The following post was written by Global Gap Year Fellow, Sarah Breland.
Living in Katelios, Kefalonia- Greece for the last month has taught me something that I think is hard to realize when you grow up in a fast-moving society. Whenever I think back to my childhood, I get a sense of endless time and fun-filled days doing activities that are outside of the online world and surrounded by nature or with family and friends. I can’t think of a time in the past couple of years where I felt the same sense of time and energy. I think in this day in age we are all caught up in the mindset that time is money or that time must be used wisely but, I think that this idea causes us to miss out on the experience of living. Rather than constantly thinking of the costs of everything or what you have to do next, I think it is important to take a second to get off of our phones and a way from technology to truly live life with those around us while we are still young, and we still are able to see one another.
I know that when I leave Greece there is a high probability that I will never see or possibly speak to some of the amazing people that I have met so far. Despite knowing this and how it may make me a little sad, it makes the experience that much more worthwhile because you know how valuable your time is with each other. More specifically, I know that each second, I have here is fleeting yet, it is so incredible to be living in a memory that later on I will cherish and think back to often. Thus, while I spend my time here in Greece working on turtle conservation, I will try to keep to the best of my abilities myself conscious of the time I have and the work I do.
Each team meal, road trip, baby turtle excavation, swim, and more will be soon in the past and I will never be able to live in this experience again. All of this brings me to the point that life is expensive but living is free, meaning that the day to day costs of living like for food, water, accommodation, travel expenses, and more can take a toll and be pricey but, in order to truly live life, the conversations we have with each other, the scenery we experience, the activities we do together or alone, and everything in which we take the time to just breathe and take in what’s around us is free and what really matters.
It feels almost weird for me to take a midday nap or to have time to walk around a full neighborhood on a daily basis but to those in Katelios it is ingrained in their everyday lives. Of course, those in Katelios still have jobs and responsibilities like almost everyone pretty much does. However, the locals here have made lives in which they still make time to do the things that they love and to live life. In fact, in the village I am currently staying in, between the hours of approximately 2PM-5PM the locals are off duty or work to do as they please (usually it is time meant for one to sleep or relax). In addition, to counter the idea that is partly true that time is money, if it makes you happy doing something then it is not a waste of time or in other words a waste of money.
I plan on taking time to truly live here in this beautiful environment by traveling by boat to other nearby islands, specifically Zante. Here I will check out the blue caves and the infamous shipwreck with some amazing locals who are kind enough to show me around on their boat. With only a few weeks left in Greece, I want to make sure I make the most out of my time by continuing to build connections with those here in the village, living in the moment with the amazing scenery, taking time to feel, as well as being ready to try new things while I still can.