Chickens, Cows, and Bumblebees

I wish I had brought a camera to school today; it’s the big party day in the city for carnival, and there was a barbeque at school you were supposed to dress up for. (Barbeque in Greece is delicious souvlaki and tzatziki.) Most study abroad kids didn’t dress up, or just wore a mask, but it was actually a big deal. There was music and dancing and all kinds of costumes. Most of the costumes weren’t your average slutty American Halloween costumes—they were chicken bodysuits (an administrator), cow suits, and Mexicans with moustaches, ponchos, and sombreros. The most scandalous outfit I saw was probably a guy in a skirt and tights dressed like a bumblebee. It was fun and funny to watch. I’m sure the outfits tonight will be less tame, but I won’t see it. Despite some pretty convincing arguments to stay up partying all night, I won’t be going out, because I fly to Paris early in the morning! I can’t wait to see the city, and want to be well-rested so I can enjoy my day tomorrow. I’m bringing Greek flashcards and the bare minimum clothing needed for three days—I’ve learned from Istanbul, and can fit everything into my backpack. I’ll see you all in a few days, once again, enjoy your weekend!

Carnival

I had a good day today. I’m really enjoying my classes. Plus, my last class of the day was permanently moved an hour and a half earlier, so instead of waiting around 3 1/2 hours I only wait two, and get home that much earlier.

I intensely cleaned my apartment today. It’s amazing that 100 square feet can contain so may dust bunnies, and take so long to get rid of. It doesn’t help that my cleaning supplies consisted of a broom, a sponge, and a bottle of “cillit bang”, which I’m assuming is an all-purpose cleaner. At least, I hope so.

I also invented a snack today that literally looks like poop but tastes delicious.

And that’s my day. Productive? I think so.

It’s carnival here in Greece, the time leading up to Lent when everyone parties like crazy. We’re supposed to come to school tomorrow dressed like an animal, but I don’t think I’m going to. One, I didn’t really think about bringing costumes when I packed for Greece, and two, tomorrow I take the public bus and I think, in general, it would not be well-received to have a giant chicken on the bus.

I did learn, however, that on Clean Monday (which we have off school) there is a Penis Festival in a village two hours from here. Dating back to the Dionysian revels, this festival celebrates the penis, with giant penis decorations, special food that’s supposedly good for your penis, and all sorts of practical jokes and pranks relating to, you guessed it, the male reproductive organ. I think it’s absolutely mind-boggling that an obscene, lewd festival that might have been created in the imagination of pretty much any guy I know is actually the product of pagans thousands of years ago and has survived through the centuries, and through various attempts by both the church and government at different points in history to shut it down. What was even better is that my cute little Greek anthropology teacher is the one who told us about it—she was cracking up and said that it’s absolutely amazing to see. I think I’m going to try and go with a couple of my friends. I did say that I want to see more of the surrounding area!

Guess Who’s Back?

It feels so great to be back in Thessaloniki. I’m so ecstatic to be back that even taking the public bus was an enjoyable experience today. Monday I was absolutely exhausted all day, but today was a little better. I’m so glad to get back into my routine, and it was fun just to walk down the street to get the vegetables I needed, then cross the street to the butchery for some chicken to make Israeli couscous with roasted chicken, tomatoes, and eggplant for dinner. I made way too much, and ending up feeding my RA and two of my friends, with plenty to spare to last me until this weekend when I go to Paris.

It was Maggie’s birthday today, and Abby made her a cake. When she got back from school we were all waiting with the cake and candles and sang for her. I just love that my building is such a family, we all really love each other and support each other and it’s really fun. I’m so glad to be living in Papakyriazi!

ISTANBUL 2011! Part II

Here are some pictures. I was going to intersperse them at the appropriate points in the text, but I’m way too tired. There are probably more grammatical mistakes in this one than usual, and I apologize, but I’m not thinking straight enough, and am too lazy to read over it again.

The Hagia Sophia: Our hostel was right by the square that houses both the Hagia and the Blue Mosques, so I was able to get shots at all times of day. There were tons of mosaics inside, but the bearded one was my favorite because they made the beard look so realistic. That cat was just chillin’ on the altar.

 

Street Scenes: Some shots walking around. The pictures by the water are as we crossed the bridge from the European side of town to the Asian side. The fish was on the Asian side, and they sold they amazing mussels that they scooped out, added rice and spices and then put back in the shells. It was cheap and delicious, even though I did not eat them gracefully! The fourth one is the street that our hostel and Big Apple Hostel (where a lot of ACT kids stayed) are on.

 

Topkapi Palace: Some shots of the inside. It was more like a complex of courtyards with rooms attached, but we didn’t see the Harem. The first one is the main gate. The picture of me is the view from the far side of the palace looking over the water.

 

Hippodrome: Wasn’t that impressive and was just looked like a constructions zone filled with tractors and wires and fences and workmen, but this obelisk was there; it’s the oldest thing in Istanbul, as it was taken from Egypt and is from 2000BC, or sometime around there. Go look it up.

 

Bazaars: The first is the entrance to the Grand Bazaar, but the inside was nothing special, I felt no need to take pictures. The second two were taken at the Spice Bazaar, a little more interesting and definitely better-smelling.

 

Blue Mosque: Directly across from the Hagia Sophia. Some bad shots of the inside, and some of the outside. The weather was never that nice, so I couldn’t get a good blue sky or anything in any of these pictures.

ISTANBUL 2011! Part I

Well, I made it back from Istanbul! Make sure you're comfortable, because this is going to be a long post. I’m having trouble posting, I think because it’s so long, so I’m going to try to spilt it up. If you don’t want to read it all, skip ahead to the next post for some pictures. I had a lot of fun and am glad I went for the experiences I was able to have, but in all honesty I would not want to go again. It's nice to be able to say that I've been to Istanbul, but I was never so happy as when I was back in Thessaloniki this morning.

The bus ride to Istanbul was terrible. It left at 10:00PM and was horrendously, terribly long; we got in to the Istanbul bus station a little after 8 the next morning. When I bought my ticket, the guy pointed out which of the pieces of paper was the correct one, so like an idiot I only brought the ticket. It turns out he was pointing out the return ticket, and the piece of paper that looked like a receipt was the actual ticket. The bus attendant didn't speak Greek and spoke very little English, so when he came around to check the tickets 10 minutes in to the ride I was terrified I wasn't even going to make it to Istanbul. Eventually he called the travel agency and everything was straightened out, but it made for a tense initial half hour. The rest of the 10 hour journey was much slower, and I only really got to sleep in the 3 or so hours after the border checkpoints.

When we arrived we took a cab to the hostel. I was staying in one called Bahaus with some friends, and other ACT kids were in all the surrounding hostels. As far as my first hostel experience goes, it was actually not that bad. It was dingy and sparse and not super nice, but it was cheap and warm. I stayed in a four girl dorm room that had a private bathroom attached, which was nice, but I was really underprepared for what a hostel experience entails--I didn't bring a
towel or shampoo/conditioner/soap, and none was supplied. Luckily I borrowed my friend's soap, and I just used an extra shirt as a towel. What the hostel lacked in cleanliness and niceties it made up for in personnel--the guys that worked there were amazing. They learned our names, held open doors, asked us about our plans and made recommendations based on what's nearby or what would be safe, and were able to give us vouchers and discounts at some places. It just made me feel way more secure, at least in the building.

