The Door Has Finally Shut

I spent my last evening in Greece with a Greek family for a birthday party. Boy was that a rewarding experience. I wanted so much to be in a real Greek house and experience the lifestyle and finally my last day I was given the opportunity :) I was able to experience first hand the incredible love of the parents for their children. It was very rewarding. I've been back in the United States for a little over a day now. I'm still so jet lagged that i went to sleep incredibly early and woke up at six. Ha not so pleasant. On the plane i watched alice in wonderland, dear john, and shutter island. Since I was unable to sleep because I was so sad..The first thing I noticed when I landed in Chicago is A. no more dominant dark features B. How different the attitudes here are.

While we were waiting for our next plane I ran over to the starbucks and got a frappacino- boy did i miss those :) When we finally landed in minneapolis i was greeted by two of my friends and my mother and sister. The second I saw my friends i started saying oh no please dont run..please dont run... hahah they didnt but they def walked very quickly towards me. They made me cup cakes that spelled out welcome back. Boy do i love those girls... Then my mother and my sister took me to taco bell. Then i came home and finished my paper and talked to my other best friend on the phone for quite a bit. I think I'll see her sunday which will be nice. Yesterday I spent most of the day doing nothing.. and freaking out and cleaning my room. its still soooooo messy its making me so anxious. I got ot see my boys though :) im bringing them to the zoo next week im so excited. Went to sleep early... and here i am. Woke up at 5 am. Today is my brothers graduation party. Then I think I'll go see a few friends.. I won't stay long though because I'm still a zombie. Class starts monday. Work starts tuesday.

Not sure if I'll continue to write on this blog, we shall see.

All good things come to an end..

Today is my last day in Greece. Although all my bags are packed I can't comprehend that I'm actually leaving this incredible country... I will miss the chill lifestyle, or as the greeks call it, "halara" :) Just sit down and drink a frappe no biggie..! As I've sad many time before, I can't believe its already time to go.. I'm so adapted to my life here that I can't imagine leaving it.

Monday I finished up my finals, in ecology I got a 98% on the final! I'm pretty proud of myself. I will finish my philosophy paper on religion on my 5 hor layover in Switzerland. Tuesday I finished up all my shopping for my friends and family, as well as myself of course.. :) I also said goodbye to my incredible Greek loves. Boy will I miss them...Then I my friend chelsea and I had our last hurrah... It was definitely an amazing last night! Perfect ending.. :) Today I packed and had a frappe.. I leave tonight at 2 15 am for the airport. I won't sleep because there is no point in it and I have no bed, so I'm basically just going to stay up for 48 hours. I will be a crabby bear when I reach Minnesota finally!! Signomi my family...

Goodbye Greece, you've been great, you've changed my life more then you could possibly know. I will leave my heart with you, take care of it.

One Week Remaining...The Good and the Bad

I leave a week from today. Where did all the time go? The weeks here have flown by.. I have finals tomorrow, friday, and monday, however it is impossible to take them seriously.. All I want to do is enjoy my last moments in this incredible country. Today I bought some picture frames and printed some picture of me and some Greek loves to give them as going away gifts. It will be very difficult to leave them. They will be what I miss most about Greece. I wish I could bring them all home with me!!
What I will miss about Greece..

My Greek loves 1st and foremost,as already mentioned
Gyros
Crepas
The beaches and weather
The shopping
The laidback attitude
The unconditional love of the families
Bars being open until between 4-9am
University parties
The tavernas
The ocean
The mountains
8ball
Silver dollar and Boss
Wabbit Hunting
Walking home from an night out in the daylight
Walking everywhere
It being normal to be 20 min late for everything (I"m really good at that)
Navarinou Square
It being ok to stare at everyone

The list is endless... I would be rambling for days if I tried to list them all

What I won't miss..
The lack of air conditioning
Having prepaid phones
Not having a dryer
The buses
The constant protests/riots

What I can't wait for at home:
My family
My friends
Taco bell
Subway
My truck
My jetski
UWEC
Working at Applebees
Babysitting my boys :) :)


I'm going to end this blog with a inbox message I received from the lovely Jackie Brigg....
(Pane is the nick name for the apt building we live in- Panepistemou)


The first week at Pane my true friends shared with me...
disdain for the siiixxxteeeen

The second week at Pane my true friends shared with me…
2 weeks of traveling and disdain for the siiixxteeeen

The third week at Pane my true friends shared with me…
3 strikes from Spilio, 2 weeks of traveling and disdain for the siiixxteeeen

The fourth week at Pane my true friends shared with me…
4 story beer bongs, 3 strikes from Spilio, 2 weeks of traveling and disdain for the siiixxteeeen

The fifth week at Pane my true friends shared with me…
5 protests a day, 4 story beer bongs, 3 strikes from Spilio, 2 weeks of traveling and disdain for the siiixxteeeen

The sixth week at Pane my true friends shared with me…
6 closets of clothes, 5 protests a day, 4 story beer bongs, 3 strikes from Spilio, 2 weeks of traveling and disdain for the siiixxteeeen

The seventh week at Pane my true friends shared with me…
7 days of partying, 6 closets of clothes, 5 protests a day, 4 story beer bongs, 3 strikes from Spilio, 2 weeks of traveling and disdain for the siiixxteeeen

The eighth week at Pane my true friends shared with me…
8 late assignments, 7 days of partying, 6 closets of clothes, 5 protests a day, 4 story beer bongs, 3 strikes from Spilio, 2 weeks of traveling and disdain for the siiixxteeeen

The ninth week at Pane my true friends shared with me…
9 knocks from Igor, 8 late assignments, 7 days of partying, 6 closets of clothes, 5 protests a day, 4 story beer bongs, 3 strikes from Spilio, 2 weeks of traveling and disdain for the siiixxteeeen

The tenth week at Pane my true friends shared with me…
10 gyros a month, 9 knocks from Igor, 8 late assignments, 7 days of partying, 6 closets of clothes, 5 protests a day, 4 story beer bongs, 3 strikes from Spilio, 2 weeks of traveling and disdain for the siiixxteeeen

The eleventh week at Pane my true friends shared with me…
11 glares on the 58, 10 gyros a month, 9 knocks from Igor, 8 late assignments, 7 days of partying, 6 closets of clothes, 5 protests a day, 4 story beer bongs, 3 strikes from Spilio, 2 weeks of traveling and disdain for the siiixxteeeen

The twelfth week at Pane my true friends shared with me…
12 HOURS OF BUFFALO, 11 glares on the 58, 10 gyros a month, 9 knocks from Igor, 8 late assignments, 7 days of partying, 6 closets of clothes, 5 protests a day, 4 story beer bongs, 3 strikes from Spilio, 2 weeks of traveling and disdain for the siiixxteeeen

I'll write a real blog in a few days, this was just one I felt the need to write

Unconditional Love

I officially leave Greece 3 weeks from today. Seems like I just got back from spring break, I can't believe it is already May 20th! 3 weeks is not enough time.. I think I will have to find some sort of device that allows my life to continue here but the acutal days to stop passing. I'm not ready for the stress of the states yet..

