The upcoming elections are in their final stages
Anything but edifying! There is so much dirty laundry being done in the Greek (and international) press at the moment that it is difficult to maintain an objective opinion. Greek, international, state and private broadcasters, newspapers, radio, networks, all seem to want to manipulate the others and depending on voter tendencies and statistics, they, the media, swing from one camp to the other.
The politicians do the same. New parties are founded shortly before the elections. Ministers move from right to left and vice versa – Gone with the Wind! Every party wants to save the country and then immediately gets tangled up in confusing controversies about astronomical figures, as if they do not concern our country’s economy but rather an annoying thorn bush. It’s somehow just a matter of badmouthing the others, no one seems to have a concrete, constructive plan for saving the gasping masses of citizens, but everyone has lofty promises! Somehow you feel fooled by everyone and about as confident as if you were walking through these thorn bushes, barefoot.
From Ikaria to Corfu, the same picture everywhere! I accidentally discovered this article by Frank Jaspermöller in “Die Welt”, which describes the mood before the elections in Corfu, but could just as easily have been meant for Ikaria!
2014 was also a difficult year for Ikaria.
The crisis has crept into every last corner. Although many Ikariots, like my family, live more or less on self-sufficiency, you can’t get by without money here either. Unfortunately, electricity, telephone, taxes, rent, heating oil, gasoline, daily living expenses cannot be paid for in kind. Quite a few families have reached their limit. some have even emigrated.
Swiss franc vs euro
And if the crisis wasn’t enough: I know a few people who were in a lot of trouble due to the sudden change in the Swiss franc’s exchange rate against the euro. In the past, quite a few Greeks were persuaded to take advantage of a cheap Swiss franc loan as a stable currency for building loans. This is what they get now! Suddenly they owe even more money than expected.
I decided not to let my head down and to change in small ways what I can’t do in big things!
First of all, thank you very much for being part of our community and supporting me in one way or another!!!
Be it that you have declared Ikaria your favorite island like I did, be it by traveling to it and supporting the local economy or by actively supporting the school children with a small donation to our projects.
We achieved a lot in 2014!
There is a detailed report about our donation projects below. But my baby “Ursula’s Ikaria” has also blossomed into an extensive blog and a well-visited travel website in the last year.
We had a total of 66,000 visitors in 2014
That means 5,500 visitors per month. 2,000 readers have already subscribed to the monthly newsletter. “Ursula’s Ikaria” has grown into the largest and most important German-language blog about the Greek island of Ikaria. There is a lot of time and effort behind all of this, but also a lot of passion and I am very proud of it!
This is my path! To make Ikaria better known and to support the locals directly.
There are many Ikariots who have a small family business but no access to the German language and therefore no access to their German-speaking visitors and customers. I want to be your mouthpiece! On the other hand, many German-speaking visitors are afraid to travel to Ikaria because the travel information seems, to put it mildly, diffuse and complicated (so much for Greek tourism promotion!) I would like to make the journey to Ikaria easier for these people.
New outfit
I have noticed that more than half of our readers visit “Ursula’s Ikaria” via a tablet or smartphone. Unfortunately the current version is not compatible and so I am forced to give my blog and travel website a new costume in the new year. Martin and I have been working on it for quite some time. But we both work full time and so we try our best in our free time. Martin is a programmer, I am an absolute technical buff and only provide the content. What we would need is a web designer. Maybe you feel addressed and would like to contact us!
What awaits you on “Ursulas Ikaria” in the new year:
- new trip ideas to secret places that you definitely haven’t heard of before
- Special travel tips for solo travelers, seniors, families with children or young people, for hikers and nature lovers, for backpackers and adventurers, for rainy and stormy days, for wine lovers and gourmets, for sun worshipers, for active holidays or the absolute chill holiday
- even more exciting and personal reports about life, the residents and everyday life on the island
- new donation and support projects
- and my very own personal travel guide is being planned
Personal contact is very important to me!
I’m happy that you’ll be joining our community in the new year! Write me your ideas. Ask me! This is the only way I can know what interests you or what you’ve always wanted to ask me.
I’m happy that you too as an “ambassador” of Ikaria I would like to recommend the island, my blog and our concerns, and hope to meet you up in Christos-Raches at some point!
Warm greetings from Ikaria
Ursula
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Annual review of our fundraising campaigns by Oskar Senn – Donation Account Manager Switzerland
DEAR FRIENDS OF IKARIAS, DEAR DONORS
As you know, 2014 was particularly marked by the renovation of the school building in Raches. This was built at the time without toilets. The corresponding planning was already carried out in April 2014. It was hoped that the renovation could begin during the school summer holidays, i.e. expansion on the front side with the window and installation of the planned door. Unfortunately, the matter was delayed until the fall. But now it’s finished and the children can go to the toilet with dry feet and no longer have to go back to the classroom soaking wet.
But that is not all. Also thanks to your donations, we were able to continue with the ‘Heating Oil Campaign’ again in 2013/14, so that the students could count on a warm school room. We also provided the necessary supplies for this period, i.e. paid heating oil.
In total, together with the Germany donation account, we donated €3,000 for the school building renovation and €2,800 for heating oil! Isn’t that a great success!
It is only thanks to you, the donors ‘Friends of Ikaria‘, that this became possible. We would like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for this. We are very pleased that together we were able to form a kind of community of destiny for Ikaria.
With this in mind, warm greetings
Ursula Kastanias, Kirsten Grimm and Oskar Senn
Practiced solidarity: If you also feel solidarity and want to help, you can contribute to supporting the schools with a small donation! The children of Raches thank you very much! To the donation accounts…