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July 27, 2016

Shattering Glass Ceilings

July 27, 2016

Shattered glass

This morning I did something I never did before. I financially contributed to a presidential campaign. I have voted in every federal election since I turned eighteen (and many local ones as well), but that’s all I’ve done. And, in case there was any doubt where I stand, I’m with her.

First of all, when it came to voting in the MA primary, Mr. Mad Cow and I found both Democratic candidates appealing. But now that the primary is over, I not only stand with Hillary Clinton, I feel inspired to do something more than just going to the polls on election day. And it’s not just the stakes of the race, and, if you look at the opposing ticket, we have some serious stakes at hand.

It is electrifying to see a woman nominated for president by one of the major parties in the US. Before the MA primary, when Mr. MC and I tried to watch one of the Democratic debates, the Vachette joined us. The debate itself was mostly very boring to her, and clearly, the subject matter went over her head. But she did have something to say about the candidates. She said, “I like the girl. I want the girl to win.”

Now that’s proof a picture is worth a thousand words.

My grandmother sometimes told me women of my generation had become too complacent when it came to the Women’s Movement, that those who of us who arrived post-bra-burning didn’t realize that women still had work to do. Now that I am mother to a daughter, I am aware how right she was. But this election is a chance for my generation to carry on the torch. Also, Mammy did her part for both Obama campaigns. The least I can do is put my money where my mouth is.

And a side note, check out this news clipping about the Equal Rights Amendment in the state of Florida. My great-grandmother Rose Lentz is quoted.

NanaERA

She was born before women had the right to vote. I bet she also would have been moved by this election. And I bet she would have some choice words about the Republican ticket.

(Shattered glass picture via Desertrose7)

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Filed Under: Life Choices, Musings

July 18, 2016

Back Home

July 18, 2016

Backhome

After 5 weeks on the road, we are back home. It’s a bittersweet feeling, or at least it is for me. The Vachette is thrilled to be back home with all of her toys. Seriously, if you ever want to enable your child to engage in some quality self-directed play for hours, just take her on a long vacation and then reunite her with the toys she had to leave behind. Mr. Mad Cow and I are both flabbergasted by the way she has occupied herself since our return. It truly has been a most welcome surprise. Too bad I have suitcases to unpack and mountains of laundry to do. And then there’s this whole house renovation project that I have to prep for. No wonder I am less excited about coming home than she is.

Back to this this whole coming home business. There certainly are some perks, like sleeping in my own bed and having a well occupied child, but I would be lying if I said I was thrilled to be back. To put it simply, we had a phenomenal time. And as much as I love Boston, a Greek island it ain’t. So to combat the back-home-blues, I made a point to enjoy some local pleasures this weekend. Like a cold brew coffee at the Union Square Farmers Market. And some takeout from Tenoch. I could easily have spent the entire summer lying on Karpathian beaches, but I have to admit. A burrito tastes pretty good. Especially after a five week absence.

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July 10, 2016

Island Life: Our House

July 10, 2016

Karpathoshouse1

When we come to Karpathos, as I’ve said before, we have an in between sort of experience. Not quite tourists, but not quite locals either. One of the reason’s for that Mr. Mad Cow’s island heritage. Another is our Karpathian house. located steps away from the main harbor in Pigadia.

I should put that our in quotes, because the house doesn’t exactly belong to Mr MC and me. It officially belongs to his father who inherited it from his aunt, who died without child of her own to pass it down to. Her intent was for the house to go to the descendants of her brother, Mr MC’s grandfather, the one who grew up in Othos, and since she passed away, Mr MC and I have done our part to follow her wishes. We’ve come back frequently and made ourselves very comfortable in her former home. And to be perfectly honest, I have become very attached to the place.

First of all, as you can see in the picture above, the house is in an amazing location, steps from the harbor in Pigadia. As if the fact the house is on the island of Karpathos weren’t enough of a wow factor. We stay on the top floor, which has a lovely wraparound deck from which you can see the harbor.

Karpathoshouse2

The house itself is rather old but not the oldest on the island. Today, I saw a fantastic traditional Karpathian house in the village Aperi. It dates from 19th century, and it’s in such great condition it could be a museum. However, our house is old enough to have one hell of a ceiling in the living room in our preferred quarters on the top floor.