I have spent a lot of time with Greeks that have never been to the United States, and it is mindblowing how differently their lives operate on the subject of families. Although the parents here have a hard time letting their children leave the nest, they are completely supportive of their children in everything they do. They are respected as people, and are given absolute unconditional love. Although I know most parents love their children unconditionally in the states as well, they do not trust them to make their own decisions. I was talking to a friend who was telling me that he can't imagine families that fight and don't get along, and I told him I can't imagine families that don't fight and can always get along.

I, of course, see these attitudes only from the people I know, so things may not be as perfect as I think...

There are many things in Greece in which I do not agree with, however this respect and laidback manner families partake in truly outshines all the negatives with its' goodness. I hope that as an adult if I have children I can be like the Greek parents (however when they are ready to leave the nest I will let them, I am a strong believer in independence).

I do not really have anything else to say today, this topic of families has just been on my mind lately. It is a different kind of love that I found fascinating, I do not really have words for it. This weekend I hope to go to the beach 2 days since we do not have class on Monday, we will see if the weather agrees with that desire or not! Only one more paper to write until finals. It is kind of a relief! Now to make myself do it... we shall see.

And the Heat Persists...

On Thursday night, the anarchists set off a bomb in Athens in a government building. Friday afternoon, here in Thessaloniki, a bomb went off in the courthouse 10 minutes from my apartment, also due to the anarachists. Apparently the media got tip offs about both situations prior to the explosion, so only two people were hurt when it could have been MUCH more serious. Although I do not agree with blowing up buildings ot make a statement, I do respect that those in charge gave a warning in order to avoid deaths. They are just looking for the media to make their voices heard, which is the one part of the situation I can respect.

Obviously the situation here is getting much worse VERY fast. They are adding some type of additional fence on top of the original around the Aristotle campus. I assume this is to decrease the number of molotov cocktails that get thrown at the cops by the rioters (cops are not allowed on the aristotle university campus because a student was killed by the police there many years ago so it is used for a refuge. It is good to see that they are taking precautions, however it is interesting to see that it is deemed necessary.. Now that summer is approaching and the laws decreasing incomes and adding taxes will be making their impact, things are bound to get a little out of control. Well, more then they have been in the past that is. This situation has been going on since long before I arrived here, I just happen to be spending the semester here as it is accelerating. It is interesting to know both sides of the greek country.. I never would have given two shits about the situation if I wasn't living here, but now it is becoming part of everyday life.

Enough about that!

This weekend two of my friends as well as myself went home with our greek friend to her village in the mountains. It was beautiful! The weather was very unpleasant, however we managed to have a nice, relaxed weekend. Friday night we went to a taverna and hen saturday we went into the city and tried some amazing food :) Saturday night we just hung around again.. The weekend was all about relaxation, which was a nice change from my usual fast pace. Not going to lie though, it is very nice to be home again. Whenever I leave Thess I find myself missing it more then the previous time. My apartment isn't much, but it is home.

Some interesting things about Greece I've discovered:
-If you get caught by the ticket people on the bus without one and you are a college student of a good enough major they will not charge you the 36 euro (I've seen this happen)
-Here, you must carry your id on you at all times and if the cops ask you and you don't have it they can take you to the police station and make you prove who you are, however if you say you are a student they will generally let you go.
-Instead of taking the drivers test to get your license, greeks can pay 300 euro and will receive the license without taking the test (this will be the course of action for my greek friend mary because she is a horrid driver).

It is interesting how strict the government pretends to be but how BIASED they are... It is rather frustrating... I do not know how to react to it. It is not my country so it is not fair for me to judge, however I come from a country where we TRY to make everyone equal. Granted, we do not always do a good job of it, however something like this would NEVER happen in the united states. Also, no wonder some greeks are such poor drivers! As long as you have the 300 euro to pay anyone can get their license! No matter how long I'm here I do not think I will ever truly get the greek culture, it is so different from everything that I have ever experienced...

However I still love Greece unconditionally :) <3

I think by the time I have to go home I might be ready for it..I will obviously be very upset to leave a place that I have formed such a deep connection to as well as irreplaceable friendships, but I'm finally starting to get a LITTLE bit homesick

We will see.

Let's Start A Riot

A lot had happened since my last blog. I attended my friend John's album release for his band Funky Monkey. Awesome show! There is no doubt about their fame, I can't wait to see the band take off. He is such an amazing individual, he deserves the fame and will get the credit he deserves.

Recently there have been a number of riots in Greece (the 5th and 6th of May) pertaining to the income cuts and taxes that the government is implementing upon the country. The country is on the verge of bankruptcy, and in order to get bailed out by the EU the had to find a way to show Germany that they have some stability. What is happening is quite the opposite.. Tuesday there were peaceful protests in Thess and Athens. Many of the public sectors were on strike (which is nothing out of the ordinary) and we assumed Wednesday would be the same. Not exactly.. I generally head to school at 1 45 pm to catch the 2 pm bus. My friend sent me a text and informed me that the riots were encompassing the entireity of Egnatia( the main street we go to get on the buses) and were blocking off all the buses. Accompanied with Molotov Cocktails, rioters flee to Aristotle College because the polics are not allowed on campus. Needless to say Artistotle College was closed that day to ensure the safety of the students. Riots marched along the streets, smashing store and fast food windows along the way. There were fires, and the cops used tear gas to control the riots.

In Athens it was far worse. Compared to the 20,000 rioters in Thess, there were 100,000 in Athens. Accompanied also with their Molotov Cocktails, several buildings were lit on fire, and 3 people ended up dying in a bank, one of which who was pregnant. Because of the deaths, the riots were called off for the rest of the day, however they could flare up at any point. They are called on short notice and go about without order. Although many of the rioters were taken back by the deaths caused, I don't think they will remain silent for long. Not until Greece gets bailed out that is. I don't think that violence is the proper way to handle the situation, however I do understand their anger. The government sucks. The deaths and the riots have shaken Germany some, so we will see how they respond. Greece is not feeling the weight of their economy yet, but they will soon. And then all hell will break loose. There was an Anarchist meeting about a mile from my apartment on Thuesday. According to the study abroad program in my university at home, I live in a Danger Zone.

Although most people would be a little worried about living only a quarter mile away from a main rioting outlet, I am not. I live in residental area, and even though they are targeting American facilities, I do not feel theatened. All the Greeks that I have met appreciate us coming to understand their culture, and are more then welcoming. It is very interesting to be thrown in the mix of everything. If I were in America, I would have cared less about the subject, however it surrounds me. Everyday. It is fascinating as well as eye-opening.

