectives.
While in Athens, I implemented a workshop on female perspectives on the city.For more information on my project contact me atelisabeth.schreier94@web.de