Karpathoshouse3

Don’t be too jealous. I deliberately did not include a picture of the bathroom or the kitchen. Or any other room for that matter.The rest of the house is rather rustic. Not quite camping, but not exactly quaint cabin either. When we come to Karpathos through Rhodes, we often stay in this wonderful little one-star hotel while we wait for our connection. I say wonderful because the hotel is not only cheap, it’s conveniently located 5 minutes away from Diagoras airport. And for an extra 5 euros, you can have air-conditioning. Well, that’s about the standard the amenities are at our house. Minus the air conditioning, which you don’t really need thanks to harbor breezes and the lack of humidity in the summer on the island.

Not that I am complaining, mind you. New furniture would be nice, but the house also needs a new roof. And the windows could use new shutters. So, as the Greeks say, σιγά σιγά. Slowly slowly. In the meantime, the Mad Cow family will keep coming, and I will be very sad when it’s time to pack up and move on to the next destination on our trip.

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July 5, 2016

Island Life: What to buy here and what to bring from home

July 5, 2016

DstrollerinKarpathos

Since the Vachette arrived on the scene, Mr. Mad Cow and I have had an unfortunate tendency towards overpacking for our trips to Karpathos. The first trip, when the Vachette was one, in addition to two massive suitcases, we lugged along a stroller, a carseat and a travel crib.

The second trip with the Vachette, we minimized a bit, but we still had a cumbersome load: one manageable suitcase, one massive suitcase, a stroller and a car seat. This year, however, I was determined to be minimalist. Achievement unlocked! Two manageable suitcases, a booster seat, and our carryons.

Now to achieve this, I had to seriously think about what was worth bringing and what was worth buying on the island. Our house has a washing machine, so that helps keep the clothing load manageable. Mr. Mad Cow brought exactly one pair of sandals, while the Vachette and I brought equal amounts of summer footwear: two pairs of sandals and one pair of flip flops.

First of all, we decided to leave the beach tent and beach blanket at home. Most of the beaches in Karpathos have lounge chairs and umbrellas that you rent for 7 euros a day. And in gorgeous Lefokos, on the west side of the island, you can get them for 6 euros a day. So this year we decided to not bother with our own set up and support the locals who a great job running the beaches. Sometimes, these chairs can fill up fast, especially in August. However, this is not a problem for us. The Vachette is an early riser, so we always have our pick when we get to the beach.

Beach toys are another thing that don’t need to take up any space in your suitcase. Our first night here, we let the Vachette pick out a new set of sand toys at one of local shops. We also bought her a kite at the toy store. These purchases together were less than HALF the price of a meal out. And going out to eat in Karpathos is a very reasonable affair. Definitely not worth bringing with us all the way from the US.

It’s also not worth bringing a month’s worth of sunscreen with you. I brought one partially used bottle from home for our visit to Athens, but once that ran out, I’ve just been buying sunscreen from the pharmacy. Also, I’ve heard European sunscreen is supposed to be superior to American varieties*.

But here are two items we wish we had brought with us: 1)tupperware in an assortment of sizes and 2) one of those big blue plastic Ikea bags. The Ikea bag was an oversight on my part. I completely forgot how perfect they are for lugging a family’s worth of stuff to the beach. In its place, we’ve had to make due with Mr. MC’s backpack and an assortment of flimsy plastic bags, which the Greeks give out like candy. The tupperware, however, is available to buy here. It’s just really expensive, especially compared to what you can find at TJMaxx. The Mad Cow family is more than happy to do its part to support the Greek economy, but not for overpriced poor quality tupperware. Instead, we’ve been carrying our beach snacks in an assortment of plastic bags. At the bright side, the bags make it for me to dispose of watermelon rinds.

*For example, Mexoryl was approved in Europe over a decade before it was in the US.

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July 4, 2016

Island Life: Our village connection to Karpathos

July 4, 2016

Othos1

Karpathos, for whatever reason, is not one of the major islands on the tourist circuit. Everyone has heard of Santorini and Mykonos, but when I tell people we are planning a trip Karpathos, it’s pretty obvious they have never heard of the place. So I qualify it by location — it’s in between Crete and Rhodes — and then further explain our connection —it’s the place where Mr. Mad Cow’s grandparents come from. Though, of course, the whole story is not as simple as that.

