[dreamINTERVIEW#50-52] Making of a Hotel

Here I am in Gokceda Island, the largest Turkish island. It was once called ‘Imbros’ island when it still was part of Greece.

According to Wikipedia,  the palace of Thetis, the mother of Achilles and the stables of the winged horses of Poseidon in the famous Greek mythology were located near here. Homer wrote:

In the depths of the sea on the cliff

Between Tenedos and craggy Imbros

There is a cave, wide gaping

Poseidon who made the earth tremble,

stopped the horses there.

Now there are only 250 Greeks remaining in this small island of less than 10,000 in population. I arrived here with my belly dancing outfit. The reason for this dates back to September 2010 in London.

My Turkish friend, Cihan came to our lunch appointment excited and saying that he bought land here to build a hotel.

“Really? I’ll come and help you open it!!! How about a belly dance show? A Korean belly dancer will definitely make a sensation in this small island!”

We all thought (or maybe it was just me) that it was cool idea and I came here to keep my promise. But the hotel is not yet completed due to ongoing delay of construction.

Everyone was exhausted and working extremely hard under pressure. So I forgot my belly dancer outfit for the moment and decided to help.

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I polished the stone walls, lifted and assembled several dozens of furniture, planted flowers, and washed massive refrigerators in the kitchen.

I would be so dead tired after hours of working. I would then resume after a few hours of rest. But the construction workers are working over 12 hours!

Amidst my feelings sympathy, they seem pretty happy. They even invited me to join their lunch and taught me how to work better.

So isn’t it time the perfect time to ask about their dreams?

[dreamINTERVIEW#50] Mesut, 17, Turkish, construction worker/student

“My dream is to buy a motorcycle with two wheels. I will work and gain money to buy a two wheels motorcycle.”

Most of the workers come from Istanbul as the island doesn’t have many skilled workers. But Mesut lives here in Gokceada. He is a son of  local farmer. He has worked in a coffee shop, a barber shop and a car repair center. Since it’s school holidays for him, you can catch him working full time at the construction site carrying building materials or cleaning up leftover debris. “Isn’t it hard work?” I asked.  “It is hard but I got used to it.”, he answered with a smile. He is now saving money to buy a motorcycle which is his dream at the very moment. He hopes to have his own business and acquire a great social network in a big city like Istanbul or Canakkale in the future.

[dreamINTERVIEW#51] Tekin, 19, plumber 

“My dream is to have an income to plan future.”

Due to constant water interruption, Tekin was the busiest and most industrious person in the site working from 7AM to midnight just to save us from the water crisis. Although he’s only 19, he holds a 4-year experience in plumbing, having worked all over Turkey since he left his hometown near the Syrian border at the age of 15. As a child, he used to work as a shoe shiner and bread seller being the eldest of 5 children from 3 different mothers.

“Don’t you want to go out and get a girlfriend?”

To my question, he replied, “No, girls give me headache. I want to hone my skill so that I become more valuable.”

When asked about his dream, he said, “I want to have an income to plan future.” Although he wrote in his dreamboard, “I learned how to stand up on my feet and learned what life is just living through it.”

“What kind of future?” He gave no answer.

“If I see you again in 10 years time, what will you be doing and where will you be?”

“Hmm, I’ll be much more experienced that I’ll have my family, house and a car.”

“What kind of house where? What car?”

“Hmmm… I’d like a house with big garden… I really like Fethiye (a town in the South West coast of Turkey) and I’d like BMW X5.”

He seemed very shy, but I believe it’s important to visualise one’s future rather than just hoping for something.

With his hardworking spirit and passion for a better future, I’m sure that he’ll walk up the ladder to success one day!

[dreamINTERVIEW#52] Halit, 45, Carpenter

“My dream is to be a useful person for people and society, and to be a good servant to god, to provide a good future to my children. I do not expect much from life. Everything is transient in this world. I have met nice people here.”

Halit was the one who looked after me all the time. He always wore that  fatherly smile on his face. Although we couldn’t communicate, he proudly showed me photos of his family. He also provided me with a shady spot to sit down for lunch. Language was unnecessary to show his warm heart and kind gestures towards me. He’s also one of those hardworking people, too. Even though he works under the sun all day, he just keeps working without complaining. His dream is to be a useful person for people, society, god, and his children. Being selflessly kind and devoted seems to give him such peace and joy.

