[Tazaria]

username;
name;
gender;
place;
story;

New Zealand

[aray17]

username; aray17
name; ευχαριστώ ("thank you" in Greek, pronounced ef-har-ree-stow) // Calix (means handsome in Greek)
gender; stallion
place; Greece
story; I was dreading the last stretch of my trip. A local had told me to go to the small island of Samos which I had heard yia yia ramble on about in her childhood memories. I sighed as I rested on the plane. The small tin can airplane rattled and shook as they started their descent from the sky and onto the small Greek island called Samos, where my family once called home. I took a deep breath in and prepared myself for the jolting and nerve-racking landing. I have always hated plane flights and this one was no different. After the plane barely landed onto the runway, we made an abrupt halt and shortly we felt the arid, Mediterranean air seep into the cold and stuffy plane as the doors opened. It was early July and quite hot and quiet throughout the towns. Occasionally a moped would hummingly pass by or the bugs in the trees would chirp. Now Samos is a very small Greek island and is the closest to Turkey. Not a lot of people know about Samos because it’s so small and so it is often overlooked by visitors due to its lack of tourist traps and grandiose resorts of luxury and grandeur. Only local Greeks know the true beauty of this hidden gem. On the island of Samos, the hills are covered with luscious olive trees and donkeys roam free. A light breeze glides through the swaying branches of the olive trees. The donkeys call to one another as the butterflies and bees flutter and hum through the air. The small villages are isolated from one another and they are quiet and mysterious. They are united by windy gravel roads. Stray dogs wander through the towns scavenging for food and a good head scratch. Some of the locals are more friendly than others to the mellow and sweet dogs but I would always save a bite of my meals for the grateful dogs that laid by my side. I ventured up to the top of the mountain and visited the small village of Kastania where my yia yia (Greek for grandma) was born and raised until she was left for America during World War 2. I witnessed the beauty of the church that she helped build from the ground up. Many locals came up and greeted me warmly. They had given me many gifts from yia yia’s old friends and her childhood crush who sent their love to her through me. All of the gifts, silks, and accessories given to me were handmade with pride and diligence. The Greeks take pride in their work and only give their best for their guests. They stuffed me full every meal with the decadent, homemade local dishes until I could not eat another bite. The smell of baklava and pita bread wafted through the air as I roamed the silent streets. On Samos, there is a small temple that I visited and overlooked the whole island. I soaked in the Mediterranean sun and the glory of Samos. The view was unlike any other. Down below, you could see the donkeys trotting along and the children playing on the beach. The temples stayed quiet and restful unlike in their past where they once were the hub of ancient Greeks' daily lives. Near the shores, I visited the ancient temple of Hera and the temple of Zeus as I listened to the waves crash onto the rocks. I wandered along the ocean shore where the Greek mathematician, Pythagoras once walked and pondered his formulas and theories. On a secluded beach, I collected sea glass and perfectly round and smooth rocks which were bountiful. Alone I would sit and watch the sunsets from the top of the mountain of Samos because that’s where the best views are. At night, I crept quietly out of my home and went to the beach to listen to the waves crash and pull the rocks out to sea to form them into perfectly smooth and round rocks. What factor of this tiny island that affected me the most was how jaw-dropping and amazing this island was but how most overlook it. The time and effort the kind locals put into making decadent five-course meals along with extravagant outfits and gifts for mealso stunned me and made me respect this small island so much more. Yia Yia was always right about the beauty of Samos and I will one day return to this hidden paradise to once more be enamored by the beauty and wonders that the locals tuck away from the world.

