Orientation: Freshman Year Repeat

We arrived back in Athens late last night, just in time to sleep for a few hours and then off to orientation for Deree with the rest of the American students. It was like de ja vu back to freshman year all over again. Awkward ice breakers, a campus tour, new faces and free food. Let's be real, the free food was the best part! And it's so different from America in the sense that they basically had a whole buffet set up for us on tables covered in white tablecloths, with real plates, silverware and glasses, a full selection of food to choose from and dessert! The American version of free food at orientation is basically paper plates, hamburgers/hotdogs, a bag of chips and a coke.

I got the unfortunate news that my dance class was cancelled because I guess enough people didn't want to take it (um, who doesn't love to dance?!). So it looks like I will be choosing a back-up class. Although in hindsight, it may have been a sign that I wasn't supposed to dance considering the only two students in our group who were signed up to dance were the only two who stepped on a sea urchin. Good news though: after having a second attempted surgery on our ferry ride home yesterday, Micah and I finally went to an actual nurse's office today to get those darn sea urchin spikes taken out once and for all. HALLELUJAH I can walk again! It's a little sore but I will survive enough to go on our early morning hike in the morning.

One of my favorite things about the Greek culture is the fact that they believe in naps as a daily part of life. Better known as siesta time. Believe it or not, the city observes city wide quiet hours from 3-5:30 p.m. and I think this is the greatest idea ever. Hey America, get with the program. Even the majority of the stores close to observe this time, so most everyone is napping or at least quietly resting. For Greeks, this nap time seems to be much needed because the people here stay up so late! It's just the culture. Greeks generally don't eat dinner until around 8:30/9ish and so many people will just hang out or go out on the town. In Florida, most bars and other places close at 2 a.m. However, it's normal for people to still be out at 4 a.m. in Greece. No wonder they need nap time. For me, this lovely siesta time provides the opportunity to catch up on the sleep I continually put off. Yes, I should be caught up on rest by now but there is just always so much to do and I don't want to miss a minute taking advantage of every opportunity that comes my way while I'm here. So cheers to siesta time!    

Greek Dining and Finding the Perfect Jumping Cliff

Even though we have only been in Santorini for 5 days, this place already feels like home! Our hotel is so comfy and homey, none of us want to leave! This has been our pre-class vacation and I must say it has been the time of my life. It's amazing how close our small group has grown in such a short period of time! I didn't know anyone in our group before I came to Greece and now it already feels as if I have known them for months. I really feel like part of the reason we have been able to do this is because of the strong sense of relationship and family found here in Greece. I'm not exactly how to explain it but the atmosphere is different here. In America, everything is always go, go, go- always in a rush to go somewhere or be at a meeting. In Greece, it is much more laid-back and relaxed. The focus here is not how much money can I make with my time, but rather how can I spend my time building and strengthening relationships. Time is relationships, not money. I think dinning with the Greeks and in this relaxed environment has placed us in the ultimate setting to get to know one another relatively quickly. When we eat at the restaurants, it is never a rushed sense of eating. The dining style is meant to be dragged out and spent merely enjoying each others company and the amazing food. Oh and another thing, the waiters don't bring you the check. You have to actually ask for it! One day during lunch we were wondering why it was taking so long for the check and then figured out that unlike in America where the waitresses are constantly trying to clear out tables for more guests; the waitress/waiters here allow you to enjoy your time eating and visiting and I have to say it's a welcome change of pace!

For our last full day in Santorini, a group of us were completely dedicated to finding a cliff to jump off of before we have to leave tomorrow for Athens. And finally...success!

We jumped off the left side and it's much higher than it looks!

 We got directions and advice from a local and proceeded to walk all the way down the mountain to the perfect cliff to jump off. Unfortunately for me, the initial excitement soon wore off as soon as I had my first encounter with a nasty sea urchin. And let me tell you....those things do not mess around. The barbs immediately stuck in my foot and had a slight tingly/stinging sensation. And we hadn't even climbed the cliff yet. But you better believe that didn't hold me back! Even if I was struggling up that cliff, limping on one foot, the view and rush of the jump was totally worth it.

I only jumped like 3 times because those darn barbs started getting the best of me. One of the boats hanging around offered to try and pick them out with tweezers they had on board, but it did no good. I toughened up and decided the only thing to do was to put a smile on and hike back up that darn hill. Later that night, Mark (a classmate) attempted to do some amateur surgery on my foot and was somewhat successful. But as of right now, I'm still limping around with some sea urchin attached to me.

The procedure...you can see how much I enjoy needles, tweezers and scissors on my foot.