So after all the hard work given by over hundreds of people, the hotel opened successfully and all the rooms were 100% booked in the first month. I was so pleased to see the stone walls, flowers and furniture looking great. If you need a quiet and relaxing holiday in a beautiful island unspoiled by tourism and coupled with organic wine and slow food, this is the place that you may want to consider. Check http://www.anemos.com.tr

[dreamINTERVIEW#43] Wisdoms from a carpet salesman of Istanbul

“I want to be rich.”

Dreamer: Ibrahim, 27, Turkish, Carpet Salesman

Date: 13 July 2011

Location: Arasta Bazaar, Istanbul, Turkey

I was lost in Sultan Ahmet, the historic area of Istanbul. Near the Blue Mosque, I discovered Arasta Bazaar where all the souvenir shops were under what used to be camel stables. While strolling there, Ibrahim asked me to come inside his shop.  Usual shopkeeper, I thought and then exclaimed,

“I’m not gonna buy any carpet.”

“No, I’m not trying to sell you any carpet, just come inside and have a cup of tea.” The typical salestalk, I still thought.

“I definitely won’t buy any carpet.”

“I’m here all day and bored. Why don’t you be my tea company?”

My legs were so tired so I decided to take advantage of his offer with some hesitations though. However, my curiosity arose… what was his dream?

“I want to be rich, that’s biggest dream in my life.”

Very honest, I thought. 🙂 It was not because he wanted to buy a big house or a nice car. He wanted to be rich to help other people.

“I’m good at my job and I’m happy with my life. When I become rich, I’ll establish schools in [the] most depressed areas.”

Talking about his career, I learned that he has been in the job for 10 years. How many carpets does he need to sell?

“No, it doesn’t matter how many I sell. I do my best to give the good information [about the product] and its price to my customers so that they know what they are buying then look after them even after the sale is completed. For me, being humble and honest is most important. My life goal is to help people and give something back to the world because when you die, you should leave something. Leaving your name is the best. ”

A son of a Kurdish family with 10 children (but lost 1 from an Istanbul earthquake and another from illness), he quit school at the age of 17 and has learned the English language from his uncle and from the customers he meets everyday. He recently bought a house after 10 years of hard work and he’s proud of it!

“Money is not everything but happiness is.”

“If I come and see you again in 10 years, what will you be doing?”

“Inshalla, the time will show. But at the moment I try to live today as if you gonna die tomorrow.”

Wow, my doubt turned into inspiration in only a few minutes and the conversation continued over many cups of Turkish tea and Whirling Devirish shows in the bazaar.

[dreamINTERVIEW#42] Damla, 26, Istanbul “I want to be a successful and happily married woman :)”

“I want to be a successful and happily married woman”

Dreamer: Damla, 26, Turkish, Import/Export 

Date: 11 July 2011

Location: Istanbul, Turkey

It was my housewarming party a few years ago in London and my friend, Jeremy who worked as an English teacher at that time brought a few Turkish students from his class. Damla was one of them and I was struck by how much she looks like Sung Yu-ri, a Korean celebrity.

(seriously, don’t they look alike?)

After years of just looking at her photos on Facebook, here we were walking arm in arm in busy Istiklal Avenue surrounded by thousands of shops, bars and restaurants on the avenue and side streets.

“I used to go out here everyday. So imagine how shocked I was when I arrived in England.”

The party girl went to England for an O’Pair programme in a quiet suburban village outside London.

Surprisingly she loved children very much and enjoyed her time. She also took some courses to improve on her English.

Now back in Istanbul, she works for her brother’s company specializing in import/export and enjoys her job.

Now she doesn’t go out as much as she used to but instead devotes much of her time on improving her salsa in a dance school in Istklal Avenue.”

Her dream is simple – to be a successful and happily married woman!

As a career woman, she likes her current job and plans to grow, learn, and progress with the company.

