Xioni...Snow??

So we have had an exciting weekend here in Athens...I'll begin where I last left off.

Last Thursday was Valentine's Day so we all agreed that we would get all dressed up and go out as each other's valentines. We got all dolled up (including the boys) and trekked into Plaka to a traditional Greek Taverna, Stamatopoulos. We walked up to the door with 22 people and the man at the door almost passed out. I explained to him that we would be willing to separate and so they accomodated us at two tables. We ordered all the typical appetizers, delicious meals, and a couple of bottles of wine too. We were celebrating!!


After our meal we decided to immerse ourselves in the culture and that included Greek dancing. So Rena, the my roomate and the other Greek-American, and I dragged some willing participants onto the dancefloor (about 4 ft by 4 ft). We danced and laughed and showed the Greeks that we knew what we were doing. This was all well and good until someone's foot got stepped on by a high heel, all the Greeks reading this knows what that feels like. The waiter was so cute and brought ice and bandaids for the poor victim.


Once everyone was bandaged up we split up and about 15 of us went to Club Envy. We had so many of us that we got VIP tables. In Greece this means that you turn in your drink ticket that you automatically recieve with your coverage charge and combine them and they put a bottle of any kind of alcohol on the table complete with ice, coke, club soda, and other mixers. We had 4 tables and we only had to pay around $20 (US dollars) for pretty much unlimited drinks, pretty good deal. We danced the entire time and had a blast! We left around 4:00 am, which to the Greeks is very early. Next time we decided that we wouldn't eat dinner so early (10 pm) and wait until around 11 pm. The dancing did us in and several of us girls needed piggy back rides back from the club by our generous gentlemen schoolmates.


The next day was Friday and we had to meet some of the staff members from the University for lunch so we dragged ourselves out of bed and managed to get showered and dressed by noon. Pretty impressive for 8 girls and 2 bathrooms, and about 4 hours of sleep. After a quick lunch some of my roomates and I went with Owen (grad assistant) to Carrefore a HUGE grocery store. We all took empty bookbags and got on the Metro then walked a couple blocks to end up at a 2 story Greek Style Walmart. It was very chaotic (especially for a Friday afternoon) and we walked around in awe for a few minutes then realized that we only had 90 minutes to shop. The metro has this new ticket that is a 90 minute two way ticket. Instead of paying .80 euro for a one way ticket you can purchase a 1 euro ticket that lasts for 90 minutes two ways. So we immediately started shopping. We have a grocery store close by but we wanted to get cleaning supplies and larger items here because the prices are a little bit cheaper. The first floor has all the toiletries, cleaning, electronics, home items, etc. Then you go to this escalator ramp (because you have these huge carts and you have to get them downstairs somehow) and go to the lower level which has all the food.


It is very similar to Sam's or Costco because as soon as you get downstairs they are stuffing samples in your face. We had Amita juice (a delicious Greek juice), chocolate (the woman even let us take some home with us), turkey, ham, and several other things. They also hand out coupons for the items so you eat and save money all at the same time. We looked like typical Americans trying to read labels and running into people but we had a good time nonetheless. The funniest encounter was at the deli-counter. Yes, they have coldcuts in Greece. We all agreed we would get some turkey so we could have sandwiches for lunch. After discussing the weight issue with Owen we agreed that since there were 8 girls in the house and the boys come over a lot we should go ahead and get 1 kilo (2 lbs.) of turkey. Since I'm the Greek I had to order the turkey over the counter. When I asked the woman for 1 kilo of turkey she looked at me like I was insane. She immediately said that it was too much. Then the woman next to me, who thought I didn't understand, told me that it was too much. I explained to them that there are 8 of us but they didn't let up. Finally she cut the turkey and reluctantly handed me the 2 lbs of meat. Greeks hate to waste food I suppose. Funny thing is - it's Tuesday night now and most of the turkey is gone.


