It was not snowing when we went down to the hotel restaurant for breakfast.  The buffet was impressive!  Which was a nice change from last nights pathetic dinner buffet.  We had 3-Ikea Dimpa bags with us, our plan was to distribute the aid we had been given (by friends and family) where most needed.  While the islands in Greece are struggling with the recent snow, the situation in Serbia is reminiscent of the issues that plagued the refugees as they were arriving in Greece.  Little or no support, NGO’s not able to get into the camps.  Our new underwear and winter wear would be very welcome in Serbia.

The problem is that it is very difficult to get aid into Serbia- so our unexpected lay over will be a boom for the local NGO that CTF works with.  Leo who works with unaccompanied minors and young people was able to stop by the hotel and pick up the 3 bags.  We learned that there are approximately 7,000 refugees stuck in Serbia,they are spread out in 10-12 camps.  There are over 500 children under the age of 3.  The government will only let 50 people leave the country a day.

Our flight to Athens was supposed to leave at 1:15, we left for the airport from the hotel at 10:30 and had had just enough time to make the flight.  In Serbia the airport security happens at each gate area (there are only about 15 gates in the airport), interesting how each country is different.  The US TSA would loose their minds over this!

It was an easy 75 min flight to Athens.  On our approach the surrounding mountains were

covered in snow- beautiful, but cannot help but think of the 70,000+ refugees some of whom are still in tents.

Our next few days will be full ones.  We will head over to the main warehouse in Athens that opens at 11:00 tomorrow to pack up 500 baby carriers, load them into the van that gets dropped off at the hotel tomorrow morning at 10am and start our 690 mile drive North, thru Macedonia and back to Belgrade, Serbia.  What took 75 min by plane- Google Maps is saying it will take us 11 hours 30 min to drive.  Our plan is to make it to Northern Greece or southern Macedonia tomorrow, then head up the rest of the way to Belgrade on Thurs.  Customs is open in Serbia only until 3pm Mon-Fri so we will get up extra early on Thurs morning to make sure we make it to Belgrade in time.  We would also have Friday if the driving conditions are bad or we just need to go slower.  Amanda is from Canada, BC and this kind of weather and driving conditions are what she is used to!

I am a little concerned about the cold so you may think i’m wearing the same clothes like, everyday- but I will continue to add layers underneath my clothing for the next couple days we are in route.  My North Dakota people are shaking their heads in disgust at how weak I have become!

We went into Central Athens for dinner- to a yummy traditional Greek restaurant- there were still tons of people walking about area.  Didn’t seem like that many tourist, and many of the tourist shops were closed.

 

Traveling really is not only a way to see the world, but to see who you are.  Our plans were to head down to Athens, Amanda and I booked on Air Serbia last month and we had an hour connection in Belgrade.  We could not have foreseen the weather when we booked, we woke in Paris to a soupy thick fog.  We took the airport shuttle at 7:45am, it was a quick 10 min drive to the airport.

The driver helped load our bags and when Amanda said we were going to terminal D2, he said that he only drops off at the rail station.  He saw the 2 of us with 2 enormous Ikea Dimpa bags, our roller carry on bags and our purses.  He asked what was in the Dimpa’s and we said “aid for refugees”.  He said without missing a beat “I will bring you to your terminal”.  Plans change, people help you…….look for the good in people.

Our 2 hour delayed flight to Belgrade was above the cloud and fog line so we got to see some sunshine!  We had an hour connection in Belgrade which ultimately was not enough time. When we got out of the jet way and asked where the Athens flight was we were told it had left.  There is a me that would have thrown a fit with such news, but not today.

Our Air Serbia minder was with us when we got our 3 checked Dimpa bags and we breezed thru customs.  As fate would have it, we will actually be returning to Serbia later in the trip to deliver 500 baby carriers.   Apparently Serbian customs are not easy so we have VERY specific instructions for packing the 500 carries now in the warehouse in Athens.

