Greece hurts…
I am 32 years old, citizen of Greece. Greece is my country, my birthplace, the country I live and work. I grew up with the smell of the sea, the taste of the olives, with the sun warming my skin, surrounded by people with warm smiles, protected and loved by my family…Greek family…Greece is my memories, my life…
I remember the summertime, when I was a little child and all the family (parents, sisters, brothers, grandparents, cousins…) was gathered together at Sundays, in the house of my grandparents near the sea under the shinning sun. The table was full of foods (simple and delicious like salads with fresh vegetables, cheese, pies with oil from our olive trees) and wine that our neighbor produced by his vineyards. We used to make jokes with each other and laugh, laugh a lot…We used to dream and make plans…plans for the future…
Plans for the future that never came. Now our country hurts…Greece hurts…It has been years since we gathered for the last time. Now my grandparents struggle to save their house. With their poorly pension payment, they try to pay overwhelming bills and buy medicines. My sister and most of my cousins have University degrees but no hope to find a job. Those that have a job, do not know if they are going to have that job the next day and most of them get paid with pennies or don’t get paid at all. Our parents see the toil of all these years of hard work to be wasted and try to help their unemployed children and also cover basic needs for the family.
We live in a country that we don’t have the luxury to dream any more. People have lost their warm smile. The plans that we had when we were children (getting a job, be productive and make our own family) becoming increasingly removed. But we don’t lose hope. We don’t lose our faith or dignity.
The purpose of this is for everyone to understand what people of Greece are going through. Understand the practical and emotional difficulties that an average family has to face in everyday life for the last years. We remain together and, against all the odds, hoping for a better future.
If you take Greece apart,
In the end you will be left with
an olive tree, a vineyard and a boat…
which means that with these items
you can rebuild Greece…
Odysseas Elytis, Nobel Prize for Literature, 1979