Checking out of a grocery store in Greece is pure chaos because you have to bag your own items. On top of that we had 5 minutes before our metro passes were supposed to expire. So we are grabbing things and shoving them into our bookbags and pocketbooks and hoping that nothing leaks or spills on our way home. We got home without any major catastrophes, thank goodness.


After we unpacked our groceries we hung out in the apartment then some of the girls decided to go take a walk in the National Gardens (only about a 5-10 minute walk from our apartment). I however stayed back at the apartment because I was going to meet my thea (aunt) Stavroula for cafe. Stavroula although she is really my aunt is a year younger than I am so she is more like a cousin. We met in Syntagma Square and walked, arm in arm - like they do in Greece, to Kolonaki. This is the ritzy area of Athens where all the celebrities live, except we didn't see any. We sat outside at a cute coffee shop, Jackson Hall - yes it was in English. We talked 1/2 Greek 1/2 English and actually communicated quite well. She speaks almost perfect English so if my Greek wasn't enough she compensated. Then her friend Bobby came and met us. He is taking English classes and is embarassed to speak, kind of like me and my Greek. Once he got there I let them talk and I just sat back and listened. I loved being in Kolonaki because it wasn't as touristy as the Plaka area is so I really felt like I was in Greece. All around me people were walking by with the shopping bags or stopping and sitting down to visit with friends. It was so exciting just to sit back and take it all in.

Friday night we ended up being lazy after our Valentine's celebration and went to the guy's apartment and watched a movie. Saturday morning we got up and got ready to go to Glyfada (a seaside town about 45 minutes from Athens) however it was FREEZING outside and it was extremely windy. So a couple of us decided to stick around and just do some shopping on Ermou St (large shopping street in Syntagma). We shopped for a little while then found a restaurant with a fireplace and had coffee and a nutella and banana crepe which was absolutely to die for. After being in the shop for almost 2 hours we decided to head back home. When we walked outside we saw the first snowflakes start to fall. We took pictures and played a little while then went inside to warm up. When we got ready to go out to the guy's apartment it had started to pick up and by the time we left the guys apartment after hanging out it was starting to stick. We took lots of pictures then came home and got some sleep.

On Sunday we woke up to a winter wonderland in Athens. This is extremely rare and from what everyone keeps telling us the last snowstorm to hit Athens was at least 5 years ago. We got up Sunday and braved icy and snow covered roads to attempt to find a place to get food to make dinner with. Everything seemed to be shut down, not only because it was Sunday but because of the snow as well. Finally we found the supplies for dinner and made a huge spaghetti feast with salad and bread. We fed about 15 people and after dinner we realized we needed desert. So we got bundled up and trekked down the road to try and find someplace that was open. We walked by a place we had already been several times and decided to try another place that someone had mentioned. When we got there they had a limited and very expensive selection so we walked back to the first place and it had closed. We had been there just 5 minutes before, but I guess they were ready to go home. So we settled on a local taverna and told them we only wanted desert. He said that would be fine and as we walked into the restaurant in our heavy coats and sweatpants (we were bumming it that night) everyone got quiet and just stared at us, we didn't look like American tourists at all. We ordered ice cream, apple pies, and other goodies. Afterwards with our stomachs full we came home.

When we got home we started talking about our travel plans and we found relatively cheap tickets to Prague and decided to book them. After we all called our parents and convinced them that once we got to Prague everything would be cheap, at the least the beer there is supposed to be $.50 each. We all sat around with our laptops and credit cards and booked our flights for March 12-16th. Everyone is so excited and we have a good size group going so we are looking forward to our first trip!!

Monday we woke up and realized that school was cancelled for the few people that have Monday/Wednesday classes this was good news, for the rest of us it didn't really affect us. Turns out that many of the northern suburbs of Athens are completely snowed in and it is extremely difficult for those people to get into the city, and much of our staff at the University lives in these areas.