Ancient Ruins, Red Beaches and Soccer Games

For those of you (mom and dad) who think that we've been having nothing but fun, this post is for you. Tuesday, we spent the majority of the day exploring the two ancient ruins of Thira and Akrotiri. We took a bus up the winding roads to the top of a mountain and then walked through the blasting wind to Ancient Thira. At one point I was concerned that our professor's little daughter was going to blow off the mountain! Although the pictures here may just look like a bunch of rock formations, it's actually the remnants of what was once a relatively large city. I was surprised by how big it was. As we walked through the agora (the center and heart of every ancient Greek city), amphitheater, roads, houses and business-type structures, it was almost as if we were traveling back through time. It really is amazing to see structures that were built all the way back around 12th century B.C. They really knew how to build sturdy and reliable buildings, even without all the modern-day tools we use now.

A sanctuary to the Egyptian Gods

 

One of the roads that winded through the city.

 Like many of the places in Greece, Ancient Thira was directly on the top of a mountain. This helped to keep outsiders from raiding and invading the city, and let me tell you from experience: I wouldn't have even attempted to ransack this place way back then. We only had to walk up about 1/4 of the mountain and it was quite the workout- plus the strong winds. One thing is for sure though, the citizens of this city had an incredible view.

Our second stop of the day, Akrotiri, was even older than the city of Ancient Thira. The site was completely covered and sheltered by a building to continually preserve what remains of the site. Although there was no guided tour of the site, we are lucky enough to have our own archaeologist (one of our professors) as our informant. It made the site visit much more interesting to have different items and formations pointed out by someone who knows a lot about archaeology and the process of it.

Beautiful pottery that was very well preserved.

 

Bed frames that look extremely uncomfortable if you ask me!

After taking a trip back in time, our group split up in search of food. Eight of us decided on this quaint little restaurant right on the water. The view from these restaurants never gets old to me! It's so relaxing the way Greeks do lunch too. It's not rushed and no one is complaining that their food takes too long. The way of Greek eating involves valuing the conversation and company of those you are with and I truly enjoy it. It's the best way to get to know people and we aren't distracted by cell phones and texting because none of us have service here!

Post-lunch picture right by the restaurant with one of my classmates, Nick.

We had some spare time before we had to load up on the bus so we decided to hike over to the Red Beach. I'm not sure why it isn't called Rock Beach because that's what we found! The water was filled with large, slippery rocks, making the trek out to open water quite a task, A few of us are in a dedicated search for a cliff to jump off of somewhere in Santorini. Alas, today was not our day to find the cliff. The water was too shallow and full of the rocks. Oh, well maybe tomorrow!

Even though our days are jam-packed with activities, we somehow find energy to continue exploring and walking around Santorini even at night! Tonight we got to watch and celebrate with the Greeks as the Greece soccer team beat Ivory Coast 2-1 on a injury-time penalty kick. It was so heart-warming to see how excited the locals got as the ball sailed through the goal, and even our small group found ourselves jumping up and down and cheering along as well! We may be American, but when in Greece...cheer on both teams!

L to R: Sarah, Mark, Dallas, me and Nick cheering on the Greece soccer team!

Natural Beauty of Santorini

We were lucky to have witnessed so much of Santorini's today. Today's adventure included a boat tour around the Caldera and hiking up the (active) volcano. Talk about a breath-taking view. The hike up was completely worth the view of God's beauty. After the hike, we were rewarded by swimming in a hot spring at the bottom of the volcano.  And finally got to swim in the perfectly blue water! Our boat then took us to an island that catered to the tourists from the boat tours by having a wide variety of restaurants right on the water. And somehow today was my lucky day because I found 50 euro on the ground. That kind of thing never happens to me, and I mean never. I'm usually the one losing money.

As if the day wasn't already full of enjoying the scenery, we then traveled to Oia, a town on the western side of the island to spend the remainder of the day and watch the sun set. Just like in Santorini, the shop keepers here speak a good amount of English, which makes it a little easier to communicate and get around. However, I don't think we will have the same luck once we are back in Athens because Santorini is a tourist town, so in order to have a successful business the shop keepers need to speak English. However, it is helpful that the shop owners are so nice and understanding that you are learning Greek if you even speak only a few words. As we've been walking around in small groups, it's easy to pick up some slang or phrases that the shop keepers will teach us. That's one thing I've noticed about the Greeks: even though their language is ridiculously difficult to learn, it seems to make them happy that a foreigner would even try to learn the language.
Just like everything else we saw today, the sunset was indescribable. Watching it with new friends made the moment even more enjoyable!

*Also, for future reference, I will be coming back to Santorini for my honeymoon at some point!

