If you have owned your home for seven months, and just totally not enjoying it…

[Hellokittymania]

How long would you hang onto it before you sell? I’m really struggling, I’m sure having gone through two floods over the past month has had a lot to do with this, and the fear now every time it rains that something will go wrong… but I also haven’t found enough to keep me busy, and in general, I’m struggling.

at what point did you say, it’s time to Move on?

The couple of positives, I do have a big balcony, which during the summer one it wasn’t boiling hard, I live in Greece, I did enjoy it. I am trying to start a website on disability, it’s just I feel like my hands are tied in this area. The area I live I mean because it’s so small, it’s very hard even to get people to go out if they have a disability, and if I set up something, I’m afraid it won’t work because of this. I am a very energetic, very motivated person and I just feel so stuck right now.

Sorry, I am ill at the moment, with possible Covid, and feeling very very down. Maybe somebody will come along and be able to put things in perspective and just help me to hang in there. Usually, I’m a strong person and I can’t, but it’s been a tough few months. People say to remember the positives and why you wanted to buy the home, the balcony was one reason, it is big, big enough to do everything I need to do in here, it is also bright, it is within walking distance of the center of town, which for me, I needed because I am visually impaired, and the good thing about Greece, you can go for coffee at midnight, which for me, was a bonus. I love my coffee. The downsides have been going through floods, a wildfire in the summer, not being able to find a cleaner to help, I haven’t been able to find enough activities to keep me busy, I have been making things up at home, but I lived in Central London before, and it’s like moving from central London to… I don’t know where in the UK I can compare it with… To a very boring area.

Central London to a small town in Greece is a big change. Do you speak Greek or know anyone there?

It is common to feel a bit overwhelmed the first year or so as a homeowner - everything that goes wrong is your responsibilty to fix. I woudk try and work our what the issues are and whatbyou can do to make them a bit better.

That said if you really really hate it there are no prizes for sitting it out.

My Greek is decent, but not good enough to get a job, unless I start something myself. I am also visually impaired, as I had mentioned and although I had spent quite a bit of time here before, it wasn’t enough to realize how… Behind the attitudes are. I’d had rented, and my landlady‘s attitude should have been a warning sign for what was to come. It is improving overtime, but it is still very backward. People think I just stay at home all day, for example, or that’s what’s expected. And it’s very difficult.

there was a job being offered with Apple, it’s a call center job, which I know can have a lot of stress, but it is an Italian, my favorite language, but again I would have had to move to Athens to do it. I’m not feeling well as it is, and I’m just feeling very stuck.

during the floods, if you have seen them on TV, I live in the place where it was very badly flooded, so not only was my home flooding, but also it was very difficult to get out and about for weeks at a time, there was so much mud and dust and obstacles in the way which usually aren’t there. And things started to get a little bit better, and then we had another flood, and things just went back to square one. We have also had water issues, so the first time around we didn’t have water for about 20 days, when we did have it it was low pressure and contaminated. And during the second flood, again we lost electricity for a long time, no water, then the water came back and it was contaminated, even now it is not quite the same as it was before the first flood. It is raining today, it rained last night, and I have water coming in through my bathroom ceiling.

Did you post about the floods whilst they were happening? I seem to remember a post about them.

When I started reading your op, I initially thought give it some time, but two floods and a wildfire within 7 months would have me crunching the numbers and seeing how soon I can afford to cut my losses and run. I’m sorry.

Yes, I did post a few weeks ago during the first flood. That one was tough enough, but the second one was actually worse because the infrastructure around here was damage so badly during the first one, they had barely any time to start cleaning and trying to repair things and then we had another one…

I don’t know if I actually have Covid, or whether I’m getting sick because there’s so much dust around. My throat is hurting and I’m coughing a lot, but I know there has been a lot of cases of Covid lately here. I will go for a test later, I’m trying to just take it easy because I’m so stressed. And as I had said, every time it rains now, my first thought is is it going to flood? I have to charge all of my devices because during both floods, we lost electricity for a long time, and since I am visually impaired, I rely very very heavily on technology since I have to use it even for little things like reading labels, I use the magnifier on the phone, voiceover and other apps that can help to read. Well guess what, when we don’t have electricity, and my devices don’t work, I’m stuck. Thankfully I do have a small radio, so it’s during both floods, I had to put that on and I was dancing to try and cheer myself up, but it has taken a very big toll on me.

Why did you move there OP? It doesn't sound like a place that's suited to your needs at all. You say that attitudes are backward - well yes they are in a lot of places - did you not realise that before you bought a place and moved your life there? You say that people expect you to stay at home, that you can't get a job, that there is nothing for you to do there - again, did you not do any research before you moved your entire life to this place?

That’s the thing though, I think renting and being a homeowner somewhere is totally totally different. I had spent a lot of time here before, I was excepted into the university here in 2018, in the same place, but again, circumstances were so different. And I think when you get older, you realize a lot of things. That’s why I’m trying to stick it out, I have seen some changes around here, changes for the better and that does help me to keep going. But overall, it is tough. I also have a big advantage that I can’t speak decent enough Greek, it’s not completely fluent, but that has helped in a lot of ways.

