‘Me’ time

by Priscila da Matta Xavier (Brazil)

A leap into the unknown Greece

Stress. Stay for too long with people stress me. It’s not that I don’t like people. I do like. I like to be together with my friends. But not for too many days. It worn me out. Unfortunately, I was feeling just like that in my trip with friends. I felt like a teapot just about to blow. They didn’t have fault, but neither did I. I just couldn’t hold anymore. With all my distress locked up inside my chest, I woke up early, took a bath, and told my friends I was off to some beach nearby. They were really confused because that was not what we agreed at the night before. I still remember the feeling of shame I felt for not wanting to be with them, but I remember the relief too. Once I was in the street, the blue sky above my head, the gravel under my feet, and my camera in my hand, I finally could exhale the breath I held for days. I was freed. The walk to the bus stop only took a few minutes. My wish was to go slowly until there, but I knew that the bus was about to leave, so I stepped up and… Lucky me! The bus was there, almost empty to me to choose my seat. I struggled a little, because, which side would have the best view? But I didn’t know the local language to ask, so I randomly chose a seat and prayed to be the best choice. My worries showed to be nonsense. Though bus didn’t remain empty, I could gasp little pieces of the landscape of both sides through the heads of locals and others tourists, just like me, and everything was amazing. Even if no one told me, I would know it was spring. The island was blossoming and verdant. Wildflowers field stretched until reached the sky. My vision was fulfilled with the greens and yellows and whites. As looked up, the clouds broke and suddenly the sky turned lighter, but it was not the sky, it was the sea. The bus went up in a little cliff, and there was the sea lighted by the sun. As the bus went up, I could see the sea in the both sides of the bus. Like a sandwich. Between the sky, sea and field, there was me on that road inside that bus. A tiny little human that was about to blow up moments ago, but know, was just felling so little in the vast world. Strangely, it calmed me. I was probably in a daze, because the bus ride finished before I could realize. I pulled myself together and headed down the path that would lead to the beach. The path had so many brushes and flowers and for some reason, I thought it was so strange. I’m from a state with so many trees and even forests, and there was none. No tree, no forest. But still, everything was so green and blue. And them, everything was red. The cliff, the giant cliff was red, as well the sand of the beach. I was overwhelmed with colors. The sea in front of me had five different blue tonalities. It was lighter where the sun light touched it, was dark at the shadow of the cliff, darker as it was close to the horizon, a little bit greenish at the middle, and vibrant next to the red sand. I don’t know for how long I stayed there, looking to that vast blue in the shadow of the red cliff, but was for enough time to my face freeze with the cold blizzard coming from the sea. The sky was clear with fell clouds gathered in the horizon, as I watched the clear line between the light sky and the dark blue sea, I headed to the bus stop, the red cliff was no longer in my sight, but I could see the wildflowers again. As I went inside the bus and it started to go back to where my friends were, I smiled. I just needed some time with the most important person to myself. Me.