On my way to the USA

Afterschool on Friday I wwent to Carmen's house (she is my cooperating teacher). we had a delicious dinner of homemade macaroni and cheese. I met her son (don't remember his name begins with a P, but since it's Greek I really can't pronounce it). Went to bed around 9:30pm but I hardly slept as I was worried that I would oversleep. Finally got up at 4:45 am and we were in the car by 5 to the airport.
I ran into my colleague Keisha and her husband Marcus (Marcus works for the American Embassy) we were on the same plane but they were off to Atlanta. On my flight to Paris, I had a window seat (I always go back and forward about wanting a window versus aisle seat - if you have a window seat you can lean against the wall to sleep - if you have an aisle seat others can knock you as they go past, you have nothing to lean on but if you need to go to the bathroom you can). So the man sitting next to me was fast asleep and I had to go! But then I felt bad b/c he was in a deep sleep and he was a dad who probably got up at like 3 or 4 to get his wife and kids to the airport. So I let him sleep until I was going to burst and then woke him up. So this is the dilemna I have about choosing an aisle versus a window seat.
I have an aisle on my way from Paris to Washington - which leaves in about 2 hours - thank goodness because I have been here for 5 hours already and I am getting tired and want to sleep on the plane - but then again I have the aisle so people and carts will be knocking me!

Saturday my friends and I sent down to Syntagma Square to check out the burnt Christmas tree and to see the other destruction down there. It was really a positive feeling getting off the metro and entering the Square. It was a beautiful day with many people out shopping, having coffee or lunch - the mood was like that after the sniper was caught in Maryland - a feeling of relief that the fear to do your everyday errands had vanished. There were bands playing Christmas music, street performers doing their "mime" acts, some guy blowing bubbles - it was a breath of fresh air. However, later that day there were more demonstrations/protests and they have continued this week.

I had my second successful party Saturday night. The regular gang was there and we did a white elephant game which was a lot of fun. I had many candles burning and a log in my fire place - it was cozy and comfortable. Good food and company!

Sunday evening, I went to the theater to see Rain - Cirque Eloize (a Cirque de Soleil performance) it was amazing - I said "Wow" a lot!

I'll Be Home For Christmas

Happy Holidays Everyone!


Just wanted to let you all know that I will be coming home for Christmas. Home- where exactly is that? Well I will be flying to my parents in Bluffton, SC on Dec21 - Dec30 (here I will also go to Florida to see my grandparents). Dec30-Jan3 I will be in MD, staying with my friend Chris. So hopefully I can see a few of you along the way.
PS - Can't get candy canes here!



If I don't see you, please have a peaceful and joyful holiday!

Love, still Greek2Me!

Safe ---- Athens Riots

I just wanted to let everyone know that I am safe and home. Thank you for your concerns. Well things have certainly gotten out of hand here in Athens but I am safe at home. I actually had good friends walk me all the way home. We were told to leave campus as soon as school got out and tomorrow school is cancelled as they are calling for a day of mourning. But like many riots, I feel youths are all fired up and just think its alright or their right to smash windows, burn things and cause chaos.
I am secretively thankful for the day tomorrow because I have so many report cards to write!

Make-A-Wish

Saturday I volunteered for Make-A-Wish. Bazaars are very popular here and there are tons - every school and organization have bazaars to raise money for their company. So, Make-A-Wish had there's yesterday (Friday) and today in the Syntagma metro station. although there was a tremendous variety of items- it was in a pretty large room and there were SO many people and most purchased at least one thing!

I saw many of the people I had met the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Even though my Greek is ever so small, I really felt that I helped. Once I figured out the prices and figured out how to say them in Greek, I could tell what they asking for!

Before I helped out I went to this area to buy theater tickets at a place similar to a Ticket Master. Syntagma Square is a happening place! I was having lunch outside and these "musicians" came up to me and starting playing a song (asking for money). It was one of those most embarrassing moments as I am sitting there all by myself and they are playing right in front of me. So I dig for some change but before I give them a few coins, I make the most of this embarrassing time and took a picture of them and then gave them money. Everyone around me laughed!

Then I went over to my friend's house with the regular gang and we watched Love Actually.

