Why Are We All Here?

13/10/08

Why Are We All Here? (Meaning of life stuff)

Possibly a question only answerable with a myth. However, everyone on this trip probably had different reasons for wanting to come to Greece. My personal reasons were to experience the Greek culture and try to learn as much of the language as I can. In trying to learn the language I listened to lessons on CD then during that I made myself learn the Greek alphabet, which is quite different from the English one. I got a Greek dictionary before I left to help me out as well. All these things helped but actually being here where Greek is sometimes the only language people can speak to you makes things different and can be intimidating and made me realize that I wish I knew more. Myself and Misty were big on trying to learn the language so we asked our Greek teacher of Athens though the Ages to help us out with the language. So far we have only had one time where we have met but we plan on keeping it up as soon as she gets back from her trip. She is very helpful and able to teach us things that CDS and dictionaries cannot help us with.
The other thing that I had mentioned was experiencing the culture. This is big for me because my personal area of study is anthropology. This culture has much to offer in many ways. One of the ways is the food. Greece is big on their food from, gyros, spanakopita, saganaki (fried feta), baked feta, cheese pies, to tons of other delicious things, some of which I still have yet to try. Their dairy products here are a lot richer than they are in America. A lot of their culture is around food and people gather around tavernas or other types of restaurants for conversation and good food. Something else that I noticed that has nothing to do with food is the way they make their buildings. In America they are made mainly out of wood but here, as I look around at things being built, they are made of a concrete looking material. Recently, I have been making more Greek friends who help me to experience the culture even more which I am very happy about.

Blabbering

This past week I have finally found myself calming down. I believe my body needed a good healthy rest. I didn’t think that it was possible for everyone to get a cold without it actually being cold outside. It is just becoming sweatshirt weather, although it is still possible to be content outside in a t-shirt or even tank-top if the suns out. But, from what I hear about the colds going around at home – us in Greece were suffering from the same symptoms! Weird!

For the past week we have all been utilizing the toilet paper, and filling up those trash barrels with these darn runny noses. But slowly, I think the general consensus is that we are all recovering. During our collective sickness period we found some ways to entertain ourselves. Moves have been shared, watched, and re-watched. The website surfthechannel.com has also been appreciated to its fullest. Except when we watch too many hours of it and we get kicked off for a while. Or when it stops just before the epic end of a movie, for example, the Prince of Egypt.

On a more personal note: Leanne and I rearranged our rooms, again. We have decided to sacrifice our collective tapestries as well as extra sheets, for a good cause. We made a massive tent! Our supplies included many, many safety pins, close pins, and hemp. Throughout the days we have also edited and fixed certain sections to make the tent the best ever! We even have three mattresses to pad our behinds/for sleeping arrangements. I will rely on Leanne’s blogging skills to post pictures of our wonderful room contraption.

Meandering with a New Greek Friend

Ashley and I decided on Saturday to hop on the metro and then the team bus with the HAU soccer team, and ride with the players to watch their match in the suburbs of Athens.  The game was exciting though it didn’t end in the most desired fashion.  (Also, Ashley and I were subjected to the coolest weather that we have felt yet in Greece).

            Over the course of the ride home, then dinner, and finally the after-party we were able to socialize with some of the players and actually make friends with a couple of them.  Costas and Tony are there names.

            On Sunday morning Tony got a hold of Ron and I and we got together to hang out.  We went out for coffee, which takes about three hours at a Greek coffee shop.  Then we walked around chatting and moving in and out of the market.  Once we got hungry we stopped for souvlaki and a soda.  We continued on our walk talking about Tony’s history class and the different perspectives that he gets learning about things from Greece’s perspective until we stumbled into the student district in the city, Psiri.  Here we went to a little bar and ordered up the best cough remedy I have ever had.  I have been sick and so was Tony so he introduced me to this Greek remedy called rakomena.  This is a heated mixture of Cretan raki and honey.  Raki is like Cretan moonshine, and the warm mixture of it with honey did wonders for my cold.

            From here we continued walking outside listening to the array of Greek musicians inside of restaurants and on the streets until it was late and we were all tired.

            Six hours from the time I walked out the door I began the walk back to my apartment wondering, “what did I do with my day?”  After a few moments of thought I came to the realization that I was simply meandering all day.  I was walking around, like so many Greek students do, aimlessly looking for conversation and a good time.  I realized at this moment that I was one step closer to achieving one of my ultimate goals in Greece, which is to embrace myself in the culture of a Greek student and not simply be an American student who happens to be doing his studies in Greece. 