We’ve never been to Serbia, the 20 min drive from the airport was a Winter wonderland.  It

was snowing and by the looks of it, has been snowing all winter.  We have been put up in a nice hotel with dinner and breakfast, transportation to/from the airport and our room paid for- we felt it was our duty to sample the sweets of Serbia- so we got to choose one of these bad boys.  Yummmmy!  On a side note you can smoke like everywhere here in Serbia, restaurants, hotel rooms, lobbies…….so strange to see people smoking so openly and inside of a building!

The situation in the Serbian camps is very difficult- an exploratory team was here last month looking at the situation and they ended up purchasing a bunch of winter wear for the camps.  The camps here asked for the baby carriers, hence part of our mission.  Our aid bags are filled with winter wear, underwear and some baby carriers.  Breezing thru customs means that we will be able to leave this aid here in Belgrade.  Our camp contact is meeting us at our hotel in the morning to collect the bags.  France and Greece while struggling mightily have other NGO’s supporting the camps- this is not the case in all of the countries.  We will not have the time to visit the camp tomorrow but will return later this week to deliver the 500 baby carriers (fingers and toes crossed we get thru customs) and to take a look for ourselves what is happening in the camps here.

We lost a day working on the ground, but will be able to help in some small way by leaving our aid bags here.  Little bits of hope and light……..

We were all up and packed before we met for breakfast for out last day together.  It has been such a great couple days with who once were strangers and now are friends.  This was Brian and Carlo’s first time volunteering with refugees……..Brian’s daughter Seanna is a dynamo who has been and led a number of trips and Carlo’s wife is a rock star who was one of CTF’s 1st volunteers.  They now will go forth and continue to tell the stories that they have heard and the things they have seen.

We took a quick tour to go see the sea side- the ferries leave

from this area for the UK and it is surrounded by high double fences- sea side cottages line the sand.  The water was cooollllddddd!  We were the only ones on the beach- so beautiful.

It was a quick drive to the warehouse- there was a possibility for us to head back to Paris easier than planned to work at a camp near Paris, but that was not to be so we all split up and started working in teams.  Rita and I got to organize “Tent World” in it’s new

location-Brian and Carlos had moved it the day before.  The picture on the right are tent polls!  Crazy!  The warehouse was filled with the usual about 20 volunteers who are there for weeks at a time and we were joined by another about 2o volunteers, again mostly students- the ones that work 7 days a week at the camp use the washing machines at the warehouse and all live together in a tent caravan center near town.  Their needs are few

and they are very hard workers.  Music blasts the whole day- not obnoxiously, and there is a tea break about 11 and lunch is served about 1:00.

We started back to Paris about 2:00, Rita’s plane was the first to leave about 8:30pm.  Carlos was thinking of places we could stop as we had about 90 min to spare if traffic was not to bad- it wasn’t and we decided to head into Paris to go get macaroons and go to the

(I got in trouble for taking the photo- I didn’t use a flash and can you see the Eiffel tower?)

Musée de l’Orangerie- to see Monet’s water lilies.  It had been years since i’d seen them and the enormity of the pieces and the color was breath taking- the iconic “American Gothic” by Grant Woods was also on display – as beautiful in person as seen in images.

I got to drive the big old VW van in Paris traffic- no accidents, but also no lines on the streets – it was fun!  In all we drove 480 miles this weekend.  Amanda and I are staying at a hotel near the airport for our morning departure to Athens, we will be flying Air Serbia (a 1st for both of us) and will have to change planes in Belgrade for Athens- we will actually be returning to Belgrade in the next couple weeks to drive up 500 baby carries the camps there have requested.

Well I remembered to set my clock and alarm, I failed to turn ON the alarm so I woke after a VERY nice night of sleep to 15 min before we were to leave to the warehouse to work.  Not the best of ways to wake up!

