Solidarity Symi Public Meeting - 16 November 2015

A public meeting will be taking place at the Cultural Centre in Yialos at 2 p.m. today. Everyone who is on the island is invited to attend.  Translators will be available as there will be speakers in both Greek and English.

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Talking About the Weather

The big oak tree in Lieni, at the top of Chorio, is starting to lose its leaves.  

Monday morning 8 a.m. and the lanes at the top of the Kali Strata are quiet.

You know the season on Symi is drawing to a close when all you see on the Kali Strata are sheep droppings!

Not much happening down in the harbour either.  Indeed by the time I got down to the bottom, that big gulet had gone.

Another section of the roof is getting a make over on this old mansion at the top of the Kali Strata.

Empty.

A Virginia creeper, intent on raising a few tiles.

There might not be many customers about but the herb man has just taken delivery of several branches of bay which will have to be dried and bagged for next year.  When you buy herbs on Symi the chances are high that they are gathered locally rather than imported.

The fish market by the bridge in Yialos - and a big piece of gauze to keep the flies off the fish.

The Symi day excursion boat coming in from Rhodes - while there are very few tourists still staying on Symi, Rhodes is still fairly busy if the number of day trippers is anything to go by.  They are mainly older people and families with young children, speaking a wide range of languages.

A colourful display outside the chandlery in the lane outside the Symi Visitor Accommodation office. Dino also sells agricultural implements - hoes, rakes, spades and the like.

Just before 12.30 and the Panagia Skiadeni has come into view.  It is not usually possible to see her when she is that far out but there are no yachts to obscure the view today!

It is a quiet October Monday on Symi and the main topic of conversation is the weather which is expected to take a turn for the worse midweek. Will the storms reach us as early as Tuesday night? Will they arrive on Wednesday? Will the rain be as heavy as expected?  Will it all be over by Sunday or will it linger on into the beginning of next week?  It all depends on which weather forecast you are following but whatever it is and whenever it is, it is coming our way and everyone is preparing for it. Those cafes and tavernas that are still open have been rigging their plastic drop cloths which can be deployed very quickly to turn pavement tables into sheltered ones.  It makes a change to be talking about the weather instead of Greek politics and the state of the Greek economy.

Many of the boutiques and more niche market shops have already closed, their owners heading off to other places for the winter. Those more practical shops that cater to the needs of the locals through the winter are concentrating more on the things that they know will sell than the exotic goodies demanded by megayachts and foreign visitors. There will probably be a flurry of treats in the run up to Christmas but for the next few weeks the philosophy is 'buy local, buy in season' - think pomegranates rather than pineapples!

Twenty-nine Syrian and Iraqi refugees, including quite a few children aged between 5 and 7, arrived on the island last night and their paperwork is being processed at the moment.  We hope that they will be ready in time to leave on the Panagia Skiadeni at 4 p.m. this afternoon as they will otherwise have to spend the night here as the next boat out is the Panagia Skiadeni on Tuesday at 3 p.m.

Have a good week.

Regards,
Adriana

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Symi in September

Don't be fooled by this autumnal view of Pedi bay - the temperatures on Symi have been in the forties this week, an abnormal heatwave for this time of the year.

One morning this week, on my way to work, I spotted this black cat watching a desiccated bush with great interest.

Closer inspection revealed two hens and two chicks hiding in the undergrowth so I tossed a pebble against the wall behind the cat and distracted it while the mums and their young made a dash for the safety of  a nearby stable.  As of this morning both chicks are still accounted for.  What is interesting is how well camouflaged the local feral poultry are in this landscape.

A young donkey shares a joke.  He has fresh vine prunings for his breakfast. The two terracotta buildings in the background are the Taxiarchis hotel in Chorio.

Travelling salesmen and hawkers are very much a part of the island landscape. The one on the right is taking advantage of the fact that the hunting season opens next week and is selling strong boots, camo pants and safety jackets (well, if you are camouflaged to blend into the landscape, of course you need a luminous red vest so no one shoots you by accident...). The blue van on the left is selling bananas and potatoes and evidently prefers a lie in in the morning. That is the Chorio clinic in the background.

