Athens – Bridget Peery, Reporting from Greece

Value

For every time that I missed home in the beginning of our dialogue I’m now wishing I had more time here. I cannot believe I will have to say goodbye to Athens in seven short days. And that realization elevates the urgency of the work I have to do this week as I finish my stories. It is even more critical that I remain focused.

Throughout the trip, I have been trying to stay mindful of why I came here. Yes to see Greece, yes to get experience reporting in a foreign country but also to push myself out of my comfort zone. My goal was take in and understand a place very different (in many, many ways) than where I am from and to share what I learned.

Ellie and I grabbed lunch the other day at one of our favorite new spots for a quick, delicious bite: Etnico. If you’re looking for good atmosphere and variety (Mexican, Indian, Arabian) this is the place.

We had a long conversation about what it means to us to be reporters covering a country in crisis. Of course, the things we all have experienced here have shaped our ideas on how to do that.

If this trip has taught me anything, it is that there are people who want their stories to be told. It is important work to record people’s lives and experiences and it is equally important to acknowledge their space and what they have been through after they let us in. And regardless of what medium we choose to tell it through – photography, video, print – we owe it to them, and to everyone, to tell the truth and to tell it with respect. It is not always easy, but that is our job as journalists.

It was this conversation with Ellie that kept popping back into my mind as we listened to our guest speaker today, Dimitrios Bouras. Bouras is a war photographer who has covered conflict and the effects of war for many years. And the way that he approaches his work resonated with me. He places himself wherever he is shooting, not just physically but mentally and emotionally, as well. And that is what shines through in his photographs. His subjects are people first, not just numbers, not just nameless faces.

“There is power in this piece of metal in my hand,” he said, talking about the point in his life when he decided to commit to this line of work. And it couldn’t be more true. A single photograph has the power to shape public opinion and to spur incredible, impactful action.

“Our job is simple. We have to carry the message,” Bouras said. This is how I view the work we have done on this dialogue. We are carrying the message of what we have seen here and sending it to our audience at home.

At the risk of repeating myself, it is not easy work but it is important work. We are no experts. We are students. But we came here to put ourselves out there and to learn what it takes to report on stories that matter. And if we can do that while staying true to our inner moral compass then there is infinite value in that. There is value in it for us to develop as storytellers and there is value in it for those who wish to be heard.

There are projects I have been a part of on this dialogue that I did not imagine myself working on. And it’s made me a better journalist, a better human and even more motivated to give a voice to people who could not share their story in the same way on their own. And it doesn’t matter if 100 people see it or 100,000. If it affects one person, starts one discussion, than it is worth it. I am forever grateful for the opportunity to contribute that.

Athens is…

This city is alive at all hours of the day, loud and bustling. Every street you walk down there is a car or motorbike you end up having to jump out of the way of. There are yellow cabs – not white and blue, like Thessaolinki – that race down every street once the light flashes green. Most of them do not slow down for crosswalks. The subway is deep underground. Its cars are covered in graffiti and screech over the metal rails in a way that makes you cringe like it were nails on a chalkboard. The car windows remain open, allowing a rush of air to cut through the stifling heat in between stops. The sidewalks are crowded with people, especially at night, especially in the squares.

And I love all of it.

Athens is unlike any city I have ever visited. Every corner you turn, there is something new to take in. There is graffiti that lives next to beautiful street art, there are hundreds (more likely thousands) of restaurants alongside small cafes, as many alley markets as there are brandname store fronts that all operate at odd hours. And mixed in with all of that are the ancient sites. From far away the Parthenon is beautiful, up close it is spectacular.

We had the opportunity to visit island of Aegina over the weekend. The water was crystal clear and dotted with boats that floated just off the shore.

We were lucky enough to catch the most beautiful sunset on the last ferry ride back to the port Piraeus.

And even still, there is so much of the city left to explore. I plan on making the most of it.

On to Athens

We departed from Thessaloniki for Meteora early yesterday morning. On both sides of our bus, the mountain range that Mt. Olympus is part of zipped by. Towering above, the snow topped peaks would suddenly disappear as we passed through a series of tunnels only a few months old. Some are up to 5 miles long and cut through gorges and ravines, allowing easy, high speed passage for traveling motorists. The mountains made way for the plains, open fields that stretched out on both sides of the road – some of it farmed, some not.

We stopped in gorgeous Meteora for a day to see the monasteries in the sky. Colorful, beautiful depictions lined the walls in every direction you looked inside some of the rooms. After spending the night, it was back on the bus for a scenic drive through the countryside. I have never seen mountains so tall.

We landed here in Athens hours ago and I cannot wait to get to know this city. Every street is filled with shops, restaurants, live music. It has so much life. But I should say, our long bus ride left me with plenty of time to think. It made me realize how quickly our three weeks in Thessaloniki flew by. Home feels like forever away and I do miss my family and friends but I have to put that aside for now. I still have some work to do in Athens for the next 12 days.

As I have been finding out, photography has become the main focus of my work in Greece. Yes, I will be writing two stories which will finish up in Athens but it is the photography work I have been doing that I am enjoying the most. It has given me the opportunity to play a little part in other stories people are working on, to see this country in more unique ways than if I had only worked on my own. It has been a bit tough trying to balance time on all of these but it has been more than worth it.

I wish I could tell you how many miles Cody and I walked to get photos for his anarchist story. We have probably walked the city three times over. But in doing so, we stumbled across little parts of the city we would have never have otherwise.

And with Asia’s antiquities story, I got see a column that has existed in the city since 323 B.C., among other things. Unfortunately, the column hasn’t been kept in the best condition and is not given the proper attention it deserves. No one seemed to know where it was and we basically walked by it the first time, only going by coordinates. But what a mind-bending thing to mull over, stumbling upon something that old.

I had the opportunity to assist Brandon with a few stories, one of which turned me into an Aris Ultra fan. Seeing how passionate the fans were, regardless of how their team was playing, was truly something I’ve never experienced before. And now I have the sweetest jersey ever.

Then there was the Syrian refugee family Paxtyn, Gwen, Danny and I spent time with this week. It was the hardest thing I have ever had to photograph. But I was, and still am, moved by the kindness and warmth of that family. They had gone through so much but were so incredibly open and hopeful.

Graffiti on the old walls of Thessaloniki

Sweet mural found on a anarchist hunt

Aris fans, all of them ultra

It’s been a true pleasure exploring Thessaloniki in its many facets. While I am sad to bid it farewell, I am excited to see what new adventures – and photo ops – Athens has in store.