Talking about marriage – gentlemen, pay attention here. She is single. Asked if she were to describe Mr. Perfect, what would he be like? She said he should be handsome, successful, reliable. 🙂

Asking the ultimate question, what would she be 10 years from now? She frowned and said, “I’ll be upset to see myself (on video) 10 years younger. Having wrinkles I might need Botox!”

Well, in case you have achieved your dream 10 years from now, I don’t think fine lines could never wrinkle your happiness. I’m sure you’ll be a happy and successful woman soon, darling!

[dreamINTERVIEW#40] Giorgio, 27, Thessaloniki “DREAM FOREVER!”

“My dream is to make people happy and informed” (He wrote “Dream forever!” in dreamboard)

Dreamer: Giorgio, 27, Greek, Journalism Student  

Date: 9 July 2011

Location: Thessaloniki, Greece

It was twilight. At a restaurant by the sea, we sat in a table lit by candles. There, I had dinner with gorgeous Giorgio. I wish it was a date but unfortunately, it was just an interview 😦 errrrrrgggggg…

I met Giorgio at a party in London half a year ago during his visit to the country. He is originally from Thessaloniki. He studies journalism in Athens so I was quite lucky to meet him while he was visiting his family back home. He was a true dreamer. He had endless dreams for his own future and for his motherland, Greece.

 

Unlike many other camera-shy interviewees I met, he immediately checked how he looked on camera.

“I love camera. I’d like to combine information and entertainment as a TV presenter.”

Fantastic, he’s got the right quality for his dream job!

He has had many different jobs in his life – from being a card salesman to being a flight attendant at Olympic Airways. But he hopes that being a  journalist becomes his last job. He is studying journalism to be closer to his dream.

“It’s strange time to be a dreamer and at the same time to dream to be a journalist. People are very skeptical about the future and they hate journalists because of the current situation. Especially in this time, Greeks need to be dreamers, we need to dream in order to improve the situation. We’ll show the power of the Greeks to the world soon.” he confidently said. Because of this, I asked him about what he thinks he will be doing in 10 years time.

“I’ll host the best TV show in Greece.”

Then I asked, “Can you invite me as a guest in your talk show?”

Without any hesitation, he answered, “Of course, you should be my first guest. I’d like to interview people who have interesting shows.”

(Haha! I was even more flattered.)

“There’s a lot of competition in the job but I’ll make it because I love it and I’m good at it. I hope to be a dreamer forever even when I’m really old.”

We LOVE dreamers with so much passion and strong belief, don’t we?

So people in Greece, don’t forget his face because you’ll soon be seeing him on your TV screens!

[dreamINTERVIEW#39] Digenis, 21, Thessaloniki “My dream is to meet new people”

“My dream is to meet new people, to make an animation movie and to live in a place where I feel like home.”

Dreamer: Digenis, 21, Greek, Unemployed 

Date: 9 July 2011

Location: Thessaloniki, Greece

Has anyone heard of the word “Hikikomori“? In Japan, some youth spend their time all day home playing video games and refusing to go out to socialize or to get a job. Since this is so prevalent in Japan, the ministry of health, labour and welfare created a word for it – and this is “hikikomori”. They are people who isolate themselves from society by not going out of their homes for a period exceeding six months.

Digenis is a self-confessed semi- hikikomori (although he didn’t use the expression, it was my impression) who was trying to change himself. It was him who suggested to meet for an interview. He took a 2-hour bus ride from his hometown, Edessa to Thessaloniki just for it. So you know how much he tries.

When I asked him what he does, he unfolded how he struggled in University of Athens despite entering the school with top marks. After he left school, he surprisingly discovered that he had a talent in dancing. He became too passionate about it that he even had a disagreement with his teacher about his style. He left both schools and now contemplates on what to do.

Having read thousands of books and having created a short animation, he can be seen as very bright and talented. Whilst hearing his life stories, I could feel the anger he felt toward his teachers but he knows that it was him who needed to change. So he now makes an effort to meet new people and to improve his social skills.

He was very honest to admit that he was an introvert and prefers to spend time alone. Since he was little, he didn’t go out a lot and his parents didn’t push him to go out. When he started to get older, he realized that there are so many things that he didn’t get to experience enough. He even became more scared to try or talk about them. Being alone became like a habit. “I never developed social skills and it’s still difficult for me.”, Digenis claims.

