This morning I went to ELEPAP again. I’m sure you’ve all read about the protests in Athens—there were protests today in Thessaloniki as well. We got an e-mail from the school telling us to avoid certain areas, and one girl’s father was flying in today but was super delayed because of all the striking. The buses were hardly running as well, so even though I got to the stop a half hour early I was still a good twenty minutes late to ELEPAP. When the bus finally arrived it was so jam packed I thought I wouldn’t be able to get on, and I’m one of those that always squeeze on no matter how crowded. Luckily I had struck up a conversation with some Greek ladies at the stop while waiting who literally pulled me on to the bus. I nearly got stuck in the door, but I made it!
The kids were super cute today, as always. One of the girls, the one who talks constantly, hadn’t been there the past few weeks but was there today. She was adorable, keeping up a stream of chatter as she offered me tea and food she cooked in the play kitchen. She pretended to drink out of a cup and I asked her what she was drinking, hot chocolate? She responded with yes, kind of like hot chocolate….but it’s frappe. She then rattled on for a good two minutes about what was in her frappe, why she liked it so much; it was just too cute and oh so hilarious! Even the tiny baby Greeks are obsessed with their coffee!
Her relationship with one of the little boys was adorable too.They were like best friends and a little old married couple—she’d give him a kiss on the cheek and then go bring him a plate and a cup with the food she’d cooked, they’d eat it together and he would “do the dishes” and put the silverware away. It was adorable!
Back at school, we had a meeting today about the Mt. Olympus hike this weekend. It was one of those ACT meetings that last forever without any real information being communicated. We kept trying to pin them down on the weather and how to dress, but they would always respond with, “It can get as cold as 5 degrees at night, but it’s supposed to be very nice weather during the day”. Nice weather? Does that mean sunny but cold, or as warm as could be possible on top of a mountain, or so hot you’ll be stripping off layers? All we wanted, really, was a specific temperature. 15? 20? But nothing. Also, we apparently can’t even get to the tippy-top, because there is still a lot of snow up there. At least we have multiple guides (I think) when we explore the second day so we can split into groups and explore paths of different difficulty levels—looking around the room, there was a lot of variation in athletic ability that has me a little worried.
I made Greek meatballs from scratch today—they actually turned out deliciously. The recipe was from a cookbook Mimi gave to Mom, so it was pretty authentic. Plus, I made way too much and so shared with the building, which I always love doing because I love the building and enjoy feeding them, and they always make me feel good about what I’ve made.
Tonight I went for hookah for the first time since my burn (the burn, by the way, is way better, it just looks like a huge birthmark and I’ve heard comments to that effect). I was a little nervous when they brought out the tea, but I have come through the experience unscathed!
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