_By Vincentia Kapsi
Chapter 1 - How this came to be
I don’t want to introduce myself, who I am, where I’m from, how old am I? Definitely a burning question in the summer of 2023! Imagine we just sat down to have a coffee together, and you’re about to discover me as you read.
I’ve had a love of writing for as long as I can remember, surpassed only by my love for reading, and closely followed by my aptitude for languages and anxiously avoiding tasks or as I like to call it “performing great under stress”, the closer we get to the deadline the better!
Nowadays, most media we consume is brief and tart, or “short and sweet” depends how you look at it, for better or worse, probably worse and at the cost of the longevity of multiple languages, we’ve all taken up the habit of recounting and archiving our stories, events and experiences in a short and taciturn way or sometimes even wordlessly (just pictures!).
When the madness of the summer was over - we work in a tourist area and experience heavy seasonal workload - my friend Pascal (Pascal Miliorelli, owner and artistic coordinator of this space) finally got the chance to notice my profound “flurry” for storytelling. Describing events while being very animated - never, ever place your coffee cup to my right! - and in a colorful way. Always with a small flare for the dramatic, excessive emotion and never, ever in a concise way. I do not recommend joining my audience when you’re in a hurry or haven’t yet had at least a sip of your morning coffee.
Reminds me of this one friend, who wouldn’t like to be mentioned by name as he is a very private person, that once during an argument - note he becomes very sharp-tongued when he gets angry - referred to me as “the language mafia”, and I couldn’t help but pause the argument and exclaim in delight “what a wonderful compliment!”. So Pascal gave me the idea to share my musings with all of you. Kudos and thanks!
Chapter 2 - Romanticize your life
I have an extreme lack of fondness for Facebook, but I’m about to “source” it because as I opened it this morning - with the sole purpose of communicating with my French tutor, it is her preferred online messaging platform - I involuntarily bumped into, what appears to be, and I’m actually not going to fact-check, as it is beyond the point, ah, the word is allegedly(!), a quote by the late Greek actor and director Thanasis Veggos. It stated “Someone who is honest and direct, can’t have a lot of friends. He/she though, will always have the utmost right ones.” and let me tell you, that deeply resonated with me.
I used to have a dad, yeah, I did not grow out of a cabbage, and he used to be my best friend. Thus he will be mentioned in a lot of stories, since the way I see it, by sharing my memories of him with you, a part of him always lives on. He was a perfect dad, a handsome man, but same as all of us, a human being with flaws. And now that we’ve clarified that, we will, momentarily, continue with a judgment, instead of further praise.
In the afternoons of Christmas day, after the family and friends lunch, the two of us used to go to the cinema, it was a little tradition of ours. Those days at the cinema though, you’d find the two of us, and 1-2 more viewers, who were there unaccompanied. He used to purse his lips, sigh and say “How melancholic, they are all alone, and resort to coming here by themselves on this day, maybe they have no family”. That left my younger self with the impression that there was something sad about doing things on your own. And let me tell you, that’s utterly and completely wrong! When my dad used to say that, he wasn’t the one who had to live 13 whole years without him. And oh boy, have there been lonely times during these years. But here’s the thing; if you philosophize it just a little bit, our life is but a collection of seasons, days, moments. And if all you do is stay inside the house, because you feel as though you can’t go out and enjoy things by yourself, then it turns out, you’re not really living, you’re simply just existing and killing time. Inevitably, time is perhaps one of our most valuable possessions and simultaneously not owned by us at all, as he’s ever moving along, even when we stand perfectly still, not that there isn’t value in that, but that’s another story for another time.
Fast forward 13 years, and now I’m surrounded by my chosen family. One day, November 20 to be exact, I was in the Athens subway, when I saw a poster for the Greek National Opera Ballet, presenting Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, choreographed by Konstantinos Rigos. It brought on memories of visiting the Greek National Opera to watch ballet as a child, and I snapped a picture and shared it with a friend on Discord. He said “Do you even like ballet?”, to which I replied with my usual “Yes! So much! And did you know, ballet dancers are some of the most fit athletes out of all sports, because while dancing they use every muscle?”. Yes, you guessed right, I am incredibly impressed by the strength and poise of ballet dancers.
Next thing you know, there is a ticket delivered to my email! “Here’s your Christmas present!” and it was a single ticket, just for me, my friend lives abroad. Okay, but you might ask, how does chosen family come into play here? Well, here’s the thing, your chosen family is not just your life partner, not everyone has one, but just as importantly your friends and people who are there for you, having your back and loving you without expecting something in return.
My ticket, for the performance of 4 January 2024, was something really distant in my mind, I was aware it would be “some time after New Year’s” and I mistakenly thought it was on the 6th. So when at 15:30 on the 4th, I received an email stating “please, due to the extra visitor traffic during the holiday season here at Stavros Niarchos Hall, we kindly advise you, to be here for the performance half an hour before it starts” my first reaction was “Excuse me? What performance? What do you mean tonight?” and my second reaction, as someone who lives well outside of Athens and does not drive, a light panic.
Entering the scene, my “adopted” father, the chef. “Are you working?” “Yes, until 18:00 tonight.” “Oh, okay.” you know with that tone like I’m just on the verge of tears. “What’s happening?” “Well, I don’t want to upset you.” Laughter on the other end of the line, “I am not going to get upset, just tell me what you need”. Explaining my drama, of how “I don’t have the 3 hours it would take to commute! I am not even ready yet! I don’t have time to get ready!” light panic, remember? “Get ready, wear one of your dresses” I am famously obsessed with dresses this year (meaning 2023) , next up, skirts! with pockets! “and I’ll be downstairs to pick you up right after I finish work” and what do you know? He was there, and drove me there and I made it to the show with time to spare! Driving back later that night, I was moved to tears thinking “just like a real dad would do”.
I’m sorry this entry finds you late and.. you missed the show. In my defense, I almost missed the show too! But I’m very, very glad I didn’t, and proud that, for the first time in many years, I was out there for something I enjoy, despite having no company, but my beautiful self! I found my seat, I did the unthinkable! I completely turned off my phone, and enjoyed being fully present, the 2 hours and 15 minutes that followed. The show was wonderful, and I must warn you, if you ever would like to attend a ballet choreographed by Konstantinos Rigos, that you will not get to see the “usual” choreography of the play, but an interpretation that is a lot more modern and definitely unique, but all the while still demonstrating the impeccable and classical technique of the dancers. Besides the thud of their lean legs hitting the stage, I was also so impressed by the costumes, each completely unique in its own right, even when thematically part of a whole. I felt like I experienced the orchestra, the ballet and an incredible fashion show! So I will also make an honorary mention to Maison Deux Hommes, which designed the costumes, and Popi Sakellaropoulou, for I had never seen before, a ballet dancer as tall as me.
So, romanticize your life, find beauty in the little everyday things. Call someone to buy you bread too, when they’re buying bread for the family or work, just because you want to see them that day, even though as we all know, you gave up bread in 2014. Maybe eat some bread again, enjoy all things in good measure! Carbs included!
Until next month!
P.S. The next thing I hope to attend is a concert! And not in the Greek National Opera, no offense, just clarifying.
January 2024