Dessert of the Week & My First Gyro

~~~

So I though I would make this little add on to the last post, just to illustrate what I mean about the giant 1.80 euro Gyro. This one, (my first gyro ever!) is actually lamb. (I know, it sounds cruel to me too to eat a lamb... but I had to try it at least once--I am in Greece after all!)

My first gyro!

On this particular gyro, I had lamb, lettuce, onions and (of course) a boat load of the infamous Greek tzatziki sauce! I'm not going to lie...I think I may be addicted! Tzatziki is basically a creamy sauce made out of yogurt, with things like cucmbers, garlic, etc. all thrown in together--which probably doesn't sound that great...(but just take my word for it--it is amazing!) But I hope with this picture, you can realize what an amazing deal these things are over here!

And for my very first dessert of the week I chose... flan. haha. Well, it is not actually flan, but I can't remember the name the lady in the store told me. But it's basically the same thing. It's just a custard type dessert with a layer of caramel sauce on the top. (Not very adventurous, I know. But it looked so good!) And as most of you who know me already know, I'm a sucker for anything with caramel!

Week #1: (almost) Flan

Also, a few updates from my last post... I was able to switch my Greek teacher, and I had my first class today. And I am relieved to report that it was about a MILLION times better than my last teacher! Don't get me wrong, it will still be a major challenge. But at least I feel like I'm finally learning something!

And I did get to sign up for Greek cooking lessons, so on 5 different Monday nights this semester, I will be helping prepare (and then of course, enjoying) a traditional Greek meal with 15 other people. Hopefully I will remember the things I learn, and will be able to cook for you all when I get home! (If you have the courage...)

So that should be a pretty fun activity for me this semester! (There is even one whole night dedicated to desserts! Yum!)

I guess that's all for now!

-Summer Rose

First Impressions of Life in Athens

Hey guys-

As my first week in Athens draws to a close, I feel the need to reflect, and post a few thoughts about my first impressions of what life is like for me here.

~~~

Living in Athens

CYA places students in two different neighborhoods here in Athens: Kolonaki & Pangrati. Both neighborhoods have positives and negatives, so I guess they basically equal out. My apartment is in Pangrati, which is the area nearest to the academic center (it is only about a 7 minute walk to the academic center from my apartment), and is also a little less expensive than the other neighborhood. That being said, it is also a little less nice, and there is not as much variety in activities, stores, etc. as there is in Kolonaki.

My apartment itself is pretty nice; I can honestly say I really lucked out with the whole living situation. I have 5 apartment-mates, but we each have our own room. And the rooms are large and very spacious. And each room has a balcony that can be accessed through French doors. (I love to open up my doors and let the air and light in, especially in the afternoon. So I’ve decided whenever I have a house someday, this is going to be a necessity.) The only downside to how big and open our apartment is, is the noise. You can hear anything and everything everyone else is doing—at all times. There is virtually no insulation, and as the ceilings are high and the floors hardwood, sound just carries. And because we like in Pangrati, (the busier area of Athens), the noise of traffic is sometimes annoying, especially when napping in the afternoon for siesta. But typically, the noise of the traffic doesn’t bother me, (I’ve lived in some pretty loud places before…)

There are 2 bathrooms, but only one has a shower. The downside: we have to hold the shower head because it doesn’t hang on the wall. It is a lot like taking a shower with a hose—haha. The up side: we have hot water, and don’t need to turn on a hot water heater whenever we want to use it. (Which most CYA students DO have to do.)

We also have a kitchen and a huge storage room. The downside: we don’t really have any kind of communal living space (no living room). So hanging out together in our apartment is not that easy, if you want a place to sit.

But another few major ups: we have gas heat. Thus, (as I said) we do not have to turn on the hot water heater each time we want to use the shower, (and I have yet to run out of hot water while bathing), and our heat is always on, and we can be control our own thermostat. (Which is not the case for the majority of students in CYA apartments.)