Knosses - Minoain Palace - 3,500 years old

Historical destination! Well Kate and I thought we better do something meaningful on our voyage to Crete, so this morning we got on a “Greyhound” bus at 8:30 for our 2.5 hour mountain ride to Iraklion the capital city of Crete. The views were great despite the hairpin turns through the mountain! From the bus station in Iraklion we boarded a city bus to Knossos. Knossos is an ancient Minoan palace. It was built over 3500 years ago – though it was destroyed 3 times – once by volcano, once by fire and once by something else! Although most of the upper ruins and frescos are copies most of the original rocks which was made mostly by alabaster. It was incredible. We got a guided tour to learn more on our educating day! It is pretty amazing the brilliance of the Minoans so long ago with their engineering of their buildings, windows and water system. As our tour guide said “History repeats itself.” There were these large earthenware jars which they stored cereal, oil, grain, etc. As you can see by my picture how large these were.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! Well the school provided a Thanksgiving dinner – it was good by not the same! Had the turkey and mashed potatoes and rolls – no sweet potatoes, pumpkin pies, or cranberry sauce! Kate and I flew to Crete this morning and arrived on a huge island with 75 degree blue sky and sun! We hopped into a taxi to take us to our hotel Porto del Colombo in the Old City – which we later heard was an excellent choice! The ‘hotel’ is an 8 room bed and breakfast in a building that is 600 years old – 600! We are in the Venetian part of the city so tight narrow alley ways were a little bit of a maze of cobblestone roads. With our suitcases on wheels we bumped along the cobblestone roads and with some assistance found our accommodations. We unloaded our stuff and then hit the harbor which is 30 meters in the other direction. Really gorgeous – tons of restaurants/bars encircling the harbor – most were closed because it is winter. But with a recommendation from our receptionist we went to Remezzoz for coffee and breakfast. Then we continued walking around the old and new city. What a gorgeous day! We also walked out along the Venetian harbor wall to the lighthouse – a famous landmark here in Chania (pronounced Hania).
Here’s a little history about Chania (taken directly from the DK Eyewitness Travel book) Chania’s earliest settlers were Minoans. Later in 520 BC, colonists from Samos arrived. From 1252 to 1645 it was mainly ruled by the Venetians who fortified the town and harbor. However, Chania fell in 1645 after a 55-day siege and remained in Turkish hands until 1898. In World War II, Cretan civilians fought along Greek and British Commonwealth troops. The German garrison in Chania held out until May 1945.
We got ready for dinner around 8 and went to a restaurant called Taman, again recommended by the receptionist. Taman was a cozy restaurant and it had this lower and upper level. We sat on the upper level (it was about 3 steps down to the lower level). We learned that where this restaurant was it was the cold pool people plunged into after having a Turkish bath across the street – thus the lower level! It was pretty packed so we knew we had chosen a good restaurant. So for our Thanksgiving dinner we had zucchini croquettes, a baked potato with mushrooms and cheese and then I had baby lamb, pita and taziki.
After dinner Kate and I need a walk so we were about to go along the harbor when some guy passed us by and said “Do you work at ACS?” This guy Stelio who is Greek-American whose home is here in Chania was home for the Thanksgiving break. Stelio is a shadow teacher and works in the counseling department – it is his first year at ACS too. He was with his sister Mina and we join them to their friend’s restaurant to watch “football”/soccer. So we did watch football – an American Thanksgiving tradition! A lot of the guys we met were Greek American or Greek Canadian! We then continued to another bar and then Kate and I headed home. As the night progressed I was losing my voice. I feel like I have laryngitis again!

My Walk to Work

Here are some photos of my walk to school. It is down hill in the morning and I am refreshed so it is a pleasant walk except for the obstacles as you will see along the way. My building is the one beside the Applebee’s restaurant behind the trees. For some reason every time I walk past the Applebees it smells like wet dog! The parking lot sign cracks me up because green grass is quite rare here in Athens and the man who runs the parking lot has a small fountain, garden decorations such as a blue crane, turtle, hedgehog and other knickknacks – sometimes there are torches and sometimes there are little umbrellas and everyday he sets them up on his little patches of grass! Maybe he will deck it all out for Christmas! The orange tree is full of fruit and they are all over the roads but no one seems to pick anyone. The stray dogs seem have their own territory and there are usually 2 dogs on the same block! So here are some of my regular dogs I see on the way to work! There is my closest grocery store about one block down, my post office, one of the many kiosks that I pass on my way to work which sells everything from gum, candy bars, newspapers/magazines, cigarettes, chips, ice cream, drinks, beer (Amstel and Heinken), phone cards and bus tickets! And as you can see from the sidewalks it is very difficult to walk on them due to the parked cars, trash cans and trees growing!

INTERNET AND ME AS HAPPY AS CAN BE!!!!