And also, I just wanted to point out that I have spent a lot of time in Vietnam as well, I lived in Vietnam for many years, and I remember in the beginning how tough it was. That was when I didn’t speak any Vietnamese though, if you’d ask me now, I would tell you that everything was worth it. Again no, in Vietnam I wasn’t a homeowner, and I didn’t have to worry if my home was flooded what would happen, and thankfully in Vietnam we didn’t have wildfires like we do here. That was a scary one.

So what I’m saying is, usually, I am a very resilient person, and a lot of the time, I’m the one who is changing the attitudes of the local people, I did this in Vietnam, it took many years, a lot of work, a lot of patience and it was hard going, but the difference between 2007 and 2023 in Vietnam is huge, and I can happily say I helped to do that. But again, I wasn’t a homeowner, I think that adds a huge challenge into the mix, because also before when I was renting in Greece, and I also stayed in the blind association hostile for one year, I didn’t have to worry about what would happen if the cleaning lady shows up and takes advantage of me. All of that was taken care of. And when you’re doing it with a language barrier, and also with a visual impairment, yes it’s tough.

And also, and I’m saying this for anyone who is thinking about moving abroad, because if this helps someone, I gladly share. There are some things that you just won’t know until you spend a lot of time somewhere, I have a good lawyer, and even my lawyer wasn’t aware for example that when you have a Greek bank account and you’re visually impaired, and you were legally not allowed to open a bank account unless you have a lot of documents and it’s a lengthy process, but anyway, even my lawyer was not aware that if you have a visual impairment, you have to have two cited witnesses with you at the bank. So yes, it complicates things, I have to think who I can take with me to the bank, if I can’t have my lawyer, who has power of attorney, to go on my behalf. So you can spend a year somewhere, you can speak the language, and you can still get hit with surprises down the road. So it’s not just about do your research and move somewhere, because I had spent a lot of time here before, the longer you spend in a place, and you get to know it, the more you realize. So even though this doesn’t work out, and he, somethings in life just don’t, the learning experience I can take from it is huge.

Anyway, there is water coming through my ceiling… I’m going to go and get a Covid test, I was actually supposed to go somewhere for my birthday, to Crete, and there was an earthquake the day I should have arrived, I didn’t end up going but the hotel has told me I can come later on this month, so that might help, I think it’s just been the natural disaster, that has made me really stressed out, it’s caused damage to my home and just things I didn’t expect to be dealing with so soon.

It sounds terrible. I'm not seeing much reason to stay put instead of moving on. My friend bought a lovely flat with a balcony on the mediterranean coast, which didn't flood or have your issues, and they had a few months of posting photos of the nice fresh food they made and glasses of wine at sunset etc., but they sold up after a year as the reality was they were bored and isolated there once the initial feeling of escape wore off. With all the extra challenges you're facing, it must be really getting you down. It's less the home ownership than the particular home and place where you've bought it. That shift from central London is huge, even if you've lived in other countries and thrived in the past. Don't stick it out on some principle, especially if it might take a while to sell on. For your own peace of mind, I'd make the decision and then at least you know you're not trapped there waiting for the next problem to rear up.

Pink, I was having coffee on my balcony at 6 AM in the morning of the summer, it was too hot during the day to be out there, and I specifically remember on 26 July, or on the Wednesday at the end of July, Coming back from having coffee with a friend of mine and the wind was… Undescribable from the wild fire that was coming through. And I had left one of the windows open and when I came in everything was flying around. On the next day, the ammunition warehouse that is nearby exploded… we thought it was a plane crash or something, it was terrifying. So that has been my adventure this summer…

Cripes, I'd be out of there. It's not like you're from there and tied to the area. That'd take the shine off any new home, fires and floods, plus all the other less catastrophic but more ingrained long-term problems. You'd have to really love it to stay put.

One thing I really noticed with Greek people, especially today because I’m having a very bad day, and I don’t feel well, is the just say prayer and everything will be OK. Kind of mindset. People are very very religious, even people you don’t think will be, usually are. this can be a very tough place, for so many reasons, but people tend to just get on with it.

I’m so sorry that the flooding happened again. I remember reading your post and thinking how calm you seemed about what was happening and thinking I’d be useless!

If you can afford to take the hit, or can find a way to leave, I would do. To my mind, this isn’t like buying a house that’s too small, on a bad road or doesn’t have enough natural light that you can learn to live with in time, it sounds downright dangerous to be there like you’re waiting on the next massive disaster to happen to you!

I hope your covid test comes back negative and you feel better soon!

I recall your posts from earlier,OP.
You sound pretty practical and determined, and I admire your resilience during all you've described.
I'm comfy having coffee in bed and would love a massive lifestyle change but you have painted the more realistic picture. I think I personally would be off like a dirty shirt after your experience!
If you stay:
Is the flooding a periodic thing, will it get worse and be unmanageable in five years for you?
the heat on the terrace, winds in doors, again is this part and parcel of living in Greece?
can you rent it out and live closer to the centre for facilities?

have you considered writing an ex-pat blog to show the pitfalls and benefits of
being someone with a disability in a nee place? it may bring you some contacts and your descriptions of life there are really interesting.

