Hey hey,
Coming to you live from Vasilikiiii! I got back on Tuesday after over a month in the UK! So happy to be back.
Just kicking this off by saying that whereas the past couple of emails got a bit more of my time and attention, this week might be a bit more cobbled together. Just reading it back now (writing this after writing the rest of it) and I think I’ve gone a bit overboard on the similes. And on Groundhog Day references. What can I say? Ya boi’s been a busy bee.
Got back on Tuesday after a typically unpleasant early morning airport experience. Fortunately, a month of anticipation was enough to power me through that first day. Was lovely seeing everyone again. Lots of faces I’d missed, plus when you’re the shiny new thing, everyone seems excited to see you, which is nice.
A few things have changed in the past month here. It’s hotter, drier and more busy, and there’s lots of new staff around. But the essentials are still the same: same nights out, same activities, same few conversations with the guests (‘yes this is my first season’, ‘Yes I think it should be windy this afternoon’, ‘i agree it’s very warm isn’t it’) These holiday places reset every Sunday night like its Groundhog day.
The neilson team, like the greens in the landscape around vasiliki, seem to have lost their vibrance after 4 more weeks of relentless sun. The team here are like Phil the weatherman (Groundhog Day again); whereas everything is fresh and new for guests, for the crew it is the same old same old. Consequently, their joie de vivre seems to be waning: communal cooking has died, the flat was a mess, and a couple of points of friction seem to be rubbing. I’m hoping that the new folk arriving in the next couple of weeks will re energise the group and get everyone back in their old good habits.
As anyone who’s seen Groundhog Day knows, when every week brings a total reset, the only progress you can make is personal. For people in vasiliki, that usually means learning a new trick on the windsurfer or wing foil. It’s cool to see how far everyone’s come, although I’m now playing catch up to Matt on the wing foil. Grr!
But the other avenue for change is what I will clinically describe as the inter personal relations in Vasiliki. The drama, if you will. And like in a juicy episode of love island, it’s all change in vasiliki! (Not seen much of love island but I gather people mix and match regularly). The gossip flows like cheap box wine out here, and I’ve been playing catch-up as I’ve been filled in on various juicy bits that have gone down, none of which will make it into this newsletter soz.
And just in case getting back to Vass wasn’t enough to handle, my parents were visiting too! As you’d expect, they made sure I was sufficiently fed and watered with a series of lovely meals out, so thanks a lot m&d. We had a great time, and I got to show off my wing foiling skills which made me happy.
This evening I waved them off on the bus to the airport. First time I’ve waved off my parents in a bus. As mother dearest pointed out, it was a big old role reversal from the school trip days when I was being carted off to York or Berwoodsley or similar for a week of outdoor education and self discovery (mum reminded me today that I came back from a year 6 trip to York with a shiny new mood ring which I was very proud of indeed).
How has your week been?
Love
James
