Solidarity Symi - Extending A Helping Hand

This is the logo for Solidarity Symi, a new charity initiative which was launched on Symi last week to help the many hundreds of Syrian and Iraqi refugees currently arriving on our shores as they flee the fighting in their home towns and seek safety for the children.

Please look out for our collection boxes.  Even a small donation can add up to a big difference in someone's life.

One of the first things organised by Solidarity Symi was to get permission to use the old post office adjoining the police station as a store room and distribution point for donations of food and clothing for the refugees.  Toilets are also being fitted as currently everyone is using the one and only toilet at the police station.

Some have one bag to hold all their worldly possessions, others have lost whatever they had in the long journey from the war zone, across Turkey and then by sea in flimsy boats to Symi.

Dispensing fruit, biscuits and water.  Tourists and locals alike have been generous in their donations but feeding hundreds of hungry mouths means that crates of fruit, water and other essentials that don't require cooking are always welcome. Fresh fruit is particularly necessary for the many children in the group.

Trying on a sunhat.  There is little shade in Yialos in the middle of the day and if you are a refugee, where do you go to pass the time until you can get onto a ferry and continue your journey?  While the more affluent sit in coffee shops and make plans, those for whom even a cup of coffee is a luxury sit and wait on steps until destiny determines the next step in their lives.  As the ferries are so full at this time of the year many people have a long wait ahead, even though their paperwork has been processed and they are allowed to proceed with their journey.

The volunteers from Solidarity Symi are sorting all donations as they come in and distributing them according to the needs of each family so that everyone is treated fairly.  Families write down what they need and then a representative comes up with the list which is then compiled by whoever is on duty. The relief centre is open from 7 in the morning until 9 at night.  If you are on the island and have a little time to spare, you can contact Wendy or Andy to make a time to help out.  If you want to contribute any clothing, mens swimming shorts/boxers, long sleeved women's clothes that are quite modest and children's clothes are particularly welcome.  The reason for the swimming shorts is because in the absence of adequate shower facilities, the men go and swim in the sea to clean up.

Read more...

Symi Solidarity - Friendly Faces

Travelling with small children can be stressful at the best of times. Imagine what it must be like when you have had a frightening and dangerous journey from a war-torn land and the road ahead is paved with uncertainty?

'Look madam, this is my son. We love you!'

'We love Greek people, madam, thank you.'

'We did it!

Relieved to be safely on Symi.

A group of 42 Syrian men, women and children, including a pregnant woman with her husband, arrived on Symi earlier this week.  These photographs were taken by local business woman, Fotini Kiriakidi, who took bottles of water up to the new arrivals and have been circulated widely on Facebook.  As you can see, the situation on Symi is very different to that depicted in the media concerning Kos and Lesvos.

When refugees arrive on the island they report to the police station and are held in custody by the police and coastguard for 24 hours while their paperwork is being processed. They are then given documentation to show the ferry company which enables them to book ferry tickets to continue their onward journey.  Most leave on the Blue Star ferry to Piraeus on Wednesdays and Fridays.

Let us never lose sight of our common humanity.

Regards,
Adriana

Read more...

The Promise of Rain

Yialos on Tuesday morning, as seen from our balcony. There are still lots of yachts around but they are much smaller and the armada of gulets has diminished considerably as the season draws to a close.

This does not mean that fouled anchors are a thing of the past. This tangle involved a sailing yacht, a small gulet and a motor boat.  In the end the motor boat dragged them all out into deeper water until the anchors were hanging free of the bottom and could be easily unravelled.

While anchors were being untangled in one part of Yialos, the Salamis Filoxenia was pulling in by the clock tower.  Wednesday was a really busy shipping day on Symi as we had the usual Dodecanese Seaways catamaran plus the Blue Star Diagoras and two Cypriot cruise ships, one after the other.  Shortly after leaving Symi the Salamis Filoxenia made the news when she picked up a ship in distress off Paphos, Cyprus and rescued 300 Syrian refugees who at time of writing are refusing to leave the ship and are demanding to be taken to Italy.

A misty morning over Pedi bay on Tuesday. The Turkish coast is lost in the mist.

The sun rising through a thick humid haze on Wednesday morning.

All clear in a brisk breeze on Thursday morning and the opposite coast is clearly visible.

Sunrise touching the row of old windmills on the crest of the hill that separates Yialos and the Pedi valley.

La Dolce Vita, a name that proved ironic when her German owner decided to dabble in a little informal people trafficking and was overheard bragging about it in a taverna in Pedi.  The boat has been impounded by the Greek Coastguard and the owner is awaiting trial so it really wasn't worth it, was it?

Waiting patiently to be loaded up outside Agios Eleftherios church in Chorio, near the Kampos bus stop.  

An elegant carob in a pot outside a shop in Yialos.

The season is drawing to a close and the first autumnal storms are expected to reach us this weekend with the promise of RAIN!  Time to clear gutters and dig out the rolls of plastic sheeting.  The first rains are always eagerly anticipated by the locals as by this time the cisterns are dry and the island baked solid in the summer heat.  This doesn't mean that we are in for a spell of cold weather though.  Temperatures remain in the mid to high twenties and the rain is likely to be in the form of sporadic thundershowers rather than hours of continuous rain. Gusty winds are forecast for Sunday but are unlikely to disrupt shipping.  If you don't fancy going to the beach, there are plenty of interesting shops to browse around and pretty cafes to enjoy.

The Panagia Skiadeni remains out of commission for the foreseeable future so there have been significant changes to the Dodecanese Seaways schedules for October.  If you are travelling at that time, please check.  Remember, if you prebook your tickets on line they will notify you of any changes whereas if you just turn up on the quay you may be caught out by last minute changes.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,
Adriana

Read more...