WELL I DID IT - I GOT MY TAX ID NUMBER AND MORE IMPORTANTLY TO MY LIFE - I GOT INTERNET AT HOME!!!!!! Last night as I was going to bed it occured to me that I could purchase this internet package called Internet On The Go where you put a USB stick into your computer and voila you have internet! And so I did. As I type this in my pajamas in my bedroom in my apartment! Yahoo!!!!!

So I will be able to Skype with you (my Skype name is jillrivers55), email with you WAY more often, update my blog, research stuff, etc., etc., etc.!!!!

So I am off to surf the net for things to do on the island of Crete because I just booked a flight there for Thanksgiving! :)

Week of Nov. 10 – Let’s see…. in my world of bureaucratic red tape, I did get my temporary residence permit which allows me to leave Greece and reenter without my permanent residence permit over Christmas. Good thing! I went to the taxation office on my way to work yesterday AND got the taxID# which I desperately need to do anything in this country! With this I can get internet at home – which of course takes about a month to install. Maybe right before I go home for Christmas I will get it! So patience is a virtue, right?
Thursday, I decided to go up the hill; the hill on which I live on. And lo and behold, there is a lot up the hill! I found a German “Oktoberfest” restaurant, dry cleaners, more restaurants and two internet cafes (which are much closer than the one I’ve been going to – although they are still filled with boys/guys playing video games and smoking like a chimney) but closer! Maybe later this week, I will continue up the hill!
On Friday, Leigh Jahnig came for a weekend visit. A Stone Ridge graduate and now a junior at the University of Chicago, Leigh is in the middle of doing a semester in Rome, Italy. I have known Leigh since she was 5 years old! I’ve been waiting to the touristy sites and so I can now say I have climbed the Acropolis (Acropolis Rock, Propylaia, Temple of Athena Nike, Parthenon, Erechteion, Herodes Atticus Theater, Dionysus Theater), climbed the Filopappos Hill, walked through the Agora (twice)(Temple of Hephaestus, stoas), seen Temple of Olympian Zeus, Hadrian’s Arch, Kerameikos (ancient cementry), walked through the National Gardens, Roman Forum & Tower of Winds, Benaki Museum of Islamic Art – to say I was tired is an understatement!

iPod Shuffle-Open House Party

Week of Nov.3 – What a week! On Election Night we all went to my friend Kate’s house to watch the progress of the evening-even though there is a 7 hour difference. By 11, we hit the sack but when we awoke at 6:30 we were very happy to find the outcome of our 44th President (sorry Dad)! We watched the speech he gave in Chicago – then off to work. Wednesday was a long day. It is our meeting days from 3:45-5, then all of new faculty had another meeting with the head of the school and all our immediate bosses from 5-6:30. This meeting wasn’t great – I will spare you the specific details but to inform you that we are increasingly frustrated by the red tape and bureaucracy here in Greece. We were told earlier this week that we were not allowed to leave the country for 6 months. As most of us have purchased airline tickets for Christmas and some for Thanksgiving this was the cherry on the top of our frustrations. We all will be going home for Christmas the school will have to solve the problem.

So when I finally got home Wednesday evening, I turned on my iPod which I have successfully attached to the mini speakers I brought to tune out my thoughts. Do you ever have the feeling that the iPod/iTunes know how you are feeling? Because the songs that immediately came up were “It’s a Hard Life Wherever You Go”, “Optimistic Thought” “Bridge over Troubled Waters” and then “Bad Day.” So I listened and continued to hang my photos on my walls.

On Friday, I had my first and successful Open House party. It was fantastic! I totally forgot to take pictures. But the whole house was looking great. My electrician had come on Tuesday and hung my 3 new overhead lights. I have this fabulous black wrought iron chandelier hanging in my dining room. The lights are bright but there is room for tapered candles – so I lite 5 red candles and it was perfect! I have a red and black theme in my dining room and living room. With the new furniture I purchased at IKEA last week all put together, I was able to put away and organize my books and photos. I have found a nice florist near one of my grocery stores and I splurged and bought yellow and red Gerber daisies and some lilies too. (I really should have taken a photo!)

I had purchased beer and 4 bottles of wine and made my favorite appetizer Crab Pizza. Bought cheese from the supermarket (my Greek teacher wrote it out phonemically for me to purchase a good variety of cheeses). I had invited about 30 people and over 20 came. It began at 7:30 and ended around 1:30 – truly a fabulous evening. Many people brought more wine, lots of sweets (there goes the 10 pounds I’ve lost) and house-warming gifts.

