Waiting for the New Years' Brightness
to travel us to new adventures, fantasies
myths and stories -

-THE POWER OF MEMORIES

As many years have passed by, as many countries she had met, as many men she had loved, she still has only but only one memory very vivid in her mind always.
A memory that was the one that kept her positive and strong when she was alone in America and had to struggle to make things happen and get a life for her own.

The memory of them listening to Fleetwood Mac on the highway on the way to the island. The memory of them not thinking about tomorrow but just about today about tonight, leaving for the moment. Leaving for the ADVENTURE of it.

The memory of their first adventure/TSIKLITIRIA in the island of Elafonisos-


FLASHBACK

- DUGLIANA – TROBA- TURBOUSON – TENTA ALA TOMATO –
Unforgettable moments. And simply like that after their first adventure together in Elafonisos they instituted their army/gang in the island.

ARMY / TAGMA
Year of launch: 2000
Members: 5
Reason of Launch: To Enjoy and Conquer Men (who they called back then as enemy)
Hose Del Siap – E. (Ixnilatis = The tracefinder)
Epistimon Van Der Bel – D. (Analyst of facts and directions in a very scientifical way)
Eugenia Don Papapanetti – E.P.(started as provider of space for meetings of the Army and then became NYC correspondent)
Irene Don Kafetzon– I. (There is no title on earth discovered still for her case. She was basically the beautiful Irene for who all the big encounters with the enemy have started. Basically she was the bet)
Napoleon Garozel de Vonaparte – Garia (Capitaine)

Since that first time, they went again several times for the following four years to the island.Other times they went all together, other times each one alone, other times with old or new friends. Each time they would go again, they were nostalgic of that very first time they went altogether and saw for the first time the sunset of Elafonisos-




And the last memory where things were left of was of D. with E. on the day Garia was leaving Elafonisos for good to come to America. They both just looked down. Maybe because they thought their adventures would end but the ADVENTURES and the STORIES never ended-



- Maria Garozi

I wonder, what type of memory is the one that keep you readers of this blog strong and positive? Is it the memory of an adventure with friends? The memory of a lover? The memory of a personal victory? Maybe the memory of a song or a movie? The memory of a childhood hero?

KARAGKIOZIS

August 14 2004

E.P. is waiting for her at the airport with a balloon
Welcome Garozi! Welcome to America! she screamed
You made it! Lets go Dance Now Malaka-

Welcome to America Garia
Back home they are all
celebrating together singing Karagkiozis
for the opening of the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens
You, start your own celebrations now
cause you finally ESCAPED from Greece my young Karagkiozi!

And they danced that night at Beauty Bar on 14th Street-
She didnt know though that E.P. would return to Greece a month later leaving her completely alone to find a way of surviving in America-

The voice of Savopoulos singing the song Karagkiozis was whispering in the head that Sunday afternoon when E.P. left for JFK and Garia at the house back then on 18th street looked at her backpack wondering; Where to now?

"WIND BLOW
What kills me, What saves me
is that i dream like Karagkiozi
..................................................
put under your shadow this kid
that has nowhere to go tonight -"
(translated words from Karagkiozis song)

As she was pale and scared for what the next morning would bring
the men from Pontos appeared as a shadow on 1st Avenue
and started dancing armed the Pirixio Dance same way they performed it at the Athens Olympics. They screamed PAME, (GO).

GO, RUN TO SURVIVE.
The immigrant's blood inside her veins started dancing-


What is to all of you the memory of Karagkiozis and the everlasting creativity of Evgenios Spatharis? Have you ever dreamt like Karagkiozis?

STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU

stuck. cant write. its holiday-

A.H. is going to kill us both for not writing the Fast Food story.

We are just enjoying music listening

Stealers Wheel "Stuck in the Middle with you"

Wires of Communication

Celebrating Christmas Eve 2009 with her family.

She is at Giano restaurant in New York-
Her family has gathered in Mount Dionisos in Athens at her family house -

Some of the family members, she hasnt seen for six years. Some, like her youngest niece Adrianna she hasnt met yet in person.

Talking with the whole family via skype and looking at them via a camera on the restaurant's tv screen made her so complete that in moments like that all the lonely black and white fotos she had taken become color fotos that will stay in the heart -

Father just emailed her that they are all now having dinner listening Proud Mary song by Tina & Ike Turner.

