Back in Paradise: That’s what I missed most – the wonderful wild nature!

Admittedly, the city has its charm, Zurich is really beautiful and enchanting with its lake, but it’s just a city. Houses, people, cars, streets, endless shops, noise, stress. Athens then completely finished me off! Even though it’s a charming city, Athens is huge and after all I’m not here for vacation. I always have a lot to do when I’m in the capital. I finally wanted to go back to my island! The flowers and the scents, the sun, the sea breeze and the Aegean light, the Icariotes with their peculiar serenity, how I had missed it all!

Well, everyday life has me again. Greece has me back and I have Greece with it! As wonderful as Ikaria is, everyday life in the crisis jungle of GR has become crazy.

I’m standing at the post office in Raches at 8:30 a.m. with an estimated 20 other Ikariotes of all ages. Everyone wants to pay into the EFKA. EFKA is the name of the new unified pension fund in Greece, which has united 8 previous funds since the beginning of the year. It is responsible for 3.5 million employees and 2.6 million pensioners. According to Spiegel online, it is already in deficit because unemployment is 23 percent and wages remain very low at an average of €600 per month. In German: not enough income. A year ago, the Greece Blog reported that the new pension system was unsustainable.

The young, neat postal worker sits at the computer behind the counter with a visibly desperate expression. The system is flat again. We should come over later. Nobody can do their work, the day is gone. Even before I left for Switzerland, I had tried in vain to pay our contributions. No chance! I should have paid the first amount by the end of February and the second by the end of March, otherwise there will be hefty fines. Every citizen should use a state-run internet platform to find out how much they have to pay in at the end of the month. Anyone who doesn’t have access to the Internet, older people for example or, in rural areas, a lot of people my age, should consult their tax advisor. However, these are completely overloaded and can no longer cope with the many requests.

Now I’m going to go to my shop. Unfortunately there are hardly any customers in winter, but somehow you have to get the money together for the EFKA.

Later, the line of people in front of the post office stretches out onto the street. Small groups have formed. Some argue, others curse. You can waste hours here. Patience is required. It’s been like this for days. Since I’ve been back, I’ve been struggling with it again. The trouble is, the platform doesn’t work properly. For some it shows the amount to be paid, for example for me it only says: “this site is under construction”! Great! The state has already granted reprieves twice out of necessity. Whether we can ever expect a pension from this fund is anyone’s guess.

This story, like all my others, is of course a lie and a fabrication. How much I love the art of fiction, interwoven with my ideas and opinions, but as always inspired by the encounters and events with the idiosyncratic, lovable people and the wonderful island that surround me.

Martakia

Don’t forget to hang your red and white March ribbon loosely in a tree so that a bird can find it and put it in its nest! That brings you luck and you can certainly use that!