In our three days in Istanbul, we covered pretty much all the main tourist locations. Our hostel was a three minute walk from the square with the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sofia, and from there is wasn't far to most of the other main tourist attractions. In addition to the Mosques we saw the Topkapi Palace, the Hippodrome, the Grand Bazaar, the Spice Bazaar, the Turkish baths. One day we walked across the bridge to the Asian side of town and explored there a while.
The Mosques were very impressive, in different ways. Hagia Sofia was amazing architecturally, and had intricate mosaics, but I found the Blue Mosque impressive too, with the elephant feet pillars and thousands and thousands of tiles covering every inch of the walls, ceilings, pillars. The Palace was interesting, but I would have liked to have a better understanding of what I was looking at. Plus, the Harem is supposed to be the most interesting and beautiful part of the whole Palace, but you had to pay extra once you were inside and the people I was with didn't want to spend it.
The Turkish Bath was probably my favorite part of the whole trip. There are a few in the city, but my hostel got me a discount at the oldest one. Called Cemberlitas, it was actually built back in the 1500s. From the outside I was a little leery, since it looked tiny and tacky, sandwiched between two fast food joints. Once inside though, you go in and down a few steps and suddenly you're in this huge, swanky hall. After paying, the women go one way and the men go the other. They give you a towel and a pair of one-side-fits-all panties, and after changing you head into a beautiful room. It's all marble with high ceilings, marble taps around the sides and a huge, circular marble slab in the middle of the room. It's warm and sauna-like inside, and when you walk in
huge, fat Turkish women in bathing suits grab your towel away and instruct you to lay on the marble slab (which is really warm). At first you're super self-conscious and nervous, being pretty much naked in a room full of strangers, but after a few minutes, as everyone around you is naked too, you get over it and can begin to enjoy yourself. At times I wasn't always sure what I was supposed to do next, but it was so fun. It's weird to describe, because you're pretty much being
washed/massaged by old Turkish women, but it was actually really nice and relaxing. I would recommend it to anyone who has the chance to give it a try; it's quite an experience but an awesome one to say you've had.

The Grand Bazaar didn't impress me at all. It was just a huge glob of overpriced shops and tourists traps all selling the same things. The Spice Bazaar was a little better, since it was really cool to see and smell all the spices, but it was more of the same; scarves, jewelry, hookah pipes, Aladdin lamps, t-shirts. It was frankly boring. I actually didn't get too many souvenirs--I got a ring and a scarf, but I didn't get either of them at the famous Bazaars. We had some really good food while in Turkey. Everything was spicy and delicious, and I definitely ate way too much. The only bad meal was the day the girls I was with decided they wanted omelets, and when they finally found a place where they were cheap on the menu the food was horrible; one girl was served what turned out to be a fried hot dog. Halfway through, the manager watched me get up, walk next door to a fast food type place, eat some cheap pita/meat thing for 3.5 TL, and then come back to my friends.

I tried a lot of street food too. Sweet roasted corn was everywhere, and was pretty good, but tougher than expected. The best was some drink; I don't know what it's called, but vendors sell it on the street all over the place. I don't know what was in it besides hot milk, honey, and spices, but it was delicious. I also tried hookah, which was pretty much flavored air. Hookah was everywhere; the Greeks constantly smoke cigarettes, and the Turks hookah. They would bring it
out after eating at pretty much any restaurant.

Besides the seeing amazing things and eating amazing foods, however, my experience in Turkey really wasn't very good. I've talked to some kids from ACT who absolutely loved it; they only met warm, friendly, helpful people who treated them amazingly. I, on the other hand, seemed only to attract creepers and crazies. All the shopkeepers and restaurant owners would stand outside their shops to try and entice you in, calling out and trying to get your attention, but sometimes
they would follow you for a little bit and it was nerve-wracking. We would be walking by a row of restaurants after having just ate, and every single one would bother us as we walked by, even as they saw us turn down his neighbors. We looked at one guy's menu, decided it was too expensive, and walked away, and he started swearing in Turkish about Americans and followed us for a little bit down the road. When asking for directions to the bath, one man looked at the pamphlet and said, "Oooh, the baths, maybe we go together and take a shower, meow meow!" It was just bizarre and unsettling and it may just be cultural differences, but I found the Turkish people I interacted with pushy, rude, and inappropriate. I was constantly on edge while in Turkey and didn't trust anyone, and it just made it harder to enjoy the experience.

One night we went to a bar where I didn’t feel comfortable at all. They made it seem like they were offering us free drinks, but it didn’t feel right so I didn’t take it. Then, of course, when we tried to walk away the person who gave the drinks “free” disappeared and someone else came running after the girls that took the drink and tried to demand 50 TL for two beers. It was just uncomfortable and I was less than happy with that aspect of my Istanbul experience.

The last day felt a little wasted, since we had already seen everything we wanted to see and had just planned on walking around, but it was freezing and rainy so we mostly just ran from café to restaurant to café to shop in an attempt to stay warm. The bus back was better than the bus to, since someone gave me a Tylenol PM, but I was still exhausted when we got back at 830, and I had to go to class at 1030. I was never happier to be in Thessaloniki—the extreme culture shock I experienced in Istanbul made me realize just how much I’ve come to view Thessaloniki as home over these past three weeks. I love it here, where I know the streets and feel safe enough to hop a bus downtown by myself and then back to Pylea for class. I know the stores around me and know enough Greek to get by if need be, or even when I don’t know what people are saying, I recognize Greek and it feels comforting and familiar after Turkish. I’m super exhausted right now and really glad to be home.

Prepping for Istanbul

It’s seven o’clock here; I’ll probably be leaving to catch the bus to Istanbul in about an hour and a half. I’ve packed some clothes, cleaned my room, made myself a sandwich for the road, and eaten all the food that could go bad, or given it to Nik, the only one in our building not going.

Today I tried to get an International Student ID Card and a three month bus pass and failed on both accounts; I’ll have to try again when I get back from Istanbul. When I explained at the bus kiosk what I wanted, the person inside (grumpy as warned) just snapped at me to come back Monday. I wasn’t sure whether I was actually supposed to come back later or whether she was just blowing me off, so I walked a bit to another one, where a significantly less irritated employee told me that yes, I do in fact have to return Monday. The bus passes start being valid at the beginning of each month, and they don’t issue them until the week before the a new month.

After class I came back and took a nice long shower, since I don’t know what the showering situation will be at the hostel I’m staying at, and finished getting ready to go. I’m a little nervous, since literally everyone I’ve talked to has warned me to be extra careful and extra alert, but I’m also really excited. I’ve been reading my little guidebook and have taken note of so many wonderful things to go see that are in the safer areas of the city. I will of course stay with my group and be very careful, so don’t worry! As I said, I’m not bringing my computer but I will be sure to update as soon as I get back. Have a great weekend, I’ll see you all on Monday!

Identity Crisis

Today I spent all day at school. Mondays and Wednesdays I’m at ACT from 11 in the morning until 830 at night. It’s so tiring, and I have a three and a half hour break between two of my classes. I actually hate it, because it’s not enough time to go home or go downtown; you’re just stuck on campus, either in the library or in the cafeteria. I did all my work and studied and everything, and still had two hours. I pretty much just tooled around on the internet, played Sporcle for endless hours. It’s very boring. Plus, it was cold and wet without actually raining today, so I couldn’t even sit outside.