Hi everyone, I am feeling slightly, just slightly in a better mood today, although I have Covid. I slept all day today, I had to put on my winter onesie, and cover myself with three warm blankets, because I have the chills, but may be getting a full days sleep Helped as well to clear my mind, just lightly. A while ago, a friend suggested I talk with a psychologist, I think, after the first flood, I would have been OK, but the second one really threw me off. I’ve been having a lot of nightmares, and I think it might be signs of PTSD, the nightmares I’m having her very, very scary, and it doesn’t help to be so tired all the time, and to not look forward to going to sleep. And yes, it does worry me now, every time it rains, what’s going to happen. They are trying to clean up, but every time it rains, it gets worse. There is still mud in lots of places, since my road is close to the river, which overflowed, my road was very bad, and it still is not clean. A lot of people have been coming down with infections due to being in contact with contaminated water or being near the mud, so I’m trying to be very careful. We’ve had ongoing water problems since 5 September when all of this started. Sometimes we don’t have water at all, then we do, and it’s contaminated, a lot of coffee shops are only using bottled water, etc. A lot of people have had damage to their homes, including me, and that’s not easy either. A friend of mine has €45,000 worth of damage to her home and her business. Yes, there is compensation, but who knows who will get it, when they’ll get it, and it won’t be enough to cover what everybody lost. Although I’m not in that bad of a situation compared to some people, it also always on my mind as to what could happen, I had mentioned on my other thread, that if I set up something of my own, a small businesses to do something with disability, for example, well, what would happen, if my business flooded and I can’t get compensation? So yes, things like this worry me.

I definitely think there needs to be a more realistic side of living abroad. This was not my first experience, by a long shot, and I have lived in some difficult places. Most of the time, I think, especially when it comes to places like Greece, Spain, Italy, the Mediterranean lifestyle, and the food, and the weather get much more priority than to the difficult parts of living in these places. And yes, one downside to living in Greece, as some of you are realizing, is actually the weather. This has been a very strange year, but the fires, and the floods have been very bad, and I don’t know what next year will be like. also, there are so many things you don’t pick up on if you haven’t lived here for a long time, or if you don’t speak Greek, for example. My Greek is quite good, and I’m learning more and more the longer I’m here. So in that sense, yes, this has been good. I think I’ve gained a lot of skills, learned to stand up for myself, learned practical solutions to very difficult problems, like going weeks at a time with no water. but I’m sure many people don’t sign up for these things when they take the plans to live abroad. A lot of the time, you’re seeing videos of peoples happy stories, not realizing that there are some very difficult challenges to living abroad.

so maybe yes, maybe starting a blog would be a good idea, and would be a reality check for a lot of people. I do a lot on social media, but it’s in Greek, and it’s aimed at Greeks, because they need to know what it’s like to have a disability, and to live every day in Greece. and actually, I have mentioned to them about peoples attitudes to moving to Greece, and how everybody thinks it’s a paradise. A lot of Greeks can tell you that it’s certainly not paradise, Greece is a beautiful country, that’s true, the food is amazing, that’s true, but remember the train crash earlier this year? I signed and closed on my home on 9 March, and I remember the lawyer was stuck in the bank because the bank went into lockdown, because so many people were on the streets protesting about the train crash. I live about an hour away from where the train crash was, and some of the students on that train study here.

I was reading peoples comments on videos of the flood, and a lot of people were from the UK and saying things like oh that’s Manchester, or old will just recover in a day because it’s sunny. No, the amount of rain we had in one day, this was during the first flood, what is the equivalent of one year Worth of rain in London. It was awful. And no, things are far from being back to normal for so many people. School kids couldn’t start school for weeks, right before the second flood, they said they can start back online, and then guess what? There was no electricity. It’s been chaos, people get up and keep going , because they have to, but nothing is back to normal yet and it won’t be for a long time I don’t think

Also, another thing, and I don’t know how legitimate of a worry this one is, but I’m noticing a lot of homeowners insurance, or having premiums if somebody lives in an area with natural disasters, or peoples insurance to skin soft. I have homeowners insurance, but I don’t know next year, if there will be a premium, or what will happen in a few years time.

I am learning to do a lot within my home, I am learning to do a bit of DYII, DIY, sorry, but I am nearly totally blind, and, although I do enjoy adventures, like trying to put bleach on my ceiling, so that it won’t stain, and I haven’t yet tried painting… these are the easiest things to do on my own. I would have to pay for somebody to do anything electrical, or major, plumbing things that just wouldn’t be ideal to do on my own, if you get what I mean. I don’t want to end up on the front lines of a newspaper, the blind woman who was electrocuted in Greece

Sorry, dictation is making a lot of mistakes, that should have read people are either having premiums, or their insurance is being completely stopped.