30 Aug 2012

I moved

 ελληνικό κείμενο

 ...and I mean literally, not on the internet. From the city to the country. Almost two months ago we left the house we rented in a suburb of Athens and came to our summer house which is located somewhere on the eastern coast of Attica, after having made the necessary changes and improvements to make it habitable on a permanent basis. The decision was taken with financial criteria mainly. We had in mind that someday we would make this change but in a rather vague way. The financial situation here in Greece, with salary cuts, unreasonably high and unfair taxation and permanent uncertainty about what new crazy measure will fall on us tommorrow necessitated the decision. To liberate the monthly budget from a fee as high as a rent is really important. Of course our expenses to improve our new home currently exceed the rent we previously paid but we know it won't be forever and they are spent for us and our children.

We moved in the heart of summer so that the whole thing comes smoothly as if we were leaving for another vacation. To be honest I am not thrilled about the change, I really loved my life in our old neighborhood and already miss it. To live here in summer is lovely, the garden is big, the sea is close but September is almost here, schools are opening and we 'll have to start from scratch, make new friends, learn new ways and be accustomed to new things. This kind of changes are definetely not my favorite point. I could say I am sad. I know some people will find it ridiculous, we are only 42klm away from the centre of Athens, but believe me, for someone who grew up downtown this is a huge jump. How can I explain it, I prefer seeing lights and a few people and cars passing by my doorway when I step out than just hearing at the wind blowing through the leaves and dogs barking distantly. It is the solitude that comes with winter that scares me the most.

Within this situation there is something on the other hand that lifts my spirit. A whole new/old house (more about this house on next posts) that needs to be organized, decorated and most of all become a home. The feeling that the house is yours and you can do whatever you want with it without restrictions is precious. Can you imagine the to-do-list? I add new diy projects every day and soon I will start posting my creations. I think I have things to paint, fix, makeover, repurpose for at least a year from now. So stay close, we will have fun!

I would like to hear from you if you ever experienced a big move, from city to country or vice verca. Did it excite you or scared you? Did you do something specific to deal with it or just let time pass?

1 comment:

___ said...

Loved this post of yours in all its plain sincerity. Wishing you a happy winter in the new country neighborhood!