Corkonians Abroad: I’ve lived in Greece for almost 40 years

When did you leave Cork?

I was 25 when I left Cork, it took me two years to get up the nerve to leave, but once I made up my mind, there was no stopping me.

I was a superviser in Glanmire industries (Punches polish), I loved it there, and made great friends.

After coming to Greece two summers in a row, I fell in love with it and decided to hand in my notice and come back to live. I have family here, otherwise I don’t think I would have made the choice so easily.

It was very hard at the start, but being very stubborn, I pushed through it and here I am 39 and a half years later and I’m still here...

I met my husband in 1986, got engaged in 1988, and married in June, 1990, it was hard because it was a completely different way of life.

The first four years I lived near the sea, it was so awesome, you couldn’t tell where the sky and sea started and ended, you’d have to see to understand.

Tell us a little about your home?

Sitting here thinking about why I’ve stayed so long, I must admit, the lifestyle is so different than at home. We have sunshine nearly 11 months of the year.

My house is on the outskirts of Athens, so I have a view of the mountain and the sea, without being too near all the noise.

Myself and my friends go walking every morning and evening, a different route each time, every morning we stop for a coffee. We have a few different cafes that we go to and they don’t even ask what we want, they just bring it to the table.

Once or twice in the week, we go for a souvlaki (Greek must-have, pita bread, with pork or chicken gyro, filled with salad and sauce) or pizza.

We do a lot of entertaining at home, never less than eight people, and we could have up to 20, we love to BBQ or put a whole lamb on the spit.

The Greeks celebrate Easter more than Christmas, and Santa comes New Year’s Eve. My son was lucky because I always did Christmas and New Year. They celebrate name days more than birthdays, but we celebrate both.

Easter is the most celebrated time of year, I wish you could all see it once in your lifetime.

Easter week, we boil and dye the eggs, make Easter cookies and Easter sweet bread, the smells are awesome. On Saturday night, everybody goes to church to the Agio Fós, the flame from the Holy Land.

When the clock strikes 12, they light candles from the flame and it is passed around. Then you go home and make the sign of the cross over your door with the flame from the candle. That way you have good vibes in your house all year.

I wish I could explain how it smells of lemon blossom, evening primrose, orange blossom, so many different smells and perfumes, when you open the windows, or walk on the street, it’s awesome.

Our house is on the outskirts of Athens, 10 minutes from the beach, five minutes from the mountain, the best of both worlds.

We are eight minutes from Athens centre with the underground train - best invention ever.

Athens is absolutely beautiful, with all the ruins, museums and tavernas. The old city Plaka is unbelievable, you can find anything you want there.

A must-see is the changing of the guards, in Syntagma Square, all done on a trip to the city centre, I could go on and on.

My one peeve is the fact that you can’t throw toilet paper in the toilets, every bathroom has a paper bin. Thank God there are battery-operated ones now, it’s one thing I can’t get used to. At least we never have stuffed toilets. But it’s embarrassing telling visitors they have to put the paper in the bin.

What has been the biggest challenge?

I think the hardest thing was giving birth without my family being around, and being far away when my dad and brother were sick. I always think the worst, even though I’m on the phone twice a day.

It’s also very hard now my son is in Ireland and we are here without him. Unfortunately, most of our children had to leave for a better future, but hopefully things will get better and they will get back home in the next few years.

It’s very hard being without family and friends at home, but I try to get back as often as possible. I still meet up with my friends from school when I go home, the girls 58 years from junior infants and up, the boys 50 years.

I’m also very lucky with my friends here in Greece.

The language was the hardest thing to learn, but I wanted to know what people were saying.

What do you like to do when you make

it back to Cork?

When I go home to Cork, the first thing I do is see my son and my mam, then have corned beef and cabbage.

When the weather is good, I like to walk in Blarney, and Nash’s Boreen.

When I do go home, it’s never for less than a month, it’s been for two years, six months, and four months, at a time. It was easy because my husband worked all the years in Ireland.

All my family are still in Cork, I lost my dad on June 16, 2013, and my brother Thady in October of 2014. That was the most painful experience, I was at home with my dad when he passed, but my brother passed the day I got there. Thank God my mam, Nora Cotter, is still doing good and living in the same house along with my sister Roseann.

Tell us a little about your family?

I married in June, 1990. My son, Constandinos, now lives in Cork, he is 32 years old. He was an easy child, we spent most days on the beach or in the parks, it wasn’t like at home, where the kids could play on the street, you had to have play dates, between noon and 5.30 pm it’s quiet time, siesta.

It was too hot to go outside, so he watched English videos, and is fluent in both languages since he was two.

Luckily, we went to Cork most summers for a couple of months and he had what I call a normal childhood.

My husband is Dimitrios Favvas, Greek in every way, spoilt rotten. Lol.

But even after all these years, we still laugh and look after each other.

Now that he has his pension, we are finally getting to see a lot of the beautiful islands and different parts of Greece.