Home Sweet Home

It seems fitting that I end this blog with my 50th post.


I am currently sitting in my own bed, in my disastrously messy room (unpacking only got to the tornado stage before sleepiness took over) while looking out the window at the depressing lack of snow outside.


I flew from Athens to London, London to Chicago, and then to Minneapolis. After 26 hours of being awake, a very adrenaline-filled reunion with loved ones, and a failed attempt at unpacking, I finally crashed in my own bed (in my a room all to myself- how exciting!)


I am not going to ramble about the plane food or how nervous I was to go through customs. I just want to thank everyone who has been reading this. This blog has been so fun to write, and I am sorry I wont have any gelato to discuss or ancient ruins to post pictures of on here.


However, if you are in need of something good to read now that this is done, might I recommend The Help by Kathryn Stockett- it was my plane read and was amazing.




Thank you, grazie, and Ευχαριστούμε. 


Love always,


Dana

So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Adieu.

We may as well throw in ciao and αντίο
 It is hard to believe I return to the States tomorrow. You would think by now I would be a pro at transitions (Lord knows I am an expert at packing all my belongings into that backpack). As excited as I am to be home, it is definitely a bittersweet feeling leaving Athens and mostly leaving this group and Europe.


This week has been a struggle between balancing final exams and final moments with the group. Monday was our Art History final and my apartment and Michael celebrated by going out to dinner. Our goal was the Number 2 restaurant in Athens with its terrace view of the Acropolis. Who knew it would be closed on Mondays! Don't worry- we ended up at THE Acropolis Cafe, a completely deserted restaurant with a very pushy waiter:" YOU," he says point at me "come play piano." Despite my protests I found myself playing what I remembered of Beauty and the Beast from my third-grade piano recital. Michelle was chosen next and we played a lovely rendition of Heart and Soul. Apparently we were expected to earn our dinner. We finally tried ouzo and had a delicious greek meal. 

Michelle about to start Heart and Soul

Tuesday was spent doing last minute shopping. In the evening we met as a group one last time (minus Kate and Garrett who are in Cairo and Charlie who was in Istanbul). We talked about our favorite memories and watched a wonderful slide show Mary put together. We then went out to dinner with some of the CYA staff. I admit I was getting a little teary... 




Wednesday was our Greek Literature exam which turned out to be about 200 times more difficult than anyone was expecting. We were expected to define 15 of 20 possible terms: most of us made up ridiculous answers and some even wrote in their own terms and defined them. Sorry Anne! No amount of studying could have prepared us for that impossibility. We needed a pick me up so Michelle, Shannon, Jess, and I got our last gyros. That night several of us watched A Christmas Story to get in the spirit and finally enjoy that we have no more homework! 




Today, Michelle and I went to Public- a coffee shop overlooking Syntagma Square and Parliament. It was quite the view (unfortunately I couldn't get a good shot of it). We packed up everything for the last time. Tonight was the CYA farewell party. What a blast! They played Christmas music and good dancing tunes. We got the dancing started and had the whole CSBSJU group dancing away to Party Rock and Waka Waka. It was so much fun! We all said goodbye to Jean and the girls, each other and to our CYA friends (I am proud to say no tears). 

Last night in Athens! 

Then it was final packing, showering, and resting. It will be a looooong flight home tomorrow! 


 

Cramming the Last Bit of Fun into the Semester

I had to resist making a super depressing title like "the beginning of the end" or "don't cry because it's over- smile because it happened." I wanted to, but instead of focusing on all the sad things and counting all the lasts, I have decided to focus on the highlights from the last week.

Monday we got back to Athens and didn't have class until later. We had literature with Anne in the CYA lunch room. Since we were reading the Bacchae, we had our last class with wine and snacks. I can honestly say I have never had wine while in class before... It was a very strange feeling.

After Jean's class on Tuesday, the History group went to the Acropolis and several of us tagged along. Finally, in our second to last week we made it up to see the Parthenon in all its glory (once you get past all the scaffolding). It is quite magnificent.