            On this trip I have come to realize that I am not a tourist, but rather a temporary resident of Athens.  Because of this I feel that meeting other Greeks my age and learning about them and their culture is essential when acquiring a well-rounded set of knowledge and experiences on this semester abroad. 

Grecian Revelations

I can’t lie we are a group of thirteen young adults and don’t like to be cooped up in an apartment all day. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that we like to go out explore, have dinner and go dancing. During these adventures we’ve had the opportunity to meet lots of people around Athens, unfortunately we havent met very many people our age. However this past weekend we had the opportunity to mingle with a few students who attend HAU with us. Saturday morning Shane and I took the metro, met up with the HAU soccer team and rode with them to their sixth game of the season. The team put out a lot of effort and ended the game with a tie but we had a lot of fun cheering and getting to know them. Afterwards we had the opportunity to meet more of the students from HAU at a kick off party that the school had arranged at a night club. I loved meeting new people but there is something that was said to me that is still lingering in my head. While on the bus to the game Shane and I were talking to the student activities coordinator and he asked us what our favorite and least favorite parts of being in Greece were…both of us just looked at him and were quite speechless, that is until i had this thought....

There are many things in Greece that I can honestly say I love, and I am continuing to fall in love with Athens every day…but to point out one particular thing, that seems almost inconceivable. I love that there is always a kiosk with everything I could ever need within walking distance of everywhere I go, being able to pop into a museum whenever I want, and of course there is all the shopping I could ever dream of in monastiraki... of the few things I hate… well I don’t hate. I strongly dislike almost being hit by motorcycles on sidewalks, and I miss real peanut butter, I also agree with Myste’s last post about the whole fitted sheets fiasco…

In all I think that we had such a hard time thinking about our favorite parts of Greece because to me, this trip isn’t about any particular moment, it’s really an experience that will affect the way I look at everything. I am starting to appreciate things a little more each day and I’m also finding things out about myself that I never knew I could handle. There are a lot of things I’ll miss when I come back to the U.S. and I’ll have a lot of individual memories but I don’t think there will be any favorites.

We've been in Athens a little over a month now. Despite the amazing experiences we've been having, with the awesome food, and the touching of celebrities, and volcano climbing, I have begun to feel some of the first pangs of homesickness. I have put together a comparative list of things that I especially miss from the good ol' US of A.

1. Dunkin Donuts. With the appeal of Gloria Jean's long gone for some of us, even a Kono-man double espresso complete with a free pastry cannot always quell the need for a medium iced regular, at a price that never breaks the bank.
2. Fitted Sheets. This has been an issue for me for sometime now. Waking up with my sheets wrapped around my body like a cotton cocoon and the scratchy mattress under me has been infinitely frustrating. Until yesterday I was under the impression that fitted sheets were simply a commodity that was completely unavailable here in Greece. Little did I know we were just being held out on. The boy's apartment is furnished with lovely sheeting of the fitted variety. Big fight.
3. Toilets that flush. Every time. No matter what is thrown in there. Having finally gotten used to reading signs at every public water closet saying Please no paper in toilet, when arriving back to the US, it's going to be lovely to not be concerned if I want to throw an entire newspaper in there if I feel the need to.
4. Not paying for bread and water at a restaurant. Although the bread here in Greece tastes as though the dough was rolled by Zeus himself, it will be a nice change of pace to eat as much bread as my little heart desires without worrying about what the damage to the final bill will be.
5. My dog. Despite the fact that Athens is home to plenty of stray pups, Reagan is one of a kind. Let me know when you find a dog here in Greece that does as beautiful a rendition of the Batman theme song as my Reagan does and I will give you a Euro.

Ok, I guess five little things that I miss about home isn't awful. In fact, if you ship me some Dunkins, fitted sheets, and my dog, I'll somehow manage with the toilets and bread and maybe I won't ever have to go home. They certainly know how to make an espresso here in Athens anyway.

A Home Away From Home

As I sit in my room trying to think about what I should write about for my blog I hear sirens going off outside my window and people laying on their horns every so often. It is then when I realized that these noises are something I have grown so used to in the past couple of weeks that it just boggles my mind. I am from a small town in Connecticut where my back yard consists of cows, alpacas, and chickens. The only sounds that I have grown accustomed to are the ones that come from those animals as well as the calming sound of crickets in the evening.