Monday we started to go shopping in Omonia at the flea market but halfway there realized it was later in the afternoon and that more than likely the shops would be closed for siesta hour and for the snow. Some of them continued to local market but three of us got hungry so Tim, Courtney and I decided to skip out on the shopping and get some lunch instead. Since much of the city was still closed we had a hard time finding a place to eat and finally ended up at a coffee shop near our apartment. We had tost and frappe's and sat for 2 hours just being like Greeks. The bartender/waiter brought us a "little alcohol kind of sweet" as he said for us to taste on the house.

After lunch we came home and did our homework for the next day, write the alphabet in Greek twice both capitals and lowercase. 30 seconds later we attempted to read our Greek history book but instead we found ourselves sitting around the kitchen table munching on a few snacks and just talking. Everyone, especially within our apartment, is getting along so well, which makes the experience even better.

We decided to run to the grocery store to buy some things that we needed around the house and went to the Bazaar the grocery store closer to our apartment. We desperately needed laundry detergent because we bought two bottles of fabric softener without noticing it. So while we were in the laundry aisle trying to figure out which was which I attempted to pick up a bottle that said Tide on it and as soon as I reached for it the cap flew off and the bottle flew out of my hands and onto the floor. Detergent went everywhere and after a few failed attempts we finally managed to pick up the slippery bottle and put it back on the shelf. We were laughing so hard and partly in shock and embarassed that we just left it. We are such terrible Americans - ooops. We are making the other roomates shop at Bazaar for the week so we don't have to show our faces.

For dinner we went to Noodlebar, an Asian style restaurant that we had attempted to eat at several times before but it was either closed or packed full of people. Courtney, Ashley, Ivy, and I went together and enjoyed a meal similar to what we would have eaten back home, it was a nice change of pace from spanakopita and pastichio. We came home and headed to bed relatively early because we had class the next day.

We went to classes on Tuesday and learned the basic greek phrases for introducing yourself. This was amusing to me and my roomate, Rena, who knows some Greek as well. But we do give the other students credit because Greek isn't an easy language to learn and so far they are doing well. The rest of the day classes went well. Greek history continues to be very interesting, and in our Socio-Political Forum class we had the Hungarian Ambassador come and speak to us. In my Business Law class I am the only Odyssey (name of my program) student in the class. So the rest of the class are Greek students, one of them Stephanos, knows that I am Greek and always speaks to me before class begins. The girls next to him, Eleni and Popi, looked at him like he was crazy then they all realized I spoke Greek so they started talking to me also. Hopefully being around them will help my Greek as well.

Tuesday night, since we don't have class on Wednesday, we planned to go out. Also the Greek soccer team, Olympiakos (the red and white team) was playing England's Chelsea team in Athens. This was a big game so we went to a local restaurant to watch it. We were in the back corner of the restaurant and were probably upsetting the fans because we were being loud and obnoxious but we were having a good time. Afterwards a few of us went to Liquid to see our favorite bartender, Demetri. We hung out there for awhile then ended up at Soul a new club we discovered. We will definitely be going back, it was a Tuesday so things were slow and we were the only ones in there but I'm sure on a weekend if it gets packed it would be a really good time.

Wednesday we had lunch with the Vice President of Student Affairs from the University of Indianapolis (the American campus). He is here visiting the campus and learning about the program so it was nice to meet him and we introduced ourselves and gave him some feedback about the progam. So now here we are, the snow has finally melted and it is a beautiful day outside, all the people from the North in the program are in their flip flops, they don't realize that 50 degrees isn't warm though. It doesn't look like there is any snow in the forecast and hopefully the cold is over and we are going to warm up this week. Hope all is well back in the states. I'll write again soon.

-Yianna

H mera tis agapis...the day of love...Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day from across the Atlantic!

Ok here is another update on life in Athens...

Tuesday we had our first day of classes. First thing in the morning (10 am) we have Greek 101 with our teacher, Yianna, imagine that? She is this adorable little Greek woman who actually lived in the Clearwater FL area for a while, while she was in the states. She is very upbeat and her favorite words are, "kala," "bravo," and "siga siga" (or for the redneck Greeks - "shiga shiga"). She is very nice and extremely friendly, especially after 1/2 the class walked in late because we are all have frappe's and cafe at the coffee shop (Coffee Break) across the street. We have been told several times and even witnessed it ourselves that time is very lax here and many students enter the class 10-15 minutes late without being reprimanded. So I guess we are fitting into the Greek way of life if we were late to our first class.

