ΡΟΔΟΣ

Welcome to Rhodes! The blog is back up and running now that I’m back in Greece! I will probably be posting less frequently but I thought I would update you all on what I’ve been up to so far.

I got on the plane at 4:50 at JFK on Saturday and landed in Rhodes at 3:30 on Sunday. I was picked up by Maria, the summer program coordinator, and taken to the hotel. She’s the cutest, sweetest little Greek lady ever; she calls us all παιδιά and is really helpful with anything we need.

I unpacked and then took a nap in my room. I don’t have a roommate again and it’s a lucky thing; there is even less space here than in Thessaloniki, though there are two beds. There’s a tiny little balcony too. The bathroom is as clean as the one in my room on Papakyriazi but as small as the one that I moved out of the first week in Thess—I feel like a giant.

I was an idiot, however, and remembered to bring my passport but left my wallet with my debit card, credit card, and cash in my car at home! Luckily I have some other money that I was able to exchange for now, and my parents are mailing me my wallet ASAP, but it was pretty nerve-wracking for a while there!

I took a quick nap and then some of the kids took me to the school’s cafeteria where lunch and dinner are free. I don’t know how much I’ll be eating there; the food is free, but it’s unappetizing, bland fair with one option to choose from, and as a foodie, that’s just not going to fly when every restaurant we pass smells so delicious.

Some of the kids showed us around the immediate area a bit but I have to admit, I was so tired I was pretty out of it. I went to bed fairly early and slept like a log. Today I explored after class, and I recognized a lot of the places they showed me and was able to place them spatially in my head.

At 9:00 I met Maria in the lobby and she took me to my class—the university buildings are spread out all around this part of the city, and mine happens to be on the same street as the hotel, literally 2 minutes away (The program is set up in 3 week installments; I’ll be spending three weeks studying Greek language, the next three weeks studying Greek Mythology, and then we’re embarking on a ten-day study tour around the mainland. Some of the kids have been here for three weeks already and left yesterday, some are staying, and some are new like me and may be staying for 3 or 6 weeks). The building looks deserted, and I’m pretty sure my professor and I were the only people in there. I am the only person taking Greek level three, and when I found out I would be alone I was a little nervous because I was not sure if I put myself in the right level, if it would be too hard, etc. As it turns out, the book we use is the same one my class in Nashville used, and he started us out earlier in the book. We did a lot of grammatical review today, which was helpful, but he said I spoke much better than he anticipated so we will be able to move along quickly, seeing as I’m the only one in the class. My professor is an adorable little old Greek man who does a lot of “Now the word ____ comes from the Greek word ___, meaning ____” like the father in My Big Fat Greek Wedding. I’ll have class for 2-2 1/2 hours every day in the mornings, and the afternoons are free to do what I like.

This afternoon I explored Rhodes by myself. The weather today (and expected for the next week) is 75-80 and perfectly sunny, and since it’s an island it’s always a little windy so that helps to keep cool. The city itself is absolutely beautiful, there are gardens and parks everywhere. My hotel is in New Town two streets back from the beach—the beach on this side of town is more rocky and windy, but there are still plenty of crispy red tourists to be found. A nicer beach is ten minutes away on the “calm side” of the island; apparently it will never really take more than 10-15 minutes to walk anywhere. Old Town is the medieval part of Rhodes that was there when Rhodes had knights; its two walls and a moat (dry now) are still there separating it from New Town, and once you cross over you step back in time to a place of cobblestone streets, small alleyways, and Byzantine architecture, complete with castle and a mosque. It’s absolutely gorgeous, and I explored a lot of it today.

That’s how most of today went; exploring by myself and with some of the other kids after dinner. There are a lot of cool places we came across, and others the kids who have been here for three weeks already showed us. There’s a café with free wifi in New Town that was beautiful, with lights and a fountain, a bar in Old Town that’s so tiny you can’t even go inside but they have dollar shots on Fridays and Saturdays, and Bar Street about three minutes from our hotel. I’ll fill you in on more as I discover more.

As for now, it’s still relatively early but I’m still exhausted from the traveling and the time difference, so I’m heading to bed. I can’t wait to fill you in on all the fun, exciting things that are sure to come my way!