the finale

For every beginning there comes an end.

The hardest thing I did: Climbed a mountain at dawn -Mt. Hymettos, the top of our neighborhood. It was the most strenuous and yet rewarding thing that I have ever accomplished.  I forgot to mention when we got to the top I found a bracelet (in perfect condition). It was laying in plain view on one of the bouldering rocks we were gripping onto for dear life. I don't know if someone left it on purpose but I'll take it as good luck and I haven't taken it off since.  Then throughout my travels I saw ladies on the metro with the same type of bracelet with charm on it.

Favorite place: Hard to say, everywhere was my favorite! Delphi, Mycenae, and Hydra are up there.

Felt at home when: I ran the streets of Agia  Paraskevi. Practiced yoga in Greek . Traveled on the metro without looking at the map. Drank a frappe or cappuccino freddo everyday.

Favorite meal:  I never got sick of a fresh Greek salad, tzaziki or moussaka.

Most precious moment:  At the monastery near Delphi-  Osios Loukas.  

"Don't ask to understand the secrets of the universe, but simply to know what this moment means." 

I will take with me the memories, sights, smells and the victorious feeling of living somewhere else. My ability to adapt to the inconveniences and even becoming comfortable in a new culture is something I will never forget and the feeling can never be taken from me.

Greece is unpredictable. Which turns out to be refreshing. I am the type of person who plans, plans out my day, and when you never know when the market will open or if the bus will be on time ( we waited for an hour one day) or how long the line will be for stamps, or if they will even have enough stamps. Surprisingly all these set backs have actually taught me to go with the flow in life. 

Along with this- I'm also the type of person that when I give someone my word I try my hardest not to let them down - those hours listed on shop windows might let you down.  But it's not like that once you get used to it, the Greeks are just more relaxed and people just understand. They understand about being late from doctor appointments, flat tires and even just not feeling up to it kind of days. 

I don't think I ever felt the culture shock, maybe that will occur when I go back home...when I won't be able to walk down the street for a frappe.

 This has been such an eye opening experience and I'm so glad I got the opportunity. But it is always nice to return home, to the familiar.

 Thank you Greece and to my professors for leading me throughout.  Transitioning back into reality will be a task but with new experiences behind me I feel I am more prepared for the roads ahead.

SUNRISE

We saw the sunrise in Athens, I couldn't ask for a better ending to an amazing adventure.

Last night I truly got to experience the Greek night life. 

Dream City, a VIP club was kind of hard to find in downtown Athens but when we made it our new greek friends showed us a great time. They spoke perfect English as they are classmates of my friend at DEREE.

In the states I'm so used to hearing the last song around 1:45am to have the place close at 2.  Here the tables didn't shuffle till around 5.  It was interesting to see their music taste= mostly American artists.  The girls definitely  wore "club" attire but I'd say they were more classy than the way girls dress to go out in the U.S.  (Granted I have been to only one club).

Back to the music - The usual club remixes were surprisingly fun to dance to - but our twin Greek friends Jenna and Kayla ( their names in english version) informed us that Greeks don't really dance full on at the dance floor,  just by their seats.

They seemed to be disappointed but this seemed perfectly fine with me!  I liked it better that way it was more personalized and we could just dance with each other. This connects with Greeks and their "in crowds" and only wanting to hang out with their friends and not branching out.  We won't talk about their drinking intake- a bottle of Russian vodka was shared among the table.

Us Americans attempted to dance the night away with our new friends...

When they started to play Greek music towards the end of the night, Jenna looks over and says "Honestly this is horrible for clubbing , they start to play bad songs at the end of the night to push you to leave!" 

What an an interesting tactic to shut things down! But this was one opinion of course.

Sure enough people started to scatter but not too many.

Our next stop : two words: GREEK MAC. 

Yep a Mac in a pita, Greek style.

I'd say my life as a local in Greece is pretty much complete now.

Time to pack!

Wrapping it up...

update: our days are numbered in Agia Paraskevi!   good news and bad news.