However, I’m really enjoying the classes themselves. Every class I’m taking is related to Greece in some capacity, but currently they are all related in that every class is discussing the need/quest for a cultural identity in Greece. I find it so fascinating, since cultural identity isn’t something I usually think about. We have a fairly strong cultural identity in America, even if we don’t always think about it in those terms, so it seems so foreign to not only have questions over a national identity, but to create one by potentially bending history in order to unify a country. In my Modern Greek Politics class, we’ve been talking about how when Greece won their independence from the Ottoman Empire in the 1800s, they needed a way to unify the newborn country. They did so by claiming ancestry to the ancient Greeks, and supported this claim using folklore and folktales. Some Europeans argued that after hundreds of years of Ottoman rule modern Greeks couldn’t possibly claim relation to the Greeks of a thousand years ago, but anthropologists and folklorists were used as a political tool to give the new nation an identity to stand behind. This is where my folklore class comes in; by using the stories of the common people as indicators of their past, they linked the modern Greece to the ancient.

What’s more, in ancient Macedonia in the years before Alexander (here comes my Life of Alexander class), there were questions among ancient Greeks as to whether Macedonians and those in Northern Greece could really be called Greeks and not barbarians, as they lived a much different lifestyle and lived in a very multi-ethnic environment. There is, however, all sorts of evidence that points to them speaking Greek, ancient historians referring to them as Greek, etc. In the original Olympic games, all participants had to be Greek. Alexander I, king of Macedonia, wanted to participate and after heated debate was allowed in the games, winning first place in his event and cementing the Macedonian people as a Greek people.

However, the above story is completely false. The Macedonian royalty made that story up and an ancient historian printed it in order to convince the rest of the Greeks that they were actually descendants of the Argives (which we now know is true, but they didn’t then!). This brings into question the whole point of historian as someone who is objective and how often they bend history for their own purposes, relating back again to the anthropologists of modern Greece who may have withheld certain information and published others in order to give the Greeks a shared and noble history.

What’s more, until a few years ago, the Serbians, who today occupy part of the land that was ancient Macedonia, claimed ancestry to Alexander the Great in their own attempts to formulate a national identity, and the Greeks hated it, since that was their heritage and the Serbians are a Slavic nation. (Now for the past two years the Serbs have claimed relation to a different tribe that inhabited Macedonia at the same time as the Alexander, and the Greeks have calmed down.) This whole thing about cultural identity and forging one for the purpose of national unity and political propaganda fascinates me, especially since it seems to have been going on for centuries.

What’s more, apparently modern Greeks have some sort of superiority-inferiority complex from the national identity they’ve chosen; they feel superior to everyone else since their ancestors invented so many wonderful things that completely changed the Western world, but at the same time they feel inferior to their claimed ancestors, because really, who in modern Greece can you call the next Aristotle, Sophocles?

The whole thing is dizzying and fascinating, even though I’ve probably bored you all with my lengthy description of “what I’ve been learning in school”. At any rate, this is what I’ve been up to, and even though I may not have explained it well, it’s really very interesting, and feel free to ask me about it. Or, if you got bored and skimmed, that’s OK too.

Σούπερ Πάρτι!

Hello all! A belated Happy Valentine’s Day to all of you! Yesterday I had class all day and didn’t even realize what day it was until around two anyway. I had a great Valentine’s day evening; I finally found a way to watch all my shows online and caught up on all of them (for those of you who watch HIMYM, I’m so sick of the Zoe thing. Let it go already!), and then went to sleep. Very romantic, I assure you. Also, in honor of the day, I had chocolate covered strawberries for dessert.  And by chocolate covered strawberries, I mean cut up strawberries in chocolate pudding. Yum.

Today I finally got my bus ticket to Istanbul! I am going, along with most of my building, to Istanbul this weekend! I’m super excited; I’ve read guidebooks and planned what I want to see and do. We’re taking a night bus Thursday evening and getting in early Friday morning, and leaving by the same bus Sunday night so as to return in time for class Monday. I won’t be bringing my computer with me, but rest assured, I will upload plenty of pictures and make sure to tell you guys all about it when I get back.

After that I did some major grocery shopping at the huge open air market (λαϊκή) next to Aristotelous Square. I got all kinds of spices, fruits and veggies, and a huge hunk of chicken. Since all the words I’ve been learning in my Greek class so far have been food words/ordering words, I was actually pretty on top of things in the market. The only problem is I haven’t quite worked out how much a kilo, a half kilo, 100 grams, etc all comes out to be, and accidentally ordered so much spinach I wasn’t sure if it would fit with everything else into my fridge. Luckily, it did. Tonight I made dinner all by myself (mostly because I couldn’t get Mom on Skype), and it actually turned out pretty good. Granted, the end product was completely different from what I had in mind initially, but it was yummy. It ended up a massive hodge-podge of chicken, spinach, onions, eggplant, olives, and feta in olive oil, garlic, and basil.

I’m staying in tonight, cleaning my room and going through my Greek flashcards, but tomorrow night a club at ACT is throwing a party at a club called Dogs in order to raise money to help kids in the Roma community. I don’t yet have the going-out stamina of some of these college kids, so I’m saving my energy for tomorrow night. Tomorrow I’m also going to go get passport photos taken so I can try and get a three-month bus pass; apparently the bus place I have to go to is exclusively run by grumpy pensioners, but I’m determined to get one, especially now that I live so far from downtown!

It’s All Greek to Me!

I just had the most Greek day since I’ve been here. As a Sunday, everything besides tavernas, cafés, and pastry shops are closed, and I spent a good six hours in my room doing what amounts to a grand total of nothing. Then, around five, I went out and got coffee with some people in my building, and sat there for two hours. Went back to my apartment, tooled around for two hours, and then went out to dinner at nine. There were six of us, but two of the girls went back early because they weren’t feeling well, so it ended up being me and the three guys from our building. We talked about everything: Greece, politics, sports, girls, more politics. We sat there for FOUR HOURS, and finished dinner around one o’clock in the morning. You cannot get more Greek than that, my friends. Two hours of coffee, followed by a four hour dinner that lasts into the following day. I’m pretty proud of myself, although my butt is actually really sore—I don’t have enough padding to support these lengthy Greek meals. Although, I’m sure I just need to give it time; all these gyros, souvlaki, and pastries are going to hit me sooner or later.

A Soggy, Sunny Day

Today was our trip to Edessa and the Pozar hot springs. We drove about an hour and a half to Edessa first, to visit their famous καταρράκτη, waterfalls. When the bus let us off, all we had to do was follow the sound of the rushing water and we found ourselves at the top of cliff looking down as the water crashed below. I explored all over and took a bunch of pictures—we walked from the top to the bottom, and at one point we went behind the falls without getting wet. There were rainbows all over the place (double rainbow all the way!) making complete circles around us. A few us us saw a bridge below and tried to follow a path to it, but the wind kicked up and we were absolutely drenched in the freezing water as we ran screaming to find someplace dry. When we got to the bottom it was pretty, but there was no way back up but the way we came. This time, the torrents of water smacked me right in the face—there was not an inch of me that wasn’t completely soaked through: socks, shoes, and all. I must have wrung a litre of water out of my shirt (you like how I snuck in that European measurement, eh? Yep, I’m getting all kinds of Greek over here…). I sat in the sun for the next half hour, and it was pleasant in the sun listening the sounds of the water, but I wasn’t even close to dry when it came time to get back on the bus, and spent the rest of the day pretty damp and chilled.