After our first class we came back for a quick nap because we have a good 2 hour break before our next class. There are several of us that have the same classes so we stick together and walk to and from the apartments to the school often. It's only a couple of blocks so we can be at school in less than 5 minutes, depending on how many mopeds and smart cars we have to dodge on the way. It really is true that Greeks don't yield to pedestrians, nor do they yield to other cars.

Our second class of the day is Modern Greek History. This teacher was a little more stern than our fun Greek teacher but nonetheless she is very educated and we are all looking forward to the class and further discussions. Because our first class is Greek 101 we were the only students, all American, however in our history class we have several Greek students and even some from other countries such as Russia and Serbia. Not only do we have college age students but also 65 year old woman who is very knowledgeable in the subject as well. While we were discussing "what modern Greek history can be defined as" we all sat back in amazement as the class discussed the topic. Many of them being Greek knew the history very well and we all felt like complete outsiders, knowing very little if anything about what they were talking about. Also it is amazing that these students can speak fluent English and learn in a language that is a 2nd language to them. After class we discussed whether they think in Greek or English or a combo, also how difficult it must be to think in Greek then have to translate into English what you have to write for your notes.

After history we got a group to go eat at a typical restaurant in Plaka. We ordered spanakopites (spinach pie), saganaki (flaming cheese), and krasi (wine) for the table and then we each ordered an individual meal. Everyone was picking off each other's plates and trying each other's food, very Greek style meal. Got to love being able to drink wine between classes!!

With a slight buzz (just kidding...well kind of) we walked off to our next class, our Socio-Political Forum. This class isn't in the main school building but at the school's Cultural Center which is a 5-10 minute walk through Plaka. The center also contains our library and a wonderful rooftop which you can see most of Athens, and happens to be right at the foot of the Acropolis. This is an interesting class because it isn't a lecture based class from a textbook. Instead, the ambassadors from different countries come and speak to us about topics of their choice. We are encouraged to ask questions and engage in the discussion while they are speaking. We have been instructed not to dispose the name of the ambassadors that are coming. So therefore I won't publish it online where anyone could stumble across it but if you want to know shoot me an email and ask and I might let it slip. :) Our professor in this class is a typical Greek man but he is a very educated man and spent many years in the States putting himself through undergradurate, masters, and doctoral degrees. He also served the United Nations and now teaches as part of his retirement. This should be a very interesting class that will allow us to broaden our horizons and "American" ways of thinking.

After class I have a longer break because I am not taking the Greek Mythology class with many of the students so I have an almost empty apartment to myself which is a nice break. Afterwards I have my Business Law class. Not much to report, professor is a pretty funny guy who is extremely sarcastic. Probably will be one of the least interesting of my classes but it is a requirement for my Business Minor at Clemson.

To celebrate our first day of classes we went to our favorite bar, Liquid. We had a good time and met some other Americans and even some Spainish guys. Surprisingly everyone warned us about the Greek ones trying to hit on the girls but these guys did their fair share of flirting also. Demetri our favorite bartender hooked us up once again and we had a very good time. We got home around 2:30 then because we are still half on American time we stayed up until almost 5 just hanging out and talking.

Wednesday we slept in because we had been up so late and in the afternoon we continued our walking tour around Athens and we went to the Metro Station in Syntagma Square (the large square closest to us, a major hub in the city). We went into the Metro however we did not actually ride it because there was a huge strike. All of the public sectors (buses, Metro, post offices, etc.) were closed. The workers were striking for better wages, more benefits, and other things. The Metro ran for only a few hours but everything else was closed. It didn't affect us too much but this is a common thing in Athens for people to go on strike so we have been warned to stay away from the rallies that are often associated with the strikes because sometimes they can get out of hand.