A little bit windy

Wednesday was less exciting and filled with homework. On Thursday, Michelle and I finally went up to the park around the Marble Stadium by CYA. If I liked running, it really would be a beautiful place to go. A lovely view of the Acropolis and St. George.

View of the Acropolis and the Stadium

St. George

 Speaking of St. George-  that night a group of us made the hike up to it to watch the sunset. Boy was it worth it! Seeing the sun go down behind the Parthenon and the city light up was breathtaking (as was the hike up.. but that's mostly because I am out of shape). Up high where I could see the sea and the surrounding mountains, I found myself finally feeling some of that love I felt for Rome for Athens. It's a shame it came at the very end.

I think I will miss Athens more than I realize

Friday was our last trip to the market. We stocked up on pomegranates and sesame seed covered peanuts. Michelle, Jess, Drew and I then went to Plaka for last minute gifts. Wow those shop owners were chatty! One lady talked to us for probably 20 minutes about everything from celebrity gossip to the economic issues: "I hope you are clever like Jennifer Lopez..." It was a strange conversation indeed

I will miss the market quite a bit

This weekend has been full of studying and journaling, but yesterday we took a break to go to the Boy Scout Christmas Bazaar.  It was a very strange feeling listening to Christmas music while standing under a fully loaded orange tree.

I needed a break from my journaling

It was quite warm outside for a holiday bazaar

Wearing black and scarves... we planned it

That night we finally had a toga party, as all real college kids should- especially those living in Greece. It was a blast, a little annoying to make up the bed again...

Toga! 

The next five days will be filled with stress and studying and saying goodbyes. Hopefully it wont go by too fast!

Why Everything In Turkey Was A Delight

Well except for actual turkish delight- I was not a fan. But everything else was absolutely AMAZING.

SIDE NOTE: I knew it was going to be a good weekend when I took money out of the ATM to find that about 2 Lira was $1. So for the first time in 3 months, things were actually cheaper than they looked. Our constant refrain was: "Cut that in half!!!!" Entrance fee 10 lira? "Cut that in half- that's only 5 bucks!" It was awesome!

After a quick and easy flight Friday morning 16 of the 20 of us arrived in Istanbul (the other four girls had arrived earlier in the day). Friday was mostly spent wandering around and taking in view. We went to the Blue Mosque where we watched a free presentation on Islam and the Blue Mosque (officially called Sultanahmet Mosque) built between 1609 and 1616. It was wonderful! Afterwards we took our shoes off and went inside for a look. It was a striking contrast to the many Catholic and Greek Orthodox Churches we have seen. No icons, but instead there was writing and intricate designs. It was beautiful.

Presentation with free snacks

So beautiful

Praying

From the outside

That night all 20 of us went to tea and dinner and tried some Turkish Delight (mmmm not a fan). But turkish tea on the other hand is delicious- especially the apple. I must have gotten five cups all weekend. It was a large but very fun group of people. I was two-thirds of our group could make the trip, but we did miss those who weren't able to be there.

Saturday we had breakfast on the terrace of our hostel to stock up on energy before a day full of shopping. Our first stop: the Grand Bazaar. Lanterns, scarves, bowls, thimbles, rugs, jewelry- you name it! It was definitely sensory overload, but an excellent place for some Christmas shopping! We then went to the Spice Bazaar which had mostly dried fruits, spices, and different teas. It smelled heavenly!

The Grand Bazaar

Beautiful dried fruit 

After we'd shopped there was no time for dropping- we had some sights to see. The Basilica Cistern was built in the 500s for water needs. From the outside it sort of looked like people were just in line for a public restroom, but it was mind blowing after going down into it! It was beautiful and looked very mystical. One of the coolest things in Istanbul and I had no idea it even existed!

Does not do it justice...

We went to the Hagia Sophia after that- a very cool building. It is such a mash-up of Greek Orthodox and Islam. Several times Derek, Andrew, Drew, and I just sat in awe of how impressive it all was. Later that night we played cards and had tea on the terrace and had dinner as a group afterwards.