Chronia Polla

-Garia August

POU NA SAI FILE MOU -

Pente xronia olakera
stous dromous sou palevw

Kathe ti elliniko exw arxisei
Na folevw sti thimisi
Tou tzitzikiou
Pou den provalei
Oute me to kalesma
Tou ypnou mou tou kalokairinou
Se touta edw ta xwmata ta ksena

Kathe skia elliniki
kai gnwrimh
Fevgath
Fygane oloi tous
Tous pire to skotadi

Den vriskw to Mixalh
Den vriskw pouthena to papou to Vaggeli
Den vriskw pouthena to Giwrgo
Den vriskw pia ton Giwrgo
Ton eide mipws kaneis?

Kai o Giannis?
Argopalevei kai aftos alla mallon
Tha me perimenei, exei swthei

Taeroplana erxontai adia
Ta vaporia salparoun erima
Gyriste pisw oloi
Me akouei kaneis?
De prolava na pw antio
Kai twra pou thelw na to pw
Mas pagwse to kryo, epese to xioni
Kai den exoume milia
Na poume to Teleftaio mas antio
Mono o filos mou o Indos apo apenanti
Mou exei apomeinei twra
Kai tou lew kapou kapou
mia Kalimera

- Maria Garozi
6th Street
Winter 2009

Mr. Lourelien

8:00pm Wed night
The door opens. The tall man she had seen one Sunday eating with his father came in.

The hostess turns and looks at him.

Staring at each other.

Lourelien he said. I have a reservation for two but my friend will not join me.
Can I still be seated?

Hostess: Of course, Mr. Lourelien would you prefer to eat at the bar then tonight?

Yes. Thank you -

THE PYLOS TEAM CELEBRATING-

Osa xronia kai an poreftika
Osous filous kai an synantisa
H thymisis tis GIORTINHS stigmis aftis
pou eimaste oloi mazi
sto taksidi to aiwnio tis psixis
einai afti pou tha fwliasei
twra pou peftei h nyxta
twn prwtwn 30 xronwn-
Giati etsi re gamwto!

Thank you to Pylos!

- Maria Garozi

Balthazar New York
12/14/09 with Christo, Vania, Alex, Nico, Paulina

READING ALBERTO CAEIRO'S

poem

Ah! THEY WANT A LIGHT THAT’S BETTER THAN THE SUN’S
And since the soul is what doesn’t appear,
The perfect soul is the one that never appears:
The soul that’s made out of body,
The absolute body of things,
Existing-absolutely real-without shadows or errors,
The exact and entire coincidence of a thing with itself.

She paused reading

Looked out of the window

Remembered of the conversation between her two friends who were visiting from Greece and her mentor at 4th street Gallery:

DJ Manou: So Alex, what do you have to say for your students’ soul?

A.H.: She has no soul-

This reply has been troubling her thoughts for a long period of time. If exists a man who knows the author and her heteronyms well, this is no one else than her mentor.

And he announced that she has no soul-

Are all her heteronyms with no soul or solely the orthonym?

Is Alberto Caeiro’s poem the answer to her wonders?

“The perfect soul is the one that never appears”

Could it be of true that the perfect soul is the one that never appears?

- Maria Garozi

GARIA'S LOVE STORY IS AWAKEN AGAIN

and she saw him again this morning -

he was wearing a green pair of pants that looked too big for him.the garment was definitely used.he must have bought it at a vintage store without even trying it on.his shirt was of color blue and his hair very messy.

he didnt have time to fix his hair this morning cause he wanted to be there in time for her arrival. They have been smiling to each other for about a month now and he knows that she always gets her morning fix, an iced coffee little heavy on the sugar and little light on the ice, same time every morning at 8:45 am.

as soon as she arrived, he smiled and opened the coffee shop door for her.

how special it is when a man opens the door for a woman, gives her a flower or asks her to join him for a walk. Somehow, it makes a woman feel that this man would never become a man who would close his door on her face throwing her out of his house during a fight. he would respect her in a more profound way.

so many times people need and look forward to communicate, to share with each other and yet so many young people in their late twenties or early thirties prefer to be silent, to shut down and be lonely when the night falls.

But she feels that the chemistry between them is so strong that

they will talk one of these days -

- Garia August

- THE MYTH OF THE GREEK RIOT EGG

After a day like that she went to eat pasta with her Italian friend Federico at their favorite Italian spot in East Village.