This is greeeat because this art history class at DEREE was my last credit to graduate! That being said it may have been the most difficult--- I'm not used to all this analyzing sculpture and pottery in the centuries that go backwards!! 5th to 4th... I'm getting it.  But seriously when there was no guidelines as to what to study... it was basically everything we ever saw in Athens and everything ever pictured in the book I was feeling defeated last night when everyone was attempting with note cards.

When all I studied was the pottery periods and a few sculptures and then barely any of that material was an essay choice... let's just say I was more charming than factual in my writing.

I think my British professor will appreciate this though.  I think I know he just wants to know if all the sculpture and art we have seen gave us a "warm feeling," in a sense.  This man lives, eats, breathes archeology. The way he has passionately preached to us for these last four weeks I'm sure he will be satisfied with our answers---  As long as the knowledge of being here and witnessing all the amazing history has made some sort of an impression on us American students.

SO I wrote all that knew even if it didn't apply to the picture in question.

We took a picture with him after our horrid exam today-  He said with a smile, "You were a pleasant lot to teach."  He's was a good professor.

Sadly, we are starting to have our lasts in our little neighborhood and on campus where we have called home for these last 5 weeks.

 Today after our last exam, me and my roommate had our last swim in the awesome olympic sized pool.  It makes me feel good that I have tried to take advantage of the facilities on campus. Also it is like the campus experience I never had, except I have had one but this has been more rememberable.

Tonight may be our last yoga session on our lawn. Tomorrow morning will probably be our last run through our little neighborhood, our last time we will get weird looks from the locals- "why are they working out?"

We are free to celebrate our time here and our last hoorah dinner Monday night will be in Kolonaki.  Where we will climb Lykavitos, the highest point in Athens!

Don't worry my last frappe or my new favorite cappuccino freddo won't be till minutes before we depart!


it's not over YET!

Check!

This morning I checked the one thing I wanted to do off the list! I went to a yoga studio, -well in a gym membership kind of place a yoga class all the same- in Greece!  We got  there 25 minutes early, just to make sure, that's on time, American time. The teacher was awesome and spoke a little english- "You do realize I'll do the class only in Greek," and I replied, "Yes, it's what we've been waiting for! We will catch on!" She looked as us like we were crazy- but looked happy we were interested in her power yoga class.


Yoga could be universal like laughing is in any language. Yoga derives from sanskrit so familiar words came about during class; when she said "savasana" boy was I happy it was time for "resting, dead man pose."  Also the art of watching someone else, observational learning helps in any situation really.  Now I feel like I could do yoga in any country.  Even though I haven't seen any Greeks running in their neighborhoods or riding bikes- walking to the bus/metro is good enough, it's nice to know some people use their free time to work out in the alternative ways.  More Greeks should do yoga esspecially in this economic crisis- there would be less stress! Then have a frappe!


The class was actually hard=felt great.  During class I realized it would have been useful to have looked up words like- "jump forward", "right leg" , "left leg" and so on... to know a little of what to listen for! But as things were getting repeated I started to recognize sentences- ohh thats what that means... it was really neat.  

Trip complete.  


Just kidding but close.


I forgot to tell you our last site visit was to the island of Hydra.  It was beautiful, as every place we've seen here.  But it was quaint, with no cars except for garage and water trucks.  The sea taxis are everywhere to take you around the island's coast for different beach spots, but walking was better to take in the scenery.  I also learned that it would take 6 hours to hike to the highest point.

Looking for the perfect rock.

My favorite part was the beach of course.  There's nothing better than a round smooth rock! I collected more than a few- hey they aren't ancient ruin rocks so it's okay.  But the Aegean sea is every shade of blue and clearer than clear and that says a lot since I'm from "Clearwater."  It was a fun relaxing day and I could have rode a donkey again-but decided to pass on the opportunity again. 

"The Clouds"

Last night we set out on a two hour journey to Epidaurus to see an ancient Greek play. Yes, all in Greek! 

It was an experience.  So aside from it being 98 degrees outside even after the sun went down we sat in the ancient theatre where performances were performed who knows how long ago! The stadium was built in the 4th century. B.C.  Crazy.

The whole time I paid close attention- (trying to understand of course) and I'd say I understood about every 45th word...that's better than nothing though! ha.