Waiting for the Blue Star on Wednesday morning.  

There are still a few late season motor yachts around.

The departing Blue Star on Friday morning.  These big boats really dwarf the clock tower and surrounding buildings.

Symi is quite full at the moment and the water taxis are very busy. September has always been a popular month with the island's regular visitors and this year is no exception.

A flourishing vine on the Kali Strata.

Symi has been sweltering in a late season heatwave as the big dust storm that has affected Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon and Israel also pushed up temperatures in the south-east Aegean.  The wind direction should change this weekend, bringing some relief from the extreme heat and fine, all pervading dust.

The school year started today and when I went out to do some errands an hour or so ago local mothers were accompanying their children home from their first day at primary school.  Here on Symi, the island's schooling covers all ages from kindergarten to high school so children only have to leave home when they go on to college or university - one of the advantages of having a reasonably large permanent population (about 2600 people).  Many Greek islands have populations that can be counted in the hundreds rather than the thousands and young families are forced to go further afield to educate their children.

It has been a quiet week in terms of refugee arrivals. Dark nights mean fewer people risking making the crossing in inflatable boats and those who have arrived have been processed quite quickly and have already moved on to the next step of their journey.  We never know from one day to the next how many people may be arriving so we have to be prepared to cope at short notice with however many may arrive. The closest thing to advance notice is when refugees are spotted on the rocks around Symi and the coastguard goes to rescue them as at that point Solidarity Symi gets a call to say that so many people will be coming in in the next hour or so.  If you would like to donate to our winter collection, please click on http://www.everyclick.com/solidaritysymi/info  If you are on the island and would like to make a cash donation which goes to providing basic food, water and medicines for those in need, our collection boxes are at the Symi Visitor office, the Old Markets hotel and also at the refugee relief centre in the old post office by the police station and clock tower.

Still on the subject of refugees I was talking to someone in the office today who was under the misconception that when refugees arrive here their on-going journey is paid for by the Greek state. This is not the case.  The refugees must pay for their own ferry tickets on to Pireus and beyond.  All they get from the Greek government is the normal 'prison rations' for the 24 hours that they are effectively in detention on arrival and travel documents that enable them to travel legally through Greece within a restricted time frame.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,
Adriana

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Monday on Symi

Although it is still very hot - temperatures are back around 40 degrees centigrade - there is an autumnal quality to the light and the mornings are quite hazy. As you can see, Pedi bay is quite empty in comparison to a week or so ago.

Calm seas and very little yachting activity in Harani and Yialos.

The megayachts have gone, leaving a clear view across the harbour.

A local fishing boat. The two little boys are from one of the refugees families waiting on that side of the harbour.

These Syrian refugees have found shelter in a taverna on the waterfront in Yialos.  They will have arrived in the course of the weekend and will be waiting to receive their travel papers.  The majority of the refugees from last week were able to leave on Friday night's Blue Star. Although the weather is calm there is less moonlight now so we should have fewer arrivals, at least on unseaworthy inflatable boats, until the moon starts to wax again.  

Traditional Symiot houses are very high maintenance.  Here you can see the difference between what happens to woodwork when it is exposed to the elements, and the protected inner surface.   The local climate goes from incredibly wet and quite cold in the winter to extremely hot and dry in the summer which wreaks havoc with wooden doors and shutters.  Ideally everything needs painting every spring as a season's neglect quickly deteriorates into something that needs major repair or replacement rather than a lick of paint.  As Symi's architecture is protected, houses are required by the Archeologia to have the traditional wooden doors and shutters.  This is why there are so many carpenters on the island.

An old grapevine has taken over on this neglected house near the high school.  Judging by the lush growth, the roots are probably firmly in the rain water cistern underneath the house.  As Symi has no natural water to speak of and the island's water supplies are brought in by boat from Rhodes, all the houses have cisterns.  In the old days these would be filled by harvesting the winter rains from the roof and then carefully eked out to last the summer. These days the municipality supplies a water ration to the houses in the summer.  Each house has a pump which pressurises the water from the cistern to the tap. This is why if there is a power cut the water goes off.