Last weekend I went to the beach! Never have I seen such clear water! They don't make it like that in the States! It's mid to high 80's here everyday so it is becoming increasingly difficult to convince myself to go to school... I basically only go because I have so many tests, papers, and presentations due within the next few weeks.. Bleh! Luckily, I do not have an exam the day before I leave or I would have been screwed.. I would have been packed 0%!! I leave a month from yesterday. No thaaannkkks! Let us just rewind the clock back a few months and call it good, ok? Thanks!

Sunday night was my good friend Samanthas 21st birthday. I bought her a cake and after dinner myself as well as my other good friend Chelsea presented her and Alex's (the best bartender ever) cakes to them at Silver Dollar. They let me go in the back of the bar! I totally work there now :) They just don't know it!! After samatha consumed a decent amount of alcohol, we went with some new acquaintainces to a hip hop club. Terrifying! We were the only white people in the club... Ir was a little intimidating considering the majority of the people in the bar were the men that sell the purses and the sunglasses on the street illegally. I suppose that is a little discriminating to assume, however it was more their manner in how they treated us and looked at us that made me so uncomfortable... Needless to say I hid behind my friends the whole time!

This weekend I am going home with my friend Tina to her hometown of Kastoria! They are having their house cleaned for our stay, and I'm very excited. Next week: presentation monday, paper tuesday, and paper thursday, then tattoo on thursday. At least it ends well right? Then off to Halkidiki and back in time for Panos and Spayks show and writing another huge paper! Too much to do in too little time!!!!!

My heredity may not be Greek, but my heart sure is

Sunday, I watched my wonderful friend Chelsea finish her marathon; boy was that a rewarding experience! When I first saw her coming I felt like a mother with her sheep, I was so proud of her! This amazing young lady spent two week on spring break with me without running, and then when she was suppose to resume she was sick for a week. Still she beat her best time! Shows how good of shape she is in. Chelsea is a very strong individual. She makes me want to set my goals higher, as she proves to us all that anything can be accomplished. I intend to be able to run a marathon as well within the next couple of years, it has always been something I have wanted to do. After meeting her, I know that if she can start at mile one and be able to complete this feat on several occasions I will be able to do it as well. I definitely feel blessed to have her in my life, and I feel like she makes me a better person. Love that girl!

So my parents are here! I thought that I would be shocked to see them, however it feels like they were never even out of my life.It is very nice to have them here, it's pleasant to rememberw what home is like. Sometimes I forget what life was like before I came here... Greece fills me bottom up with everything that I need. I miss friends from home, however I have a few amazing individuals here who I intend to keep with me forever. I've started spending time with several Greek people. It's fascinating to discuss our differences, as well as our similarities. We are all just people. I am able to connect with a few Greek girls far beyond what I anticipated; it will be sad to say goodbye.

I head home in a month and a half... I don't want to. If I wasn't taking a class as of june 14 and had more money I would stay all summer. There are not any available Grad schools for psych that have english, or I would come back. It is sad to think that I may never return to this incredible place; I've never felt so as home as I do here. At UWEC this year, I have always felt like the odd man out now that my best friend Abbey transfered schools. I have friends there, but I just feel isolated... In Greece, I don't have that problem. Even with the economy problems, corrupt government, all of it! I want it all. The people fit. We miss the world passing us by in America. The greeks take the time to enjoy it. I hope that I don't forget this when I return to the states. My eyes have definetly been opened and I hope that they never shut. Thus the blog writing, I hope to be able to look back on my experiences and appreciate them for what they are, and what they were all over again.

This weekend I am suppose to go with the other study abroad students to Athens, however I choose not to. With all the projects, papers, and presentations galore, I'm going to use the weekend to relax and slow done. I had enough GO GO GO over spring break, I think that I am afriad that my time here will go to fast if I continue to be busy. I'll spend the weekend working on a project, as well as getting better to know these incredible new greek friends that have entered my life, as time is limited with them.

Highlights of my Spring Break

Naughty/Interesting Things That Took Place Over Spring Break:

1. We jumped a fence in Pompeii so we could take pictures of a blocked off area.
2. We went into a garden at Capri that was clearing marked private property because the gate was open.
3. We crashed another hotels sitting area and drank boxes of wine in Rome.
4. We got kicked out of that same sitting area a few days later when we were homeless and ended up eating our grocery store dinners on the side of the road like hobos.
5. We slept on the freezing cold floor at the Roman airport with the homeless people.
6. We saw the Coliseum- enough said.
7. We rode camels at the pyramids of Giza in Egypt.
8. We wore were sometimes asked to wear headdresses at the mosques we visited, which we did out of respect for the religion because we were in THEIR holy place, even though we felt a little degraded as women.
9. Everyone in the hotel we stayed in at Cairo knew who we were, and a few even told us they were sad to see us go.
10. Chelsea grew very sick while we were still in Cairo, and now I am incredibly ill as well, hoping it is not hookworm or malaria or something else unpleasant that can be contracted in Africa.
11. We were too scared to cross the street (Egyptians drive CRAZY, way worse than the Greeks or the Italians) or go outside again from the heckling and following of Egyptian men so we had the bell boy go get us food.
12. We slept in a mixed room at a hostel in Rome with two tiny Asians boys that were asleep by 9- hence or crashing the other hotels sitting area.
13. We realized how much we love Greece, and how homesick we were for it!!

Egypt

The day we checked out of our hotel we left our stuff with them for the day and wandered, but that evening when it came to be dinner time we realized we were homeless.. We bought dinner from the grocery store then sam, chels, and I went up to a different floors hotel couch area to eat it. We had sat up there before so we thought it would be fine.. 10 min later we got kicked out and we ended up eating dinner on the side of the street!! After that, we went across the street and got a couple cheap drinks at the bar in order to kill time and drown out our sorrows.

Sooo the night in the airport was not all that fun.. We slept on the floor at the airport with all the homeless people! It was freeezing!! I only slept for 45 min all night, but i did get 8 postcards written! We met some girls at the airport in athens that were studying abroad in cairo so they gave us lots of tips which was reassuring! They helped us get our visas and transfer money. As soon as we left customs our driver was waiting for us, and he spent the hour drive trying to teach us a few words in arabic and we listened to arabic music. Until we got to the hotel I was trying to convince myself that he wasnt kidnapping us because I am a worry wart!!