When I asked about his dream, his eye focus became much more stable and his talking got much clearer with smile in his face. Quite straightforwardly, he answered that his dream is to meet new people and make an animation movie. Talking of his future in 10 years time, his smile got even bigger, “I’ll be a social person with lots of friends then.”

There was a time that I confined myself too and became anti-social – once when I was bullied in primary school and second, during the 6 months that I spent all my life writing my first book. I know how difficult it is to break out of the shell and meet people after spending quite a time alone. Nevertheless, I still believe he’ll make it with his courage and strong will. I’m sure I’ll meet him in 10 years time so popular with people that I might have to queue to meet him!

[dreamINTERVIEW#37-38] The ladies of Thessaloniki

Here I am in Thessaloniki, the 2^nd biggest city in Greece and the capital of Central Macedonia. Being one of the oldest cities in Europe with 2,300 years of history, it looks pretty modern. The place is famous for having the best nightlife in Europe. Peaceful by day, vibrant by night. During the day, I happily strolled by the beach and walked around Aristotles square. When night fell, I watched the bars in the narrow streets fill up with people.

 

In Thessaloniki, I was lucky enough to meet two ladies (I’m tempted to call them ‘the goddesses of Thessaloniki’) named Evi and Natassa. Thanks to my London friends, Andreas and Elias. They do not know each other and do different things in life. However, one thing they all had in common was their honesty, independence, progressiveness and positive attitude. All of them made a strong impression on me.

 “To live and work with people by the sea with a lot of communication, art, colours in beautiful environments and to be able to ‘propose’ new ways of thinking to others, myself and my family – to see the world in a different light!”

Dreamer: Evi, 37, Greek, Curator/Professor

Date: 7 July 2011

“I must say I’m actually living my dream. I have been travelling around the world and working as an artist/curator in big museums. To me it’s not just a profession but a passion in life.  Now I want to create opportunities for people to think about the world and their own life through art. I want to teach as many people as I can in different ways possible. I like to work with elderly people who have set ideas about the world and think that they know everything. I’d like to surprise them by showing something that they didn’t even know existed. In 10 years time, I’ll be still here in Thessaloniki, surrounded by the sea, the colors, and the people and still doing the great works I’ve been doing.”

“My dream is simple. I want to be happy, lucky and healthy. Nothing else.”

Dreamer: Natassa, 31, Greek, Administration

Date: 8 July 2011

Natassa is sassy, sexy and fun to be with. Her beauty and strong Italian accent comes from her Sicilian mother whom she loves so much. Her positive energy is so strong so that I was surprised to hear that she lost her mother recently from brain tumor.

“I always try to look at the positive side since I lost my mother. I am glad that I spent 26 years of my life with my mom. It would have been more difficult if I lost her when I was young, say like 5 years old.”

What will you be doing in 10 years time?

“I don’t know yet. But whatever I do, I’ll be smiling.  Smile is the cure for everything. Even if your eyes are crying, just one smile will cure everything.”

The statement was so strong I could still remember her saying that with a smile.

Now she’s looking forward to a new challenge – a new life in London.

“In Thessaloniki and Palermo, there’s everything – house, family, friends, job… but I’ve done everything I could do. So I want to try something different.”

I wish her all the smiles whether it’s rainy London or sunny Thessaloniki.

Good luck in her new life!

[dreamINTERVIEW#34] Sofia, 26, Athens “I want to become a linguist”

“My dream is to become a linguist (or something similar)”

Dreamer: Sofia, 26, Greek, Medical Student

Date: 4 July 2011

Location: Athens, Greece

Sofia is a medical student from Athens University, one of the top universities in Greece – but she dreams of becoming a linguist.

Originally from Lesvos, an island near Turkey, she became fascinated by her grandparents speaking Greek with Turkish accent. The curiosity became an obsession which made her eager to study all the different languages more. Eventually, her passion for languages was developed while travelling all over the world. She now speaks 5 languages fluently and 4 others on intermediate level.

The linguist dream is not as simple as you might think. Her grandparents who happen to be illiterate farmers are very proud of their granddaughter who is going to become a doctor. With all the expectation, imagine all the pressure she must be under!