In the case of Mr. Mad Cow’s grandmother, it was her mother who came from the island. She grew up in the mountain village Volada. According to family lore, a Volada emigrant to America came back to the village in search of a wife. Mr. MC’s adventurous great grandmother said she would marry this emigrant on one condition: Another NY-based Volada emigrant marries her younger sister. Somehow, Mr MC’s great grandfather managed to pull this off, and thus, his grandmother grew up in Brooklyn alongside her first cousins.

Othos2

As for Mr. Mad Cow’s grandfather, that story is more complicated. His father emigrated to the US with his wife and worked as a coal miner in Pennsylvania where his children were born. However, the US climate did not agree with his wife’s health, so she went back to Karpathos with her children in tow and raised them in Othos, another mountain village on the island. And thus, Mr. MC grew up on the island as if he were any other Greek*. When he reached adulthood, he emigrated back to the US. But he never forgot his island roots nor the village where he grew up. And he instilled that same Karpathian pride in his children and his grandchildren.

In fact, he raised much of the funds for the chapel inside the Othos cemetery.

Othos3

You can see his children’s names on the frescoes below.

Othos4

As well as his sister’s with the Madonna and Child, or Παναγια in Greek.

Othos5

And his dental school class.

Othos6

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July 1, 2016

Island Life: Cash Only and other signs of the ailing Greek economy

July 1, 2016

Econ1

This post is a part of series about our atypical tourist island life in Karpathos. Click here and here for the previous two entries.

It’s no secret the Greek economy is not in good shape. The government-debt crisis started in 2009, and sadly, the financial dysfunction is still chugging along. Not that I want to belittle in any way what every day Greeks have to live with. I am fully aware and grateful for all the blessings in my life. But back to the topic at hand.

Mr. Mad Cow and I visited Karpathos in summer 2010, and at that time, the only real sign of fiscal trouble we noticed was the “for rent” signs that had gone up in previously occupied business spaces. Since that visit, we returned again with the Vachette in two in 2012 and 2014. During both of those visits, we heard anecdotal evidence about island economic woes. A family friend who worked in a hotel kitchen said tourists were coming, but they weren’t spending money like the used to. Niko’s cousin who at the time worked as a travel agent at a German travel franchise said clients came to Greece wondering if they should bring food for the poor, hungry locals. These visitors clearly have no idea how Greeks not only know how to work their soil, they know the importance of doing it locally. Hipsters, take note- the Greeks have been all about the origin of their produce long before you started colonizing Brooklyn.

This year, I’m not sure what’s different(the duration of our visit, the Vachette’s age and its affect on me, the fact these hard times have been going on for over five years, etc.) but I seem to be more aware of the island’s economic issue. For example, look at the photo featured at the top. That little fishing boat has been in Pigadia harbor for as long as I can remember, and my first visit to Karpathos was in 2003. This year, however, there’s a big “for sale” sign, or ΠΩΛΕΙΤΑΙ in Greek, in the right window.

There still are plenty of “for rent” signs, or ΕΝΟΙΚΙΑΖΕΤΑΙ in Greek, in store fronts on streets off the main harbor.

Econ4

This particular store’s closing makes me feel a bit wistful. I remember thinking how practical it was to have at least one underwear store on the island.

Econ3

And here’s a piece of prime waterfront real estate for rent, so good that its sign is written in English as opposed to the usual ΕΝΟΙΚΙΑΖΕΤΑΙ signs you see elsewhere. Sadly, I don’t remember which restaurant/cafe used to be there.

Econ2

Granted, all of these signs don’t really affect us, or any of the more typical tourists on the island. Our biggest headache has been about cash, and how everyone only wants to deal with actual money as opposed to the credit cards we use in our daily life at home. When Mr. Mad Cow made arrangements in Boston with our usual car rental office. the owner asked him if we minded paying for the car in cash as opposed to credit card, like we would do anywhere else. Cynically, one could assume cash transactions enable the rife tax evasion that Greeks are known for. However, the owner explained it’s difficult to get large quantities of cash as the banks put limits on the amount of euros you can take out at a time. In fact, Mr. MC’s father, Pappou Mad Cow*, had us go to his local bank and ask what is the allowance he can take out at a time. The answer, four hundred twenty euros per week. Let me repeat that so that the number sinks in. Four hundred twenty euros per week. Now imagine trying to manage life as a business man on a comparable amount of cash per week.