With this thought, I am surprised that I have gotten so used to everything so quickly, and that's when I realize that this place feels a little bit like a home away from home. The things that used to scare me when I came to this city are now things I barely even notice. The street bike flying past me as I walk on the sidewalk, the cars going through streets that are one way streets only, and the people cursing and screaming at each other in Greek if one driver did something the other driver did not approve of. Even the riots, people shouting on the loud speakers in a language I only know so much of, and the occasional army groups walking just outside our apartment with machine guns dangling from their arms.

I find it incredible that I have lived here for only a few weeks and that inner feeling of being a tourist has been replaced with being a resident here in Athens. I know I am not Greek nor do I speak the language, but being out of my comfort zone I have found ways in order to survive here. How to handle myself as I am finding it difficult to communicate with the girl who makes my coffee--stay calm, don't get flustered or angry, and take it one step at a time. I have grown confident enough to be able to go up to a stranger and ask him or her for help if needed or to walk around this intimidating city by myself. My sense of direction has gotten better, I now know how to make it home on my own if I ever got lost. As for someone like myself who is a picky eater, I have found myself enjoying the new dishes that the Greeks have perfected and forcing myself to experience new and different things.

I have accepted the culture that is different from my own and have found myself growing more fond of it each and every day. When starting on this trip there were so many things I had mentally prepared myself for; jet lag, culture shock, getting used to the new people that are on the trip with me, being open-minded to new things. The one thing I did not prepare myself for was feeling like I was home. That comfort feeling you get when you have been away for a few days and when you walk into the door of your home you feel calm and relaxed. The apartment on Sina Street and the people in it have made me feel that way. I could not have asked for a better situation or for better people to experience this with me.

Heaven!

Hello from Greece!

We spent our first weekend, in what seems like a long time, here in Athens! We celebrated the 20th Birthday of Caitie and the 22nd Birthday of Ron! I think its safe to say that we all enjoyed ourselves thoroughly.

On Sunday we were lucky enough to go to a FREE concert in the Olympic Stadium. Thousands of people showed up, to watch Kaiser Chiefs and R.E.M. It was absolutely amazing. A few of us were even lucky enough to squeeze out front for a perfect view!

Time is definitely flying by here. I feel like I have known all of the people in the group forever. We are definitely all comfortable with each other. I am sure that slowly we are all becoming aware of each others flaws. Besides that, I am surprised that such a weird group of people get along so well! We are all so different!! Amazing!!

Today Leanne and I discovered something exciting. Leanne had a brilliant idea of taking pictures of the million “420” graffiti everywhere, and then turning it into an art project. So, we have been wandering aimlessly again, yet this time with some sort of a purpose! To find, and take pictures of all of the 420’s in sight! We have some motivation to explore again!

And, today on our explorations we were rewarded greatly! Because, we found a Natural Foods store. Complete with VEGGY BURGERS AND OTHER TOFU PRODUCTS!

A vegetarian in Greece’s heaven! Hallelujah!!!

I have been in Athens for a little over a month now, and I still haven't touched Michael Stipe. Aside from coming into physical contact with major celebrities, I have at least one other goal. I'm trying to learn as much Greek as possible. My major linguistic learning centers have been eateries: bakeries and, of course, Stavros'. Almost everyone here speaks a little English, enough to order a Greek salad or an Amstel, but that does not make for a good learning environment. Typically my cover is blown: I am American. Maybe it's the unkempt hair or the lackadaisical manner of dress or the pink sunglasses, but I usually end up with a "yes?" or a "hello." The absolute worst is when I still try to throw some Greek at them and get English back, but this phenomenon seems restricted to major tourist centers, where it is simply quicker and easier not to bother. 

If I can't get my point across, or if I'm asked an unfamiliar question, a catalavenate aglika (do you understand English?) is met with a "yes," and the matter is resolved. A couple of days ago, at a new-found bakery in the back of our neighborhood, Pangrati, my abilities were put to the test as my catalavenate... was met with a then catalaveno---I do not understand English. This was the first such response I had gotten: you don't understand English? Excellent! (This is generally a good sign) But how am I supposed to figure out what is inside that delicious looking pastry? So I mumble and point and shrug my shoulders. 

