May 2026

Not just a changing of seasons.

May has always been a peculiar month in Greece. The sun is already monopolising our time of day, and the temperature increases, for some of us uncomfortably so. Yet occasionally we'll be visited by a rainstorm from the North or West, or a sandstorm from the South.

We will be seeking the shade of trees during the day, and then by noon, wonder why we left our umbrellas at home. During the weekends, those of us living in the cities spill out to the suburbs, suffocating the highways with our cars and the air with gas, all in a desperate search for an empty table at a beach bar. We pay for that table as if it were gold, for a summer in Greece means a tourist is king, and our lives revolve around their whims and desires, but most importantly, their pockets.

And while the tourists that roam the streets and gaze at the stars and the sea feel refreshed and rejuvenated, tourism workers wither under the same sky, forced to exhaustion by hotel and restaurant owners, who never forget to remind us we should be grateful to work underpaid and mistreated, for they had it worse back in their day.

How peculiar is this changing of seasons for us.

 As a kid, I adored the summer season. Those three blissful months when my only worry was what ice cream flavour I should pick after dinner and what time I had to wake up the next morning to go to the beach. I loved seeing foreign people, listen in to conversations in languages I didn't understand and try to guess what they were talking about based on their tone of voice and their expressions. As a teenager, I would chit-chat with others my age and ask them about their life back home, and recommend my favourite places to visit while they were in my town. I loved talking with them, learning their ways and teaching them ours. So, naturally, I thought tourism was the best option after graduating high school.

I got my bachelor's degree in Hotel & Hospitality Management and had to spend three summers as an intern in hotels, so I could graduate. Then came regular work, all year round. For a short while.

Working in the industry was probably the worst decision I've made to date. The job itself is like any other. Challenging, sometimes frustrating, most times exhausting, but you get used to it. The thing that I never got used to, though, was the people. I could write an entire thesis on the mistreatment of staff during the summer season, with plenty of examples and testimonials. Instead, I will sum it up as this: the little girl who used to love summer now gets sick at the sight of the sun.

It took me three years to discover the term 'reversed seasonal depression', and two more to accept that what I was studying was not for me. Despite finishing my studies, I swore to myself I would never return to that line of work. And I was true to that promise until this May.

You see, this line of work didn't just give me depression and health problems. It also made me afraid. Terrified, to be exact. I was convinced I was quite useless at following simple instructions, slow and clumsy and most importantly, incapable of anything better.

After many unsuccessful attempts to find a job outside my field, I was almost convinced I would have to resort to another dreadful seasonal occupation, on some island far away from home. That's when I got an offer to work at a local business, part-time.

As I'm writing this, it's already been a full month of me working at that little cafe, hidden in a side alley of a rather bustling street in my city. As I'm writing this, I am proud to say I have come to these conclusions:

1. I am not slow or clumsy. I was rushed to complete tasks that required three people, instead of one, and my body simply could not keep up.

2. I can follow simple and complex instructions. What I can't do is guess what someone wants. I am not yet well-versed in the art of telepathy.

3. I am not useless. I am very good at some things, okay in others. I have my wits about me and will help people to the best of my ability. But I will not go above and beyond when I am rewarded little to nothing for my efforts.

4. Most importantly, even if I weren't any of the above, I did not deserve to be treated so poorly.

It is quite a liberating feeling. This small blessing came with the first summer breeze and gave me back something I had abandoned in the dusty drawer of the past. My faith in myself and my abilities.

Come September, I will need to find a more permanent occupation and secure a steady income for myself. I have a feeling, though, that it will be easier this time. And even if it's not, I will be alright.

🧜‍♀️Sirens WIP is not going exactly well, but it's definitely still going places. Mostly in notes and handwritten additions, I have created a map of the things I want to tackle regarding lore. As for chapter progress, my luck will be better next month.

✨ Writer's Friday is on hold until further notice. There is this itch I have to scratch with my main project, and my brain can only focus on one thing at a time right now.

Here is a recap of everything I enjoyed this month:

📺 Demon Slayer - started with the first season, and I am struggling to see it through. Visually, this anime is absolutely stunning. Plotwise, I feel it's a little weak (as of S1, ep 18). Will finish the season before deciding whether to invest more time or not.

📖The Picture of Dorian Gray - 4/5. I desperately needed Lord Henry to kick the budget before I hit the last page, but alas, I was satisfied with the ending! I have a full review coming soon, so stay tuned.

📖 A Whisper in the Shadows - 4/5. This is a debut horror short story collection by indie author Vanessa Oberon, set for publication this September. I joined as a beta reader, and I am so excited for the release! The cover just came out & you can check it out here.

🧵 Little progress was made on my canvas because I ran out of baby blue thread. I can't believe this piece is coming together as it is! Honestly, just imagining it hanging between my bookshelves makes my toes curl with excitement! This is how far I have gotten:

That's it for this month. Thank you so much for reading this far, and I hope May was in which you rediscovered something long lost. Let's see what the next one brings!