Another cash issue we have is about big purchases. In our case, that’s furniture. Our house, a topic for a future post, could use some new pieces. This year, Mr. MC and I had Papou MC’s blessing to do something about that. We went to both furniture stores on the island, and they are both cash-only venture. One of them had a practically empty show room to look out, because they did not want to deal with the credit that would needed for stocking it from Athens. As annoying as this is for Mr. MC and me, I can’t say that I blame anyone for preferring to deal with cash as opposed to credit. Look at their government’s abysmal credit rating, and there’s no wonder why they prefer hard cash as opposed to abstract plastic.

As for the Mad Cow family, the moral of the story is: figure out what big cash purchases we hope to make during our stay and plan accordingly. And do it next year, which just means we get to come back to this incredibly beautiful place.

*Papou Mad Cow lives in the US. And Papou means grandfather in Greek.

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June 30, 2016

Island Life: The Mangy Stray Cats of Karpathos

June 30, 2016

Greek stray cats jpeg

I don’t know what it is about the Eastern Mediterranean and cats, but from what I have seen in these parts over the course of my travels, they are more like rodents than cosseted pets. In Greece, stray cats seem to be more plentiful than jobs. They are mangy. They are gross. Worst of all, they freak out my cat-averse daughter.

For the most part, they are harmless. I leave them alone, and they reciprocate. Unfortunately for those of us who are not cat people, some tourists like to feed them. That’s when they can become a nuisance. The apartment we rented when we visited Samos had cat food in the kitchen, among other more useful amenities. Clearly the owners were not Greek. This meant the local strays got used to being feed, and they would come purring to our terrace. Fortunately, the Karpathian strays are not as comfortable with tourists. The Vachette freezes and yells “Cat” whenever one comes near us, but they never come too close and go away before she really gets upset.

Something must be going with the stray cats at night. For the past three nights, we’ve heard some cat fights going on outside. I don’t know where they are exactly taking place, but they sound vicious. Though I have not seen any cat corpses in the morning.

(Photo, Greek stray cats on the island Leros, by Colamc, and I must say this photo is more flattering than what they really look like. Because of the Vachette, I cannot get one of the local Karpathian variety. Trust me, they are not attractive.)

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June 28, 2016

Island Life: The Afternoon Nap, The Farm Stand, and Greek Business Hours

June 28, 2016

Siestatime1

This is the second in series of posts about island life about our not-quite-tourist experience as we spend three weeks in Karpathos. Click here for the first one.

When we lived in Zurich, we got used to dealing with Swiss opening hours. With a few exceptions, everything was closed on Sundays and public holidays. To further complicate life, stores often closed early on Saturdays and the day before public holidays. And it was not unheard of for small shops to also be closed on Mondays. My favorite Zurich yarn store, I’m talking about you!

In Greece, and in particular, in Karpathos, we have to deal with what Mr. Mad Cow and I call “siesta hours”. Most businesses shut down during the hottest point of the day and then theoretically reopen at 6 for a couple more hours but sometimes it’s more like 6:30 or 7. I say that because several times Mr. MC has left the house at 5:55 to do a shopping chore (the green grocer, the hardware store, etc) only to find they have not opened up again. The one place that seems to reliably open again at 6 is the closest pharmacy, which you can see below closed during the midday.

Siesta2

Some things, like the island farm stand is only open in the morning. Or at least, only until the start of siesta hours, and it’s really worth it to make the trip. There is nothing like a locally grown Greek tomato, and the local melons are currently ripe like candy. In fact, the melons are so good, we’ve taken to calling them by their Greek name since they are so otherworldly.

Siesta3

Interestingly, when asked, Mr MC could not come up for a Greek word for siesta, and two visits to online Greek-English dictionaries did not yield better results. The best we could find was the literal tranlation for “afternoon nap”. Mr. MC even found a Spanish-Greek online dictionary and it yielded the same result.