Also, we are VERY lucky to be able to have internet access in out apartment. While the signal is very weak and usually goes in and out, we at least get it enough to make keeping in touch with home much easier for me. (Again, this is not the case with most student apartments! In fact, I have yet to meet another student who does have internet access in their home.) Although, I am pretty irritated with the fact that, even with internet access, I can’t really keep up with the shows I watch back home (mainly Grey’s Anatomy), because the episode player on abc.com doesn’t work in foreign countries. So, I have to buy the episodes I want to watch from itunes!
Another down side to living in Athens= laundry. There are virtually zero laundromats here, and while the academic center has laundry facilities (free of charge) available, it takes 1.5 hours to wash, and practically 3+ hours to dry. Because of this, most people just hand wash all their cloths, and let them dry on the balcony. (I have yet to do this yet—I haven’t run out of cloths yet. But I will have to within the week, so I’ll post more on that when the time comes!)
So all in all, there are pros and cons to my living situation. But I feel pretty lucky with how things turned out for me in that department.

The neighborhood itself is pretty cool, but there are a lot of differences I will have to get used to between Greek and American culture. First of all, finding out where to get what while shopping was a bit of a challenge (especially when I don’t speak ANY Greek yet, and apparently, a lot less people speak English than they lead you to believe in the information sessions!). There is one “supermarket” near my apartment, where you can buy things that are packaged (like cereal, pasta, cleaning supplies, shampoo, etc.) But if you want fruit or vegetables, you have to go to a separate store for that. And for meat, there is also a separate store. For bread, a bakery. But it really isn’t inconvenient at all, as all of these things are located in the same general area, and luckily for me, I have to practically walk past them to get home. So it is very nice to be able to just stop at the bakery to get bread for dinner, instead of having to drive to the Giant (or Ralph’s, for you Californians), when you need something. Whatever I need, I can just stop to pick it up. Although, in Greece they still honor the siesta and Sundays as a day of rest. So store hours are generally unpredictable and rather inconsistent, and nothing is open on Sundays.

The bakeries in particular are pretty great here in Athens. I actually pass about three different bakeries on my way home from school, and each one is filled with rows and rows of delicious looking desserts. Every shelf in the bakery is literally filled to the brim with all kinds of different pastries, cakes, chocolates, etc. So I have decided that I will allow myself to try one new dessert every week from the shop on my corner. That way, I’ll get a good survey of Greek desserts, but not gain 50 pounds. Because while the food is very good here (gyros, pastries, galore…and everything comes with a chuck of feta cheese!), I made a resolution to be healthier this year, so I have to try and show some restraint (although it is very difficult, especially when walking home from evening classes before I’ve had dinner!) For example, in Athens, you can get an amazing gyro ( which also comes with these things that look and taste a lot like fresh fries), for 1.80 euros. So, it is very tempting to grab one when you are hungry or in a hurry (because they are so cheap, and so good!)

Also, another fun fact about Athens that I was kind of intrigued by is the number of stray animals…everywhere! These strays live comfortably on the streets—and I have to say that if I were a dog, I would want to be a stray in Athens. I always wondered how it was possible for the tramp in the Disney movie Lady & the Tramp to always look so happy with his life as a nomad, and as a child I always thought to myself—that is so unrealistic. But really, it’s not. The dogs here enjoy a life of freedom and excitement. And it is not at all like the “hard life on the streets” you would think it would be. People in the neighborhoods feed the dogs and cats that roam the streets by leaving food out for them, so they don’t go hungry. And the mild Mediterranean weather allows them to sleep wherever they like at night without freezing, and also allows them to enjoy a lazy afternoon nap in the sunshine at will. They can go wherever they want, do whatever they want, and chase as many stray cats and they want (without getting yelled at to “be nice to the cat!”) And best of all (for them)=no baths! It is such an accepted aspect of Greek culture that they actually have an organization that catches the dogs, treats them if they are sick or hurt, gives them all their shots & fixes them, and then turns them loose, with a collar and tags. Thus, they register their strays!

And they love humans. They follow us around everywhere, and are actually very protective. They are known to follow women around, especially the students. There are about 3 or 4 dogs that regularly hang out at the academic center, waiting for women to come out and walk home, so they can follow them. It’s like they are your personal police escort service. For instance, one time we took a group trip to a taverna (which is a restaurant/bar where Greeks go to eat, drink and be merry!) and because it was dark, we has 2 dog escorts, who walked with us all the way to the taverna, then waited outside while we ate and had fun, and then walked us home again when we were finished. It was so funny! I don’t ever feel unsafe here in Athens, (in fact, Athens has actually been named one of the safest European cities because it has such a low crime rate, and an even lower crime rate against foreigners), but if it were more dangerous, I would feel a lot better knowing the dogs were there.

