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!
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