The hotel was amazing.. apparently 191 euros goes a looooong way in egypt for a hotel and tour. we stayed in a 4 star hotel which over looked the pyramids. we had one room with two beds in it, a tv, and a dresser, and a second room that was a livining room with a second tv( i slept on the pull out bed) and then a very nice bathroom. room service was free, and one day we even got the bell boy to go get us food because we were too scaredto cross the street!! our first evening we ordered food from the restaurant downstairs and just vegged out and watched tv.
We were not a hundred percent sure about the time difference but we thought our estimate was correct.. boy were we wrong!! The next morning we woke up at what we thought was 7 am so we could get ready and go get free breakfast at 8. Pick up by our tour guide at 8 30. At “9” we were getting worried, so we called the person in charge. Apparently he was still sleeping, and didn’t make any sense when Chelsea talked to him. Eventually she said, “sir, are you awake now?” and when he went on with his babble she hung up. A few minutes later he called back and we asked where the guide was. He was confused.. Chelsea said, “ Sir what time do you think it is?” Turns out we called him at 7 am instead of 9… meaning we got up at 5 am!!!! Needless to say we went back to sleep for an hour!!

That first day we went to the pyramids of Giza, Memphis, the Sphinx, the Valley Temple, went camel riding, the original statue of Ramses, the Sakkara pyramids, the step pyramid, the Titi Pyramid, and the Mere-Ruka tomb. It was a CRAZY day!! The Sphinx and the pyramids were incredible. Riding a camel with them surrounding us topped off the entire experience; I don’t think I could have been happier!! I also thought the step pyramid was pretty incredible because I remember learning about Imhotep in high school. The tomb had all original hieroglyphs on the walls, which was impossible to fully comprehend. I can’t even grasp that those painting are 2 thousand years old! That day, our guide Mahmud taught us something cool about statues. Apparently if the beard is straight the person it was made for got to see it completed, but if it was curled then the important person died before it was finished.

The second day, we visited the Egyptian Museum which includes the golden collection of the burial chamber of King Tutankhamun. Then we went to see Mohamed Ali Mosque, the Hanging Church & Ben-Ezra Synagogue. The museum was unreal because there were anything from chairs to sandals found there. I can’t believe it survived so long! I really enjoyed the mosques, because the art and architecture is nothing like all the cathedrals I saw in Italy. Everything is made into geometric shapes, and they are much smaller. The hanging church was literally off the ground, which I found to be pretty neat. That day we also bought bracelets with our names on them in hieroglyphs which we had been looking for, and I also got one for my best friend Abbey. We went to a papyrus place as well, and through bargaining I bought one with the last judgment on it and a second with the Egyptian calendar on it for only 200 egyptian lbs. I am going to give the second one to my friend Ashley for her birthday! They make the papyruses exactly how the ancient Egyptians did.

The third day, we drove to Alexandria were we saw the Roman Catacombs, a Roman theater, Alexandria Great Library, Qaitbay Citadel & Montazah Royal Palace. Everything was very enjoyable except for the library… I expected it to have history relating to Alexander the Great (considering it was originally made because of him, as well as the city), however it turned out to just be a library. Not quite sure why we were brought there. The palace we saw was where all of the last king of Egypt’s wives lived. I found that entertaining! Alexandria is a coastal city, so we spent a lot of time walking around taking pictures. We returned at 7 pm, just in time for the mentalist  (a show we started watching nightly in Egypt)

Our last tour day, we went to Rifae Mosque, Sultan Hassan Mosque, and Ebn Tulun Mosque. We were suppose to visit a few other places because it was Islamic Cairo day for us, however Chelsea was feeling very sick and we cut it short. At the mosques we were required to wear the muslim head dresses on our heads, which we did only because of respect even though we felt degraded. We returned home very early, and then Sam and I decided to go for a walk for shopping. We made it about 2 blocks before we turned around.. The entire stay we had been in touristy areas and with a guide, and didn’t realize what the men are like elsewhere.. Men followed us, yelled to us, honked their horns, you name it. We experienced that in Italy as well, however Egyptian men were just too much to handle.. That’s the only negative thing I have to say about the country. Egypt is amazing. I didn’t want to leave it. I’ve never done well in ritzy areas like Italy was, I prefer how life is seen in Egypt. Yes, they are poor, but the country is getting better and has so much to offer.


The people working at our hotel were wonderful! Everyone that worked there knew who we were and what our room number was! The people at the front desk let us charge our ipods with them, and we spent a good deal of time talking. One girl who worked there, (I can’t pronounce her name) told us she was sad we were leaving and that she would miss us! We definitely stood out at the hotel, due to our age. Everyone else there was either a family or they were Asians and Indians. One Euro = 7.5 Egyptian lbs, so we must have looked wealthy! Meals were like 20 lbs.. which is about 3 euro. Which food was that cheap in good ‘ol Thess!!

My parents are coming on Thursday!!! I’m so excited to see them!! They are getting really excited, they are planning day trips and looking up stuff on how not to look like a tourist hahahha! I’m excited. That’s all for now.. There is so much more to say but my fingers hurt!!!!

Rome

Spent the last four days in Rome... It was not what I exepcted. the Colloseum was amazing. It has beeni something I have been wanting to see for my entire life. We went on a guided tour, which was def. worth the money. It was nice to see how much of what was in gladiator is actually true!! The next day we went the the Vatican, and got to see the Sistine Chapel and St. Peters and the pope. the chapel was cool because we learnd all about the last judgement in my art class and I got to see it for real!

that evening we realized that the sights of italy are amazing, however the culture and the people are not. Italians are rude. They hate americans and heckle you constantly. They also attempt to rip you off in anyway possible. Needless to say after the vatican we had had enough... Becky left yesterday morning and the rest of us decided to avoid the touristy sites and just wander. We went to the Trevi fountain, the temple of Adrian and all that, but we stayed away from the other tourists. The people ruin it. Somehow we wandered to this artsy square where there were artists selling and making paintings on the street. That helped change our mood because it was the italy we had been expected to see. I bought a painting from a guy on the street that made it completely out of spray paint. its beautiful. not sure how i will travel with it but i decided that I did not really care. I wanted it! We also saw a really creepy old man putting on a puppet show, and that that pretty entertaining.

haha to tell you the truth we have been spending a lot of time in the train station and at the mcdonalds for coffee. It is the only place that people dont stare at us and pester us. Ugh!! done with italy!! We did not realize how long 2 weeks truly was. Also, we see how much we adore Greece. It has become our home, and I cant wait to go back!!! I think this spring break and how we were treated in italy will make us appeciate Thessaloniki even more then before. Boy do I love that place :) Not to mention I miss the food!! :) what I would do for a gyro right now...

Tonight the 3 of us have to spend the night in the airport because we check in for our flight at 6 am. haha we are bringing cards to play, and will be filling out lots of post cards FINALLY. I will def. take a nap.... good ol airport sleeping, not the first time i have done it! :) I am very exciting for Egypt tomorrow.... We get to see the pyramids the next day and ride camels!! I think the food and the muslim culture in Africa will be interesting to experience as well. YEESSSSSSSSSSS Cannot wait!!!!! We have a tour guide the whole time, so I think our time there will fllllyyy by. All the time I have to type now, my time at the internet cafe is about to run out!!
<3 Brit

Ciao!