[ｃｒｕｍｐｌｅｄ ｗｉｎｇｓ]

still open for forms, finish yours up if you've entered!

will end the comp @ the end of july

[kortico]

sneaks a form in

username; kortico
name; baijanthi
gender; mare
place; nepal
story;

baijanthi arrived to nepal in the early springtime, before the buds had bloomed around the villages hidden in the valleys, while the new year's grass had not yet grown green and tall. yet even with the muted colors and the damp earth, the mild weather had a naturally tranquil affect, an ability to open up an extra sense if possible, an eye that could see the beauty of the world that she could see in no other location during her travels. baijanthi stayed in the lower mountains of nepal as warmer weather neared, watching life arise all around her, not just in the way teetering young mountain goats began to accompany their mothers down to the streams but as the presence of the humans in the villages became stronger. baijanthi was curious by their actions and took to watching them as she laid down during the evening, often picking forgotten but worn footpaths as her means of getting about. when the sun would set and the night bugs picked up their noises, she peered down the mountain's sloping ledge at the clusters of buildings and watched with great fascination at the lights and lanterns that flickered on when the sky grew dark, illuminating the otherwise midnight landscape with a soft golden glow. the mare found herself traveling closer and closer to these beings each week, perched with careful and petite hooves on rock ledges to admire the humans that hiked up the mountains, following the winding pathways even further towards the snowy giants than she would ever dare to go.

as she spent her time watching them, baijanthi would begin to notice habits about them, one in particular that stuck with her after she moved to another country. the human beings almost never traveled alone like she did, they went in herds big and small, and when one fell behind, never hesitated to stop and help. though the mare herself was too fond of her travels to stay with a herd, she was inspired by the patience and humility the humans showed to each other, and when the mare knew it was time to leave nepal and began the next leg of her journey, she would always take time from then on to communicate more with the wildlife she passed by, to happily greet another equine if one was stumbled upon and to gladly give them advice for their own journey in life.

[ｃｒｕｍｐｌｅｄ ｗｉｎｇｓ]

this is gonna end officially on the first of september! finish up your forms & whatnot please!

[ｃｒｕｍｐｌｅｄ ｗｉｎｇｓ]

after much debate, we've chosen a winner! Congrats kortico! Amny & I are sure you'll take amazing care of this traveller! We'll get you the tackless version soon as well

sneaks a form in

username; kortico
name; baijanthi
gender; mare
place; nepal
story;

baijanthi arrived to nepal in the early springtime, before the buds had bloomed around the villages hidden in the valleys, while the new year's grass had not yet grown green and tall. yet even with the muted colors and the damp earth, the mild weather had a naturally tranquil affect, an ability to open up an extra sense if possible, an eye that could see the beauty of the world that she could see in no other location during her travels. baijanthi stayed in the lower mountains of nepal as warmer weather neared, watching life arise all around her, not just in the way teetering young mountain goats began to accompany their mothers down to the streams but as the presence of the humans in the villages became stronger. baijanthi was curious by their actions and took to watching them as she laid down during the evening, often picking forgotten but worn footpaths as her means of getting about. when the sun would set and the night bugs picked up their noises, she peered down the mountain's sloping ledge at the clusters of buildings and watched with great fascination at the lights and lanterns that flickered on when the sky grew dark, illuminating the otherwise midnight landscape with a soft golden glow. the mare found herself traveling closer and closer to these beings each week, perched with careful and petite hooves on rock ledges to admire the humans that hiked up the mountains, following the winding pathways even further towards the snowy giants than she would ever dare to go.

as she spent her time watching them, baijanthi would begin to notice habits about them, one in particular that stuck with her after she moved to another country. the human beings almost never traveled alone like she did, they went in herds big and small, and when one fell behind, never hesitated to stop and help. though the mare herself was too fond of her travels to stay with a herd, she was inspired by the patience and humility the humans showed to each other, and when the mare knew it was time to leave nepal and began the next leg of her journey, she would always take time from then on to communicate more with the wildlife she passed by, to happily greet another equine if one was stumbled upon and to gladly give them advice for their own journey in life.

[kortico]

i am !! speechless !!!

thank you both so much i had a lot of fun writing that story and got to connect to this baby so much !!!