Looking back...

Almost a year has past since I arrived in Athens. It seems however like only yesterday that I climbed out of my taxi, setting foot in this new city that would soon become my home. The memories of arriving in Greece are still vivid. It was the heat of summer and although I had visited Athens once before, the area I was living in was unknown territory. It didn't take me too long to navigate my way around and I'm thankful that over this whole period I found great comfort in the knowledge of the Lord's presence with me. What could have been a shaky time, was actually a time where I felt upheld and deeply protected. You may recall that in my first few weeks I had large amounts of documents to be sign and stamps to be collected. I hadn't anticipated how long this process would take, but eventually all that was needed to be done was done. I was thankful that during this time I had friends who were helping me and especially providing me with much needed assistance with all the Greek.

The road where I lived for the year

One of the things that I had been praying for was that I would get to know some of my neighbours. In no time at all, God opened up a number of opportunities for me to speak to those either in or around my building. It wasn't easy because I knew little to no Greek and so there was no chance of long conversations. Yet I was made to feel very welcome and even plucked up the courage to ask my neighbour to make me a Greek coffee, she was delighted.

When I look back, one of the hardest things about living in a foreign country is definitely the language barrier. Although my Greek improved over the year I still found it challenging to live somewhere where your language is not the dominant language. I hadn't quite realised just how important clear communication is when it comes to building relationships with people. Living in a different country and culture for that matter, highlighted that lack of communication can lead to feelings of isolation. Even certain body gestures are different in Greece and so at times I did feel like I was in another world. To give you a somewhat humorous example there is a hand gesture which is considered very rude. You show your palm to someone with an outstretched arm. I kept forgetting this and so when I wanted to make some of my classes aware that they only had five minutes left, well, you can guess the rest. Thankfully we all saw the funny side, and I learnt to use the back of my hand instead.  

View from my favourite place in Athens

Whilst in Greece I was hoping to get involved in a church where I could belong and serve. I had pictured in my mind how this might look but as is so often the case, what God has in mind is nearly always different to what we envisaged. And as we all know, it is his purposes that will stand. Due to my commitments in the language school, I found myself getting involved with a refugee centre on a Tuesday and with a feeding programme at my church on a Thursday. Both of these ministries enabled me to help in very practical ways which was a real source of joy.

I think in my mind I had been quick to put myself in a position where I might be teaching the Bible, giving talks, you could say more 'visible' forms of ministry. Yet, in Greece God was showing me that serving him and his people in less visible ways is also of great value. As I helped prepare the food, serve the food, and when possible engage people in conversations, I was myself deeply encouraged by what God was doing all around me. I feel the truth which God has been etching ever clearer on my heart is that it is truly all about him.

2nd Greek Evangelical Church

We served around 130 people
hot food each week

I am very thankful for all the friendships that I made over my year in Greece. It was one of the best things about my time in Athens. I already had a few friends before arriving last August but I could not have imagined how these friendships would deepen and how many new friendships would be found. I really believe that nothing is left to chance and that all the people I met were given to me by God. I discovered even more how those closest to us often unknowingly teach us a vast amount about who we are. This was certainly the case for me. I know it all sounds a bit dramatic, but as I look back on Athens, I did learn many things about myself, things I already knew about my character but also things that were made even clearer. It felt as if I was being given a new perspective on my life. I remember someone once illustrating cross cultural experiences with a gardening metaphor.

Mixing the salad

If you have lived somewhere for an extended period of time, you inevitably begin to lay down roots. Although not a gardening expert, most plants level of rootage (made up word), i.e. depth and length of roots, is dependent on the size of the plant pot. If it's a small pot, there's only so much space the plant can occupy, there is a limited level of rootage and therefore a limited level of growth.

Moving to a foreign country feels a bit like being pulled out of one plant pot and plonked into another. Almost always the new pot is one which is of a different size and shape. Consequently more soil is needed, but the plant suddenly finds itself with more space to grow. As a result, over time there is new growth and perhaps even extended rootage.

If any of that made any sense, I can say with a degree of certainty that over this past year there has been growth in my life, spiritually speaking but also emotionally as well. Albeit small growth but the experience of living overseas has been a good one.

Looking back there are countless things I would love to share about my time in Greece. Teaching in the school, serving in the church and simply living in Athens has been an amazing experience. I'm thankful to God and all my friends and family who have shown their support and encouragement.