Santorini Bound

Sunday morning we were up bright and early at 5:30 a.m. to catch a ferry to Santorini for a few days of vacation time before the real work starts back in Athens. The ferry provided a beautiful view of the islands and crystal clear waters. When we arrived at the port of Santorini, the first thing that caught my eye were the beautiful, pristine white buildings all the way at the top of the island. You know all the pictures you see of Greece on Pinterest, in travel magazines and on post cards? Yea, that was our view. And it's way prettier in person than a picture can even show! The city literally sits on the top of the hill, filled with unique architecture, unlike anything back home in the States. Even though the homes and buildings may seem smaller, they are far prettier than mansions you can find in the U.S. There is beauty in the simplicity of this place.
The driving here reminds me a lot of the driving I experienced in Ghana, Africa. It's CRAZY. I swear, I do not understand how we haven't witnessed a wreck yet. Fast-paced driving, narrow streets and a lack of traffic signs and law enforcement would seem like a deadly combination. Yet the people here pass each other on narrow cliffs, speeding around corners and pushing the pedal to the medal. It's almost like they all work together to get where they need to go, yet there doesn't seem to be any road rage. The driving culture seems like a game of trust, each driver trusts the other to maneuver through tight spots - but none of them seem to be in a huge rush like we are in America.
Today was a day full of a lot of first's for me: Santorini has a lot to offer! My new experiences include trying olives, a gyro (pronounced like hero), Greek honey and squid for the first time, getting a fish pedicure (tons of little fish eat the dead skin off your feet and it really tickles!), and rode my first donkey. I absolutely love trying new things so today has been a success. Constantly absorbing the culture and our surroundings is a balancing act when we are also trying to get to know each other, adjust to the time change and enjoy every moment. Fortunately, we have a great group dynamic and a wide variety of personalities and backgrounds.

Hello Athens!

Goodbye America, Hello Athens!! Our small group of 21 includes 16 students and our professor plus her family. We made it safe and sound to our new home for the next few weeks. The 7 hour time difference is quite a lot to get used too, especially if you don't sleep well on planes (like me). We left the U.S. at 4:20 p.m. and arrived in Athens at 9 a.m. So basically we launched right into a full day without any sleep! From the minute we stepped off the plane, everything was written in Greek. Most signs had American translations underneath but it really has me wishing I was more talented at picking up foreign languages. We took a short bus ride to our new home and wasted no time settling right in. Even though we were all exhausted, most of us decided to go explore our neighborhood as soon as we unpacked. I can already tell that my lack of understanding of Greek combined with my natural bad sense of direction is going to lead to some interesting stories...so stay tuned.
Returning to our dorms, I passed out from exhaustion and probably could have slept until the next day, but our professor (Dr.Kaplan) wanted to show us around the neighborhood and make sure we knew the basics of where we will be living for the next few weeks. One thing about Greece: you walk EVERYWHERE. Which I am totally okay with (granted you are wearing comfortable shoes). I love that you can walk around the neighborhood and get just about anything you need: groceries, restaurants, movie theater, clothing stores, banks, etc. The Greeks apparently love to just park anywhere there is pavement that is not the road. Cars were randomly parked all over the sidewalk and in the middle of pedestrian walkways. There are so many quaint restaurants that I can't wait to go to! Most of them are lined up against the sidewalk with no walls so it's all very open and airy. The weather here is beautiful and the air feels so clean and pure to breath. (so far no allergies-thank goodness!)
For our first dinner in Greece we all ate together at a communal style restaurant (I don't remember the name because it was a really long Greek name) and the food was fantastic. Communal style just means that everyone orders lots of small, different dishes and passes around the dishes to share. That way everyone can try a little bit of everything. I already think this is my new favorite way of dining. I'm definitely up for trying anything new while I'm over here and we definitely did that tonight. We ordered snails, goat, eggplant dip, the most amazing hummus, a pomegranate salad, pork, some kind of quesadilla-looking thing but it tasted like licorice- which was not my favorite thing. Let's just say I didn't go back for seconds of snails or goat. I absolutely loved that for dessert they served us fruit. And not just any fruit, it was full of flavor and sweetness, unlike our fruit in the U.S. In Greece, fruit is grown for it's taste and quality, whereas back home it's grown for quantity and it doesn't taste nearly as good. Juicy watermelon, sweet peaches and honeydew were piled onto plates for us to share. If nothing else, I know I can live off of the fruit here at least!
It's a lot to take in so far, with the language, culture and different environment. I'm usually pretty good at taking in my surroundings and absorbing a new environment. Greece is different though. The language is the hardest part for me so far and I feel out of my element when I can't understand everything. It's going to take some getting used to and also some dedication to studying the language some more. Even though I may be out of my comfort zone, you'll never grow and learn about yourself unless you go outside of what makes you comfortable. Here's to an exciting trip and lots of good stories!