After our Metro tour we walked with Owen (the graduate student assistant) and got all kinds of tiropites (cheese pies). It is one of his favorite places and it is right off of Ermu (one of the large streets in Athens with all the good shopping). It is very close to our apartments and I am sure we will be there often, especially since it is only 1.70 euros for one pita. They have many varieties including chicken, spinach, olives, zucchini, leeks, and even sweet versions as well.

With our stomachs full we started walking towards Gazi an area that has incredible graffiti art. However on our walk I received a call from my theo Panagiotis and so I left to group to wait for him to come and pick me up and take me to his house for the afternoon. He lives on the 3rd floor of the building while his sister (Ioanna) lives on the 2nd with her two daughters, and his parents (Thea Maria - my papou's sister and Theo Angelos) live on the ground level. This is a very common living situation for families in Greece. When we arrived at the house we first visited with Thea Maria and Theo Angelos. It has been 8 years since I have last seen them so it was nice to catch up and I am looking forward to being able to spend time with them while I am here.

Afterwards we went upstairs to meet Ioanna's daughters, they were a little shy because the last time I met them they were much younger and I am sure that they don't remember. They both play the piano so after they played a few songs for me I did my best attempt to play something from memory for them. The girls had to go to English School (like we went to Greek School) and so we went upstairs to meet Panagioti's wife, Theodora (Dora) and the new baby (Angelos). Also Dora's sister Dina was there as well so we all sat around and talked for several hours.

We had cafe (coffee) and torte (cake - Black forest cake actually - Dina's birthday was the day before). When the baby woke up we were able to play with him all afternoon. He is precious!! He will be a year old in March so I have been invited to come over for his birthday celebration. After Ioanna came home from work she and the girls came upstairs and we all visited together.

Finally we ate dinner at Thea Maria's and she had artichokes (don't know the Greek for this one yet) and potatoes. She was so embarassed that she hadn't fixed a larger meal, but my visit was unexpected so she didn't have enough time to prepare. They were already planning the next meal for when I visit again. Theo Angelos insisted on having pizza but then Panagiotis reminded them that I have pizza at home in the States and that while I am here I should eat Greek food. It is so nice to know that they are so accomidating, I guess that is what family is for.

Around 9 pm I got home to find a large group of fellow students gathered around in our kitchen discussing traveling plans. We found a great deal to Italy, a round trip ticket from Athens to Milan for only 138 euros. We told our director, Dina, today and she said a one way ticket should usually cost that much so we should book it as quickly as possible. We figured out the dates we wanted to go (around March 19-24th) and decided to fly into Milan then travel by train to Florence, Venice, and Rome. This weekend is actually American Easter so we might be in Rome during Catholic services and celebrations.

Today, Thursday, is our second day of classes and so far so good. Our Greek class is going well, however today after reviewing the alphabet the entire period my roomate, Rena, who is also Greek, and I discussed with our teacher a plan in which we did some of the additional chapters in our Greek book so that we might advance ourselves at a quicker pace than the class. Because we both speak it and can understand it we need more grammar and extra practice compared to the class. Our teacher was willing so we will see how quickly we can learn some new things.

After class we had frappe's (iced coffees) and tost (ham & cheese panini type sandwiches) at a little cafe near school. They are so quaint on the inside, because they are all like loft apartments with an upstairs sitting area. We all gathered on couches and comfy chairs and had a late breakfast. To celebrate Valentine's Day we have decided to go out to eat as a large group so we had a few recommendations of restaurants from Dina and so we went exploring to find them. We found some cute little streets and great photo opportunities on our way.

We got back just in time for our Greek history class which turned out to be surprisingly very very interesting. After class we actually gathered outside and talked about how much we enjoyed the class and how we are looking forward to learning more about the subject. It isn't often that a bunch of college students can discuss positive things about their lectures so that was quite refreshing.