Hagia Sophia 

One Massive Building 

After breakfast on Sunday a few of us went to coffee in a really cute place with handmade beanbags. We were about to leave when the waiter told us there were ruins underneath that we should  check out. Sure enough, 5 minutes later we found ourselves standing in the midst of a Roman Palace. It was quite the surprise!

What started as a normal coffee date with Maggie, Kelly and others...

turned into an adventure! 

For lunch we took a ferry to the Asian side of Istanbul (the official continental divide between Europe and Asia slices right through Istanbul). It was pretty uneventful, the food was delicious, but really the coolest thing was just adding "in Asia" at the end of everything we said. "Just eating lunch... IN ASIA" "Exploring... IN ASIA" "Looking for a bathroom... IN ASIA." I suppose that alone was worth the trip.

One last look at Europe from the ferry before lunch in Asia

Megan Levis, Mary and I grabbed some turkish gelato (not as strong of a flavor, but almost a taffy-like texture that was super fun to play with ). We then joined the whole group for some more tea, got falafel for dinner, and called it an early night. 11 of us had to catch a shuttle at 5:50 this morning to catch our flight.

Kate Derek and Me and some apple tea 

Everything went swimmingly until we caught our taxi to head back to our apartment. Kate, Katie, Megan Levis, and I arrived right by our apartment. The taxi service has a flat rate from the airport of 35 euro, but this driver was asking for 48. We tried arguing but he said "with toll and luggage" (we know for a fact toll is only 3 euro and taxi drivers normally don't request that and we only had our small backpacks). Katie and Kate both put in 20 but the driver suddenly was holding a 20 and a 5. He had switched one of the 20s for a 5 and hoped we wouldn't notice. When we called him out on it, he yelled at us to get out of the cab. Quite a stressful way to end, but if that was the worst thing of the weekend, I would say it was a success!

Getting My Greek Groove On

Tonight we had our Greek dance class. 26 of the 30 of our group attended plus Jean! I was impressed by the turn out (especially by the brave guys). Our instructor spoke little and mostly just counted loudly to 6. Although the time was short, and the room was a tad crowded, it was super fun. We learned four dances including one from Crete and the famous Zorba dance. It was crazy, fun, exhausting, and a tad stressful, but it was nice to be able to learn some fun new dances and have a good laugh!

Sadly, I have no pictures or videos since I was too busy dancing, but maybe I will show you a few moves if you ask me really nice next time I see you!

Celebrating Turkey Day the Greek Way!

This last weekend, instead of spending time coloring the turkey in the newspaper and judging the floats in the Macy's day parade, I went to Epidaraus, Nauplio, and Olympia. The results: lots of rocks and not nearly as much football

Thanksgiving itself was spent mostly on a bus. We drove several hours before arriving in Epidaraus, a sanctuary to the healing god Ascelpius. There was not a whole lot to see, and what was visible was under restoration. But, there was the most beautiful theater I have seen yet! It was stunning. Drew recited some Shakespeare while we sat in the tops seats. We could even hear him drop a coin!

Drew reciting some Hamlet

 After a picnic lunch it was back to the bus until we arrived in beautiful Nauplio (the first capital of Greece).  It is a stunning town in the eastern Peloponnese. We treated ourselves to some gelato from a shop owned by two Romans. It was absolutely amazing and so much fun to speak Italian again!

Palm trees and castles on Thanksgiving! 

oh gelato :) 

Afterwards, several of us went walking by the shore and Mary, Michelle, and I traveled along a cliff side path. We met Megan Levis along the way, who took us to explore some ruins. It was like a jungle gym for adults. So much fun climbing all over the ruins! I felt like I was in Ireland! On the way back to the hotel, we met a not so friendly dog who unfortunately took a liking to us. Finally after getting him off our trail, we returned safe and sound to the hotel.

Walking around 

And exploring some castles 

After drinks by the sea at one of the beautiful restaurants, it was time for Thanksgiving dinner. Turkey, salad, potatoes, and even stuffing (well some form of stuffing) were provided with carrot cake for desert. It was delicious, not quite up to my spoiled standards, but still yummy.