And that is all I really know about the city so far. I’m waiting until my Greek gets a little better to venture further out, and start using things like the metro and buses. But for now, I can only explore as far as I can walk (as I will not get into another Greek taxi unless I have absolutely no other option…ever again. Haha) My first impression of Greek culture is this: very loud and very friendly, and I can’t wait to experience more of this interesting and vibrant culture. (I am actually thinking about signing up for Greek cooking lesions, and Greek dancing lessons! So that should be fun!)

~~~

Studying

The academic center where I have my classes is very nice also. From the center, we have a great view of the Acropolis. And the building itself is actually right next to a huge stadium, which is pretty scenic. There are a lot of things about this program that are pretty irritating though. For example, for one of my classes, I don’t have any of the required books. Apparently they didn’t have enough for the number of students they admitted to the program this year, so they just gave us on set of books per apartment. It hasn’t been a problem yet, but I anticipate troubles in the future—especially when we start traveling on weekends more often. Also, they charge us to print here. (A rather hefty fee- .10 euros per page!) And they have a VERY strict attendance policy. Even missing one class can cause a grade deduction, and attendance on all class trips (which occur on the weekends), are absolutely mandatory. I think that is pretty harsh for a study aboard program (which are usually very lax in both academic rigor and attendance policies, due to the fact that students want to travel and explore). But here at CYA, academics are the first priority.

But as far as my classes go, I am pretty excited! Here is a run down of what I am taking:

Ancient Greek Mythology & Religion:
This class seems like it will be very interesting, although I heard from other students that the class is very challenging. From looking at the syllabus, it seems that I have covered a lot of the content we will be talking about, but one of the things I love so much about mythology, religion and folklore in general, is no two classes are ever the same. Mythology is such a fluid process, that it will be really cool to be able to take it with a new teacher, who will offer new a perspective & alternative interpretations, and point out different ideas and aspects of the myths I’ve already studied before. That is what I love about this subject: there are so many different ways to explore and interact with the mythological process. And this is one thing that continually amazes and fascinates me about mythology and folklore in general—it doesn’t follow the “logical” linear formula the written words we use today do. As an oral tradition, every story was adapted to the specific people and places who used different variations of the same myths for different purposes…some things remain the same, some parts change, some are emphasized and some selectively ignored— depending on their purpose and intentions. But the core has still survived through the ages. And although Greeks are now largely a Christian population, they still honor the gods of their ancestors in strange ways. (Ex: As a tourist in any of the archeological sites like the Acropolis, you can’t put you head on the top of a headless statue and take a picture, as this is offensive to the gods.) So the way myths have shaped this culture, (and even continue to influence it today) is very in interesting to me.

If I had unlimited time and unlimited resources, I would love to pursue my phD in Mythology. There is one program at the Pacifica Graduate Institute that enables you to study for 3 years to get your masters, and then all you need to do is write your dissertation to get your phD (both in Mythological Studies). The program curriculum, the classes I would be able to take, and the things I would be able to learn about are just right up my alley. The program combines the study of mythology and folklore from all different cultures and religions, and ties subjects such as religion, philosophy and psychology into the way we analyze myths and culture. So, for a nerdy girl like me, it would fascinate me to be able to learn about it all. And I would just LOVE to be a professor some day. That would be like a dream job to me, I think.

Modern Greek Language:
This class is, in a word: torture! First of all, they have a different teaching approach here, which is not at all like the way they the foreign language in the states. For example, they do not give us vocab lists, or teach us how to conjugate verbs. Instead, the text book is completely written in Greek (which is even more difficult because even the letters are different), with absolutely zero English anywhere. And my teacher does not even tell us what the words mean. So, while I can now read Greek with the greatest of ease, I cannot understand any of it, because I don’t know what the words mean! And instead of teaching us a verb and then how to conjugate it, they teach us phrases. For example, they will teach us how to say “you dance” and “I dance,” but never teach us what the verb “to dance” is and how to conjugate it with different pronouns. It is extremely frustrating for me, and the teacher is no help. I went to her to try and talk to her about my concerns or get some extra help, and she treated me lie I was an idiot and completely blew me off. I actually dread even going to class. So, after 2 days of that class, I went to the academic center and got my section changed (to get a different teacher.) I have my first class with the new teacher today, and all I can say is I hope it goes better than the last one!

Monuments of Greece:
In this class, we will be taking a lot of field trips to hold class in places like the Acropolis, Agora, and the National Archeological Museum. But as for the actual in class stuff, I anticipate it will be pretty dry, (if our first class and the readings I have completed are any kind of sign.) But the teacher seems very nice, and he has a dry, but endearing sense of humor. (To Vera and Maya- He reminds me a lot of our Love & Attachment professor at USC, without all the f*ck’s and inappropriate sexual remarks! But he tells stories and goes off on tangents in a much similar way. He even kind of looks like him!) So while the content may be a little boring, I think I will really like this class!

Environment of Greece:
This class looks like it is going to be really fun! While I think (again) that the actual time we spend in the classroom will be pretty dry, we actually only spend about half of the classes indoors! We get to constantly take trips and little excursions to really experience the wildlife of Greece, and I am really excited about that! Also, academically speaking, I don’t think it will be too difficult. There is only one test (a midterm—which the professors claim is super easy), and instead of a final, we have a final project, which we can choose what we do. And example of a project might be, doing a photo project on the different kinds of flora and fauna found in the National Gardens. So, we will have to come up with our own ideas to create something along those lines, which that should be really fun! So I am pretty excited about this class! (Not to mention that the teachers—yes there are two—are very nice, and totally adorable! Very nerdy, but sweet, hilarious, and really passionate about the subject! So it will be really fun getting going on adventures with them and getting to know them better.)

Attic Tragedy:
This class is basically about all aspects of Ancient Greek theater, and we will be reading several of the actual Greek Tragedies themselves. The professor said everything is going to go super fast in the beginning, with a lot of reading (as we cover 9 different tragedies in a matter of weeks), but the entire second half of the semester is spent preparing our own production of a Greek tragedy; and the last thing we have to do for the class, (in lieu of a final exam), is perform our own tragedy on stage in front of the entire staff and student body at CYA. So I really think I will enjoy this class. I have read a few of the tragedies before (like Medea, the Bacchae, etc.), but I am really excited that we are actually going to put on our own production! Because Greek theater was meant to be experienced, not read. And it is still a vital part of their culture—even now in modern times, the ancient Greek tragedies are still being performed frequently. So this will be a very hands-on approach to the study of a time-honored aspect of Ancient (and modern) Greek culture.

So as you can see, I am pretty excited about practically all my classes here at CYA! It is just such a cool curriculum, and they really take education as an experience to the extreme. (Which is great, in my opinion!)