While we were in our class one of the students from Greece asked us if we had felt the earthquake. To which we responded, no. There had been an earthquake measuring 6.7 about 140 miles from Athens. We however did not feel it so looks like we all survived our first earthquake. Needless to say all of our parents, family, and friends have been trying to get in touch with us all day but we are all well and accounted for.

In the afternoon we all attended our socio-political forum class together and after class when we went to discuss with our professor that we would be out of class for our trip to Italy we were unpleasantly surprised to find out that the days we have picked to go happen to fall on the class period when the US Ambasador is coming to speak to the class. This may be an issue seeing as if 15 + US students are not in class on that day. Hopefully this will all work itself out.

As for now I am off to my last class, sorry for novel but this is the easiest way to let everyone know what I'm up to without personally calling or emailing everyone individually. Hope all is well back home and I hope that it is warmer than it is here because it is FREEZING here. Today was the first day we had sun all day. But they are calling for snow on Saturday so we will see. That's all for now. More to come later...

-ya

Yassas apo tin Athina - or something like that...

So here is it my second evening in Athens so I thought I would update everyone on the past couple of days...

My flight over was fine, not a full flight so lots of room to spread out and sleep. I chose to curl up in the back corner of the plane and actually got a fair amount of sleep. One of the girls in my program was on my row so in the morning after we slept some we chatted and did the whole, "where are you from? where do you go to school?" etc.

We arrived in Athens around 10 am Greece time (3:00 am on the east coast). Owen Hunt (a graduate student at the university and an assistant to the director of Student Affairs, Dina) greeted us and we met a few of the other students coming in. Originally the plan had been to stay at the airport until 2:30 when the majority of the students would arrive. However, they took pity on us and allowed us to leave the airport around 11:00 after about 6 of us were already there so that we didn't have to sit in an airport for another day.

Problem with leaving the airport was my theo/cousin/older Greek relative, Panagioti, works near the airport and came to say hello but after he paged me several times he found the other students and they informed him that I already left. Oh well, I'm sure I will see him soon.

We got settled into our apartments fairly quickly, and unpacked most of our things. Our apartments are beautiful. Tall ceilings, wood floors, clean bathrooms, all the necessities. After we got unpacked we went to eat lunch at a typical Greek outdoor restaurant, complete with pushy old men begging you to eat at their place. Since I was the designated Greek-speaking guide I told them that we weren't ready to eat and that we were going to keep walking. Eventually we found one and enjoyed mousaka, pastitchio, salata, and spanikopita.

In the afternoon everyone else got here so we all hung around the apartments and got to know everyone. At 6 pm we walked to our school, only a couple of left turns, less than a 5 minute walk, for our orientation. Afterwards we all had dinner together at a local restaurant.

That night, since it was our first night here, we went out to a bar called Liquid. After agreeing to only go out for an hour, we ended up having a blast and staying out until 2:30.

After fighting the alarm clock all morning and the construction outside, we finally got up and moving. We went to the electronic store and bought blowdryers and other girl things. Then we went to the phone store and bought cell phones. I get free incoming calls so if you want to get in touch with me buy an international phone card and call my cell.

This afternoon we went on a walking tour of Syntagma Square (the main square in Athens) and learned where many of the mainstream stores, restaurants, and other things were. After the walking tour we stopped to eat at a restaurant called Everest. An interesting salad/sandwich shop where you can get made to order items.

Next we met up with our Student Government and they gave us a tour of Monastiraki and other areas. They were all typical Greek and European guys, cutting up with each other and picking on one another. I struck up a conversation with one, thankfully they all spoke English farely well, and eventually it came out that I was Greek. Then he got all embarassed when he realized I could understand what he was saying and he told his friends to be careful what they said around me. They told us about a few bars and clubs so hopefully they will take us out sometime soon.

This evening we went to the grocery store nearby and made dinner. Psari (fish), vegetables, psomi (bread), and of course feta. Afterwards a group of us went walking and found a place to sit and get some glyka (sweets/desert).

Now here it is 2:30 am and we are all still awake, even though we all have class at 10 am. Oh well, when in Greece do as the Greeks do I suppose.