Andi

November 12, 2008, Evening around 7pm

Andi

Tom and I had our second Greek language lesson with our new teacher Maroussa, a lovely and fun teacher, a big improvement from the previous fellow. We practiced, "What is your name? My name is….. and so on." I think we will be chatting away in Greek in no time!

On the way back to the Theoxenia Palace Hotel where we are staying for three weeks until November 21, we came upon an older woman who seemed to be walking with some effort, again on Notara Street, where the blind people were. I took her arm as the terrain is difficult on the sidewalk and it was dark. She was very friendly, and was on her way to a Diabetes party at our hotel. She has had "theeaveetes" (how she said it) for 20 years, and was excited about attending the party. Her English was excellent; she had attended a private school in Cyprus where she had grown up. Her father had died when she was very small, leaving behind three children and a 24 year old wife. Luckily her grandparents had land which they sold so the family had money to live on, and she said that her mother was both mother and father to her. At the Theoxenia Hotel she gave us contact information and invited us to come to her home for coffee. I made a date for the next day (me only, since Tom is working here). I was concerned about her walking on lonely rough dark roads, and found out the next day that Costas, a waiter here, had given her a ride home as he didn’t live far from her.

November 13

I received a message from Andi that she would come to the hotel to get me, and tried to call to tell her that it wasn’t necessary and that I would find my way, but I couldn’t reach her. She came at 11am and we took the bus to her apartment near the School for the Blind (seems to be a blind theme in this blog). We had tea at the coffee shop below her apartment. Her 18 year old granddaughter was expected at her home. She commutes from Mt. Parnithas two hours and spends one or more nights a week with Andi. Andi wanted to make her lunch, and asked if I would mind if we ate at home. That sounded good to me. She wanted me to sit and watch Greek TV, but I insisted on helping her. The kitchen was big enough, but the major appliances were very old, and like my own house the oven didn’t work. Andi is moving back to Cyprus next month and I don’t think she will be staying at that apartment which belongs to her husband’s card making company any more. He is now retired. The granddaughter was very pretty, and nice. Her name was Mariella pronounced Maria’la with the accent on the middle a. She is studying business at Piraeus University. She watches all of the American shows like Lost, Friends, House, etc. Andi and I chopped onions and parsley and cooked them in lots of olive oil in a very small frying pan. She grated a tomato and added it to the vegetables. She then realized that she forgot to add the ground pork which we cooked separately with another good dose of olive oil. The pasta was a thick hollow spaghetti that is made by Miska. Andi said the advertisement says, “Don’t forget the Misko!” She added a good dose of olive oil to the Misko while it was boiling. She served the vegetables over the Misko with a platter of Thothoni feta (the best type of feta according to Andi), and it was best food I have had since arriving! Lunch was followed with apples, very sweet kiwi, and tangerines. Great lunch!

I asked Mariella if her grandmother often brought strangers home, and she said,
“Yes, she did!” I am invited to go again today (November14) for stuffed peppers, made with the rest of the tomatoes and some rice, but I will wait to see her until next week and hopefully either do the cooking or take her out somewhere. By the way, she is 73 years old. Mariella said that Andi talks to everyone on the bus, sometimes moving to find someone to talk with. That is exactly how I was in New York City and I like to think that it may have brightened someone’s day the way it cheered me to meet someone new. We all should strive to make the world a little warmer for others.