Michelle, Michael, and Me enjoying a different but delicious dinner

The next day was spent at three castles: Tiryens (a smaller one where Robert the history professor insisted we act  as human columns, or hearth in my case), Mycenea (a huge castle with  a giant cistern and a museum full of writing tablets and weird jewelry), and  Palamidi (the big castle overlooking Nauplio where we didn’t really learn anything and just walked around). 

Me being the fire in the megaron (throne room)- Photo by Kelly

After the learning portion was over, more exploring of the city occurred. Mostly the day was spent back and forth gazing longingly into a closed shop with a beautiful thimble in the window. Finally after hours of me checking in, it was finally opened! The store owner had just returned from a vacation and was overjoyed to talk to us: "It American thanks day, yes? I see Obama and turkeys." 


After a long drive west, we arrived in Olympia. Sadly I left my camera on the bus and had some issues with my memory card. But this was the place where- you guessed it- the Olympics first began in 776 BC. Other than this, it is known for holding a statue of Zeus that was considered when it existed to be one of the 7 wonders of the world. The best part of the day was when we played tag and ran around in the stadium- we're all still kids at heart. We also visited the Olympic museum, and the next morning the Archeology museum before heading home to Athens. 

 Hopefully I can get some more pictures from Olympia. Keep your eyes peeled for updates!

 

The Little Things in Life

Although this week was filled with exams, a presentation and a lengthy paper, I managed to have some fun amongst all the stress. Here are some quick updates.

Monday in our literature class, Anne took us to the Theater of Dionysus- the birthplace of Greek Tragedies for class. It was amazing having class right where the plays we have been reading were performed!

Theater of Dionysus- Right under the Acropolis! 

Better than looking at white board all class

Monday night, I signed up for a Greek cooking class (yeah- I surprised myself with that one!). It was so much fun! We made tyropita (a cheese pie), greek salad, and a delicious meatball soup with a lemon broth. It delicious and now (if I ever feel brave enough) I can impress people with my lovely cooking

Who trusted me to be in the kitchen?

Yummmmmm

Enjoying our hard work

Tuesday we had our last Greek class and took our final and gave our presentation on Greek Families. It was a day consumed with writing my paper on the Iliad, but I did manage to have some fun. Kate, Michelle, and I along with our new friend Zack (who goes to CYA) went out for some Chinese food: wontons, chopsticks, idiotic fortune cookies and all. It was a delicious study break.

Yay chopsticks! 

Tonight we had our second salsa class with Jesika (our first session had been last week). It was so much fun showing off our newly learned skills. This picture is from last week, but I didn't bring my camera this time.

Just being Jesika's lovely assistant

We are now all packing up for our four day weekend in Nauplion and Olympia. It should be a fun trip, but I wont pretend I am not missing my Grandma's stuffing.




Special shout out to my family who I am assuming my mom is reading this out loud to. Happy Thanksgiving!

Olive Harvesting: Another reason "olive" Greece

It was a pun that needed to be made. I make no apologies.

Today 16 of us went to harvest olives. Jean and CYA arranged to visit the olive grove of our bus driver from last weekend Cristo. He picked us up at 8:00 and took us to the countryside an hour and a half outside Athens. Once arriving near the grove, Cristo informed us that we would need to get out and be transported to the grove in something smaller than the large bus we were in: "it is not so safe..." We all cheered like 8 years olds when Cristo's brother pulled up with a trailer. It was just like a hayride- minus the hay.

Nice and cozy 

The olive grove

Once we arrived in the grove, we met Cristo's fabulous family including "mama Alma"- the happiest old greek woman ever. They put us straight to work raking the olives off the trees. The olives would fall on tarps and then after picking out the branches, we would put them in buckets and then into huge bags. It was hard work reaching some of the higher branches, but the work went by so fast! Sporadically Alma or Marina would arrive with snacks (I wish I knew what they were. One was a cheesy pie and another was these potato things dipped in honey.) and at one point raki (an alcoholic drink similar to ouzo but less licoricey- not my favorite...).

Kind of like combing really tangled hair...

