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The Island of Kastelorizo in Greece
My parents were both on Kastelorizo, a small Greek island that’s so remote it’s nicknamed “the last island”. Today, Father’s Day, I’m remembering my father and the sacrifices he made so that I could have a better life than he did.
His family had a flourishing shipping business, but their income dried up when political circumstances prohibited Greeks from doing business in neighboring Turkey. In pursuit of a better life, his parents uprooted him and his two sisters, and moved the family to Athens.
Those were tough times. The family endured a string of severe hardships. The Nazi occupation and devastating food shortages of the Second World War were followed by a brutal civil war that split the country apart. Mark Mazawer’s book, Inside Hitler’s Greece, describes the grinding experience of life in Greece during that time.
It’s tough for me to comprehend the uncertainty and despair that his generation experienced during those years. While he’s a gifted story-teller, it’s hard to fathom how decades of deprivation affected him on a personal level. Life was a constant struggle, but he endured.
Despite his early challenges, he worked tirelessly, alongside my mother, to give his kids opportunities that he didn’t know during his youth.
I miss my mother who died many years ago, and I don’t see my father nearly enough. He and I had a complicated relationship over the years. But, he taught me, by example, to be tolerant and open-minded—his greatest gifts. I appreciate his diligence and determination, and the many sacrifices he made so that I could enjoy a comfortable life. I’m glad I had the chance to tell him that today.
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Want to know more about the island of Kastelorizo?
David Gilmore’s song “Castellorizon” (on his album On an Island) was based on a night he spent on the island in 2006.
The island was also featured in the Italian film, Mediterraneo (winner of the 1992 Academy Award for Best Foreign Film).
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Tags: Castellorizo, dad, David Gilmore, father, father's day, Greece, Greek, Kastelorizo, Katellorizo, Mediterraneo, Megisi