~~~

Traveling

I also wanted to take this time to talk a little about my travel plans for my semester abroad (and I know some of you who are reading *coughGrandmacough* are a little concerned. When I first decided to come here, I was really excited about the possibility of traveling to all kinds of countries in Europe. I wanted to see so many things, and planned on traveling to as many different places as possible. But every single person we talked to who completed this program before said they wished they would have taken more time to really explore Greece, instead of spending so much time and money traveling to other countries. And after having had each class only once, I believe them, and think I will try to concentrate on really delving deep into Greece itself. I have my whole life to travel around to any place I want to go (not to mention the strict attendance policy which would only allow me to have Friday through Sunday in whatever country I want to travel to.) There are just so many places to see in Greece itself that I feel I need to take this opportunity to really get to know it.

Besides that, it is actually a lot more expensive than I thought it would be to travel out of Greece (as it is really not that close to most places in the EU, and the only way to get anywhere is to fly.) Of course, I do want to go to a few places that are a little closer. Like I really want to go to places like Rome, anywhere in Spain, Prague and Amsterdam, because these places are closest to Greece and thus, will be cheaper to get to and easier to visit for just a 3 day trip. The exceptions to this will be spring break, when Sean comes to see me, and I also have to take my praxis exams, which are not held in Greece. The closest tests are Italy, Turkey and Germany, so I guess I will be taking a trip to one of those places in March whether I like it or not. And we have one or two 4 day holidays that I may be able to go a little further. But really, Greece is rather disconnected from the rest of Europe, and it is not easy (or cheap) to get around sometimes, and requires more time than just a weekend (which is all I have due to the intense attendance policy at my school). And like I said, there is so much to do and see in Greece itself, that even if I don’t get to travel outside the country as much as I’d like, I know I can always come back in the future.