Spearmint flowering at the base of the Kali Strata.

Not much happening at this carpenter's workshop.

Symi cats love sleeping on pergolas and any breezy places where there is a draft above and below. We will know that the weather is changing for sure when the cats start looking for patches of sunshine again.

Well, where else would you put your water toys to dry after a trip to the beach except in a convenient ruin?  As there are no swimming pools, the children all learn to swim in the sea.  There is an area cordoned off with lane markers in Nimborio that serves the purpose of the 'school pool'.

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Solidarity Symi Friday Update

More than a hundred men, women and children of all ages (including a week old baby) arrived on Symi this morning and are now gathered around the police station, awaiting processing.  Our relief centre is in the old post office which adjoins the police station, to the left of the picture, behind the palm trees.  

Meanwhile yesterday's arrivals are now camping outside the coastguard/port police office, waiting for their travel documents so that they can take the ferry tonight to Pireus to continue their journey.  Here you can see Wendy Wilcox, one of the directors of Solidarity Symi, distributing fruit, water and biscuits to those who have not been able to buy breakfast in the harbour.  Cartons of milk were also given to the women and children.

Syrian men waiting outside the coastguard office in Yialos. The women and children are around the corner, sitting higher up the steps where they will have spent an uncomfortable night.  While Wendy and I were waiting for the breakfast supplies to arrive, I spoke to one young man.  He said that he was part of a group of 67 people who came over from Turkey in 2 inflatable boats this week.  The people traffickers charged them 2500 US dollars per person for the trip which took three and a half hours and was truly terrifying but, as he said, 'what choice do we have?'  

Look out for our emblem and our collection boxes at the Symi Visitor Accommodation office and the Old Markets hotel. Cash donations made on the island go towards providing daily necessities such as food, water and medicine.  Donations made on line at http://www.everyclick.com/solidaritysymi/info  will be used for more permanent assistance and infrastructure.  Donations of clothes, shoes,  sunhats, nappies, non-perishable food, toiletries, ruck sacks, sleeping bags and toys can be handed in at the relief centre at the old post office by the clock tower between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m.  If you can also give the gift of time, please call Wendy on +30 6945 822 896 to schedule a shift!

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Solidarity Symi - Mid-Week Update

The many hundreds of Syrian refugees who passed through Symi last week are now on their way, having found places on ferries on Monday.  After a brief lull with only 28 people on the island yesterday, 100 new arrivals are being brought round to the police station now for processing.  If anyone reading this is on the island and can spare an hour or two to help out at the relief centre in the old post office, please call Wendy on +30 6945 822 896.

On a more immediate note, funds collected in our collection boxes on the island are used to provide daily necessities such as food, water and medicines.  We work on a budget of 2.50 euros per person per day for food and water which is quite a tight budget but if you think about it, that means that for today's arrivals we will be spending 250 euros per day for their sustenance until they are able to leave.  If you can donate even 10 euros you are providing food and water for 4 people for a day so any donation, no matter how modest, helps.

If you use Facebook and follow our page, we post our daily requirements as needed so that people on the island know what is needed such as Pampers (baby's nappies), men's shorts and so on.   The more people can donate these kinds of items, the further the cash donations go.

The on line collection http://www.everyclick.com/solidaritysymi/info reached its initial goal within a week and a new target has been set. Funds raised this way will be used to improve reception facilities and infrastructure such as toilets, showers, sleeping mats and shade.  As we move into winter additional shelter and bedding will also be needed.

Thank you very much for your support and generosity. We cannot solve the problems of the world or bring peace to the Middle East but we can all do our part to alleviate distress as much as it is within our capabilities to do so.

Adriana on behalf of
Wendy Wilcox and Andrew Davies
Solidarity Symi

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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.

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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

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