It was a comedy. You'd be surprise how funny it was even though I didn't know what was going on. Watching the other people's reactions in the crowd was interesting and enduring to see them enjoying themselves, appreciating their history's form of entertainment. 

I should go back and read the play... but there were moments where I was sure I knew what was going on.  It is all about the body language of a person, I live for observing a situation on how someone presents themselves.  No matter what language is being spoken, laughter is understood by all.  And most other forms of emotion.  

It was worth the two hour drive on the winding roads through the mountains.  It was beautiful!

Conquering Athens

I know I keep saying this, but today I really felt like a local.

 Okay more than the last time I said it.


 This morning we had another semi-unbearable, heat of the sun site visit, to the Agora.  When our class/ field trip came to an end- the streets of Athens were our playground.  Shopping anywhere gives you crazy adrenaline to keep on going when your feet thought you couldn't go another step.

We roamed the streets, shopped and made friends with the shop keepers.  After snagging a quick frappe and hopping onto the metro for home, I realized how comfortable the day had been. Looking back I felt as if I was shopping in Jacksonville.  Localized.  It is the coolest feeling ever, the feeling of conquering the city. Everything is at your fingertips. Just a metro stop away.

My Greek is getting better and the people are actually starting to recognize my desire to learn.  The old man we made friends with in the leather shop taught me some new phrases today.  He also helped me "connect the dots" on how most of our language is from Greek. "80 percent of your language comes from Greek," he says.  Of course it does.  Reminds me of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." Hilarious. By   the way we have watched  that movie on the internet here and our experience here  puts it into a totally different light.


But this goes to show that old Greek men do have a soft spot. Again it depends on who you meet but from discussion and some observation, most of the elderly keep to themselves in their all men cafes with their worry beads in hand.  But the deeper you dig; I have witnessed a smile or two and friendly replies after my attempt to greet them.

I've been told the Greeks live a hard, stressful life. On the surface you would never expect it- with the afternoon naps and frappes every hour, (pretty much)  it all seems anything but stressful.  But from the years of the suffering Greek economy it has taken a toll on the people as well.  So all their time and energy is put in to make a living for their family and all their free time is put into their family time.  So learning one thing from our one greek friend "Greeks are boring they only hang out with each other, they don't step out and meet people!"  Because they spend all their time embracing their family, loved ones and the people they have already put their time into.  Seems selfish but it's easy.

"Never enough thyme."

Basically time and family is precious to the Greek's so when there is time to relax, it's with the people they love.  The thought of introductions to new people can add stress that isn't needed for the Greeks. More time for building trust that is already embedded in their communities.  So they stick together.

Baklava

OKay so when you look up Baklava in the dictionary it will most likely say: heaven on earth, the art of swimming in honey or floating on top of flaky phyllo dough... okay maybe not but pretty close.

It is probably my all time favorite sweet here.  But I'm not gonna lie I still haven't found anything close to how my Aunt Rosanna makes it.  True statement.  Maybe it is just the goodness of having it homemade with love.  But it is all tasty; the nuts are finely chopped while swimming in honey between many layers of buttery, flaky phyllo dough.  I should learn how to make it here, so then I won't have to beg my aunt to make it for me every time I see her.  I know she loves it though.






Something that is also good that I have tried here is Halva.  Made of grits with fruits, nuts and probably some more honey in there, it is a weird texture at first but it's delicious too.

Speaking of desserts and such the Greeks tend to eat family style most of the time.  We were talking about the pros and cons as a group and they only thing is -if something is really popular at the table like fried zucchini flowers (haven't tried yet) and only three comes on a plate, it is unfortunate for the rest of the table! So ordering three of the same dish is the solution.  Also eating family style is probably healthier, I've noticed that by getting a little of everything you get to just the right fullness compared to eating an entire bowl of pasta myself=over stuffed and regretting it.

There should be more family style eating in America, I know there are select places and families do when making dinner at home, but the oversized portions at restaurants maybe contribute to the obesity crisis in some states.

One thing annoying about the sharing is sharing the bill as well - there are little to zero places that will do separate checks for a meal.  Talk about complicated for 8 people a table. But that's part of it all.

There's my food update for now.

 On to... art history site trips, checking out the Greek yoga life, and eating more baklava.