Journey to the Aegean Sea by Devan Durrett

March 13, 2022: Our day started off bright and early around 5:30 a.m. with the moans and groans of the morning, nothing out of the ordinary for a teenage boy. We washed our faces, brushed our teeth, masked the foul scent of what sweat would bring with all day long lasting deodorant, and made our first departure to the lobby of the hotel. It’s now 6:15, and the greeting in the lobby is a temperature check and a brown paper bag with “breakfast on the go.” The boys finally start to awaken and realize what’s in store for the day after promptly being asked for vaccination cards and passports. The reality sets in that this will be a long day.

We promptly walk a block down the strip from the hotel and approach a charter bus to transport us to our location. Once on board the journey commences with Mrs. Williams instructing us to fasten our seatbelts and small information about the activities to come. Our Global Brigades counselor, Mike, lays the foundation for each island that we will visit. He opens up his small lecture by breaking down the meaning of “Saronic Gulf.” He mentions the three islands that we will grace during our day journey: Hydra, Aegina, and Poros. 

Around 6:30 a.m., we exited the comfort of the bus to the cold frigid wind driven environment of the boat dock. We huddled like penguins in small groups using our body heat to fight against the frigid 34 degree weather. Eventually admission bands encompassed our wrist, and we were instructed to enter into the day cruise facility. The dock was filled with anxious young men eager to warm up, eat breakfast, and get started with the day. Our breakfast consisted of a sandwich, a banana, a granola bar, and the sweet light pulp refreshment of orange juice. We were now ready to explore.

Our first stop was to the island of Hydra. We were greeted by the aqua blue waters of a docking port and bright sunny weather. The wall bound island seemed like a place snatched out of paradise. White homes lined the mountain side, while docked boats crowded the bay like cars in a Target parking lot. We exited from the boat onto the dock and instantly were immersed into the island of Hydra by our tour guide. From the information that our Global brigades counselor Mike stated, we came to learn that the island lacked cars, was a naval dock for Greece, and used to belong to Russia. Our tour guide from the start explained how the island came to amass great wealth due to shipping enterprises. The wealth was a combination of gold, silver, and precious jewels, and also support from the Russian Orthodox Church since the two share a religion in common. While there the guys visited the Orthodox church and monastery of the island which housed all of the precious items, jewels and precious stones. The group was also given some free time to explore the island and immerse themselves into the culture. We then redocked back on the boat after about an hour of free time on the island and waited to embark on the journey to the next island.

Unfortunately, the anchor became stuck on the rocky docking station in Hydra, so our take off wasn’t direct. In the passing time, Josh Roberts and I took the time to get to know our counselors Mike and Tina. They were open to all conversations. We talk about Greek politics, their professional careers, and even the Greek educational system. Oftentimes we would make relations to American society with the information given by Mike and Tina. In this small amount of time we were able to establish a better understanding of our counselors, their lives, and their characters. 

Eventually the boat started moving again, and because of the delay, we could only sail past the island of Poros. The island was much bigger and consisted of friendly inhabitants who eagerly waved and smiled at the passing ship.

The island of Aegina was the last stop. This island was Tina’s favorite, and consisted of a pistachio influx. This was their signature for this island. On this island we had the most freedom to explore. It was full of artesian shops and was stunning. 

My group of friends visited the Orthodox church on the island, which was stunning and adorned with silver, gold, and jewels everywhere. We held a small group prayer in which we thanked the Lord for allowing us the ability to experience the trip. We then proceeded outside and started singing nostalgic songs. Tina was so thrilled that she called her boyfriend and asked us to sing for him. Mike thinks I am some type of famous gospel singer. The most interesting event that happened on this island is when we were walking down the strip. A group of girls randomly called out to us, a group of African American boys, and called us all beautiful. What a shocker!

We redocked on the boat after the Island of Aegina, and headed back to the mainland of Greece. This day was nothing short of amazing.