Kara Tepe Refugee Camp Lesbos, Greece 2018

Blog #16 Allegra's Birthday April 30, 2018 Gentle Reader, One of the more difficult aspects of traveling and being away from home is that I miss events.  Today is Allegra's birthday.  She is the youngest of four daughters, and she turns 19 today.  To celebrate, she went to a Vegan/Vegetarian Festival in Novi over the weekend.  It was held at their Convention Center.  She told me she was happy to be among her people! She also went to Sultan's Restaurant in East Lansing.  I had taken her there when I was in Michigan in March, and she really enjoyed the many options that fit her lifestyle on the menu.  I was happy to hear she had the appetizer with roasted cauliflower again... and a mango smoothie.  She also enjoyed a vegan chocolate cake from Whole Foods. I missed being at her celebration, but was in communication with her throughout the day.  Here's the photo-poem I wrote for Allegra in honor of her birthday... May your dreams con...

Blog Post 15 Theatre Rehearsal April 29, 2018 Gentle Reader, Today is Sunday, a day off from working at Kara Tepe.  My original plan was to travel to a small fishing village just north of Kara Tepe, but I was told many of the shops and restaurants might be closed due to it being Sunday.  So, I will save that excursion for a weeknight when I am not completely exhausted.  The heat, combined with long hours on my feet, as well as hauling boxes from the warehouse to The Shop, tend to create a very tired me by the end of the workday.  The work is exhausting, but it is ultimately good work. In my stumbling around at Myteline Port today, I eventually needed to find a restroom.  This poses some difficulty, as the shop where I had lunch was just a small, narrow storefront, with no public restrooms.  I walked around the port, looking for a public toilet.  I discovered the doors to the theatre were open, and found my way to the WC.  Here's a happy me...

Blog Post #14 Church of St Therapon April 29, 2018 Gentle Reader, Blog 13 discussed the baptism ceremony I attended at St Therapon today in Mytilene.  I suppose you can call me a Baptism Crasher... Here are several photos of the inside of the church, which is stunningly beautiful.  These chairs are richly ornate, with lovely wood carvings.  They do have cushions on them, so they are not as uncomfortable as they might look in the photo.  I have found that the furniture in the apartment as well as the furniture at Kara Tepe are not conducive to comfortable seating or relaxing.  Mostly, plastic chairs and stools are everywhere, usually without any back support.  In truth, the most comfortable seat is when I am in the taxi to Kara Tepe every morning!  These seats in the church, despite the erect posture they forced, were actually pretty comfortable! I found this icon to be the most beautiful.  During the course of my...

Blog Post #13 A Greek Orthodox Baptism April 29, 2018 Gentle Reader, I am currently reading a book that talks about the loss that occurs when love and patience are not existing in harmony.  Today, and really in my life in general, I feel that love and patience converged to produce a beautiful result... I have been trying for two weeks to visit the Church of St Therapon in Myteline Port.  This church is constructed in the Baroque style, with some Rococo and Neoclassic elements.    Construction began early in the 19th century and was completed in 1935.  The church dominates the city of Mytilene with its impressive size and its unique combination of architecture styles.   The architect was a native of the island of Lesvos -- Argyris Adalis, who was a student of Ernst Ziller.  I'd like to dedicate this blog post to my dear friend Chadi in Madisonville, as St Therapon is from Cyprus, Chadi's original home.  Apparently, Therapon was ...

Blog Post #12 A Tipping Point April 26, 2018 Gentle Reader, It is said here at Kara Tepe that, among volunteers, there is a tipping point, of sorts.  It comes somewhere in the second week of working here.  First impressions of Kara Tepe are profound for each of us.  I think many of us imagined this to be a place of deep despair.  We had all heard stories of the turbulent crossings of the Aegean Sea, the risking of one's life for hope, the loss of family members and friends along the way, the smugglers who often didn't keep promises, the uprooting of family from the life they have always known, etc... Keeping all of those dangerous and life-threatening circumstances in mind, the atmosphere at Kara Tepe is clearly one of a peaceful, working village.  So many residents volunteer their time on many projects around the village.  Everyone works together to create an atmosphere that is conducive to families waiting to be placed in a more permanent home....

Blog Post #11 A Farewell Night Picnic April 26, 2018 Gentle Reader, As I have mentioned before, Kara Tepe is a place of many hellos and goodbyes.  The typical volunteer here spends one or two weeks at Kara Tepe.  On this night, we said farewell to Kelly and Joelle, both from the Netherlands. Kelly and Joelle were both very help in orienting me to the many projects around Kara Tepe that Movement on the Ground has initiated.  Kelly was especially invested in the Digital Learning Lab, fostering a spirit of "family" amongst the Advanced Computer Class.  Joelle was the heart of The Shop, always offering gentle guidance, especially when new families needed a "full kit" of clothing and shoes to get started at Kara Tepe.  It was a constant joke around The Shop when individuals would come in and say, "But Joelle said..."  and then offer a scenario that was different from the usual procedure.  Residents at Kara Tepe need to make an appointment for ...

Blog #10 For the Feline lovers out there... April 26, 2018 Gentle Reader, If you are a cat or dog lover, Lesvos is the place to be! Some kind souls leaves cat foot out for these strays every day. Yes, cats are everywhere here. At Kara Tepe, there tends to be many dogs.  All are strays who wander their way over to the camp.  They tend to hang out in and around the Movement on the Ground office, where caring folks leave them water and food.  It's turned extremely hot here in the last several days, so the animals are mostly looking for shady areas, which are few and far between. Many volunteers have adopted one or more of these dogs.  Pauline, the coach for the Barcelona Football Program, is especially generous when it comes to the dogs at camp.  Kelly, from the Netherlands, just made special arrangements to take Penelope home to Holland with her today. I won't be bringing animals home with me, but it is heart warming to see loving kindness extended...

Blog Post 9 Community Kitchen Picnic April 24, 2018 Gentle Reader, Welcome to the Community Kitchen Picnic at Kara Tepe!  This is a Monday evening tradition here, where volunteers and residents come together to cook with and for one another.  I was pleasantly surprised to see so many young men cooking in the kitchen last night.  This is contrast to the kitchens which are usually filled with almost entirely women throughout the daytime.  Katap, a resident volunteer who works as a translator in The Shop, was making falafel.  This is a pretty labor intensive process, as it takes a long time to fry the falafel in oil.  He would store each batch in a drawer below the burners as he finished each skilletful.  One woman made a biryani, using a recipe from Iraq.  The dish contained both meat and fruit, which was a beautiful flavor combination, reminding me of some Moroccan dishes I have cooked at home. The potato pancakes were wonderful, too...