The times on March were quite intense at all. Our projects were on the edge to be cancelled due to corona, so we were already about to find a peaceful place to spend the quarantine. During the first quarter of the month, the whole activity of the city started to decrease; schools and bars closed, empty streets, face-masks covering worried faces and less cars in the avenues. However, my friends and I were rather optimistic about the situation that was going to follow. As expected, the volunteering projects which had to deal with social interaction got cancelled, therefore, our presence there was slightly falling apart from any purpose. We could just analyse and get ready for the wave that was roaring in front of us.
Every day was a challenge, weight decisions had to be undertaken and they could be crucial for our near future. At last, most of my closest friends and flatmates decided to leave to their own countries, so I was really unsure about which could be the “good” path to follow. It is incredible the sudden switch that we experienced, as well as many people did around the globe, from staying static in your “comfort zone” or controlling your near future (working, studying, tourism, etc.) to face the uncertainty of the unknown, cause this unexpected situation bumped on us when we were completely naked. At last I came back to Spain in order to spend the quarantine surrounded by my people, otherwise it could have been way worse. However, the support received from the workers of the hosting organization, Arsis, was quite efficient. They were managing everything in order to face the times which were approaching, regarded to food supplies and working activities. I will never forget the time when M. arrived to our flat just when we were buying the flights back to Spain, she was advising us to stay in Greece due to safety reasons, she was talking from a rational perspective while we were mainly behaving from the emotional one. By any means, I am really thankful to have spent five months in Greece doing what I like, helping people who need it by unfolding what I learnt over the years. But as many people might know, I am coming back as soon as the boarders re-open again.
Martín Sosa. 2020