We rode for another half hour to the base of some mountains to the Pozar hot springs. Springing from the ground at approximately 38 degrees Celsius, the springs are frequently visited for those seeking some kind of magical healing from the minerals and such in the water, or by people like us who want to go for a swim in February. Pozar was very touristy, but it was Greek tourists. We didn’t actually swim in the river—there was only a little area designated for swimming, and you had to pay more to be there and fight the old, fat Greek ladies for primo positioning. Most of us swam in the pool by the river, which they empty every evening and fill with the spring water every morning. I was so cold and soggy from Edessa that it was actually warmer for me to change into my bathing suit, and the second I hit the water was pure bliss—I’ve never felt better in my life, and the sudden rush of warmth restored all my faith in life and humanity…it was really nice. I treaded and floated and did some handstands, and of course accidentally ran into three old people over the course of the evening. We didn’t swim in the hot parts of the river, but 100 meters up from the pool was a cold waterfall, about 3 degrees Celsius. It was weird, because the water around the falls sprang from the ground and was warm, and then you’re suddenly hit with an icy blast as you step under the falls. It was so cold I got brain freeze, and when I couldn’t take it anymore I ran back to the pool, where I was once again warm and toasty.

I laid my clothes in the sun, but they were still damp when I had to get dressed. It made for an uncomfortable ride back, and I took a nice hot shower as soon as I got back to my room. I’m staying in tonight just to be safe—I spent the majority of the day in wet clothes, and I don’t want to get sick.

Here’s some pictures from the falls at Edessa, hope you enjoy!

The main waterfall.

The landscape/view from the top. All the cloudy-looking stuff is mist created from the force of the falls.

Finally, a picture with people! I realize I haven’t had many shots of me in Greece, but rest assured, I actually am in the country. Me looking schlubby in front of the falls.

Heading behind the falls.

Oooh, so bright and vivid, it’s so beautiful, all the way across the sky! There were rainbows everywhere, I literally skipped somewhere over the rainbow just walking around.

Me and a rainbow.

Me with some of the study abroad kids. This is BEFORE I ran to the bridge; everyone is wet only from the mist near the bottom of the falls. I’m nowhere near soaked yet!

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

Last night I cooked dinner for myself for the first time here in Greece. I made spaghetti with sautéed mushrooms, scallions, and garlic. It was delicious, and so very grown up to make something all by myself…except I didn’t. I had my mom on Skype the whole time, with the computer aimed at my kitchen, constantly asking her questions. Some of them were hard to answer over the internet, like “Is the spaghetti done yet?” But it turned out really well; I have leftovers to feed me a day or two more, and still have enough ingredients to make this dish several more times. I wolfed down the pasta while still talking to my mom, but the second the bowl was empty a wave of homesickness crashed over me.

For a second, I had been tricked into thinking I was back home again—stirring up the noodles and calling over my shoulder to Mom while she flipped through a cookbook looking for easy recipes, I could have been home. Once, the phone rang and I heard it through Skype, and my first thought was “I’ll get it”. Then once I was done cooking I ate dinner with my mom via webcam, but when the food was gone, I realized how far from home I am and that I would soon sign off and my family would be gone. It made me so instantaneously homesick that I started crying. It just made me miss my family and the family dinners I’m so used to.

Of course, it was as I was sniffling and doing to dishes someone came up to ask me what I was doing that evening. It was actually probably good that they did, because I was able to go out with some girls and forget about my homesickness.

Today, I made myself breakfast (eggs, sunny-side up) and lunch (grilled ham and cheese, baby!) without bursting into tears, so it’s getting better. (Side note: the only sliced cheese I could find at the super market that wasn’t swiss was gouda—it was actually good, but the whole time I was eating it I just kept hearing Marshall, “Dude, how ‘bout that gouda?”.) I still miss my family, but I’m really thankful for the technology that can make it seem like I’m right back home. I’m also really grateful Mom took the time out to sit at the computer and walk me through it—I would have totally screwed it up by myself, but now I have a nice little confidence boost, knowing there is one dinner that sounds fancy and I can easily make myself in the future.

A glimpse at my creation, after I’ve had a bowl. I have plenty of leftovers, and plenty ingredients too. Doesn’t it look appetizing?

My mom on Skype, helping me cook thousands of miles away!

Grown-ups?

Today I only had class from 2-4, so I spent a large part of the day exploring my new neighborhood. It has much more of a city feel to it than my old one. The area to the left of the front door is mostly small, quiet streets laid out in a grid, with grocery stores, meat shops, fruit and vegetable stands, residencies, empty storefronts, and the occasional dilapidated taverna or café. It’s not really somewhere I would feel comfortable walking alone at night, but during the day there should be no problem.

To the right is a major street, Vassilissis Olgas, and a few streets behind is another major road, 25 Martiou (25th of March). Both of these would have everything I would need at night. And of course, a few street down from V. Olgas is the water.

I walked around a lot and did a bit of shopping. I got some things I need for the apartment—a trash can, a broom, a baking pan, frying pan, bowl, sponges, etc—from one store, and because I tried to use some Greek, the proprietor threw in some free spoons. Random, but nice. I guess I look like someone who eats a lot more soup and ice cream than….I don’t know, foods that need forks. Besides that, all I got was a hairdryer and groceries, but it actually took a long time. Everything I buy I have to carry myself back to the apartment and up two flights of stairs, so I couldn’t really stock up on anything in one grocery. I had to resist the urge to grab extra ____ because a) I don’t have enough storage for it, and b) I probably couldn’t eat it fast enough, but it felt weird since I’ve grown up in a house of six people where you always stock up extra, and it’s still gone in a day. Also, I went to separate shops for different things; one place for fruits and vegetables, another for dry goods, another for my tzatziki. Luckily all this stuff is pretty close by so it didn’t matter I made multiple trips.

It feels so weird having to cook for myself and do all my own shopping; I don’t know what to do! I have the most random assortment of things in my cabinets and mini-fridge because I don’t really know what I’ll need to make a decent meal. I can’t eat out all the time, but I still want to be able to make things that are edible. I have all kinds of pasta, chips, tzatziki, bread, strawberries, garlic, mushrooms, scallions, frozen pizza, ice cream….I feel like if you looked in this fridge you’d say “Yep, that’s Rachel” but wouldn’t be able to make very much out of it. I am proud of myself, however, for inventing a new snack—rice cakes with nutella and sliced strawberries. Sounds healthy, right? And nutella is something that I hate at home but love here—I think it’s made differently. There are little crepperies all over and you can get them with meat and lettuce, etc, but you can also get them with nutella and fruit, and it’s so good!

I’m completely out of my depth in my Greek language class, but I’m actually really enjoying it. It’s hard but way better than having to relearn the alphabet for two weeks, and more useful as well. Today we learned all kinds of food words, and how to order from a bakery, a supermarket, a fishery, a μανάβικο (the fruit/veggie only stores). I of course forgot most of it the second I left the class, but I’m making flashcards and memorizing and working hard to learn.

