Introduction to ILLUMINATION

Welcome Aboard ILLUMINATION! Your Writer for This Journey Will Be… Anna Z. Iter

Fly with me through the adventures that made me who I am today

It was a cold winter’s day somewhere in Athens. The radio was playing one of that year’s hit songs by Aerosmith, “Cryin’”. And that’s exactly how my journey began. Crying, annoyingly loud, as I was born. I knew my voice had to be heard. Now, almost 30 years later, I decided to stop yelling and start writing — I find it more compelling this way!

My name is Anna, and as you might have figured out already, I’m Greek. I’ve lived most of my life under the bright Greek sun, but now I am writing these words from rainy Berlin. If you’re wondering what brought me here, I’ve shared my story on how I became an expat on one of my first articles on Medium.

But being an expat is only a small part of me. So who is Anna Z. Iter?

Fun Fact: Iter is not my actual name, but a pen name. I wanted my name to have meaning, so I chose the Latin word for “journey”. It symbolizes both my passion for traveling and my writing goal, which is to share my life journey and experiences with the world.

Anna as a Businesswoman

Let me first introduce my professional self. My serious side, if you will.

Au contraire to my picture, I am not a pilot or in any way working in the aviation industry — unfortunately.

Another Fun Fact/Life Hack: If you’re polite enough, some pilots might let you take pictures of the cockpit after landing. I was lucky enough to be allowed to sit there for a picture!

My actual career is more mainstream. I have a BSc in Economic Sciences, but as soon as I graduated I knew it was the wrong career path for me. Life for me means traveling around, meeting new people, broadening my horizons (cliché, I know, but it’s true!). And sitting behind a desk crunching numbers all day would not offer me any of that.

Thankfully, I landed a job in Corporate Sales. I’m now on my way to a great career full of networking events, traveling, and meeting interesting people. It is a very stressful job but hey, we can’t have it all in this life!

Not to mention, when your “office” at least once a week has this breathtaking view, you can’t really complain.

“Jobs fill your pocket. Adventures fill your soul.”

― Jaime Lyn Beatty

And I can combine both.

Anna as a Person

My personal side is harder to put into a few words. I have a few too many interests, but they all contributed into making me the person I am today. Here are some of my main traits.

• I’m a travel junkie. Traveling weekly for work is not enough for me. So I try to travel at least once a month privately as well, mostly on the weekends. It’s an expensive passion to have, but I am a firm believer that you can’t put a price on life experiences. Money for traveling is money invested, not spent.
• I’m a foodie. Some say I love food a little too much. And that’s fine with me. Food is one of the ultimate pleasures of this world. It is also the perfect way to get to know each country I visit. It’s a treat for both my brain and my taste buds.
• I’m an animal lover. And I especially love dogs. I’m one of these weirdos who pass by a dog on the street and greet them. I turn into a little kid whenever I get to interact with animals. And it’s safe to say that I consider my dog my child. I love him to the moon and back, and I know he does too.
• I’m a dancer. No matter how tired I am, if you ask me to go dancing I’ll put on my shoes and run to the dancefloor. Latin, hip hop, swing, you name it, I will dance it.
• I’m a petrol-head. I’ve been to more car shows than museums in my life, and that says a lot coming from a country drenched in history. The father-daughter tradition I had growing up was watching Formula 1 Grand Prix on the weekends, and it’s something we continue to this day, no matter how far we are from each other.
• I’m a child at heart. No matter how old I am, I’m never tired of watching a good old Disney movie. There’s something so comforting about them. They bring me back to my childhood when everything was simple and stress-free. It’s a feeling I cherish, especially when the road looks rough ahead and I’m miles and miles from my nice warm bed (Toy Story, You’ve Got A Friend in Me).

Why I started writing

Ever since I learned how to read, I was a bookworm. I would often stay up all night and go sleepless to school just because I was so invested in a book I lost track of time. Reading used to be my escape from reality.

But this wasn’t enough anymore.

It wasn’t until recently, during the quarantine, that I had for the first time in my life so much free time and so many confusing feelings. I started writing just to pass the time, but I ended up falling in love with the process.

For me, writing is an outlet. I empty my head of all thoughts and feelings by putting them on paper. It’s a kind of therapy, only you don’t have to pay hundreds per session. Plus, writing and editing is a valuable skill. Every little thing we learn might prove priceless down the line.

Writing is also a way to be heard and help others. I cannot count the times I was desperate for answers or advice, and I scoured online for someone with similar experiences. If my writing can also help even one person with their struggles, then that is the ultimate win for me.

Goodbye, for now

Making writing my full-time job would be the dream. There’s still a long way to go, I’ve only now started taking my first steps, but it’s a journey worth taking.

And who knows, maybe this is the start of something big.

Thank you for flying with me today. I’m looking forward to getting to know you all through your pens. Until we meet again through our articles, goodbye!