I'm in Italy!

It was a full 24 hours of traveling to get to Naples between the airplanes, trains, and buses oh my! We arrived at our hostel at about 10 pm friday night, and were created by Giovanni. Lets just say there is a reason that his hostel is rated top ten in the world. It is cheap, and he is very welcoming. He made us a map of sites to see, and what not see. Apparently the mafia controls a good third of the ton and he put a big x on the area, telling us not to go there. Personally I think the whole mafia thing is fascinatig and i would love to chill with them.... haha. Sam and I decided that wer were going to join, or at least have boyfriends in the mafia.

Our first full day here we followed the site seeing guide he provided us. We saw a few churches, did some good shopping, saw a castle, and had some bomb pizza. Sam and I toold a ridiculous amount of pictures with graffiti on the walls, my mother will be so proud! :) We also went to see a tunnel that is under the city. The first part used to be an amphitheater and a stage for the actors that was not discovered until 11 years ago and its 1200 years old, and another portion was greek aqueducts. This were pretty cool! These were used later in 40's as bomb shelters. There was one part of the tunnel that we could only see our way through the use of candles. I fell down of course! haha. I also bought a small purse, a dress, and a pair of boots earlier that day! That evening Giovanni made us dinner and played us songs on his guitar. He is truly an interesting specimen.

Today we ventured to pompeii! Definitely a place worth seeing. We all took an obscene amount of pictures and got a little rosy. Tomorrow we are going to the island of Capri and having a beach day :) it will be a very nice change from all the running around that we have been doing! Less expensive as well, I'm pretty sure my wallet is crying silently... Tuesday we are off to rome for the colleseum, Wednesday the Vatican, and then not really sure of our plans the next few days after we part with Becky... We shall see! Love Italy but I miss Greece already. I consider it my home. I'm pretty sure my heart is Greek and my genetics just got screwed up. Thats all for now, there are only 2 computers at the hostel had to make it quick!

Close Call

Sooo.... I've decided that by the time I leave Greece I will get hit by a car/motorcycle/moped at least once. Today was a very close call... I woke up early to go for a run before class, and when i was walking through some traffic where they had a red light a motorcycle stopped an inch from me. I didn't see him because I was walking past a bus and he was weaving around cars... haha needless to say I screamed and my heart jumped out of my chest a little. I'm pretty sure leaving this country without a collision is unavoidable because absent-minded me + crazy greek drivers = baaaaad.... haha. At least I am prepared for it!

So last weekend when I was shopping I saw two very interesting things... The first was a group of junkies smoking pot in the middle of the street in the afternoon. I asked one of my Greek friends later why they do not get in trouble and apparently everyone here has close connections with the cops. As long as they know you you don't have to worry about any consequences. You just stop what you are doing if they are around and they dismiss it. I thought that was interesting because Greece seems to make such a big deal about being totally against drugs, but the government is so corrupt that they do nothing. It is just interesting to see how things work in different countries, I wonder if people look at everything wrong with the US when they come to see us!

The second interesting thing I saw was a man laying in the grass on the side of the sidewalk. At first, I payed no mind to him, but as I passed him Sam and I realized that his pants were down to his knees and he was DEFINITELY exposed... All I had to say was wow. Middle of the day, busy area, no one does anything. I love the Greek attitude of no one caring, but I could have gone without seeing that!! hahaha.

So last night I starting looking into grad schools... Boy is that a bucket of stress all over again. I'm thinking about coming back to Greece after I graduate from Eau Claire in spring of 2011.... More like I'm just entertaining the idea... Aristotle University which is like a block from where I live now has a Graduate Program in Social Psychology. I emailed the school to see if it is even a possibility and also emailed my psych professor here to see where some other Psych Grad Schools in Greece are.I realize me coming back for grad school is VERY unlikely but a girl can dream!! I also started looking into Grad schools in the Twin Cities, Chicago, and L.A. I am determined to go to grad school in a big city so I can do an internship there and end up staying. We shall see. So much to do! Sorry for all the letters from grad schools you are going to get in the mail Mana!! (mother) I get to see my parents a week after I get back I'm very excited! Showing them around the city and introducing them to the Greek culture is something I have been looking forward to since they bought their tickets!!

Leave for Athens tomorrow night... Ecstatic :) Italy the next morning! Watch out world here I come :)

Tonight I am going to hang out with some Greek friends, do some laundry, and perhaps pack... hahah no I'll pack tomorrow... Oh how I adore the Greek ways! I'm starting to get really attached. Can I just stay forever?
I'll try to write a post while I'm in Italy or Egypt... We shall see...
<3 Brit

Here the picture of my new tattoo as promised. I adore it. Only 100 euro which suprises me. Sorry mom... I did not want you to see it until you had to but...

The picture on the left was taken on a walk way at my school. Beautiful right? The ocean and mountains are in the distance. This overlooks Thessaloniki.

So the past few weeks? Crazy. I leave for Italy on Thursday night. Can't wait!! Egypt after.. I was looking up the dangerous animals in Egypt.... Eeek Camel spiders, scorpions, and snakes galore! the whole giant spiders thing makes me a little nervous... I may have some troubles sleeping. However, I am ecstatic about riding a camel at the pyramids though :) With the pyramids of Giza and the colleseum I will be visiting 2 of the 7 wonders of the world over spring break! Not to brag or anything... :)

This Wednesday was St Patricks Day. Somehow I lucked out and had all my classes randomly cancelled on Thursday and I never have class on Fridays so Wednesday I went out to celebrate. There was an irish bar here that threw a huge celebration and basically every study abroad study from ACT went. It was a BLAST! I got to talk to friends that I rarely see at school, which was nice. There was lots of free shots and hats, and my friend Melissa was even given a really nice Jameson glass!! Overall, it was a good night, even though the majority of us had a bit too much to drink. We brought a few of our greek friends with us to the bar. They had never heard of the holiday before. As we tried to explain it, we realized we didn't really know much about hte holiday, just that we use it as a reason to drink in America and wear green. They kind of thought we were crazy! haha.

Friday night I went to my first party at the local university with several of my greek friends. They all attend that university. Now that is an interesting experience. The campus is covered with graffiti, and cops are not allowed on campus, so as you can imagine there are all types of illegal things going on out in the open... Very interesting nonetheless, I would not mind going to one again!

Last night i went to something called a Bit Bazaar, which looked like I had walked into The sisterhood of the traveling pants. There were dozens and dozens of chairs and tables set up outside and in restaurant/bars where people just drink and eat a little. Conversing. Ouzo is very common at these gatherings, which I think is a very gross, strong white drink that tastes like black licorice. I chose to remain sober.

