By Nikolas Bardis

The children of the village had gathered in the schoolyard to play and their voices broke the silence of the afternoon. After all, they don’t have many outlets for entertainment, being in the northernmost point of Greece. They are the last generation of young children in Ormenio of Evros. Perhaps at some point they will leave, as many local residents have done in the recent past. Maybe they will again try to “build” their “tomorrow” there, however difficult it may seem in our eyes.

The same was done by Mrs. Evangelia, mother of five children who lives and fights every day in Ormenio all these years. And we say “struggles”, as only a struggle can be compared to the difficult and demanding everyday life of a large family, which has no support from anyone and tries to raise its children decently, in an area far from the comforts of large urban centers. Is this some game of fate? Destiny; Or the conscious choice that if you decide to stay there, you will have to fight gods and monsters to survive?

Sometimes, it is as if the state itself forces you to move away from the place of your birth, to seek a better fortune elsewhere. Despite the difficulties, Mrs. Evangelia and her husband stubbornly remain in Ormenio and fight to keep the community alive. No matter how tired she is from work, she will find some time to make the mickeys, which the children love so much. It goes with a basket in the school yard, covered with a handkerchief, and accompanied by honey and chocolate give the children a strong dose of energy and love.

“Everyone in the village is one big family”, as she says characteristically. They share everything: from the most difficult conditions to the most beautiful experiences. Characteristically, he mentions an incident with the examination center in Dikaia Evros, which due to a lack of students would be closed, and the few children of the village would have to go to Orestiada every day, to give the Panhellenic lessons. Then, all the parents decided to register and take the Panhellenic exam, so that the examination center in the area would remain open. All together, like a fist, for the good of their children. Result; All four children who attended that year managed to get into the schools of their choice!

In the evening the streets of the village slowly empty, the games end and everyone returns to their homes. A few smoking chimneys and a few lights through the windows show that the black darkness of the periphery is not enough to extinguish the flame of the Greek soul in an uncritical area.