Everyone else was up and ready so after eating a bit we all loaded into the van for the 15 min drive to the warehouse.  The warehouse was located in an industrial area on the edge of town.  We met our contact where we were told to grab some tea if we liked then we waited for the overview and tour to start.  There were about 20 volunteers working permanently at the facility and about another 15 volunteers who showed up like us to work today.  We all had to grab a safety vest- we then stood in a circle while disco music was turned on and we each got to show our “signature” move.  It was a fantastic way to get everyone moving and laughing straight away.

We got a tour of the 2 massive rooms that were in the process of being put down to 1- to save money.  This warehouse supports the camp we were at yesterday and the camps in Paris and the refugees sleeping on the streets in Paris.  Yes, it is true……….Google “refugees sleeping on the streets in Paris”.  No words.  We got a tour of the sorting area, the area where the sorted aid is kept and told where the emergency exits were.  The warehouse like most of our work sites was not heated.   4 of us helped to sort the mountain of clothing aid into appropriate bins -sometimes in the donate bin for stained clothing dthat gets sold to a rag maker.

We had told the camp yesterday that some of us would be back to help so we had a little meeting and in the end it was decided that Amanda and I would return to the camp to work in the Women’s Center.  We had been asked to return today.  Dumb luck had me pull off the highway into a little village looking for a pastry shop……….well we found one with people literally waiting in a line that snaked out the door.

How could we not stop and see what the fuss was about……..total bliss.  I literally looked like i’d eaten a puff pastry the size of myself I had so many crumbs on me!  It was soo yummy.  We drove the 10 min to the camp, only realizing as we were walking towards the guard gate that we didn’t have our contacts info on us……..we just looked official and walked fast and the guard raised the gate for us.  Inside the kitchen we found our contact Laura only to be told the Women’s center had burned down in the night.

It truly was shocking- knowing how important this space is for these women.  A place to take their scarves can come off, to get supplemental food if pregnant or nursing and to well, just be women.  With the rain falling the mood of the camp was that much gloomier.

Amanda and I were put in charge of frying french fries for the kids in the Children’s area.  We fried up about 6 big batches and walked them over to the Children’ area after each batch was done.  We would also include big plates of mayo and ketchup!  There are about 80 kids in the camp who attend a local school during the week and can go to the Children’s area caravans to play with volunteers the other times.  With the housing looking as bleak as it does, i’m sure most kids use this area daily.

The “sheds” are heated with heaters and they must have some sort of light source, but no electricity or bathroom.

After the chip frying we were asked to drive one of their vans to and from the grocery store about a mile away- the usual driver was not there so we did the drive for about 2 hours- around and around.  We could get 7 extra people in per trip.  We got the chance to talk to the people.  We had a man who owns a convenience store in the UK, his cousin was watching the store while he came to the camp to check up on his mother-in-law they were trying to get into the UK, 2 other young men had been at University in the UK and 1 had come to see younger siblings in the camp and another had been kicked out of the UK- he was trying to sneak back in.

So many stories, everyone as wild as the next.  We headed back to the warehouse to pick up the rest of our team.  They had spent a very productive day sorting and moving within the warehouse.  We went to our rooms for a quick stop then walked to the city center (about a 10 min walk) to look for a place to eat.

We looked at about 8 places before we settled on this bistro, typical French food.  We all had yummy things to eat and it was a nice way to end the day- reflecting on our short but effective time we’d spent in the area and to get to know each other a bit more.

It is always mind bending to step on an airplane and in a finite number of minutes be transported to the other side of the planet- our team was meeting at the airport in Paris, I was the 1st to arrive at 7:40 am.  Breezed thru customs and immigration and went to try and find the car rental agency.

You can say what you want about the French but most of my experiences have been amazing.  As usual I have my carry on bag with my clothing and personal items (for 17 days of travel) and we use Ikea Dimpa bags packed to 50 or 70lbs of aid.

