From Tourist to Native: The Island Through the Eyes of a Cobber

For this last entry, our final project for the photography class was to present 30 images that are somehow connected and tell a story. We were told at the very beginning to start thinking about what this story would be and how we would portray it. Within these 30 images I have presented a story that I, myself, have experienced and would like to share with others. This idea that within the last month, I have truly become a native to the Santorini island and am able to portray this transformative journey through these images. The evolution from the "tourist" to the island "native" is one that just gradually happened. It happened through the days of going out and exploring the island, the rock foundations, the agricultural lifestyle, the boardwalk environment. The fact that I have been able to find a home among strangers, among a strange place with different customs and traditions is truly remarkable. To experience all that the island was offering up for me to experience, the vibrant colors, the diversity of food, the extravagant plant life. All of this was a part of the transformation for myself. These 30 images are broken up into 3 different sections: The Tourist, The Uncovering, The Native. Every 10 images the new experience or transformation occurs showing this motion through the tourist experiences of just vibrant colors, strange people, and the almost paradise feel of the island. Then it is the true Greek food, the natives outside of the tourist bubble, outside the boardwalk environment. The wildlife that is left on it's own to survive, that is forgotten. The natives that are not the fortunate that are looked over. It is here that we start to see the true Greek woman and Greek man in all their glory, which is completely different that tourist portrayals. And it is with this final step of understanding and revealing that the native comes to blossom. The sunrise as the opening stages of this transformation, truly opening our eyes to the fullness of life that the island has to offer, not just the ideal life. It shows the ruggedness and challenges the island has to offer. It shows the importance of the cultural traditions that are placed within the food and the importance of family. To understand that there is more to the island than the beach and sea, that the mountains, the country side are all part of the island and are as important as the beach itself. All of this evolves to the transformation from the tourist to the native, now an individual that truly knows the island inside and out. With all of it's good and it's bad. In the end, it is this process that has left me in want of returning to the island, in hopes of understanding more of the island and all that there is left to be discovered.