The Vachette has taken to Greek siesta hours with the same level of unpredictability. Even though she no longer takes regular naps, she’s been keeping later hours, just like the local children, and certainly could use them, since she is still getting up at her usual early hour. Today, she refused to take a nap when I wanted to lie down, and then she melted down when I woke up because I had taken a nap without her. She later fell asleep in the car, so we took a bit of a drive on a road we have never been on before and discovered the view featured above.

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June 27, 2016

Island Life: Of Water and Gas

June 27, 2016

Brysi2

As part of European Tour 2016 Edition, we are spending three glorious weeks on the Greek island Karpathos. This is the first in a series of post about island life, or at least as we experience, in our not-quite-tourists-but-not-quite-native way of doing it. I hope you enjoy

In Greece, it never rains in the summer. In fact, the modern Greek word for summer καλοκαίρι literally means “good weather”. All that fabulous sunshine comes with a price. You need to be aware of your fresh water usage, because you’re not going to get anything raining down from the sky for several months. The islands get their ground water supplies in the winter, so every year we hope for a wet one to replenish our beloved island. Some winters, unfortunately, are rather dry, leaving the locals, and the somewhat locals like us, to feel the pain in the summer when the municipal authorities shut off the water at some unknown time during the day and then turn it back on sometime the next day at an equally unpredictable hour. Tourists staying in hotels or holiday apartments, of course, never have the water turned off. But that’s another topic all together.

To deal with the possibility of water getting cut off, Karpathian houses in Pigadia are equipped with big water deposits on the roof. Think of it as a reservoir to collect water whenever the municipal water is turned on so there is something available if/when the water gets turned off. Long story short, when you are staying in a house, you do your best to use water sparingly, because the last thing you want is to run out before you got a chance to rinse the shampoo out of your hair, which has happened in ours. Not to me or the Vachette, fortunately. Washing her hair is a torturous experience as it is. I don’t need any other complications. But I digress.

One thing about this water, it’s not potable. To get potable fresh water, you go to the βρύσι, or in English, “spring” or “faucet”. Like in Athens at the ruin sites, these spring/faucet things are easy to find throughout the island. In fact, there are two of them with two-minute walks from our house. Here is a picture of the more attractive of the two.

Brysi

Another necessity that can be in scarce supply on the island is gas. Yesterday we had to go to four gas stations before we could find one that still had some gas for sale. We only put 20 euros’ worth in the tank. On a side note, Mr. Mad Cow got to have the same conversation about how he was related to Karpathos at each one. So at least that was entertaining. Fortunately, the gas tanker came in today, so everyone should be able to fill up again.

Brysi3

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June 26, 2016

Say Athena!

June 26, 2016

Hotathens3

As you know, we’ve done a healthy amount of travel with the Vachette. Through experience, we have found that talking up a destination makes the Vachette more excited about the future trip. For London, we talked about how she would get to make a new friend. For Athens, it was seeing the Parthenon. The only problem with talking up the Parthenon, it brought up a very valid question: What is the Parthenon? The answer to this question, an ancient temple for the goddess Athena, has opened up the door to Greek mythology. The whole question of worship could have been a very awkward one for this areligious household, but the Greek myths are so rich as stories that the Vachette has not asked any other complicated questions. In fact, she is very excited about the whole concept of goddesses and has since decided powerful Athena is her favorite.

This new interest has made for some very interesting pictures on our big trip. Instead of saying cheese and smiling, the Vachette likes to strike a pose of strength and yell Athena, as you can see in the photo at the top of us posing in front of the Parthenon itself. Or in the photo below, as we all posed Athena-style in from of the Temple of the Olympian Zeus.

Hotathens4

As if the myths told by her father weren’t enough, the Vachette got treated to some quality Athena time at the new Acropolis Museum. You can borrow a family backpack from the museum, and with it, you can go on a complete-the-sticker-book Athena hunt looking for various representations of Athena throughout the museum. As if the air-conditioned reprieve from the heat weren’t enough to boost the Vachette’s mood, this Athena image hunt was right up her alley. We had one problem. She had no interest in any other deity’s image. Still, it was a fabulous way to get an almost five year old excited about our shared Western heritage.

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Hi, I’m Emily, Mad Cow Extraordinaire

Writer. Mother. Recovering Expat.
I currently live in Boston with my husband and daughter, who was born in Switzerland.
I know how to say epidural in German.
Welcome to my madness.

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