The Story - Nisyros

Many experiences come in life for you to enjoy, and being part of the Nisyros School Exchange has got to be one of the best experiences so far in my life. In 2002, I went to the Greek island of Nisyros for a week with three of my teachers and many of my school friends. Once I met the pupils of Mandraki High School, they were no longer pupils, but friends. It was fun meeting them. Even though they had been taught English, it was still rusty, and it was enjoyable trying to break the language barrier, but with the barrier, we still managed to talk to each other.

The island of Nisyros is beautiful in its own way. Not everyone would think this, but I think we all did. It is almost untouched by nearby Kos. Kos is full of clubs and bars, playing Dance and Trance music. Nisyros is quaint, with small tavernas, playing traditional Greek music.

While we were there we had the opportunity to go to the volcano in Nisyros. Most of the students hiked to the crater while Mr. Camp, Mrs Williams, one or two other pupils and I took the local bus service. I took the bus due to a pulled muscle in my leg, but I’m sure other mates of mine that hiked to the volcano, will tell you it was just an excuse. The volcano was certainly an unforgettable experience, and especially for us as none of us had ever seen a volcano before without the restrictions of a television screen. When we went to the volcano it was very active, but we still had the chance to go down to the craters surface and walk around. The smell of sulphur was quite strong, but I tried to not let it get to me, but if I remember rightly, I did feel a bit ill after which soon passed.

 Nisyros was a very religious island. The reason for this was that people would pray so the volcano would not erupt. Being a religious island, this resulted in it having a few monastery’s. One monastery was on a cliff face and took 131 steps to get to the top (I think that is the right amount of steps because I counted). After climbing all those steps you realize it was worth the energy just for the view as you can see with the photo with Daniel Sartain in it. From there you can basically see the whole Mandraki, the capital of Nisyros. There was also a Monastery in Nikia which was way up in the mountains of Nisyros, a village that over looks the volcano. I remember it well because I don't like heights and I didn't look over the wall for long. There was a nice restaurant there too.

With my final words in this small piece of text, I have to say that it was special meeting the Greek pupils of Mandraki High School and I have made new friends. I will never forget them, and I will stay in contact with them as much as I can.