I successfully rode the public bus today, but on the way there had a scary experience with the bus police. Some girls from the school have already been fined for not having a ticket, so of course we had one. The police jumped on at the school’s stop and at first wouldn’t let us off until we showed our ticket, and then when my friend was looking for hers in her bag pulled us off the bus and were all ready to write her a fine until she finally produced it. They were really pushy and rude and when they saw we both had tickets they just said, “sorry” and walked away. I’m not really sure what happened, but whatever it was it wasn’t right—they didn’t check anyone else’s tickets, and a lady on the bus was telling them to open the doors, they weren’t supposed to not let us off. It looks like they were just trying to make a quick buck off the foreign students who don’t speak Greek and probably didn’t use the bus system correctly and so would be easier to fine. Unfortunately for them, I am a Greek bus-riding pro…

Wednesday

I couldn’t think of anything better to title this one. It’s pretty much just a Wednesday. A good one, but a Wednesday.

I love my new building! Including myself and the RA, there are 14 people and it’s so quiet. A couple kids went out last night but I never heard them come back in because I’m on the second floor, so the whole super-echo thing doesn’t apply as much here. When I woke up this morning it was so deadly quiet that for a second I thought I overslept and missed the bus, and everyone else already left. Even when I headed to the common room downstairs, I didn’t hear anything, and just sort of knocked on a door that was partially open. There aren’t a lot of people here, but they are all going out of their way to be friendly and include me in the group. It’s kind of clique-y because the building is really isolated from the rest of study abroad, but I seem to have been accepted into the fold as a matter of fact, something I really appreciate. After classes today I went out with the whole building for dinner, and while it was a little weird b/c I don’t really know anyone well yet, it was fun and everyone was really great about it.

Classes were fun. We started getting into the material, and everything seems really interesting; partially because I’m a nerd and partially because it’s all new, but I like the subject matter of all my classes. Every class I’m taking connects in some way, which excites me on a fundamentally geeky level—I love making connections and drawing parallels between different things I’m learning.

There was an activities fair today so we could sign up for various clubs, trips, etc. I went in there with a list of four things I was willing to commit to, and of course signed up for about eleven. Everything just seemed so interesting! It’s not as bad as it sounds though—a couple aren’t clubs as much as e-mail chains that let you know when a bunch of people are heading to a museum, or when there are fun, cheap things going on in the city on a weekend that it would be good to know about. A couple others are one-time events; the cooking class is just that, a cooking class. I was a little disappointed with that one; I thought it would be a weekly-type thing! And then, of course, there was one I was guilt-tripped into signing up for but whose e-mails I’ll probably ignore.

I’m signed up for Flamenco. I really wanted to learn Greek dancing, but all they had was Flamenco. I love that kind of stuff though; shoutout to sophomore year ballroom dancing buds! I think, once my school activities schedule is more cemented, I’m going to check out the local YMCA and see what kind of dance classes/exercise classes they have. I also signed up for a photography class, an outdoor adventure club, and a course to learn to SCUBA dive. As far as volunteering goes, there were a lot of options but I picked two. One I work with disabled kids/incredibly young kids, baby/toddler aged, and apparently it’s really fulfilling. The other one is a soup kitchen in a Greek church where you make food for the homeless, but the people who work there are old Greek women who don’t speak English. This actually sounds so absolutely perfect to me, for two reasons; although it will be a little challenging, there is no better way to learn a language than to be thrust into a situation where you have to use it. Also, little old Greek women? I love it! It just seems so motherly and cozy, and a great way to get to know some other areas/aspects of the culture.

Moving Day, Take Three

Whew, what a long day! After quite a struggle, I’m finally moved in to my new and FINAL room on the second floor of the building I first moved into (Papakyriazi), I love love love my new room! It’s the nicest of the three I’ve been to, I think. It’s smaller, but the set up is better, the furniture is sturdier, and there is more storage space than I have things to fill it with. The kitchen is nicer, and the bathroom is even better—it’s clean and bigger and the shower looks less like it wants to kill me. The wall at the head of my bed, although small, is entirely made of windows. And yes, the view from the balcony and said windows is the neighbors, ten feet away and hanging up their underwear, but it’s sunny and bright in the afternoon. Everyone in the building seems really nice and definitely want to include me in the Papa K family. I was really hesitant to move so far away from the neighborhood I knew and liked, and so far from downtown, but now that I have I’m glad I’m here.

I had my first Greek 104 class today. I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but it turned out OK. The class is almost entirely study abroad students, but a surprising number of them are pretty good already at speaking. I am definitely behind, but at the same time not the worst one in the class. I spoke to the teacher afterwards, let her know that I know I’m behind but I’m willing to work extra hard to catch up and stay in the class, instead of moving down and learning the alphabet over again. She reassured me that yes, I am behind, but not as far as I think, and she can see that I want to work hard and so is sure I’ll do fine in the class. I’m not even concerned about getting a good grade—it’s a class where learning and comprehending the material is most important to me.

Ok, so here are a few pictures of my new place, room 201 Papakyriazi! Compare them to the pictures of my room in Panepistimiou, and you’ll see what I’m talking about—I’m so glad to be here! Enjoy this virtual tour!

This is the view as you’re entering the door. My bed, the bedside table. You can see the window/door to the balcony on the far wall, and how much light it lets in. My bookshelf and desk are against the right wall; the cabinets on top are actually where I’m storing dry goods, since there isn’t as much cabinet space in the kitchen. Plus, the kitchen is only five feet to the left… My armoire is on the left at the foot of the bed. Also, at the top you can kind of see it, but I have a fan! Bring it on, Greek spring!



Taken by the desk, the view back towards the door. The kitchen is just nicer and better put together. I brought dishes and some silverware, but there was some silverware already here, and cooking pots, an added bonus. The door on the left is to the bathroom—the right, to the hallway.



Across from the kitchen, my armoire, where I actually ended up hanging most of my clothes and folding the rest in the drawers below. A little table with a chair (it had two, but I dragged one over to the desk), and a nice, huge mirror behind it (reflecting the kitchen).



My bathroom! Not even close to being as sketchy as the other one, right? It’s baby blue and white tile, it’s clean, the shower curtain isn’t so full of mold and mildew it’s classified as alive…



Sink, inside of shower. The curtain reaches the ground, so hopefully there will be less bathroom flooding, and the showerhead is nicer too. AND there’s a place to hang it, so no holding it while I shower. Maybe I’ll give shaving another try…there’s hope after all, legs!



Someone just knocked on the door to see how I’ve settled in and ask me down to the common room on the first floor. Yay to making friends!

First Day of Classes!

Superbowl last night! About thirty or forty of us study abroad students took quite a journey to watch the game. One of the Greeks has a friend who owns a Bennigan’s on the outskirts of town, and they stayed open specifically so we could watch the game. We took a 25 minute bus ride across town at midnight, but we got there. I was in my Steelers jersey, and there was one other guy in a Packers jersey. The game was really fun to watch—a lot of people left at half-time, but the core of us that stayed had a really great time. I was worried at half time it was going to be a blow-out, but it actually turned into a pretty good game, even though we lost : ( I didn’t get back to the dorm until 5:30 in the morning, and woke up at 9:00 for the first day of classes!

I have three of my four classes today. This morning (and by morning, I mean the Greek morning of noon) I had my first class, a politics course on the modern Greek nation-state. It looks like it’s going to be an interesting class—there were only seven kids there, and three of them were full-time students at the school. It’s going to be an interesting experience, because the basis for the subject matter is something that is really familiar to people who have grown up in this area, but is something that, as American students, we have only a vague familiarity with. Even though the course is modern history, the professor was saying we need to understand Greek/Balkan history, the Byzantium era, etc, to understand how it got to be the way it is today. And even on the political side, we don’t understand that much about the Greek system while the Greeks have read it in the news every day for years. The teacher seems to understand that and will help us out, but it will just be an interesting learning experience and environment.