Most of the people at the party were people from work (from all divisions – new and “old” faculty members) but I also had Ava (the woman I had met on the bus whom I have become friends with) and Julie (the woman who works at a store at the bottom of my building whom I pass daily – and speaks English). Matt Barrett and Andrea his wife and their friend (from the website I had found all about Greece). It was a nice mixture of people and most people came and stayed!

Everyone was pretty surprised on how large my place was – and this is why I wanted ample space – to entertain, not feel so cramped and most importantly have people stay with me. Actually, my first visitor is coming this Friday! Leigh Jahnig – she is spending a semester in Rome. Life is funny – I first met Leigh when she was 5 years old in Bethesda and took care of her and then also her brother as they grew up. I don’t feel like I grew at all (I got older and wiser but am still an adult) Leigh went from 5-20 something! She also was my assistant for Adventure Camp for two years. I am glad we are now friends and I am looking forward to her visit. I really like my new home!

A Day in my World

These are just my thoughts for the day as I have a nice glass of red wine. This morning I am awoken at 5:30am to this siren sound that happens about once a minute. When I finally got up at 6:45 I walked out to my patio in the front and the siren sound was fainter so I went to the back patio and there it was loud and clear coming from the mountain on my left. I didn’t see anyone panicking so went back inside. At 7, my fuse box does its major click – like a fuse pops. This is when the light in the fuse box goes off and doesn’t go back on until 11pm. When the light is on it is a cheaper time to use electricity! I walk into the kitchen and turn on the coffee maker then go back to the fuse box and open the glass door and switch on the fuse for the microwave/oven, the bathroom water and the kitchen water. This I do daily and turn the fuses off before I go to work or to bed. The weather was looking quite wet (not raining but wet) and therefore my laundry which has been hanging on the line since Tuesday was damp again.
As I walk down the hill towards the plateia (a big square where the church is, a playground, taverna seating and other brick areas where kids skateboard all the time and decorate with graffiti!) I notice everything is really wet so I just thought it rained last night. I treated myself to another coffee – Starbucks! And walk on to school, however, when I got to school the ground is completely dry, so I asked the guard if it rained here last night because Agia Paraskevi (where I live) was soaking wet. He said it was dew!
The day was as exhausting and disorganized as ever. Our human resource person sent us an email that it will still be a long wait until we receive our tax ID# and that we need to come to her office at 4pm today. So we all went over there to find out she had done some research about internet and phone and low and behold WE can get internet and phone without the ID#. So we are all signing up for it tomorrow, however, it will take one month to get installed, of course! But she asked us to get a phone number of someone in our building. I told her that no one in my building speaks English – plus there are really hardly anyone in my building, so I had her write out what I wanted in Greek.
On my way home, I stopped by Jumbo the kids store – one floor is like Toys ‘R Us and the other floor is like a school supply store. As I carry too many things up to the plateia, I decide to break the law a tad. I get on the bus which goes up the hill I live on – two stops- without paying! It’s only two stops but it is up a big hill! I think I need to buy one of those granny carts on wheels!
So I ring the bell of the woman who I pay the condo rent to – she speaks limited English, so I hand her the note! She continues to tell me her father has died and she brings me chocolates and then tells me to come around 6pm tomorrow. I am so confused. So on my way to the gourmet coffee bean store, I pop my head into the Benetton store that sells lingerie and chats to my new friend Julie who speaks English – she just laughed at me and said she has no idea why the woman gave me chocolates!
And that’s my life!

Visitors?

Okay, so anyone planning to come visit in 2009? All are welcome! I would love to know when so I can plan some trips too. So just let me know!

Island #2 - Spetses

Well my friends and I ventured to another island this past weekend (Oct. 24-26). Our ferry was about 3 hours and we arrived about 9pm on the island of Spetses. A larger island than Hydra but still with limited vehicles. Mostly scooters, motopeds, horse and buggy and bikes! We were being quite venturous to not pre-book our ferries or accomomdations. However, we had forgotten it was like a long weekend. Tuesday was a holiday - more to come.... So we had to pay for business class there and economy on the way home. The waves were large on the way and the trip there was very queasy for all of us (Kate, Dwain, Miah and myself). However, we did find a great "hotel" called Villa Christina Hotel and since it was the end of the season, we only had to pay 35 Euros a night and since Kate I shared, only 35 Euros for the weekend.