Paolo (joking told her): Maria crazy customer of Giano..did you come for eggs? You always ask for eggs and an egg is costly you know with this economy here in America...
Maria : Ma va Paolo. Dont joke. I had a crazy day. We came for dinner. We would like some nice pasta.

And then she started laughing..

Ok the Greeks maybe are still rioting in Athens and Thesalloniki.

But will anyone tell her who threw to her face when she was 15 years old that EGG?

She was looking from the window of Arsakio High School in Psychiko the blue sky daydreaming probably of new adventures with her friends when suddenly an egg landed on her face from the other side of the school fence.

DOES ANYONE OF YOU REMEMBER THOSE DAYS?

WHEN THE BOYS FROM THE COLLEGE OF ATHENS, OR FROM THE HIGH SCHOOL OF PSYCHIKO WERE THROWING EGGS TO THE GIRLS OF ARSAKIO HIGH SCHOOL?

how much i would love to solve the myth of that Greek egg..

- Maria Garozi

- H TAXYDROMOS THS NEAS YORKHS

THE MESSENGER FROM NEW YORK

SENDS A LETTER OF PEACE TO GREECE-

REBEL OF OUR VOICE WAS MR. DIONISIOS WHO LEFT FROM THE ISLAND OF ZANTE AND MR. NIKOLAOS WHO LEFT FROM ATHENS AND CAME TO AMERICA ON A BOAT.

THEY STARTED WASHING DISHES DAY AND NIGHT AT THE FAMOUS “Diners” OF MANHATTAN AND THEY WERE HIDING THEIR MONEY EVERY NIGHT UNDER THEIR BED AT THEIR APPARTMENT ON 6TH STREET.

EVERY SECOND MONTH THEY WERE SENDING THEIR “KOBPODEMA” MONEY BACK TO THEIR SISTERS, THEIR WIVES AND KIDS.

THOSE DOLLARS THEY SENT WITH THE YEARS, BECAME GREEK DRACHMAS AND LATER EURO WHICH THEIR GRAND GRAND CHILDREN THREE DAYS AGO USED TO BUY LIGHTERS (made in China, the cheap ones because the kids don’t have money and that’s why they are rioting) TO BURN THE GREEK FLAG IN THE UNIVERSITY OF ATHENS-

WHO WOULD HAVE TOLD MR. DIONISIOS AND MR. NIKOLAOS THAT THEY WERE WORKING DAY AND NIGHT AND DRINKING THEIR METAXA ALL THOSE YEARS ALONE AWAY FROM HOME FOR THE GREEKS TO END UP LIKE THAT-

MANY OF YOU WILL SAY, YOUR WAY OF THINKING IS SO OLD.

WHO WILL REMEMBER OF OUR GREAT GRANDFATHERS WHO MIGRATED ABROAD TO AMERICA, TO CANADA, TO AUSTRALIA, TO GERMANY AND TO SO MANY OTHER LANDS IN ORDER FOR THE YOUNGER GENERATIONS TO HAVE A BETTER TOMORROW?

BUT IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT AT LEAST WHEN OUR GREAT GRAND FATHERS REALIZED THAT GREECE WAS NOT THE COUNTRY THAT COULD OFFER THEM BETTER WORKING OPPORTUNITIES, WEALTH AND ALL THOSE ISSUES FOR WHICH THE YOUTH IS RIOTING, THEY DIDN’T BURN THE GREEK FLAG-

I HAVE NOTHING ELSE TO WRITE TO YOU, OUR GREEK YOUTH-

THE GREEK ANTHEM SAYS:

"FROM THE BONES TAKEN THE SACRED OF THE GREEKS"

IT SEEMS TO ME THAT YOU HAVE NEVER FELT
HOW IT IS TO MISS HOME SO DEEPLY
HOW IT IS TO MISS VIEWING THE GREEK FLAG MOVING PROUDLY
ON THE BOATS AT PIREAUS PORT SO DEEPLY
SO THAT ANOTHER VOICE OF PEACE CAN COME OUT OF YOUR BONES-

PITTY

- Deborah Xenou Gaitanou
H TAXYDROMOS THS NEAS YORKHS

Greeks or any International readers, leave a comment.
What does your country's flag mean to you?
Maybe we can really write a letter of peace-

