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