So I guess that's it for now!

-Summer Rose

I Believe

~~~

I love the time and in between
the calm inside me
In the space where I can breathe
I believe there is a
distance I have wandered
to touch upon the years of
reaching out, and reaching in

holding out, holding in

I believe
this is heaven to no one else but me
and I'll defend it as long as I can be
left here to linger in silence
if I choose to
would you try to
understand


Oh the quiet child awaits the day
when she can break free
from all that clings like desperation
oh Mother don't you see I've got
to live my life the way I feel is
right for me
you says is not right for you but it's
right for me...

I believe
this is heaven to no one else but me
and I'll defend it as long as
I can be left here to linger in silence
if I choose to
would you try to
understand

~ Bethany Joy Lenz

My First Greek Adventure

~~~

So, I have decided that the tale of my adventures on the actual night I arrived in Greece, (while it should still, technically be included in my previous post about “the journey” itself, as it is really just picking up exactly where my last post left off), deserves a separate post, all of its own.

When I got off the airplane, I have to admit I was pretty nervous about what was about to happen. I don’t speak any Greek (aside from saying the word for “hello”), and they told us when we left that we would be responsible for finding our own way to our apartments.

And much to my surprise, everything at the airport itself went very smoothly. Both of my bags arrived with me, (despite the fact that we were re-directed on another flight), and getting through “customs” was a joke. There was only one man who looked at my passport, and that was that. No baggage check, no questions. Nothing. Super easy, right? So after I exchanged the rest of the America dollars I had in my pocket for euros, I walked to the pick up area.

There I was met by a team sent from CYA to distribute our (meaning the whole herd of people who had arrived late due to weather difficulties), addresses and keys, (yes- we did not find out where we were living until right then). And to say the least, it was pretty chaotic. All the people there were speaking Greek, and the words were fluttering off their tongues at an alarming rate. I had never really heard people speaking Greek before, and I found that they speak very fast, and never stop. I don’t even know when they had time to breathe, because I did not notice a single one of them stop talking for any fraction of time.

From the little bits of English I could make out between all the Greek flying from every direction, I heard that they had hired private cabs to take us to our apartments, and it was going to cost 35 euro per person to ride. But there were a lot of us, and hardly anyone was living in the same place. Thus, it was rather difficult for them to divide us up to share taxis.

After about 15 minutes of grouping, (and re-grouping) us, they began to herd us all outside, and when we got there, one man just shoved me and another girl into a taxi, even though we were both going to completely different parts of town. And that was where the real fun started.

Our cab driver was a very loud (but friendly) Greek woman, who spoke no English other than the phrases, “no problem!” and “super!” So I handed her my envelope with the address written in Greek on it, and with one very loud, “no problem!” we were on our way.

Driving in a taxi in Athens was in a word: horrifying. And I thought New York was bad! Apparently, (as I officially learned later in our orientation at CYA), Athenians are notoriously awful drivers. In fact, they told us that almost 80% of the deaths that occurred in Athens last year were auto related. So, as long as you stay out of a car you’ll be fine, right? Wrong. Because as a pedestrian, you can get run over in the blink of an eye if you aren’t careful. I have never seen such madness. The roads are narrow, and cars park anywhere they like (including the sidewalks), and drivers will NOT stop (even if they happen to be paying attention—which most of the time they are not.) You aren’t even really safe on the sidewalk! And sometimes, just when I think the coast is clear to go, and the little green man on the sign begins flash, a moped will come speeding out of no where, and I end up frozen in place—stunned really—as it speeds off into the distance, while I continue to struggle to get my breath back. As a CYA student, we are actually banned from driving any sort of vehicle (although Greeks drive on the same side of the road as Americans), and are forbidden to even accept a ride on a moped or motorcycle of any sort. They are so serious about this that they will actually send you home if you do.

Anyway, back to the story. As we sped along on the highway, I was trying my best to just keep my eyes on my feet, as to avoid having a heart attack every time we almost died. But after about 10 minutes of driving, the woman turned her head back to us and shouted, “Athens!” as she spread out her arms toward the right side of the car. And Athens it was. It was beautiful. It was around 8pm, and the city was stretched out below us, glowing. But it only lasted a few short minutes, until we exited the highway, and made our way into the city below.

