Housing, Culture Shock, and Wanderlust -- Oh My!
- Nicole Woolcock
- Nov 7, 2023
- 4 min read
Y'all, I have a mini dilemma: what should I write about? My friend, Christi, came to visit me in Kalamata in September (all the way from sunny San Diego!); she gifted me a beautiful journal and ink pen. In this small, pomegranate red, ornately designed hardcover book, I have a long list--oh, the pages!--of ideas.
Should I write first about the 2 weeks I spent in August sightseeing, glamping, dining, and hiking in Dalmatia? Croatia surprised me in so many ways. I confess, before a friend moved there this year, the country had entered my thoughts maybe five times in my entire life. It wasn't a destination I'd yearned for or even a region that I knew very much about. Some of Summer 2023's Best Bites took place in Zadar (Karma Restaurant seen above), the Kornati Islands, Plitvice National Park, and Šibenik. However, this adventure, unlike some others, is well-documented on Instagram. (You can check out the Croatia Highlight at @nikki_of_the_sea and by clicking the Instagram icon on this site!)
Or, should I write about daily life in a Greek (cosmopolitan) village by the sea (θάλασσα/thálassa)?
Croissant making class in Paris with my cousin, Rebekah?
What about introducing y'all to my friends (οι φίλοι μου / oi fíloi mou) here, like Σίσσυ (CeCe) and Olivia who came over for classic American-style chocolate chip cookies and milk on the front porch ?
Oh, and there was the weekend road trip here in Messinia (Μεσσηνίας) that featured the Island of Kythira (Νήσος Κύθηρα)!
Or, perhaps I should do a Peloponnese road trip guide? Christi and I took in quite a lot during her short stay. One aspect that I love about living on the Greek mainland is the seemingly endless road trip possibilities. Only have an afternoon? From Kalamata, you can go to the Mani -- picturesque in every way, roads winding through the Taygetos, olive trees speckling the mountainside--or take your pick and swim in either the Ionian or Mediterranean Sea. You can hike to waterfalls, eat (Mmmm, always a priority for me!), kayak, explore sea caves--natural wonders of this world are all available to you!
Christi and I popped by the villages of Stoupa (Στούπα), Limeni (Λιμένι), Kardamyli (Καρδαμύλη), Foneas (Φονέας), and Areopoli (Αρεόπολη). Two of my favorite memories from the trip are floating on our backs and chatting heart-to-heart in the cerulean waters of Limeni and sharing THE BEST cave experience in Kardamyli. We swam in the total darkness of an enclosed swimming hole--lit only by the natural light illuminating the waters below us! Our road trip, since neither of us had international data at the time, was guided mostly by our shared sense of exploration and the screenshots I had saved of Google Maps. As for the incredible kayaking + sea caving experience, that portion was expertly guided by Explore Messinia. If you travel to the Peloponnese region, I'd highly recommend booking them as guides!
And then, what about the rest of September's goings on? I'll be straight with you: September brought some of the most chaotic, sad, up-and-down, spiraling, overwhelming, culture-shocked, stressful, and character-defining experiences and challenges of my 27 years. I never considered quitting the "digital nomad lifestyle," but I did want to run. Not necessarily to the US. I wanted to be anywhere except where I was. I ached from suddenly losing my auntie, Michelle, and not being able to return to the States in time for her homegoing service. Housing (or the impending lack thereof) taunted me. Coping with food scarcity while studying in Cuba did not have near the destabilizing effect on me that navigating the scarcity and uncertainty of the Kalamata housing market did. Not to mention, I was a bit sick for a couple weeks which required finding English-speaking practitioners. And then, there was the bureaucracy of getting a Greek Tax ID so that I would qualify to rent an apartment and get a phone plan here and yada yada…it was quite a lot to manage!
Meanwhile, I acquired Greek as quickly as I could to read rental ads in the newspaper, complete visa errands in local municipality offices, and grocery shop. Ha! What a mess things quickly became! I trend towards over independence, but September reminded me of the importance of asking for help. Whatever that looks like. For me, I took a step back from extra things (e.g., Instagram and this blog). I let my close friends and confidants see me struggling. I reached out to my former therapist. I took people here in Kalamata up on their offers to help (what a concept!). I journaled. I cried. I prayed. I trusted. I listened. And, eventually, I made it.
Last week, I wrote about traveling to Turkey to visit and stay with dear friends. Yes, of course, it was a grand idea because I had a gap between the short-term accommodation I rented in the summer and the start of my new apartment lease. And, sure, what traveler wouldn't want to spend two weeks tasting and biking and swimming her way through a lesser-known-but-gem-of-a-city? But, sincerely, I needed to go there with every fiber of my being to recover. To rest. To be and feel known by people who have known me since girlhood. To reminisce about shared places and people. To confide in others who have moved country and learned difficult languages and felt the vulnerability of being alone with few (if any) connections in a foreign place. I needed to heal.
So, yes, friends. I'm back from my hiatus. I'll be regularly updating this blog again. I'd also like to try my hand at writing articles for those considering the digital nomad lifestyle or solo travel. My travel outlook for the rest of 2023 (phew! What an incredible year!) includes: Denmark, Italy, and Turkey! Let me know in the comments below, a DM, an email, a handwritten letter, a WhatsApp message, or a FaceTime call what you'd like to hear about next on the blog. <3
XO,
Nikki
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