Maria's Paper Poetry

TO MYSTIKO THS ARIADNHS-

H ariadnh irthe xthes ne me ebrei
Poios na to ksere oti
Kai ekeinh ton idio syntrofo pothei

Ligo pswmi mou zitise
Kai ligo kokkino krasi

Kai moirastika to fagito mou mazi tis
Opws kai ton antra mou

To prwi mazepsa ta piata tous
Kai eplyna ta sentonia
Tous evala mousikh
Kai hpia ti teleftaia goulia apto krasi

H ariadnh irthe xthes na me ebrei
Poios na to ksere oti
Kai ekeinh ton idio sytnrofo pothei

Mian efimerida ellinikh mou edwse
Kai mou pe diavase th

Kai moirastika to pono mou mazi ths
Opws kai ton antra mou

To prwi ekapsa tin efimerida
Opws oi Ellines kaine ta dash tous
Kai petaksa ta apokaidia sta skoupidia
Opws oi Ellines petan molotwf sta sokakia
Kai eklapsa ekei stin monaksia mou
Giati otan gyrisw
H Ellada den tha einai h Ellada
Pou xa sta oneira mou

H Ariadnh irthe xthes na me ebrei
Poios na to ksere oti
Kai ekeinh ton idio pono gia tin Ellada evastei

-Maria Garozi

Home East village
Sunday Avgoustos 23, 2009
Kaigetai h Ellada

Garia's Diary

Thursday November 25,Thanksgiving 2009 -
10:00 am
Xaverian High School in Bay Ridge Brooklyn.
Volunteering with Gina, Jackie & Jeanine Meo to serve food for elderly people.
The classrooms are empty. The volunteers, the school students and parents are all gathering at the cafeteria preparing the holiday meal.
Giving back –

12:00pm
Coffee & Fruit was already served. Waiting for the chef to come out of the kitchen. Mexicans, Italians, Greeks, Spanish, Americans, Italian Americans, Greek Americans, Chinese and so many other nationalities whether American citizens or simply temporary visitors in the land of opportunity, we all followed the Chef’s moto:
“If we want to feed these people, we will do it MY WAY”
I say pick up empty fruit plates. GO
I say teams serve salad. GO
I say pick up empty salad plates. GO
I say teams serve Turkey. GO
We all followed the voice of one single man. What a great leader he was.

If only our world had great leaders as well –
Even following a leader whose moto is YES WE CAN sometimes makes us feel betrayed. But a leader like him doesn’t have to feed simply 430 elderly.
And he cant do it if we give up on him with the first mistake on one of his announcements about a health issue. We need to keep Following him and GOING.
We need to keep doing our part of the effort. Making our world better is not going to happen if we don’t work hard ALLTOGETHER -

1:30 pm
The head volunteer came to the kitchen to announce that all the 430 guests have taken their turkey. A feeling of joy and peace surrounds everyone. They all spent united as a team their holiday for a good cause.
An International smile -

2:00 pm
The guests are leaving the school.
Back to the nursing home or to wherever home is for the night.

Garia doesn’t want them to go. She knows very well what it means to be alone
on a holiday. She wants to follow them.

The lady at the end of the row looked at her and said:
“That was just another day”

She said it with a grief. Once she was a young student with long hair and every day was an exciting day at Arsakio High School in Athens.
Now, every day is just another day.

She placed her left arm in the pocket and walked towards the door alone.

Garia taking the foto thought that until she becomes that lady she has to continue being excited and thankful for every new day.

Does she have a home to go to now?

Tonight she is invited to a great home. Not feeling alone. Same way
Tommy Meo Jr hasn’t felt alone since the age of 12.

Many of us leave home one day unexpectedly -

Some, we choose to do so. We pack and go.
We call ourselves travelers -

Some, they are not given the choice of decision. They just leave too soon -
We call them our young angel messengers -

On nights that we both miss home like a holiday, they approach and hold our hand. They show us the way to their homes -

They open the door -

We give a hug to their parents from them and seat at the dinning table together with their sisters and cousins. We eat their grand mothers’ sweet potato puree.
We watch together their favorite Italian movie-

We volunteer together at the High School they wanted to go one day-

They give us so much joy that they welcomed us to their home -

And we give them so much joy that they can see home through our eyes –

Thanks Giving –



- Garia August

In Memory of Tommy Meo Jr
(Young Angel Messenger at her travels)