(The Greeks students are really intimidating. Everyone studying abroad is joking that they feel like freshman in high school. It’s not that they’re mean, they just seem really unapproachable. The study abroad kids are self-segregating—no one wants to be but we can’t help it. Heading in small groups to find food at the cafeteria, the Greek kids are all sitting together outside, smoking and talking, and we Americans can’t get up the courage to walk over and introduce ourselves. I’m sure it will get better as we get to know the people in our classes, and use them to make friends, but until then it’s a little awkward.)

Next, after a half hour break, I had my anthropology class: Greek Folklore. This is something I’m super excited about—the professor seems really cool. She looks like she knows a lot about the subject and is really passionate about sharing that with the students. I have some reading to do already, but it’s something that I’m excited to learn about. It was initially a MWF class, but she’s extending class by half and hour Monday and Wednesday so we won’t have to meet on Friday—this means I’ll only have my politics class on Monday, and will make weekend travel easier as I can start going in the afternoon on Fridays.

I have a really awkward break Mondays and Wednesdays between classes; Folklore gets out at 3, and my next and final class of the day doesn’t start until 630. I wouldn’t really have time to take a bus back to the dorm, and then back to class—there wouldn’t be enough time to do anything constructive. The campus is tiny and there’s really nothing besides the classrooms and the library; I’m sure once I have work to do it will be fine, but for now time passes slowly. I tried to take a walk and see what was in the immediate area, but it was a major fail. It was a main road, very busy with cars going by, and after a little while the sidewalk disappeared and it would have been dangerous to continue. I was talking to someone else, though, and they said that there is a nice little place a five minute bus ride away, so I’ll have to check that out later.

Finally after sitting around for 3+ hours, I went to my last class, the World of Alexander. It also looks really interesting—it’s actually going to be taught in cycles by 6 different teachers, who each focus on some specific aspect of Alexander the Great that relates to their area of expertise: historical context, role in various art forms then and now, the texts he would have read and been educated by, Alexander in a mythic/folkloric context. It sounds fun, but by this time I was so exhausted from the Superbowl that I could barely keep my eyes open. Since it was only an introductory class, the teacher actually let us out an hour early, and instead of taking the school bus and waiting an hour, a couple of us decided to give the public bus a try.

It wasn’t too bad, but the commute to the school is horrible—we had to take a 45 minute bus ride to a stop that was still a 7-10 minute walk from the rooms. I was tired and hungry and a little nauseous from the motion; it just wasn’t a good combination. It would be a real pain to do that every day, to and from school. The school bus only takes 20 minutes, but it only runs three times a day. Mondays and Wednesdays I can take it to and from school without waiting too long, but Tuesdays and Thursdays I only have one class from 2-4, and at either end I would be waiting for 3-4 hours for the school bus to take me back.

When I got back to my room I packed up to leave. I’m too homesick and am flying home tomorrow. Just kidding! My roommate and I are really incompatible, so I’m moving on out and getting a single. I’m actually moving back across town to the building I initially accidentally moved in to…this is my third and obviously most careless packing job. I’m going to try to leave semi-early (again, by Greek standards) so I can hopefully be at least a little settled in before I have to go to class. I’m really going to miss this neighborhood; I am already familiar with the surroundings and locations of everything, and I’m going to miss being so close to downtown (the other building is farther). But the other building does have a much shorter commute to the school (20 minutes via public bus). They’re also closer to the water and the rooms are supposedly much nicer. I’m sure I’ll learn that neighborhood soon too. Either way, I’m glad to have a single. The only tough part is lugging all my stuff across town—I have more than just the two suitcases and carry-ons, I have bags of cleaning supplies, toilet paper, some food, and storage stuff I bought at IKEA that I’m not leaving. It’s going to be a huge hassle but hopefully once I’m moved in I can finally settle down and get organized.

“Do you wear shoes where you come from?”

As expected, it was actually really simple to get the washer door open. I just had to pull down on this tab to unlock the door, which I actually tried but didn’t pull hard enough because I was worried I would break it. The RA was laughing pretty hard and probably thinks I’m an idiot, but whatever, all my clothes are hung up to dry.

When I woke up this morning it was beautiful and sunny and 60 degrees! I was so excited, and broke out a skirt and some flip-flops, and just used a thicker button-down as a jacket. It was perfect, the button-down even made me a little hot. I headed out to get a few pastries or something for breakfast, and I notice that the Greeks don’t seem to register the sunshine. Everyone is still in pants, boots, coats, hats, scarves. They do, however, notice the American with the pale, skinny legs bouncing down the street in flip-flops. I’m noticing people staring, nudging their friends and nodding my way. After I ordered my breakfast the girl behind the counter said as she was ringing it up, “May I ask you something? Aren’t you cold?” I was really surprised by this question; it’s 60 degrees, you Greeks! I explained that back home there’s about two feet of snow on the ground, so this weather feels really warm to me (though it should feel warm to everyone…). “Don’t you wear shoes back home?” This one confused me, but I guess she was referring to the flip-flops.

As soon as I left I headed back to the room to get changed, and even though nobody did anything, I was more and more nervous as I walked back until I finally reached my room. I hate having to put some pants on when it’s as gorgeous outside as it is right now, but it is much preferable to blend in a little better, especially considering my roommate had her ass grabbed three times yesterday…Most of my clothes are still wet on the balcony, so I’m heading out in sweats. This is another Thessalonian faux pas, as the super-stylish inhabitants of this city never dress down unless they’re actually in a gym, but long pants and closed-toed shoes will blend in better, even though the part of my soul that feeds on sunshine will be very unhappy.

To Market, To Market

This morning I took a walking tour of the markets with some of the other girls. Arian, the director of international programs at ACT, met us all near our dorms and took us downtown. It seemed funny to me that someone so important would spend a few hours showing us around, be she was really cool and seemed to like doing it. She even offered to take us to the local grocery store next week, help us pick out the right ingredients and teach us how to make one or two easy and cheap meals in our apartment, which is hard considering we cook with a tiny toaster oven.

I loved walking around all the markets. It was great to be shown all the little places and sidestreets you wouldn’t find on your own, or you could find but wouldn’t be quite sure what to do with them. There were meat markets, fish markets, general food markets, flower markets. I got a bag of olives for a euro, but it was so fun to try the different kinds, see which kind I like, etc. I loved being able to walk down a busy city street, turn down a road and suddenly be in a cobbled square with shops and cafés and fruit stands. As we walked Arian would point out a bakery that was famous in Thessaloniki for its desserts, or a café that was especially popular in the afternoon when the sun comes over the rooftops and warms the square. Below is a picture of one of the main markets—it’s actually part of the same one Mom and I stumbled upon when we were walking around last Saturday (have I really been here over a week?).



We also visited the Roman Agora, the ancient marketplace. I’d walked by it before but never realized you could walk through it. Some sections were roped off, but most of it we could climb around. There were some fathers taking there kids for a walk, an old man slowly wandering through the ruins. It was beautifully sunny today, and I made the conscious decision to go without my jacket. I regretted it, it wasn’t that warm, and I was cold in the shadows. But sitting in the agora, basking in the sunshine and lounging in the ruins, I felt like on of the stray cats, warm and perfectly contented to just sit there. Tomorrow it’s supposed to get up to 60, I can’t wait!