Taking out all the branches and leaves 

So many olives

Mary, Mama Alma, and I

Cristo's family provided us was an amazing lunch with fruit, bread, feta, tomatoes, sausage, pork, and homemade wine. We were so full and sleepy, we were glad Cristo was only joking when he said "now you go work 6 more hours."

As if the experience and the food wasn't enough, we were each rewarded with a huge bottle of their homemade olive oil! On my bottle it says "Olive oil homemade by Dana. A gift from Greece." I almost cried. It was such a wonderful experience and we really got to see how loving and kind the people of Greece are. It was by far one of the coolest things I have done so far on this trip!

Our reward! 

Opa!

Last night our school had a music night. A band performed Greek songs from 1960s to present time. The band consisted of a guitar player, a singer/ tambourine player, and a bouzouki player. If you don’t know what a bouzouki is- it is sort of like a mandolin. I was hypnotized. Here's an example of what it sounds like:

The band clearly picked good music- the CYA staff was singing along, yelling "opa! " and dancing and even dragged the some of  guys from our group to dance with them. Jean even surprised all of us by joining in on the 6-step! I wish (not for the first time) that I understood Greek. I know I would have enjoyed all 2 hours of music had I been able to distinguish between the songs better. The show got a bit long after about the first 30 minutes.

After the band finished, Open Mic Night began. Four kids that go CYA did a hilarious medley of American songs throughout the years. Highlights included “My Girl” by the Temptations, “Don’t Stop Believing “by Journey, “Lose Yourself” by Eminem, and “Umbrella” by Rihanna (which they translated into Greek for the last verse). It was a fabulous sing along and was just the pick me up everyone needed after the long 2 hours of not understanding anything sung!

Derek and I were last to go on. With our CYA borrowed guitar and a makeshift capo out of a toothbrush and a shoelace, we graced the stage. We turned Jeremy Messersmith’s “A Girl, a Boy, and a Graveyard” into a duet. We had thrown it together quickly before our trip to Delphi and it was a bit rocky, but it felt so good to sing again.  (Sorry- no video Mom- You'll have to use your imagination!)

This is the song Derek and I sung:

Dear Apollo, Send Some Sun. Love, the Bennies and Johnnies

Saturday morning we left our weekend trip to Delphi with a lengthy bus ride.

 We arrived at Hosios Loukas to look at a Byzentine Monastery. It was a shame it was so cold, but even with the rain and the wind it was a beautiful place. Anne, our art and literature professor, gave us a quick tour of the Church. We had some cappuccinos and sat by a fire for a bit. It was so cozy and I felt like the only thing missing was some Christmas music! 

Beautiful Byzantine Monastery 

Andrew hogging the fire

We went to a small, mountainside town near Delphi that is known for is ski resorts for lunch. Turns out we found the “best restaurant in town” according to Anne. WE all shared the famous local cheese, I had delicious zucchini balls, Michelle and Kate tried the local pasta, and Derek was adventurous and tried a goat stew.

We arrived in Delphi, had class in the lobby, and went to a wonderful dinner. Some of the girls decorated a table with balloons for Missy and Ashely’s 21^st birthdays. They also arranged to have little cakes with candles brought out. It was a fabulous dinner that included a show: a semi-professional soccer team was carbo-loading. There was much giggling all night long.

On Sunday, time was spent between looking at the Delphi museum and walking around the site itself. Delphi was an ancient sanctuary for Apollo people would seek the word of the gods from the Oracle. Clearly the gods did not want us to be there, and greeted us with snow! It was litereally and figuratively breathtaking. It was freezing, but the mountains and the ruins were stunning. 

Sculpture of Apollo with golden eyelashes! (I wouldn't mind golden eyelashes) 

Anne warding off the elements with her poncho

What a view! 

One of the most stunning places! 

We arrived back to Athens just as everyone was cleaning up from the Marathon (yes the marathon- the original one that goes from Marathon to Athens). Shannon -our wonderful assistant director- participated and finished it in four hours despite the cold and sleet. Quite the accomplishment! We're so proud of her!

The marathon ended right outside our school! 2 minutes away from our apartments!