Well, obviously I survived the weekend away, and, more importantly, so did the girls! I had no idea how my stay at the shelter would go, for me or for them. I was afraid I might be a pushover, or an emotional wreck by the end of it. I hear "strong personalities" and I want to run in the other direction. I guess I have quite a bit more experience than most in this field (trafficking) and ideally I am a good fit for something like this - which is why they asked me to come (and offered me a job, but never mind about that) - but come on, I was a little nervous. :)
And we had our bumps, like the two girls who hate each other (they worked together before coming to the house and the feud goes back quite some time), the meddling and worrying Greek house mom who actually agitated the girls more than she helped, manipulative girls and clashes over housework and cell phone usage. It was hard to see a 5 year old in an environment like this and the sad effects it has on her. It was frustrating having to calm down and mediate between a 65 year old woman and younger girls who you would expect that from. It was uncomfortable knowing that they were being nice to me because they were hoping I would let them use the phone to call their boyfriend. And to try and manage all this when 10 of the 12 girls speak Russian and none of the staff do! Tough.
But - what a good weekend! Kalli, the amazing shelter manager, got a bit of a break to have a date with her husband and time with her kids. I was able to be firm when necessary, and I was able to earn their respect, while at the same time being able to sit and watch movies, cook, go on walks, and hang out and chat. A couple times I needed to step out on the balcony for fresh air, or go hide in the stairwell to use the internet (they aren't allowed). But it seemed like everyone (even Crazy Nagging House Mom) benefited from stability, calmness, and boundaries. And thank God I was able to have those things!
Alissa, a 22 year old from Russia (the one who pierced her lip), a child herself with a 2 year old son back home, was a bit scary at first (big girl with narrow eyes, a hard face and lots of piercings, whose only English is the word "striptease"). She didn't speak English or Greek, but we managed to communicate. I made her mad one night when they were supposed to be watching a DVD but she wouldn't stop flipping through her Russian music video channels. I finally raised my voice a bit and said either put the DVD on
now, or turn the TV
off. She shoved the remote control into my hand, and stormed out, yelling in Russian, while everyone else watched. The next morning though she was her cheerful giggly self again. She found out later in the day that her son was being abused back home, and we went for a walk together, trying to communicate while window shopping and enjoying being out of the house. She linked her arm through mine as we walked. My last morning she asked me to help her make crepes for breakfast (the girl is an amazing cook! She cooked almost all the meals and they were all delicious), teaching me how to do it and letting me try. She was the only one who hugged me goodbye. (Not anything I was expecting from this crew...)
Lots of them had kids; most came from abusive or split or low-income families; most are smart and assertive, selfish and manipulative, and trying to get what they can out of the shelter and the services they can provide. Most of them are waiting to get legal papers so they can stay in Greece and work. Odds are a few of them will return to the situation they were rescued from when they leave the house, and I'm sure a few of them don't even understand the gravity of what they were rescued from. One day you love them, the next you don't care if they carry out their murder threats on each other (and almost hope they do).
By the end of the four days, I felt pretty bad for them as they are stuck inside all day every day; I was quite ready to get back to my own life and freedom. All there is to do is watch TV and eat (and eat they do - I was amazed at every meal how much food was consumed!!!). But surprisingly, it was a peaceful time for me. Even with the clashes and contentions, I could handle it, and it didn't feel out of control or really stressful to me. It was actually a good escape from life for me - even good for my Greek - and I felt
rested as I was coming home. (Obviously that didn't last very long.)
So, I will not be taking a job with this organization anytime soon, nor moving up north as they have also requested multiple times, but I will undoubtedly be returning to help them more. Even if I can give Kalli a weekend off here and there, I think it's worth it. And dare I say, I even enjoyed myself a little. :)
Nicole and I laid out on the beach for a bit as lunch was prepared. They cooked 4 lambs, three on the spit and one in the oven with horta (wild greens). Yum!
The 4th spit you see with the little pieces on it is the koukouretsi, the insides of the lamb. It's a delicacy! I sampled lamb skin, fat, and a bit of intestine, and that was quite enough for me. Nicole liked the head -
There were about 50 people. Nikos and his brother Giorgos (George) didn't even know everyone. There were some stragglers like us; friends of one family or another who were invited, long lost cousins, uncles that they only see at Easter time.
The wine was flowing (homemade by the family), the food was abundant and delicious, and the Greek spirit was alive! :) Music was playing overhead, and after much wine, some of the ladies started dancing. I watched as one aunt picked up one of the nice plates we were eating off, held it up to the sky, and sent it crashing down to the ground! It was my first Greek plate smashing, although usually they have special "cheap" plates for that!
Soon they became bored with dancing on the ground and moved onto the table.
We had a great time, and were stuffed for days following. (Although that didn't stop us from eating.) It was a great Easter!