Once I got back to the apartment, I knew I had to do laundry, considering I spent the day walking around dressed like a soccer mom running some errands after hitting the gym. I  can’t wear everything as long as I expected between washes because of the smoke—I hate smelling like cigarettes. I grabbed my laundry basket and headed to the sketchy basement. The ceilings are low, it’s cold, and there are only two sad little washers. I go for the light switch—nothing. From the light of the hall, I try to figure out what to do, but all the labels are in Greek on one, German on the other. I can hardly see, but I’m determined to succeed. I ended up grabbing my camera, snapping pictures of the labels, and using Google translate to figure out what does what. I finally got one washer to go, but in the semi-darkness I don’t even know if I poured the soap in the right compartment. The German washer, even though everything seems to be set right, plugged in, and turned on, refuses to wash, so I have to wait another hour for the first washer to finish. I really hope it works, and my clothes are soaped, just wet and spinning. When it comes out, I have to hang it Greek-style from a drying rack on my balcony, there are no dryers. I’m really nervous I’ve screwed it up and ruined half my wardrobe; the first load should be done soon, I hope it went OK.

 
What do I do with this??



P.S. The clothes I washed in the Greek dryer came out all nice-smelling, and it doesn't look like I ruined them. Yay Rachel. The German washer, however, has washed my clothes but now the door won't open and they're stuck in there, I can't get them out. The RA is of course not here, so I left a message on his door that says, basically "the idiot in 12 needs help getting her clothes out of the dryer". The stuff I managed to get out I hung on a drying rack in my balcony, but as it's night it's dark and cold outside, and I don't really know what good that will do. I'm a little homesick right now...

“We’re not unreasonable—but we’re Mediterranean”

Today overall was a pretty fun day. We took a trip to Vergina (pronounced Ver-GHEE-na, you with the dirty mind!), where the tombs of Philip II of Macedonia are. He was the one responsible for the unification/consolidation of the Greece city-states in the 4th century BC, and the father of Alexander the Great. He was also father of Cassander, who murdered Alexander the Great’s heir and founded Thessaloniki, and father to Thessalonike, whom Cassander married and named the city after (gotta love that ancient incest).

The tour was very interesting, but I wasn’t allowed to take pictures inside the museum. In ancient times the temple-like resting places were buried once the dead were inside, as the Greeks felt the dead belonged to the separate underworld, Hades.The museum and ruins are actually underground now too, from the outside it just looks like a grassy knoll. There were five different burial buildings from different times in the 4th century. Only two of the tombs (Philip II being one of them) escaped being looted throughout the centuries. Our tour guide, Maria, was a middle-aged Greek woman who knew a lot about everything. I love being shown through museums or ruins with a guide—otherwise what do you learn? You see the structure or the artifact and have no idea what it is, what it really means, what it’s significance is. I think it’s fascinating to learn the stories and back history that you could never get on your own. Some of my classmates obviously thought differently; I heard a couple complaining they could have seen the whole museum in twenty minutes on their own. It’s funny that, after driving an hour outside of the city, they’re perfectly content to whip out their cameras and snap pictures of a grassy hill that was created in the 80s but have no patience to really learn about the treasures underneath.

Our guide was showing us a fresco that depicted the three Fates, and told us how today most Greeks still have strong belief in the concept of Fate, and how in smaller villages the grandmothers still leave out candies and sweets on a grandchild’s first night in the world so that, when The Fates visit to determine the child’s future, they will look kindly on him. While trying to highlight that not all people believe in that particular kind of fate, she said “We’re not unreasonable---but we’re Mediterranean”. I love this, it seems to apply in multiple areas.

I learned a lot, and I enjoyed it--history nerd that I am--but I won’t bore you with all of it, just some fun stories. Philip II’s tomb had two chambers, and a young woman was buried in one of them. For a while archaeologists thought it was his seventh and youngest wife, but that’s not the case. When he died, the jealous wife that mothered Alexander the Great sent her rope and poison as a message: pick one or the other, but you’re going to die. She chose to hang herself with her own belts instead. I don’t know why, but there’s something so passionate and noble about this story, in a twisted way. Maybe it’s the way our guide told it, you all are reading it and thinking “Wow, Rachel’s really messed up”. They now think the woman buried with him is his wife Meda, from Thrace. They married to form a political alliance, but in the Thracian culture the wife always followed her husband into the underworld.

I learned a lot about ancient burial customs, and a little about modern ones too. In the 4th century the body was cremated and only the bones collected, washed in wine and olive oil, and put in some kind of vessel. Nowadays, the Greek Orthodox Church doesn’t allow cremation, because of Judgment Day, the unity of body and soul, etc, but they still have the priests do something with wine and olive oil. It’s amazing that a ritual like that can remain through the centuries while others come and go.

When we got back to Thessaloniki, the bus drove us around for and hour and a half so we could look at the city. It was very helpful for me, having already explored the city, to put names to places. I found out that the area where mom and I had dinner every night was called Ladadika. Just a few hundred feet from the port, it used to be the warehouses where all the imported olive oil was stored, but it was used for other purposes once supermarket-type stores became popular and there was no need for the huge warehouses anymore. It was actually the infamous red-light district (being so close to the ports) until about twenty years ago when all the brothels were removed, and now it’s a very fashionable district for food, and music as well.

We stopped at St. Demetrius church, patron saint of Thessaloniki. (Fun fact: Demetrius' saint day is October 26, same as my birthday, which is a big deal here in Greece!) I was a little embarrassed the whole day, but I was never more embarrassed of our group as being representatives of America. The woman was trying to tell us about the church, and people were rude and bored and not paying attention. They didn’t even respect that we were in a church, at least be a little quiet. One girl who sat right in front of our guide was actually asleep: head lolling, mouth open. I know that not everyone is going to get the same enjoyment out of these tours and history as me—most of them seem to be here to get wasted and make fools of themselves—but the lack of respect was a little shocking and actually embarrassing.

At any rate, I plan on attending a Greek Orthodox service while I’m here, to find out what it’s like. When I asked, services start at 6:30 on Sundays and go for THREE HOURS! I couldn’t believe it, but apparently not everyone shows up at 6:30—you can come in whenever, and most people come in around 8:30 or 9.
Our last stop was the Old Wall of Thessaloniki, which was actually right back above where we live. I hadn’t really taken pictures all day since my battery was close to dead, but we arrived at sunset and it was too beautiful. I don’t think I captured it very well, but here are some pictures. You can see the whole city.

 
 

There was a group of boys with little mohawks at the wall who couldn’t have been older than 14, chain smoking and lounging around. I just thought this was so funny, and so different than me growing up--so very European in the midst of ruins hundreds of years old.

That’s all for now. I’m going out with some of the girls in my building later, it should be really fun! Sorry for the ridiculously long post!

Day 2 Orientation

Day two was probably as bad as day one, or worse, just in terms of sitting in a room for hours while they tell you things you could just as easily have read in the packets they hand out. I forgot to bring my camera to the school, so I’ll add pictures the first day of classes.

After being at the school all day, there was a scavenger hunt around the city. I don’t think anyone took it that seriously—no one even checked to see what pictures we took. It was fun to hang out with some of the girls I’m getting to know, and we walked all over the city together. I took a couple pictures, not all of them came out well, but here’s one of the White Tower on the water at night.



