Dear
Annie has initiated Time Travel Tuesday which she graciously hosts. I haven't been able to contribute in the past couple of weeks, but do I think this is a lovely idea, so I am posting today about my first post and about how I got into blogging.
I began blogging in April 2006. That is a little over a year ago. And
here is my very first post. It reads:
Getting startedThe idea has been with me quite some time , now. I wanted to open a lifestyle shop. An on-line shop that would give people the opportunity to taste and feel some of the things that I love; the images, the books, the ideas, the foods, the views... So, here I am, documenting my way to my dream spot. Promising to myself to take a tiny step every day. Tiny, if needed, yes, but, still a step forward, to the direction of my dream. Keeping my blog posted on my encounters, thoughts, travels, in search of the beautiful, the useful, the unique, the humble, the comforting, the exciting. Ahoy!
Wow, what an ambitious statement! It sounds quite romantic to me, too.
Well, at the time it looked such a natural thing to do. I wanted to post for posterity. I had just received a grant from the Greek state, encouraging women under 40 to get acquainted with the Internet and open an on-line business. C wasn't for it at all. He thought that an e-shop would take much of my time and he was afraid I wouldn't be able to help as much.
I thought that would be a great opportunity to get to know the place better, feel positive and independent in our new life and do something for the peasant people and the little local businesses I got to meet while travelling in the still very virgin and unspoilt Greek countryside. There are so many little businesses here and there. They definitively make delicious foodstuff like preserves and sweets from the purest ingredients, and unique handicrafts. Many go through the severe EU regulations and certification system for Bio and Eco-friendly products and they are worth every support they can get to get their products known.
On a more personal level I think I wanted to get to know Greece better, acknowledge it, and feel at home. I also wanted to put to practice my skills, show off some of my work and open up to the big wide world.
However, sometime after I received confirmation that my application had been accepted, and had given an advance of 1000 Euros to the people who secured the grant and would create the e-shop for me, there was just nobody to take my phone calls, no mobile, no e-mail, nothing. I was frustrated, but there simply was nothing I could do. In the end, I got on with life, and nearly forgot about it.
At the beginning of the year I was having a discussion with a client, a Greek-American who is about to start building a new Eco-tourism unit in the village his parents came from. He wanted to consult with us, and as we got along, we began talking about publicity etc. and got into the Internet business. I mentioned the person who was involved in my "promotion" and he said he knew him. He had done the exact same thing to many people, taking advance payment and then disappearing. "If that is a consolation, he said, you are not the only
amerikanaki around". Developing my skills in the local jargon, I found out that there is apparently this word translated as "
little American", to describe someone who is good hearted, even naif, and trusts easily what he is told. I am a Little American alright. I might even change my blog's name into The Little American. What do you think?
One year on, I still don't have my on-line shop. Sometimes I get sad when I come across the files with those addresses, pamphlets and photos of potential business partners and their products, and my notebooks with plans to get people to experience Greece outside the beaten track.
BUT, I am SO grateful to God for getting me into this, even if that meant my losing my little savings. I got to know women of Faith who discretely and without knowing it encouraged me to rediscover my Faith that was weakening with time, as I got away from the nurturing Greek Orthodox community I grew in.
I slowly begin to feel like wanting to become a member of a new community, one that makes me feel welcome and comfortable. I have learnt that despite or because of our differences, we form such an enriching community in the blogosphere.
I now have an (even more!) open heart, feeling that what unites us is stronger than what might set us apart. We are women and mothers, sharing our Christian faith and upbringing, Western civilisation and way of life, our values and concerns about raising our families in an ailing society, holding hands in an unstable world.
And I feel so very grateful!
In this statue by the Ancient Greek sculptor Kephisodotos, found in the Agora (marketplace) of Athens, she is depicted carrying the baby Plutos (Wealth), son of Demeter, the goddess of the earth, whom she raised. The symbolism is quite obvious: peace supports the blessings of wealth that come from the land.
seen here from an old children's magazine cover,
and the infant St.Irene of Lesvos. In the Catholic Church there is the virgin Santa Iria of Portugal.
Several artists by the name of Irene are famous or were famous in their day. These include an Ancient Greek painter, actress Irene Dunne, and modern time actress Irene Papas.
there is also a hurricane by the name of Irene,