"Patata." (Educated guess: potato)

Okay, but in any food order there is one crucial question about which Ron and Dom are both familiar: 

Ohi kreas? I ask. (No meat?)

Ohi, I hear, followed by words too fast to catch and some smiles. I think this woman is wondering why I wanted to try English to begin with. I hear cala which means good or well. I'll just pretend she said I speak Greek well. I pay, proudly, and walk off with my delicious (thavmasio) potato (patata) pie (pita). 

Oh, and the most important Greek phrase I have learned so far: ena duplio espresso sketo,  parakalo (one double espresso no sugar, please).

I still can’t believe I’m in Greece. I can’t believe I’m in Greece at a free R.E.M concert. I can’t believe I’m in Greece, at an R.E.M concert, and in the front row. These thoughts repeatedly crossed my mind after I had made my way through the sea of people, dodged many elbows, and been pushed and pulled through the crowd until I was as far forward as I was going to get without being on the other side of the barricade myself. This prime location didn’t come without making some sacrifices, which meant I would subject myself to being squashed against other humans for the next hour and a half while we all joined together to sing and groove along with Michal Stipe.

Although this concert was the highlight of my weekend, two other kids from our group had reasons for this being a great weekend in Athens. On Thursday we celebrated Caitie’s 20th birthday, and the very next day we celebrated Ron’s 22nd. We took Caitie out for a night of fun and dancing at some local bars and clubs and the next night Ron’s birthday was celebrated at one of Athens’s classiest establishments. I have to admit I’m surprised we all made it to class this morning considering the toll this weekend must have taken on everyone’s liver and ability to function off of very little sleep. However, these are small prices to pay when the memories and fun to be had far exceeded this.

As R.E.M took their final bows and I made my way back through the crowd which I had hours earlier fought my way through, I felt reluctant to leave but immensely satisfied with the show that they performed. I never would have guessed that I would see one of my favorite groups up close in a foreign country. The night came to a close as a group of us made our way to our favorite taverna in order to rest our feet and satiate our hunger. Although it was a Sunday night and well after midnight, we knew we could count on Stavros to be open and greet us with the usual smiles and whatever delicious food was still left. As I looked around the table I noticed everyone’s tired faces and unusual lack of energy, and I knew this was the result of a great weekend.

Oh, and did I mention I got to touch Michael Stipe?

Birthday Festivities!

Birthday Gellato!!


This was one of the most entertaining weekends I have had here in Athens since we first moved in on Sina Street. Without any effort on my part to make sure that I had a great birthday weekend, everyone came together and made it absolutely incredible. The girls on Sina Street surprised me at exactly midnight of when my birthday began on October 2nd, with a gelato and a candle, singing me happy birthday! From that moment onward I knew this weekend was going to be great!

A group of us went searching for a tattoo place just to get estimates on certain ideas we had for what we wanted. When we got to the House of Tattoos a man greeted us with a thick Greek accent, eager to see what we had for ideas. The man was so excited and told me that he had only given one other American a tattoo. The picture I showed him was of the Greek Key meaning eternal life. The man began to say that he was so happy to see that I had wanted a tattoo of that because the key is a symbol of the Greek culture and what they live by and the fact that I, who am not Greek, come into their culture and accept what they stand by enough to get that symbol on my body forever.

Meanwhile at home the girls were scurrying around the house decorating the place with balloons and happy birthday signs all over the place. I walk into the apartment and everyone starts to yell surprise and put on the classic “It’s your birthday” by 50 cent. Then we all got ready for the evening to come.

Around 7pm everyone from the other apartment came over where we all enjoyed a chocolate covered vanilla cake with little chocolate pieces mixed into the vanilla. After cake was done we went out to one of my favorite pubs called James Joyce which is an Irish pub filled with loud music and a comfortable atmosphere. After James Joyce we all went dancing for a few hours and then finally came home where I unfortunately popped my knee and ended the night in tears. Despite the knee popping, which everyone in the house knew exactly what to do in order to help me out..props to the Sina girls, I had one of the funnest birthdays so far.

The weekend consisted or birthday celebrations for myself and Ron, and ended with an amazing night in the Olympic Stadium where MTV held its premier of MTV Greece by having a concert with R.E.M. for free. The concert was filled with thousands of people jumping, pushing, yelling, and singing all throughout the night. Thanks to everyone for making this weekend something I will never forget!!