Saturday morning we poked around the stores and then rented bikes and biked around the coast of the island. Not all the way but for about 5 miles until we came to somewhat of a path, where we walked our bikes part way down and then walked the rest of the way down. There was a tree with a rope tied around it to help us lower ourselves further down the hill. And finally we landed at a secluded rocky/pebble beach. I was the first one in the Mediterranean Sea! It was great! Saturday night we met Christina (a first grade teacher) on the island as she was visiting a friend - Christain. Believe it or not, he was Greek-Canadian. I can't tell you how many Canadians I have met here! Sunday we biked a little more to the 'old' harbor where there were all these metal sculptures.

We caught our ferry back to Athens at 2:30 pm. And then took the metro and then I took my bus and was home by 6:45.

Yesterday (Monday) I worked then went to IKEA to buy the remainder of the furniture I need. I successfully took the bus home ! I was quite proud of my accomoplishment. I had bought the special bus ticket on the way to work. A colleague drove me out there. I found the bus stop and took the bus home (about 25 minutes).

Today is Oxi Day (pronounced Ohe - means No) (aside - oxi means no and nai means yes - like I am ever going to learn this language). This is the day in 1944 when Greece said NO to Mussolini as the Italians wanted to take over Greece. It's a national holiday. So this morning I put more effort into unpacking and putting away my belongings which arrived over a week ago. Cleaned - did 2 loads of laundry and now down here at the smoky internet cafe.

THE BOAT HAS ARRIVED....

Well ladies and gentlemen,

The wait is finally over - the deliver men delivered my goods this morning! Here I am at school and I should be home unpacking! I can't wait! Books and resources! A pillow! Warmer clothes! Dishes! Oh my! Yahoo!!!!!!

I also got my absentee ballot in the mail yesterday and voted and sent it off this morning.

You know, you more appreciate the place you lived, once you don't live there anymore!

Three Things Today- Tuesday!!!!

Okay, it's Tuesday. I had a pretty uneventful weekend because I caught the cold everyone else has - so I laid low, slept a lot and did laundry! But I did start my Greek lessons on Monday, so there is hope.....

But it's Tuesday and already I have news: First, last night I was fast asleep and around 4:30-5 am, I am awaken by my bed moving and me myself shaking. We had an earthquake this morning! They said it was about a 5.6 on the Ricter (sp?) scale.

Secondly, I booked my flight home for the Christmas holidays! So, I hope to see many of you. I am leaving Athens on Dec. 20 and arriving at Dulles at 7:15pm. I will stay at the hotel out there and catch a flight on Sun. morning for Savannah, GA. I am planning to leave Savannah around Dec. 29 or so and come to DC. I depart Dulles at 10:30pm on Jan. 3 and arrive in Athens on Jan. 4. So let's make plans......

The third thing is that the moving company confirmed my stuff will be delivered THIS Thursday! Yeah!!!!!!

Well that's all my news and it's only Tuesday - and oh i believe we turn the clocks back an hour soon - but then again so do you - well that means we are still 7 hours difference.

I don't want to forget to mention that my first and only friend called me this Sunday morning - great to chat with you Stefanie from OK!

Loved to hear from you even if it's just a short email. Hope everyone is well!

Free Cruise and Concerts

On Tuesday, I went to the Athens Concert Hall to see a free performance of the ancient Thai puppet show - this technique was developed in the 11th century. It is a marionette puppet moved by 3 people who are also mimicing the puppets feelings and movements. One of my students is from Thailand.

I was quite busy this weekend. On Friday I went to The Mall - quite large. I went to a movie - fortunately the movies are in English with Greek subtitles. I saw Tropic Thunder - I can imagine my guy friends liking it better than my gal friends but that's just my opinion. The ticket prices are just like home but you get to reserve your seat when you get your ticket!

Saturday is my daily activity of cleaning and doing errands and going out for lunch in my neighborhood. Then the school (or a board member) hosted a free cruise to nowhere - basically a cocktail party on a boat. Similar to taking a cruise on the Potomac. Here I finally met Matt Barrett and his wife - he is this guy whose website I found when I first googled Greece. It is full of helpful hints and facts. He and his wife are ACS graduates and decided to send their daughter to ACS this year for 10the grade. We all went out for pizza after the cruise - which meant I was eating dinner at 2am - quite the Greek way!!!!

On Sunday, my friend Flynn (curly brown hair) and Dave (other photo) went to the original "modern" Olympic stadium (built in 1896 or 98) made completely out of marble to see see a free concert. Dave, who has lived in Athens for 8 years, said they have never had a concert here and it was free to boot! We saw many artists including Kaiser Chiefs and R. E. M.! R.E.M. was the real reason I went! It was really cool!