At this point I thought her driving couldn’t get any worse, but as we entered the heart of the city, I realized the worst was yet to come. Athens is full of very small, twisty streets, and the parked cars line the already narrow streets on both sides (when possible), leaving enough space for one car to pass through with—literally—centimeters to spare. Cars are parked everywhere—carelessly left in any place there is space (including sidewalks, corners, and any other inch of space drivers can find.) I can totally understand the point of “smart cars” now. (Remember how we made fun of them when you were car shopping Sean? Well, now I do know exactly who is that would buy them!)

And, of course, our driver could not find the street my apartment was on, and we had no idea where anything was. I did have a map with my street marked on it, and I tried to show it to the driver. But, she couldn’t speak or read English, so she couldn’t read the map. And I couldn’t read the street signs, (which were written in Greek), so we were pretty much stuck.

So, we drove around Athens for about 45 minutes, weaving between cars and slithering through the side streets, circling round and round trying to find where we belonged. Eventually, the driver began to stop next to people walking on the streets, and would honk her horn, roll down the window and yell at them. The only word I could understand was “Lissipou,” which was the name of my street. Apparently she was trying to get directions. We must have already stopped about 8 people when she decided to stop her car and get directions. But when she pulled over onto the (almost) side of the road, she just got out of her car and walked into a store. She left the car running, windows down, and just walked away. She went into 2 different stores, and when she finally came back she just smiled and said, “no problem!” 5 minutes later, she dropped me off at the door to my apartment.

When I finally got the door to the building to open (Greek door locks and doorknobs are quite interesting…), I didn’t really know what to do. The entire place was very dark, but I could see a set of winding stairs, and what looked like an elevator. On my key it said, “Lissipou, 3rd floor.” I opted for the elevator.

I don’t know if you have ever seen a European elevator (or maybe it’s just like this in Greece), but it was so tiny I took some very strategic planning to get myself, my huge backpack, and two large duffel bags piled in. After I finally got everything stuffed in, and closed the flimsy door, I pushed the button marked 3 and….nothing. Nothing happened. Apparently, the elevator was out of order. So I would have to take the stairs.

The stairs were rather narrow, and it was a winding staircase, and my bags were 44 lbs each, not including the massive carry on backpack on my shoulders. So, I decided to take 2 trips. And by the time I got everything up the stairs, I was panting and sweating and exhausted. (This will be a reoccurring theme in my postings I’m sure, as the entire city of Athens is one giant hill, and my apartment, student center, and academic building classrooms are all on the 3rd floor at the lowest. And apparently, all the elevators in Athens are perpetually out of order.) Not that I mind—I need the exercise anyway! (And I’m sure after living here for 4 months I will have a pretty in-shape lower half at least!)

But when all was said and done, I was there. I had made it to my apartment. And I really like the apartment, but I will write more about that later on. But the best part is, that we are able to tap into someone else’s wireless internet here! We were told when we were accepted to the program that the only internet access we would have was at the computer lab in the academic center, and I was pretty upset about that. But thanks to a stranger who lives in our apartment building, it will be much easier to keep in touch with everyone I love back home! We lucked out majorly with this, as I haven’t met another student yet who also has internet access at home.

But after about 15 hours in airplanes and airports, 2 hours of trying to get where I belonged with a mad woman behind the wheel, and a half hour of lugging 50 pound bags up three flights of spiraling stairs in the dark (yes, I didn’t figure out how to turn on the hallway light until after I was finished hauling both bags), the night was not yet over: I still had to check in at the academic center. Luckily, one of my roommates had just arrived as well, so we took out or maps and headed out.

The academic center is actually very close to where I live (my apartment is in the Pengrati area of Athens, which is closer than the other neighborhood CYA students were placed, called Kolonoki.) It is only about a 10 minute walk, (entirely downhill!—on the way there, anyway. Coming back home is quite a different story!) And we didn’t have any problem finding the center. It is actually right next to the Panathinaiko Stadium, which made it easier to find. But when we got there, they told us we were too late to get checked in, and that we would have to come back the next day to get checked in.