Tuesday I have my first midterm. I'm a little nervous, but glad that I am getting one done before we leave for Spring Break for two and a half weeks. Recently I have been learning many phrases from Greek friends:

endaksee=ok ya sou= hello ya mas= cheers malaka= asshole

to ksero= I know poso kanis? = How much? Pos = what

te kanis? How are you kala, esi? = good, you? kalimera= good morning

adio= goodbye

and many many more!! It is very nice knowing greek people because I can ask them anything!! I only wrote them down here because I would like to be able to remenber them later.

The weather is gorgeous here. This week I sat out on my friends balcony for 45 minutes because it is just getting so nice. 70 degrees tomorrow!! :) Although I would like to write more, I really need to start studying for my Psychology exam.... Hopefully I'll get a chance to write again before I leave this week!

<3>

Greek Apathy

So I think it is safe to say that my writing on here will never become constant. I've always been the type that gets distracted easily, so living in a foreign country amplifies it without a doubt. Not to mention the Greeks are all very lazy and just don't care about much... I've adapted to the fact that not even the teacher will be to class on time. It's interesting. In Eau Claire I've always been that girl that arrives to class 2 minutes before it starts and be the last one there... Now you come to class two minutes before and the class room is empty. Next year will be restricting... haha.

Yesterday, my professor cancelled my psychology class for next thursday. I of course was overjoyed. Bad idea. Turns out that in Greece in a professor cancells a class often times they have a make up class. That is bizarre to me. A make up class?? Why? They are the ones that are not coming to class! Anyways, so next Tuesday instead of having Psychology from 11:30-13:00 I have it from 11:00-14:00!! Ha. Awesome day.

I received a package from Mama Dog on Monday!! Got a few more books... shirts... season of house... candy.. fruit snacks... :) Needless to say the candy is almost gone and the fruit snacks already are.... Turns out Greeks have never had fruit snacks! I gave my friends Alex, Christos, and Demetris some and they were scared to try them! I was asked why they are not shaped like fruit and they though that they were too sweet. I found it hilarious of course. I'm sure I appear exactly the same way when I'm scared to try the things they eat on a regular basis though!

It's only 50's outside right now... I miss the 60's :( It's warmed in Minnesota and Wisconsin then it is in Greece! However, on a positive note, I am getting another tattoo today! I am getting seize the day in greek on the side that doesn't already have a tattoo. It looks like this: Αδράξτε την ημέρα I'm excited! I talked to my rockstar friend John about where he goes for his tats and he showed me his place. I'm starting to think I should get that boys autograph. haha. I'll put pictures of the new ink up as soon as I get it :) My friends Chelsea and Sam are going to accompany me and then I'm headed to SD to meet up with some other friends.

I leave for Italy in 2 weeks from today!! I'm ECSTATIC about it! We have all of our hostels in Italy payed for, as well as our tour, hotels, and transportation payed for in Egypt. Three days of class this week, three the week after, and then off we go! I've accepted that I'm going to melt in Egypt. It will be 90 degrees there when I go, but women can not where shorts or tank tops there. Bah. Good thing I'm going with friends so there is no one to impress!!
<3 Brit

I should probably start paying attention in psych 340 instead of writing poems...

Judgement

The Rain Silently Paints The Sidewalk,
Washing The Land Of All Its' Sins,
The Earth Is Ready For A Fresh Attempt.
Once Despair,
Now Serenity,
One Can Breath Again.

Is That Rainbow An Upside Down Smile?
A Second Chance We Are Granted,
Our Tainted Layer Is Shed To The Ground,
Reveal Your Guilded Lies!
Relax.
Free For Now.



Home

Home Is Where You Make It,
Comfort, Love, Appreciation,
A Bed To Sleep In, A Place To Be Yourself,
A Different Country Is No Matter.
That Natural High, How I Adore You,
Give Me The Strength To Conquer My Demons,
All I Need Is You.

Ioannia, Meteora, and Random

Bones of the monks (left) View from a monastery (right)

Ruins from the old city in Ioannia (left) Monastery(right)

Haven't gotten around to blogging recently... Don't really have an excuse for it to be honest. This weekend I went on my first trip! We traveled to the cave at Ioannia and also the monastaries at Meteora. I have been to several caves before, but this was by far the grandest. The largest formations dated back to one million years, and the cave is located in the side of/underneath a large hill.

After our tour, we went on a walk through the old city, which was constructed before the Ottoman empire. When the Turks took over the area, they built their mosque on top of residents place of prayer (See picture above). I climbed the top of part of the castle in another area and actually saw the slits where bow and arrows were used to shoot at the enemy. This was also around the time that I tripped and ripped my favorite pair of shoes, but you win some you lose some :) We stayed the evening at a hotel, and a group of friends and I went out to a taverna for dinner. When we got to our hotel my friend Sam and I immediately turned the TV on. It's interesting to see how much you rely on something once it isn't made available.

The next day, we got back on the bus for another 2 hours to head for the monastaries. We were surrounded my beautiful mountains the entire time, but I crashed for the whole bus ride due to the rude awaken by the 15 year olds in the hotel for the entire night. In Meteora, the monasteries used to be located in the city, but eventually the monks decided they did not want to be around people anymore, so they headed up the mountains. The city is surrounded by amazing cliffs formed a million years ago when the area was once surround by ocean (See the pictures above).

Although I am not religious, I found the monasteries absolutely breathtaking. It's fascinating to see how they live. Monks live on very different cycles compared to us. They go to sleep when the sun sets, which sometimes could be as early as 4 pm, and then rise 8 hours later, which can be as early as 2 am! 8 hours a day are also spent working, which means in prayer. With all the fasting that they do (40 days before easter, christmas, mondays and wednesdays, etc), monks spend half the days of the year this way. That's insane! It definitely takes strong will... Contrary to popular belief, monks were not always peaceful. In times of war they were forced to bear arms to protect themselves and their homes. Although the cliffs kept them safer, every one of the 6 monasteries still functioning in Meteora was attacked at least once. The invaders would not destroy everything, however did scratch the faces off of all of the frescos on the walls as an act of disrespect.

On another note, all monks must be buried at the monastery, however with all the generations of monks, there fails to be room. To solve this, the deceased are buried for 7 years, and then they are dug up. They are completly decayed by this time, so the bones are cleaned and systematically placed on shelves in a particular room (See picture above). As a skull obsessionist, I found this technique absoulutely fascinating. I had never seen real human bones before, and I was definitely taken back by this way of life.

