GREECE: 4 MONTHS IN THE PELOPONNESE

It started of with a flight to the island of Lefkada, followed by a week’s training in the legendary windsurf resort which is Vasiliki.

I had gotten a job working for Ocean Elements as a Windsurf Instructor. For as long as I can remember since I started windsurfing, all I wanted to do was work a season abroad, and this was my chance!

Vasiliki is a high-wind resort, with around 6 watersports centres crammed in, one after another along the boulevard. It is a renowned location for its windsurfing and I was so excited to be a part of it.

We spent the week getting to know the team, learning about the company, exploring, and refreshing our memories on the teaching standards. It was a fun-packed week, with everyday ending with a trip to Vass Bar for Metaxa and Cokes.

This would be the first time I would be living in a shared room with someone, and the thought of 4 months in confined quarters sent my anxiety running wild. As it turned out, my flatmate Elysia and I got on just fine and the excitement of the adventure over-ruled the anxieties.

My week in Vasiliki soon came to an end and it wasn’t long before myself and Elysia, along with Chloe the bike guide and Sommer piled into a car and prepared ourselves for the 6 hour journey across Greece to the resort where we would be spending the summer.

It was an epic journey, with never-ending mountainous views.

We arrived at Porto Heli, our resort, and I looked around at the beautiful bay and hotel which greeted us. We settled into our accommodation which was fairly basic but with stunning views and headed onto the beach to help out with the set up. It took two weeks in total to completely set up the centre but luckily for us, our team had already been working on it for over a week.

Cut to one week later and our first group of guests arrived. I loved every minute of teaching guests, especially being able to see them progress throughout the week and having the pleasure of presenting them with their RYA certificates at the end of their week’s stay. As a team we had to organise meet and greet and social events with the guests and although this pushed me out of my comfort zone somewhat, I threw myself into the task.

As a team we spent evenings socialising, cooking together, watching movies, or eating out in the town. Surprisingly we drank a lot less than I had expected, having heard that seasons were notorious for constant drinking and antics.

I had the best time in these 4 months and we made the most of every day off – visiting the nearby island of Spetses by water taxi and browsing the overpriced boutique stores, hiring a powerboat to drive around the coast and explore the caves of Spetses, and driving around the island on quad bikes.

One day off we hired a car and drove 2 hours to Athens where we spent the day being a tourist and exploring the Acropolis and the Plaza.

All in all, although the season was hard work and the work was full on, we had an incredible time, eating delicious Greek food, drinking Mythos beer, and enjoying our lives in and on the water.