(Sofia in Pakistan..doesn’t she look perfectly local?)

At the time of the interview, Greece was going through debt crisis and had to adopt austerity packages from IMF. Many people experienced wage cuts, and unemployment rate was as high as 16%. Many university graduates could not find jobs and doctors were not an exception. There is a quota with each speciality and you still have to wait 5-15 years whether you have a Greek or an International degree to become a specialist. Sofia’s brother who is also a doctor works in Sweden because of the quota. Many doctors even moved to Germany and UK.

The future looks bleak but Sofia is still hopeful. It’s just matter of time to make a decision. I told her Mara’s story and she found it very encouraging. At the end of the day, we only have one life. Why get stuck in a career that you don’t like? Grab the chance to do what you love every single day. I can’t wait to see Sofia become a happy and successful linguist soon.

[dreamINTERVIEW #31-32] Dreams from Kefalonia, Greece

  

(Left) “My dream is to have a happy family”

Dreamer: Eva, 23, Greek, Waitress

Date: 30 June 2011

Location: Lixouri, Kefalonia, Greece

(Right) “My dream is to live freedom”

Dreamer: Ambrosios, 23, Greek, Farmer

Date: 1 July 2011

Location: Minia beach, Kefalonia, Greece

Kefalonia is a big island in western Greece in Ionian sea. It has become well-known since  “Corelli’s mandolin” by Louis de Beniere which’s story takes place in the island was published, then became a Hollywood film starring Nicolas Cage and Penelope Cruz.

If you read the book or watched the movie, you might know that the island has quite a sad history of invasions and natural disasters. Over the history, the island has been ruled by Kingdom of Naples, Venetian Republic, then French and British Empire. During the WW2, Italian force occupied the island, whose 5,000 soldiers were massacred by Germans (as depicted in ‘Captain Corelli’s Mandolin).  The earthquake of 7.3 richter scale in 1953 caused 100,000 people out of 125,000 people leaving to elsewhere.

Today it’s a quiet island with only 36,000 people living which lives on olive oil production and small scale of tourism. I stayed in Lixouri, 2nd biggest city (after the capital Argotolis) with 9,800 inhabitants only for my 1 week sailing course.

The town center is very small with one square surrounded by dozens of cafes and restaurants. It’s a small community where everyone knows each other. I was lucky enough to appreciate th folk dance show prepared by local high school students on a Saturday evening.

So what would these islanders dream of? I asked two 23 year old Kefalonians – one from Lixouri and the other from Mini beach.

Eva works Acrogiali restaurant, which I patroned because of her smile and excellent food. Since she left school, she worked in a cafe for years then worked here for a year and half now. Beautiful, relaxed and smiling, she usually brought more bread to these poor sailors who are exhausted after spending all day at sea and under the sun. Naturally we got to talk more than just a usual waitress and guest conversation and toasted about her dream. It was simple, she wants to have a happy family. In contrast to me at age of 18 who was dying to get out of my ‘small’ hometown of 300,000 people, she loves Kefalonia, and dreams of having a family here in the future. It’s always great to see people who appreciate their life and find happiness from there.

I met Ambrosios on Mimi beach where I stopped my boat for lunch. He and his friends were swimming in the beach close enough to our boat that ended up as an interview. He’s a farmer and has his vegetable shop in Argostoli market. His day starts early but he finishes at 3pm then enjoys the sun and the sea by the beach. Farming could be a hard work but he hopes to continue having such freedom in life.

So, if you’re daydreaming relaxing island with beautiful beach and happy people, you know where to go… but important thing is to appreciate what you have… When you’re in the office, appreciate the sophisticated city life, then appreciate the nature when you’re in the island!

[dreamINTERVIEW#26] Antonella, 42, Sorrento “My dream is on the stage every night”

“My dream is on stage every night!”