Overall, it was a very good first weekend away from Thessaloniki, however I am very happy to be back home. Last Friday marked one month of being in Greece. Time is flying! Only 3 and a half more months. It's amazing how at home I feel in my apartment... The comfort of a bed I can call mine. It seems to me that home is where you make it. For me, this is home. The United States seems like a distant planet. Aww the beauty of Greece :)

Earlier this week, I went on a date with a greek famous musician friend of mine. Boy are american and greek ways different on this front! I mean sure the guy still makes it clear that he is paying, but it was definitely out of my element.. Granted I had never been on a date with someone I didn't know before, so maybe it's just me :) Overall it was an interesting and worthwhile experience, but nothing more. I sort of have a potential from my home town that could be blinding this entire field of my vision, it just made me miss him more. Not to mention any sort of relationship here would be completely fantasy. I'm looking for something long term and that just won't happen while I'm in a foreign country. Definitely one every study abroad student should experience while they are here though! It's fun!

Another thing I noticed today when I was on my way to get groceries is that I'm no longer afraid of crossing the street! I come from a small town so any form of walking through traffic has always terrified me, but living in a city of 1 million people has cured that fear. You walk when the Greeks walk! No need to wait for the little green man, just make sure no cars are coming and go! Otherwise you will be waiting at that light for several minutes sometimes, and it's definitely not worth it.

Anyways... it's March first!! I leave for Italy in 26 days :) Egypt after that!

Lost

Where Do I Go From Here?
They Tell Me to Try, Try, Try, Again,
Push, Pull, Shove, Shake,
There Is No Bottom To This Rabbit Hole.

Will I Make Something Of Myself?
On The Hill I Sit,
Looking Down At The City,
Destroy It Before It Destroys Me.

Greek Halloween celebration in Aristotle Square

View out of my apartment building (below)

Cemetary right next to my apartment.

Layover in Switzerland on the first day.

I realized I had not put any pictures up of my time here, so I added a few scenic ones. These are all on my facebook, but this way they entail captions.

Yesterday my friend Chelsea and I went on a 5 mile run along the ocean. It was incredibly windy, so there were white caps all over, and the ocean was spilling onto the path. Coming from the midwest, it was amazing to see the ocean's fury. I may live on a lake, but things like that don't occur :) It felt so good to run again that time flew by with all the people watching and wave dodging that it felt more like 2 miles. It makes me reallly appreciate where I am. Living on the Aegean Sea is not something I am ever going to get used to.

I've developed close friendships with two girls here, and it definitely enhances my experience. My friends at home mean the owrld to me, so that was what I was most worried about leaving in the States; Luckily I feel like I will leave Greece with ties with people I never would have met!

Greece is a place to grow. I've always known who I am, but it truly makes me appreciate my life, as well as life itself. I've only been here for 3 and a half weeks, but I know I'm going to have a difficult time leaving it come June.

Today, after class, I'm going to find out information about volunteering at a middle easte refuge camp. I feel like giving back will truly make my experience here even more complete. I have my first quiz tomorrow in Psychology of Personality, wish me luck! Gotta leave for school now :)

Frustration, Beauty, and Realization

Today I experienced my first frustration with the Greek culture. Flowers arrived for me on Saturday, however the gatehouse at my college neglected to mention it to someone who could get a hold of me to let me know until today, 5 days later. Now the roses are completely dead. Because the European culture is so layed back letting me know about the flowers was not a priority of theirs. Normally I am all for the relaxed structure, however today it really got to me.

Also, I have a friend here who is also studying abroad who was outwardly discriminated against and was refused a cab ride because she was from America. Her blond hair makes her stand out like a sore thumb here, and the driver refused her service because of where she came from. At first I was annoyed that someone could be so outwardly discriminating of someone by where they are from, but really is it all that different from what we do? Sure, in America our discrimination is much more veiled, but it is definitely palpable. They just are more expressive.

However, the positives of Greece far outweighs the negatives.

Everyday I notice something else beautiful about Thessaloniki. Today when my friend Chelsea and I were on our way home from school and we were looking driving down from a hill towards the city and we realized how white all the buildings are. In the states, in an urban area, everything is black, but here it remains its' purity. Looking down upon the city and on towards the ocean with the sun setting... Mountains in the background.. It is incredible in its' own way.

I think that everyone should make a trip to Europe at sometime or another in their lives, just to see that life is not like the US everywhere else. Sure, in some ways the Europeans envy the Americans, but I think we have just as much if not more of a reason to envy them. The majority of Europeans are very welcoming and outgoing, whereas Americans are out for themselves. Money, money, money. Career. Seeking the "American Dream". Who cares? What about everyone else and just enjoying life for what it is? We all seem so certain about what will make us happy, but along the way we seem to lose focus of what truly matters and lead stressed and chaotic lives in the mean time. Coming here is helping me remember to STOP. Look at the little things. The sunset. Cherishing new friends. how lucky I am to be here. Learning to actually LOOK at what is seen as typical, and think about what it really means.

Yesterday, I was talking to my RA in my apartment and a class friend and they were telling me about the bombing of Serbia, which is where they are from. Apparently the members of NATO (which america was a member of) bombed the shit out of Serbia in the 90's. Inflation skyrocked, the cities were left in ruins, and people fought over loafs of bread. The economy was so bad that it became haggling based for some time. I'm not attacking America for what they did, I'm sure they had some reason for it, I just can't believe that I had never heard about it before. To see how it traumatized these fellow college students lives... America acts like they are so high and mighty and go fix everything they break, but what about Serbia? Ha I realize this was a hardcore random tangent... It's two am and I can't sleep because my mind is whirling... To tell you the truth I love America. I appreciate where I came from. It's just nice to have a different point of view and more knowledge from other sources. It's fascinating.

That's all for now. Off to bed.

Things I've Learned

Alright so first off I stole this idea from the beautiful Melissa. Just thought I'd give her props for it :)

Things I've learned :

1. In Greece, the bars do not close until 5 am, so people generally do not go out until midnight.

2. It is not illegal to have an open container on the street (not that I have taken advantage of that or anything)

3. Gyros here are NOTHING like they are in America. Greeks should be insulted with what we have done to them. You can find a gyro stand here as often as you would find a mcdonalds in America, and they are fairly cheap.

4. Drinks at bars in Greece are VERY expensive, but often times when ordering shots if you are nice to the bartenders they will give you one for everyone you buy.

5. Stray dogs and cats are everywhere. Sometimes whole apartment buildings feed certain animals and they are the community pet. During the day they wander.

6. Greeks drive CRAZY! It doesn't matter if the light is red, sometimes they will still go, consequence free.

7. Greeks rarely use their blinkers, but seem to be very fond of their horns.

8. Anywhere there is room you can park. Whether its blocking someone in, backwards, on the side walk, in the middle of the street, you name it. No tickets.

