Today we went on a tour of a monastery run solely by a nun convent. Our guide, the wittiest woman I have met by far, told us how the monastery had been abandoned and was given a second chance of life by a group of nuns from northern Greece. The building itself is made with a combination of materials that were left behind and the surrounding land. This entire building was crafted and designed by this woman. This includes the intricate stone carving, mosaic tiling and icons found around the entire estate. Another component our guide touched upon was the community involvement with the cultivation and restoration of plant life in the area. Several schools in the area visit each week to help them in their environmental endeavour. This really makes me smile. Early environmental and sustainability-focused programs are so very crucial in the effort of changing attitudes and behaviours to be more pro-environmental.
This visit was one of my fondest yet. The nuns I met were very welcoming and willing to let me try speaking Greek. One woman asked me my name and I was able to respond and ask her hers. I definitely geeked out a little bit over my tiny victory.
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