So I was pushing a VERY full trolly with my roller bag and 2 enormous Dimpa bags.  I went to the counter I thought I was supposed to be at- well, I was wrong, but the agent was ever so nice.  A recent college graduate he helped me load the bags into the back of one of their cars and he drove me to the correct airport branch.  It was perfect timing- slowly over the next hour the rest of the team arrived.  Ours is truly any international group with a Canadian (Amanda-from my first trip with CTF), a French Canadian who now lives in Greece, an American who lives with his wife and 3 kids in France and a father and daughter duo for the UK.  The 6 of us will work until Sunday night in France then Amanda and I will head down to Greece for the next 2 weeks.

After we had all  joined up we started on the road to Calais.  It was about a 3 hour drive and we spent the time getting to know each other.  This has been my 3rd trip with CTF and have been so impressed and blessed with amazing team members!  Calais is in the North of France and it is where the  Chunnel is.  For over 20 years there was a very well known camp called “The Jungle” in this area.  While there were many NGO’s supporting the camp it was not “official” and it was know as not only a very dangerous place but one where dreams go to die.

In October the French government closed/bulldozed The Jungle and in its place an “official” camp was built called Dunkirk.  We drove straight to the camp and had already been registered so our contact Laura came to meet us at the entrance which, like in Greece, has guards and police.   Laura had the harried look and manner of most people who work  in camps- those who have never ending to-do lists and are in need of an additional 23 hours a day to get 1/10 of what needs to be done, done.

She showed us around the camp- it is cold and rainy now so the camp is literally a mud pit.  There are about 4 old buildings (some look like barns) and some caravans have been set up to provide support to the 1600+ Kurdish, Iraqi and Vietnamese refugees.  There was a main kitchen that provided additional food support, 2 kitchens the refugees could cook in, about 200 houses/huts/shelters (they looked like garden sheds quickly assembled with no windows), a children’s center, a women’s center and bathroom facilities sprinkled throughout the camp.

We were put to work in the kitchen area sorting donated food- like clothing food donations are not alway appropriate.  Bread that expired last week…….no thank you……..bananas rotten and smushed……nope.  We sorted and organized for about 2 hours then some of us went to help prepare the dinner- well, in some cases wash the dishes as they were being used.  As usual the volunteers were a group of 20 somethings taking time out of their lives and working long hours, 7 days a week for a very vulnerable population.   We were not allowed to take photo’s of the camp it self for security reasons- but it really was bleak.

We ate with the other couple dozen volunteer what the refugees got, rice with cooked veggies and a chopped salad.  Tasty and basic but we were told this is what everyone gets everyday.  It is very cold here and outside of the kitchen is a metal drum that has a fire in it all of the time- a place to sit and warm your hands and feet for a moment or 2.

The refugees wait in this camp to try and get/sneak into the UK.  Sometime smugglers are hired, other times people try to jump on trucks, swim across the canal to ships…….non of the choices safe ones but desperate times lead to desperate measures.

We all were tired when we left the camp about 8pm to head to our hotel about 30 minutes away.  This was the 1st experience for 2 of our members.  As many pictures as you see and documentaries you see……..up close in personal the magnitude of the refugee crisis cannot be turned off.  Their lives were changed by what they saw…….and those of us familiar with the issues wonder for the millionth time……..how is it that we as a society can treat people like this?

Heading back to Europe with Carry the Future.  I’ll be joined by Amanda one of my Team 8 members- and for the 1st 3 days in France we will be joined from team members from around Europe.

The refugee crisis contines even as the news outlets have turned their cameras elsewhere.   If you are interested Google “refugees in Paris” and you will be flooded with images of people sleeping hard (on cardboard with blankets or in small sleeping tents) on the streets of Paris.   

There are about 7 of us meeting at the airport in Paris then driving to Calaise to work in some camps and with some NGO’s supporting the refugees in the area.  On Monday Amanda and I will fly to Athens and be in Greece, with a quick trip to Serbia, until the 21st.  The weather will be cold so I’ll be looking like the Michlin Tire Chick this trip- it was a bit of an issue to get 17 days worth of winter wear in my carry on bag for all 17 days!  

Thanks in advance for keeping us in your thoughts- and for all the support that makes these trips possible,

In Solidarity-