This dog followed us for a good mile—he wasn’t aggressive or in our faces, he just loped along, sometimes ahead and sometimes behind, but always nearby. We named him Stavros.



After the scavenger hunt everyone went out to a restaurant off Aristoteles square that the school paid for. Once again, delicious, and so much food. I meant to leave early because I was exhausted but, once again, Greek time snuck up on me and I was there for two and a half hours. Some teachers and administrators from the school were there, and they were all so cool, sitting there smoking and chatting with the students, coming around yelling “Yia mas (cheers!)” and drinking wine with the students. Efi, whose one of the heads of the study abroad program, danced around the room several times, to the delight of everyone in the room, and all I could think was “teach me!”.

And also, that she reminded me of Zorba the Greek.

Orientation Day 1

First day of orientation. After 5 hours of sleep, I got up at 8:00 to get on a bus to the school. I’ll take pictures tomorrow to send you, but the campus is really small. It’s in a nice area on the outskirts of the city, with lots of hills and trees all around. The campus itself is tiny—the school Anatolia College has grades K-grad, but the area designed the American College of Thessaloniki is only two buildings, the biggest English library in Greece and the building with all the classes, the bookstore, and a small cafeteria. It’s really nice outside though, and will be a great place to chill/study when it gets a little warmer. If you go across the street and up the hill there are more buildings, dorms, a gym, a bigger cafeteria, another library, and the high school and elementary school.

We spent a lot of time being talked at today, and it was a really long day. Most everything we went over we already knew from e-mails or our intro packets. I got to talk to the Greek teacher though, and I think I will be staying in Greek 104—there are only three other kids in the class, and I would rather have to work harder to catch up than have it be too easy and learn nothing.

We went to IKEA this afternoon too and I went a little overboard with things to organize my room, hold all my junk. My roommate probably thinks I’m crazy, but I have to be organized! She was really cool with it though. I have a few hours tomorrow when I’m going to set it all up, I’m too exhausted tonight.

I was going to go to bed early but the college took us out to this coffee place to have Greek coffee and have the grounds read. I planned to stay only an hour, but ended up there for two and a half! That’s Greek time for you, already I’m learning nothing happens as quickly as Americans expect. It was fun, a middle-aged Greek woman sat there chain smoking, making faces and reading your cup while a student from the school translated. The atmosphere was perfect, a haze from the smoke obscuring even the other end of the table and making it more mystic and mysterious. My fortune: I had a huge fight with someone I care a lot about before I left and it upset me a lot at the time, but now that I’m in Greece I’m completely fine and it has totally blown away. Someone who cares about me a lot but who I don’t expect is sending me something in the mail that will some how much they care (let’s keep an eye on the post for the next few weeks…. ;D). I will love my time in Greece, and everything will fall into place—I will never have to try but everything will work out perfectly and fall right into my lap. Sounds good, no?

Sorry for the quick and probably error-filled post, I’m super tired and going to bed right after this. I promise to upload pictures of the school tomorrow.

Also, my roommate and I got a router so we can both be on the internet at the same time without it affecting the speed, so I think I should finally be able to talk to everyone! Looking forward to that in the next couple days. Love you all, and miss you!

A Slow Day

Got up late, talked with my roommate, got food and went grocery shopping with her and a few others, got a list going of what we need when we go to IKEA tomorrow. Internet access is still being a pain; there’s no wireless, only a single Ethernet connection for the room. We got a splitter but it doesn’t allow us to both be on at the same time, we need to get some kind of router etc, so until that happens I still can’t really talk.

Got to know a few of the girls a little better. Got an early dinner/snack with a girl from Ole Miss who just got in today and her roommate, and two girls from North Dakota. They seem really nice, and we just went to this little Greek place with a super-nice waitress who just kept bringing us out all sorts of mezzas, etc.

There are a lot of girls from the Boston area mostly from the same three schools, and a surprising amount from Minnesota/the Dakotas. There are also a fair number of kids from New York area, who I usually get lumped in with when Greeks ask where I’m from—they all know New York, no one knows Connecticut.

That’s all for today. A long but much needed day of orientation tomorrow. I swear I had a schedule for the day, but I can’t find it. I have to get up comparatively early to be ready, so I’m going to sleep soon, I’m really tired and still trying to fully adjust to Greek time. I love you all, and will Skype and chat with you all as soon as I can, I just don’t want to be annoying and hog the internet, and I don’t really know how to talk to people when my roommate is in the room, especially when she can’t be distracted by internet at the same time…

First Day on My Own….

It’s Tuesday morning, close to 11. Spent yesterday walking around with mom, getting more supplies for the apartment. We had a really nice dinner before saying goodbye. She left this morning really early, so I won’t see her again until June. It was really hard to say goodbye, because it feels like I’m grown up and out and I’m not ready! I feel a little out of my depth right now but I’m glad my mom was there to help me settle in, etc. I miss you already mom!

When I got back to the apartment a bunch of girls were in the hall getting ready to go out, so I went out too. It turned into a huge caravan of practically the entire building as we trooped towards the water. I introduced myself to a bunch of people but don’t remember many names.

A group of us stopped at one café to get some food, and as we were sitting there outside a protest marched by. I had been told—and some of the other girls too—that protests and riots only ever happen in Athens. It was a huge group marching down the street with Greek flags chanting something. There were police ahead and behind them, and police with riot shields walked and formed a line between the protestors on the street and the people on the sidewalk. The march wasn’t violent though, the police were there as a reminder, just in case, I guess. Some of the girls were freaking out, saying don’t speak English, don’t look at them, but people were running out of their restaurants to see them, so it would be weirder if we avoided looking at them completely. It wasn’t really scary, just a reminder that we are NOT in the USA anymore and have to be careful.

Some went out to get drinks and go clubbing afterwards, but I was tired and headed back with some others early. The girl across the hall couldn’t open her door so she hung out with me for a little bit. I finally got into bed around 1, but people came trickling back home from 2-5, and it’s so loud in the entry hall/common areas—everything echoes—that I couldn’t really sleep for the drunken parade.

I haven’t really met my roommate yet. She wasn’t in the room when I got back home but her stuff was, and then someone introduced me to her when we were heading to the café. We talked for a minute, but she stayed out til 230 and I haven’t really spoken to her. I can already tell she is the life of the party. She’s pretty and outgoing, and already is the leader of the pack, the pack being our building. I guess as a shy person, it’s nice to have a vivacious roommate who will drag me out occasionally, but I’m not really sure how this is going to work, keeping such different hours in so loud and echo-y a place. She’s still asleep, even though her alarm has gone of several times, and I don’t really know what to do. I want to ask her to lunch so we can get to know one another and talk about what we need for the room, etc, but I also don’t want to be a creeper, waiting for her to get up.

Some pictures of my room, the street:

The beginning of my street.

The entrance to my building.

The street my balcony looks over.

 

My balcony is the one with the teal towels.

When you walk in, you’re greeted with my little kitchen thing. The fridge juts out from the wall, and the door behind is the bathroom.

My room: I’m standing by the kitchen stuff to take the picture. My bed is the far one. There’s a little table by my bed, and a more kitchen-y table fits into the wall in the left back corner. The balcony is out the curtain.

The tiny, dirty bathroom, and the shower, the bane of my existence. Can you see how tiny it is from the pictures? I should probably get something in there for size reference, but anyway…..