So my roommate decided to go home, and I decided to check out the computer room, to send a few “I made it here alive” emails to my family back home. But ironically, Mrs. Frailey happened to be online when I signed on, and it turned out Sean was home from work (because it was MLK Day), and I got to talk to him! I couldn’t have asked for much more than that! So after I said goodbye to Sean, I walked back to my apartment, unpacked my bags, and went to sleep—happy to have survived my first official day (or rather, days) of Greek adventures.

-Summer Rose

The Journey

So I know this is going to be a rather long post, so for those of you who just want the gist of it, here it is: I flew to Athens and had a few problems, but found myself safe and sound, right where I belong at the end of it all.

But for those of you interested in the details, here goes:

A long, long time ago, (in a galaxy far away)… I left for Athens from the Philadelphia airport. My plane was scheduled to depart at 6:50pm for London, so Sean and I left from Middletown at about 2:30 to make the 2 hour drive to the airport.


When I first got to the airport to check in, I was completely amazed by how simple the whole process was. There was no line, I had no trouble with my baggage, and there wasn’t even a line to get through security! So after checking in and getting rid of my luggage, Sean and I decided to go get dinner (instead of sitting in the airport, outside the security checkpoint with nothing to do.)

So we started driving around, and found this pretty cool diner: the PennRose . The Eagles’ game was on, so the place was pretty desolate, aside from the employees (who were, of course, gathered around a TV screen watching the game.) But the food was great and it came out so quickly we even had time for dessert! And as we were on our way back to the car, it started to snow. (What an appropriate Pennsylvania send off.)


After that, Sean drove me back to the airport to drop me off. We said goodbye and I am proud to say I only cried 3 tears (which is an unusual accomplishment for me, as I am usually bawling at that point.) But instead of thinking about all the people I was leaving behind and how much I would miss them, I focused on trying to feel excited about the amazing opportunity I was receiving. So we hugged and kissed for the usual 5-10 minutes (yes, I sure know how to drag out a goodbye…) until he finally got in his car and drove away, leaving me waving goodbye on the sidewalk alone.

And just like that, I was completely on my own. Which to some may be a scary idea, but I find that I rather enjoy going on my own adventures. It’s nice to be alone—sometimes anyway. It makes me feel independent and strong; like I am able to do anything I put my mind to on my own, without relying on other people. It reminded me a lot of the way I felt when I left for school in California back in 2005. Leaving to go to a new place is always a very crazy time emotionally. I find myself hurting because I have to leave everyone I love behind, and feeling a little nervous about not knowing what to expect—but the bubbling excitement always reigns supreme, and by looking towards the future, I never wallow too long in thinking about what I’m leaving (at least in the beginning anyway…) So as I was saying, it’s really a mixed up time inside my head. No fear though. Fear is something I rarely experience.

After flying through security with no hassle whatsoever, I only waited about 15 minutes, and it was time to board. And as I took my seat on the plane, I thought to myself with amazement about how easy the whole process had been thus far.

Shoulda knocked on wood…

We were scheduled to depart at 6:50pm, and when I was still sitting in the plane (which was still parked at the gate) at 7:30, I started to get a little concerned. Then, the pilot got on the loudspeaker to inform us that, because of the snow and icy weather, the plane had to be “de-iced.” The catch, however, was that ALL of the planes in the airport needed to be de-iced, and thus, there was a long line. So, to make a long story short, we were waiting on the airplane for about 2 hours on the runway before we were finally de-iced and able to take off.

The funny thing is, I didn’t even really mind the 6-7 hour plane ride. It was long of course, but it passed quickly for me. And I didn’t even sleep. I read my book (I’m currently working on “The Hobbit”), watched 2 good movies, (Vicky Christina Barcelona & Crash), and before I knew it we were there. And it was amazing how different flying on an international flight was, as opposed to flying anywhere in the US. The seats were rather spacious, and luckily for me, the middle seat was empty, so I got to spread out a little more than usual. And each seat had an individual TV that you could control individually from your seat, so I got to watch whatever I wanted from their selection of movies and TV shows. And we actually got free food and drinks! (This is not something I have enjoyed on a domestic flight in years!) On the flight from Philly to London alone, we were given “supper” (I had roast beef with mashed potatoes, which also came with a salad, bread, apple pie and a kit kat bar), and a snack, and breakfast in the morning. And on top of that, we cold have all the free beverages we wanted (including the wine.) So all in all, I’d say international travel is absolutely the way to go!

