sweet bravehearts ❤ quiet little landers

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Hello my dear readers,
today’s article is at the same time a new episode of my «The Who in the Where» set of articles and a new episode of my numerous reviews on what other people have written in their blogs on subjects related to Ikaria.
This time, however, the blog where I am borrowing material from is a completely new and different thing and I can’t but be very serious about it. The reason is that Women on Ikaria in BetweenMyWorlds pays a well-deserved, respectful homage to eight inconspicuous heroines who have struggled hard to build the foundations of a good life upon the rocky shoulders of our beloved island.
It is obvious to me that Birgit, the author of these eight beautifully illustrated pages, proceeded in her work not as a superficial magazine reporter but as a real friend and respectful mediator. She observed, she listened, she inquired, she listened again and took notes and photos. She let things settle and mutual trust established. Take time, hang about, lay back and listen – that’s the key to unlock the mysteries of the Ikarian character – always cautious, reserved and often mistrusful of strangers. But either by nature or experience, Birgit grasped the spirit, and that’s the amazing thing about her. She’s proven true to the intro statement of her blog:

«I always loved to travel and to sit down with people, listening to their stories. It is in those moments that the beauty of a place and its people is revealed to me… Here, the definition of «listening» got another meaning. Even though I don‘t yet master the Greek language, the island and the Ikarians have sent me on a long and interesting journey. Whenever possible, you can now find me on this remote island, hiking, collecting stories and appreciating precious moments of intense talks and golden silence… Based on my experiences on Ikaria, I paid more attention to the stories around me. In times where our life is charactericed by restlessness, I treasure my chances to sit down with someone for a while. Talking and listening, giving full attention to each other is the most welcome present I can receive and give today.»

Hey, hold it! The topic here is not the blogger. It’s the blog posts! And here I am, presenting to my readers «Women on Ikaria», containing the portraits of eight brave ladies who have trusted our tiny red rock for a better life. I believe that their example is creating new attitudes and positive perspectives, hopefully not only for Ikaria, I also believe, but for the rest of Greece as well.
And, hey people, don’t think they are the only ones!
Believe me, I know!

Thank you Birgit Urban!
Very much looking forward for more!

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Stamatoula Vardarou: It takes a village to raise a kid.

«Stamatoula is hurring down the street in Agios Kirikos – a few strands of her thick curls come loose from her hair bun. She is late to open her shop and she knows that her neighbours will start worrying, if she is depassing even the Ikarian definition of beeing late. And she is right. While opening the door of her little shop in the upper main road of Agios Kirikos, Kosta, the owner of the coffee shop next to her, sticks his head out of the door asking her: ‘Where have you been? What happened? You are late!’ Stamatoula is smiling…» [read more…]

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Mandy Dragataki – the woman who is looking after your electricity bill.

«When you leave Ikaria by plane, Mandy might be the last person from the island who is giving you a hand. You can’t miss her: she will be standing at the boarding gate, her long dark hair braided in two strong braids, and with a smile she will check your passport and boarding pass, wishing you a “good flight”. When you see her there, handling the routine work of the ground staff, you might not imagine that her Ikarian story started just four years ago. Nevertheless she has roots on Ikaria, deep roots. Her grandparents are…» [read more…]

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Fotini Paroikou – Living in the Ikarian rhythm.

«Fotini drives her little car quickly over the bumpy dirt road. It is a hot summer day on Ikaria. Some kilometers further down the road, you can enjoy Messakti beach packed with hundreds of people, who are making the most of a typical Greek holiday day with sunbathing, surfing and beach volleyball. But up here, in the area of Pezi, it‘s a completely different story. You don’t meet anybody. Through the dust clouds…» [read more…]

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Marianna Markaki: when living next to the sea is the only option.

«If you want to get to know to Marianna, you better put your swimsuit on, take your swimming goggles and head to the sea somewhere in the area between Agios Kirikos and Therma on the Southern coast of Ikaria. Watch out carefully and if you‘re lucky, you might see a tall, sportive-looking woman with a spear gun, swimming between the rocks trying to…» [read more…]

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Silke Wagner – When love and jam make you stay.

«“Ja, da muscht halt gucke, dass du noch eine Milch holen tust” You may turn your head in surprise, eyes wide open, perplexed to hear a broad German accent while sitting in a coffee shop in Raches on Ikaria. But when this is happening, you are most probably sitting in the coffee shop of the “Women’s cooperative” in the middle of the platia of Christos Raches…» [read more…]

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Miriam Maass – finally taking life into your hands.

«Boofy, the little brown mixed breed dog, is jumping impatiently between the olive nets. He is bored. For hours he already stayed there watching Miriam, his owner, combing down the olives from one tree after the other. He cannot stand it any longer. Nor can he stand the smell of the olives any longer, or does he want to explore the grove once more. He knows this olive grove by heart: It is nearly Christmas time and since the beginning of November he has not only examined every single mound of soil in this grove, but he also got stuck in an endless chain of the same routine: in the morning, Miriam, his beloved owner, drives him from Nas up to Proespera, where she‘s supposed to harvest 117 olive trees by herself…» [read more…]

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Elena Zepou – I hang up my ballet shoes between goats and chicken and I am fine with it.

«Elena bends her body up and down at the ballet bar. She closes her eyes and little by little she gets into the rythm of the music, she put on this morning: «Cesare Pugni – The Esmeralda Variation». This is her moment, this is her ‘time out’ before a busy day starts off. She is testing some steps and after a short time…» [read more…]

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Eirini Stathogianni – Τhe woman who is putting Ikaria on your skin.

«Eirini kisses her little daughter good-bye, then she starts the engine of the small white transporter. It is a cold winter afternoon in December on Ikaria, the Northern wind is blowing rain drops against the windscreen. Even though Eirini knows the road by heart, she drives slowly, concentrating on every bend in the road. Winter weather can be very treacherous on Ikaria and the…» [read more…]

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Update: Sunday, September 12, 2021

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NOTES:
a) This article is actually a reblog. All texts and photos © Birgit Urban, all rights reserved. The material presented here has not been downloaded but embedded directly from the source.
b) BetweenMyWorlds does not accept comments but only e-mails. Aligning to the blogger’s preference I won’t accept comments here either. However, if you are on facebook, I think you may be able to add a comment by visiting the links pinned under some of the paragraphs of this article.
c) I take full responsibility for the title of my article. The second part of it is a loan after one of my most cherished old articles:
«φree αssoσiation».

Thanks for reading!

⭐ ⭐ ⭐

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Sunday, April 4, 2021

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