9. Cops here don't do shit. I've only see 3 or 4 and I live in a city of a million people. The government here is VERY corrupt, so the junkies smoke heroin at bonfires in the middle of the city park, no consequences.

10. The majority of the black people on the streets selling things are illegal immigrants from Africa. They generally have VERY good english, and haggle good on the street, often times being stolen.

11. Unlike America, Greeks will often stare at you. There is no shame in it and they won't look away. It is not always a bad thing though.

12. Greeks are very friendly. It is not uncommon to be talked to in the streets by random strangers.

13. 3-5 is siesta time is Greece. Nothing is open except cafes and tavernas. Also, on sundays almost everything is closed.

14. Greeks have a very different clothing style. It's all about dark colors, skinny jeans, and boots. Wearing bright colors is unseen. (I choose to stand out because boy do I love my bright colors!)

15. Greeks have no idea what beer pong is, and they are very eager to learn it. As well as tippy cup. They love being social and stating their opinions.

16. Wine or beer is often seen with every meal. You can find both quite cheap.

17. Greeks are much more relaxed then we are. They are often late for things, and tone everything down. They get there when they get there. Class never starts before 11 30 because they do not like to wake up early and are out late.

18. There is a potato man by my apartment that wakes me up quite often. He yells on his megaphone about his potatoes. It sounds like the army or some religious cult is going to get us. With him and the construction, you learn to sleep heavier if you want to get enough.

19. Greece is a very cash based economy. If you use a credit card to pay they look at you like you are crazy and it takes a long time to process.

20. Land is everything to the Greeks. When a family buys land they build on it and it stays with them for generations. You don't move. Either future generations will rebuild a new house on the same spot when the time comes, or they let it decay; they do not sell the land, there is much to much of an emotional tie with it.

21. There are not dryers in Greece, one must hang dry their clothes and the washing machines take two hours.

22. In tavernas (restaurants) you are given free bread and sometimes dessert. The Greeks do not order an item for each person, they order a few things and everyone shares. Also, the taverna owners compete for your service, so you can often convince them to give you free drinks.

23. Tzatski sauce is absolutely amazing. It can go on ANYTHING. pizza, crackers, bread, fruit, chips... not that I've done it or anything.. It's a type if creamy cucumber sauce that is also found in the gyros.

24. You can not flush your toilet paper in Greece. The pipes are too small, so their is always a garbage in the bathroom with you to dispose of it. Luckily for me I'm able to in my apartment and college!

25. Reading is seen as "uncool" in Greece. If you are reading in public it means that you are not a social person... Not too fond of that norm because I love reading.

26. I've learned that the time difference here is really hard. It is almost impossible to get a hold of all the people I love on a semi normal basis. It def. shows you who your true friends are.

27. In Thessaloniki, there are ruins all over the city, including the middle of downtown. Instead of removing them, the Greeks just build around it, preserving their culture. It's not about the here and now like it is in the U.S., it's about remembering who you are and where you came from.

28. Greeks get VERY heated when it comes to the topic of Macedonia. The desire them to call themselves a different name, as they do not wish to be affiliated with them (from my understanding) I do not really understand the whole matter, but it's deeply engrained in every Greek person so I'm sure I'll get a better grasp of it before I leave.

29. Greeks often mother their children much longer here. Sometimes when their children get married, they will still go and live with them as to futher take care of them.

30. All young people speak English, as well as many other languages. They have a hard time believing how little of other languages we know.

That's as much as I can think of write now, but I'm sure I've learned much more! I love Greece, but I have a feeling homesickness is going to hit me pretty hard relatively soon. I'm very excited for my parents to come see me in April, it's hard only talking to my mom like 2 times a week online.

The Beginning

So I've been in Greece for two weeks now, and decided it would be a good idea to start a blog. That way I can record my memories and look back on them later.. There are already so many! I flew out of the US on Jan 28th, making it to Switzerland 12 hours and 2 panic attacks later. Spent a lot of time arguing in the Airport and with the taxi drivers, but I made it! Me and the 5 girls I traveled with had an 11 hour lay over so we decided to go out and see the city :) Luckily for me their main language they speak in Zurich is German so I was able to navigate us around town. I bought a really tight ring in the process.
We arrived in Thessaloniki, Greece at 3 am after 26 hours of traveling. One of the girls lost her bag, so we did not arrive to our hotel until 4 30 am. Then we all talked to our parents quick so they knew we made it safely and crashed because we had been up for 2 days straight. We pretty much slept all day, not waking up until 4 pm. Damn the jet lag! Then we walked around the city and I experienced my first gyro :) The next day we arrived at our apartments. I was one of the unlucky ones who was on the ground floor and didn't get a balcony, but I was just happy to be able to unpack finally. Living out of a suit case is not my cup of tea. That night our friend Rich took some of us girls out to a bar with some of his Greek friends and just showed us the town. He was def. our savior when we got there, we learned a months worth of info in one day and we felt way more comfortable. He became a fast friend and we have already formed a little group of friends here. We've done a lot of drinking... perhaps too much.
One day we took a field trip to Vergina, which is the tomb of Alexander the Greats father, Phillip the second. It was pretty cool to see where someone was buried that I have only heard about in books. Then we went to a church that was made in honor or St. Demetris which was beautiful. Beneath the church was an ancient roman bath/ church. I still can not get my mind around the fact that that place is from 400 bc.. It's mind boggling.
Last monday we started school. Things is Greece are def. much more relaxed. My favorite class is art appreciation by far. it is so interesting to hear about, especially is such a beautiful and historic country. This weekend I mostly just hung out. For valentines day my group of friends went out to dinner at a taverna, and then headed to the bars. I def. had more then one to many drinks and I've been paying for it all day... I don't know how to say no to free shots though! Greek guys often buy the girls drinks, which I am def. ok with. The bartenders as well. They just want someone to talk to. My favorite bar by far is called Silver Dollar. It is a rock/metal bar, and not too far from home. I made a fool of myself their last night, but that won't keep me from going back :)
Some random thoughts.... I've joined many clubs... I want to get the full experience while I'm here. I'm going kite surfing in May which I am ECSTATIC about. My good friend Sam and I (she laso is from EC) are planning a trip to Istanbul for the middle of march. We also are looking into spring break. spain.. italy... egypt... who knows!!! I'm so excited for my mom and dad to come in the middle of April... I may have only been gone for two weeks but I already miss them. It's hard not bieng able to talk to them whenever I want to. The time differences are hard. I'm set on bringing them to the greek island crete when they arrive.... Their are sooo many things I want to show them here! Tavernas... tzatski.... the GYROs..... I can't wait :)
So far I absolutely love it here.... I miss my friends and family but hopefully my new firends here will be ones I will have forever. The culture is amazing and unlike anything I have ever seen. I'll write more about it soon.