But after landing I quickly discovered that although I was finally in the London airport, my plane to Athens was not. We had arrived 15 minutes after its take off, because of the delay we had in Philadelphia. So, they re-booked me on the next flight, which left roughly 4 hours later. But while the long wait was pretty annoying, they did give me 10 pounds to spend on lunch, which was nice. (Because otherwise I would have had to exchange some of my Euros for Pounds, which would have been irritating.)

By this time, I had met a whole slew of people from the CYA program, who had also missed the scheduled flight to Athens. And while I didn’t really mind the wait, I was worried because I remembered that we had already turned in our flight information to the CYA people, and there was supposed to be someone waiting at the airport in Athens to meet us, (to give us our apartment keys, etc.) And they had specifically told us to make sure we scheduled to arrive no later than 5pm, because the people would only be there to meet us until then. But luckily, I had the phone number to the CYA office in Athens and immediately took action as our little group’s ambassador, and asked the help desk for British Airways if I could use their phone to call CYA, (since it was their fault we missed the flight.) And to my surprise (again), the airline worker was very nice. She let me use their phone for free, and was both sympathetic and helpful! (She helped me dial, pulled up all our past and current flight information on her computer and pointed out where to find all the information I needed, etc.) And when I finally got a hold of a person from CYA, they were also very comforting, and told me we had nothing to worry about—that someone would be there to meet us no matter what time we arrived.

The second flight to Athens went very smoothly. It took about 4 hours, and the time flew. I had a window seat, and flying over Greece was just beautiful. We flew over mountain villages that dotted the landscape with cream-colored patterns, several islands with port cities and sailboats lining the coast, and sprawling mountain ranges with snow capped peaks. Even from the air it was easy to see how Greece has come to be known as such a beautiful and unique country. Even the patterns their civilization has made on the earth is such an interesting site from the plane.

What I mean is, as an American who is used to flying over the US, where every road, neighborhood, farm field, etc. is very strategically planned, forming grid-like and angular patterns across the land when viewed from the sky, I found the sprawling spirals and curving patterns created by the roads (many of them dirt), houses and villages as they snaked up and down the mountains and hilly country side to be rather beautiful. It made it seem like this was a culture that has expanded slowly and naturally (I guess they were not as concerned with efficiency, and felt no need to grid plan, cram and lay out all the houses in rows to ensure maximum capacity.) And really, that says a lot about both our cultures (at least I think so).

But as I was thinking about what I was in for (seeing as even from a bird’s eye view this country was much different than anything I’d seen back home), we landed.

And just like that, I was there!

-Summer Rose

Oh, the future!

~~~

I am happy to report that I have been officially offered a position in the 2009 Teach for America Corps! I have been placed in the Mississippi Delta Region, to teach high school (7th-12th grade) English. But I will not know the exact location and grade level I will be teaching until around July.

I am so excited about being selected to participate in this program. It is such a great cause, and I am very proud to have been selected, for the program is a very competitive one. And after being originally wait-listed, I am just very happy about getting an offer.

I don’t know what this means for my future, career-wise anyway. I think I would love to be a teacher, (in fact I think it is one of the only jobs that I could possibly suit me), and through the program I will have the opportunity to get my masters degree at little to no cost. But what I am most looking for is the opportunity to live and learn in a place with a culture, (despite the fact that it is in the United States), rather different from any I’ve ever been exposed to. I look forward to meeting new people, trying new things, and being able to make a difference in an area that is in desperate need of help. While I know it will be extremely frustrating and exhausting at times, I am ready for the challenge. And I find that is something I am always searching for: my next adventure.




I can’t help but take this time, however, to issue an official apology and thank you to my love. Sean, I know it is not easy to be in love with a restless Aquarius, who is constantly moving from place to place, pursuing new goals and getting new ideas in her head all the time. But even after all I have put you through, you are always there to ground me. You are a constant in my life, and wherever I go and whatever I do, I always know I have you to love and support me. So thank you baby.

So I guess I’m headin’ on down south!

-Summer Rose

Greetings from Athens

~~~

I'm here! More details to come...

The Birth of the Blog

~~~

All of these lines across my face
Tell you the story of who I am

So many stories of where I've been
And how I got to where I am

But these stories don't mean anything
When you've got no one
To tell them to

It's true-
That I was made for you...

~The Story by Brandi Carlyle