Last Updated on January 26, 2023 by Celeste.
What is it like to be in quarantine in Greece? In our previous post, Anastasia in Crete shared her tips for staying at home with us. It is Keri’s turn now. An expat-turned local mom of 3 kids sharing her corona crises family experience!
Finding meaning, connection and sanity with family in Greece during the quarantine.
I’m an expat of the US married to a Greek, living with my family in Greece, Athens to be precise, for 14 years now. I have three children, all born here, 13, 10 and 8. They attend a Greek private school which has been in service since early 1900 and have been home almost five weeks now, in our moderately sized apartment, in the Northern Suburbs of Athens.
We are lucky to live outside the city. We are located on the foothills of Mount Penteli and have access to a few paths and preserved natural areas to lead us away from our crowded feeling apartment, and let us breath fresh mountain air and soak in some nature. Spring is my favorite time in Athens. This Winter to Spring has been a mix of rain and beautiful sunny days, so the flowers and new growth this year is lush and abundant. We make sure to get out for 30-90 min walks every single day, even in the rain. The kids complain, and sometimes we have to push or convince them, but we always return to the house refreshed. The kids help me find scenes and subjects for pictures, and the two boys most enjoy going a bit off the paths to explore and conquer.
Quarantine with family in Greece is not easy. We struggle with schooling at home, too many arguments and fights, and getting personal time and space. I do appreciate and feel gratefulness for this pause in life that the world is taking together. I hope that many are able to have time with their families too and enjoy some kind of activity together, especially outside.
We have found so many new places right around us that we’d never been to and feel clued into an old way of life that once existed in this area. Make your own stories and mysteries while you’re home, and hopefully, Greece will be ready to host you again soon.
