10.9.08

Athens has been a big adjustment for me. Its a big place and I am not used to big places. Never having lived in a city before the sheer size of Athens is simply overwhelming. The next thing that has been an adjustment is just how old the city is. One of the first days after we got here a group of us were walking around and saw ancient ruins. Ancient ruins impressive but what resonated with me the most was that one of the ones that we saw was basically the basement of a modern five story building. It is really fascinating to see things like that because they just do not exist in the states. Going around to sites like Hadrian's Arch and the Temple of Olympian Zeus was really awesome too because everyone has seen the pictures of these sites but until you see them in person you can not grasp just how impressive these structures are. They are so much bigger than they seem in pictures.
Probably the best advice I can give at this point about surviving Athens is that the people here are not very skilled at driving. The lines on the roads are more or less suggestions if people feel like following them. Motorbikes have the right of way everywhere, at all times including at stoplights and on the sidewalks just because they are there and do not care if anyone else is. It is strange having to share the sidewalks of all places with motor vehicles since that is not where they should be but they are.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

wow it sounds like you are having a very interesting time in athens! i dont think i could handle the driving situations there but have fun! stay safe!<3 lovee

Anonymous said...

Hi Jessi!
I hope you are enjoying your time there and soaking in all the differences in Greece. I was always amazed in the "oldness" of other countries as compared to the U.S. Their driving sounds like Boston!
Have fun with this time, it will be something you will remember forever!