Dreamer: Antonella, 42, Italian, Dancer/Actress

Date: 22 July 2011

Location: Sorrento, Italy

Reminiscencing my childhood, I was not really a fan of music classes in school.  I didn’t like the fact that they mostly dealt with dull music history and theories(not that I don’t appreciate it but it was too much for me) and barely teach us any practical side of music. But I loved learning exotic songs such as ‘Oh Champ Elysee” or “O Sole Mio” or “Santa Lucia”

When everyone started singing “O Sole Mio” in our Napoli Dream Party, I was so excited bringing back my old memories .. Whilist I was in mood for music,  I discovered Sorrento Musical Show at Teatro Tasso while wandering around Sorrento.

“I MUST WATCH THIS. ” This thought striked my head although I was so tired.  I just had to watch this.

Watch the official trailer

The show was all about  upbeat songs and traditional dances and I LOVED it.

I was amused by interaction that performers were making with the audience by moving all over the theatre and play with audience which definitely make the show ‘alive’. I strongly believe the entertainers should know how to communicate with the audience; when it comes to that, I gave A+ to them.

As a biggest fan of the show, it was a great honor for us to interview, Antonella, one of the dancers in the show after the performance.

Watch the full interview!

So you can imagine…next few days I was humming ‘Funiculi Funicula’ all days!

[dreamINTERVIEW#15] Giulia, 30, Venice “My dream is to teach Italian to foreigners”

“My dream is to open my own school where to teach italian to immigrants so that they can better integrate in our society and find a job”

Dreamer: Giulia, 30, Italian,  teacher

Date: 13 June 2011

Location: Venice, Italy

As soon as I arrived the train station in Venice, it started pouring. As I traveled this city 10 years ago, I didn’t feel like wandering around the city. So I bought my ticket back to next stop within 3 hours. But then, it’s Venice; I thought it was shame not to see the city at all.  By the time I bought a waterbus ticket and had a quick stroll around Piazza San Marco, I was fascinated by the city and regret my hasty plan on skipping the city.

“Oh please..” even the weather cleared in few hours though, it was too late to return or exchange my train ticket. But I knew I was meant to be back to Venice.  As if I were enchanted by the beauty of Venice, I took a 6 hour drive from Monaco going through the mortal road between Italian border and Menton with hundreds of scary curves, tunnels and bridges by cliff, hundreds meters above sea level. (I probably have to update a seperate post about thrilling drive in Italy!)

Here I’m back. It’s ridiculously crowded with tourists from all over the world. No surprise that the city takes average 50,000 tourists a day…I was only able to breathe when I took a refugee to nearby Burano island, famous for knitting. I loved its colourful houses and real community feel.

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One of the most touristy things in Venice is riding gondola. You may see this beautiful boats everywhere with the gondoliers in cool marine stripe uniforms. The cost of the ride is quiet pricey(80 euro for half an hour).

The first person I tried to interview was one of the gondoliers. When I asked him,  if he likes his job. He said “NO.” without hesitation. In summer, he works as a gondolier then stays in Natal, Brazil in winter. When I asked his dream, he answered “why should I have dream? I have a job, I have a house and I have my family.” Hmm..it’s great that he has got all he wants, but wouldn’t his life get even better if he has got some kind of inspirations or dreams to pursue?

I was looking for other interviewee to give us a great Venice story, then I was lucky enough to meet Julia, the true Venetian, who is deeply rooted in the region. She lives in Mestre , the town just outside Venice, which happens to be where my hotel is. So, she is officially the first interviewee who came to my location. We had long conversation at my hotel lounge over a glass of wine like old friends.

She commutes to Venice every working day as one of “very very very few” locals among the million tourists. She teaches Italian in a middle school near Academia bridge .(one of Waterbus stops) She admits that dealing with young students gives her a hard time that makes her cry but she loves her students indeed. Besides her passion for teaching, she believes in healthy life.  When she isn’t working (especially during summer break), she goes for trekking, cycling or running. 

Her dream is to teach Italian to foreigners.  Italian may have been underestimated over other european languages like French, this beautiful and musical language has been favored over the time.  I think it would be awesome if she help other people learn the beauty of Italian.

Not only that she loves the language but she genuinely wants to assist foreigners to integrate in Italian community.  It is not hard to find immigrants in Rome or Venice but not many of them have been helped to adjust to their new home. 

Well, you know, whom to contact if you want to enjoy watching “Life is Beautiful” without subtitles 🙂