Book Club

Before I share about book club, I have to share my miraculous news - I fixed my bed!  I tightened up some "support" rods, put the "Jacob ladder" wooden boards back, I think it is tigher than it was ever before and the true test of me sleeping on it last night - it didn't collaspe!  However, if it does collaspe - that IS IT - it will be firewood!

I was invited to "ACS moms" book club last night.  Since it was the beginning of the school year, it was a time of sharing books we read over the summer and deciding which book to read for the month.

The house was in walking distance from me, which was good....  There were 10 of us there, most people I knew.    Most of these ladies/moms have children in elementary or middle school and of the 9 others - I have taught 4 of the moms' sons (3 my first year and one last year).

I was glad and appreciatative to be invited/included in their book club.  I sort of feel younger and I am probably the youngest but I definitely look the youngest too.  Most people I meet think I am in my late twenties not late thirties!

Many people brought 4-5 books to share (English books are hard to find and/or really expensive to buy)  There are no public libraries, not even for the Greeks.

Okay, so all of you who know me, I am not an avid reader (not like my mom), though I did read 8 books this summer!  It was unbelieveable how many books I HAD read that were brought out onto the table.  So people would I haven't read this book yet but heard it was good - and I would say "Oh I have read that book, it's about.... "  The Glass Castle, The Book Thief, Sarah's Key, Guernsey Island and the Potato Peel Society, One Day, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Island - I felt quite knowledgeable and sophisticated!!!!!

I was encouraged to read a book called Say You're One of Them by Uwen Akpan - 5 short stories about children fighting for survival throughout Africa.  Also on my nightstand I have The Happiness Project (which I think ties so well into my life this year), The Return (written by the same author who wrote The Island - Victoria Hislop) and The Help.

So the book they decided to read was the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo- I was the only one who had read it and really thought everyone else should read it!  This way I still can still contribute to the discussion on Nov. 3 and have time  to read some other books on my nightstand!

Does anyone else have any recommendations for books we should read?

The book club gang and others are going to watch Eat, Pray, Love next Thursday evening. We are getting the whole movie theater to ourselves!


This is refreshing for me.  I am doing things which I was never able to do or just too tired to do.  I am already enjoying my year off - more to come on my reflections of September...

A Weekend of Variety



Pamela Anderson



Enrique Iglesias



I started my weekend attending the last day of Eurovoice - the first  European Music Contest.  We saw half of the contestants about 14 of them.  it was broadcasted live on TV and online.  Guess who the hostess was..... Pamela Anderson.  yep!  Why?  I have no idea!  But the guest performer was Enrique Iglesias - it was a great performance.  He sang 4 songs.  Just before the third song some young audience member hopped on the stage and all the bouncers came to remove her but Enrique let her stay on the stage and he sang his song Hero to her!  it was great!

 

Enrique singing Hero to some girl who jumped up onto the stage!





Lacey, Christy and Jill at Eurovoice



 Saturday was a cool, rainy fall day.  I was up in an area called Kifissia and found this bakery/diner place.  The closest establishment to a diner I have ever seen here.   I had a ham omelet and cinnamon croissant all for 6 Euros!  And then took some fresh meringues home.

Last night I stayed home and watch the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo on my computer.  The neighbors' dog was left on the balcony as they went out and it sat and cried and howled for 4 hours until the owners came home at 1.30am.  So that is when I finally got to sleep.  But then at 4.30 am my bed collasped while I was sleeping in it.  I was so tired I just stayed in the bed.



Carrie, Susan, Catherine, Kim and Jill

Today (Sunday) I got up at 8 and went downtown to walk 2km for the Susan Komen Race for the Cure.  It was a good turn out of people.  And boy was it hot!  I sort of joined the ACS group - why not?  I was walking right behind the new American Ambassador and his body guards.  Then had lunch at Simply Burgers with some of the new faculty and then laid out on my balcony from 3-5 soaking in the sun.  It's 8pm now and I have been out here in my sundress enjoying the lovely weather and chatting with friends on Skype.



Me at the entrance





ACS Race for the Cure crew

Small World

The other day I meet a Greek family; the son goes to ACS and the family lives in my neighborhood.  As we were getting acquainted, the usual questions are asked... where are you from?  This is always a tough one for me and my answer is always a long one.  "Well I was born and raised in Toronto, Canada."  This always gets a pleasant response.  They expressed their wanting to go to Toronto as they have heard it is a wonderful city.  And I always pipe in the large Greek community!  Some even know about the Danforth!  Then I continue "Then I went to college in the USA and after college decided to stay and settled in the Washington, DC area."  This time, their response was "Oh, we went to America for the first time this summer!"  Most Greeks I have met who have gone to the US (America) go to one of these cities - New York, Chicago or L.A.  But this family surprised me as they said they went to Bethesda, Maryland!  I looked at them surprisingly and then said "I am from Bethesda/Chevy Chase area!!!"  What a small world!

Why did they go to Bethesda?  Good question!  Their son, Constantinos, who is a second grader has a gift for languages.  So the parents were trying to find a summer camp that focused mostly on English and Chinese.  And where did they find such a camp?  Well at Sidwell Friends in Bethesda, MD!

So the family spent a month in the Hyatt Hotel in the heart of Bethesda and walked Constantinos to camp every day.  As they shared photos of their adventures in my hometown, I would say "Oh that's the art structure between the library and the Giant grocery store."  What a thrill it was for all of us to recall our good memories of a place we both loved!

Mom declared that she loved all the restaurants in Bethesda and learned to eat and enjoy wonderful, fresh salads every day.  She also commented on how hot and humid it was there (they were there in July - small world - so was I) and how freezing cold the air conditioned areas were!  Air conditioners are not very common here.

Neat, eh?

Evia - Labo(u)r Day Weekend

The Sunday before school began all the "oldies but goodies" got together at Dwain and Miah's new house (which is so much closer to me, thank goodness) and we were discussing what we could do for the long Labor Day weekend.  I throw out the idea of asking Mary Kou (the first grade teacher) about her place on the island of Evia - I had heard that she has a camp ground.  Long story short, she agreed for all of us to come.

Being the social planner I am (and the fact I wasn't working)  I coordinated the 3 rental cars, directions, money collecting, etc.  Because there were 14 of us who went.  8 of 9 of us "oldies but goodies" and 6 of 9 of the "newbies."

We left Saturday morning (as some of us went to the U2 concert the night before). The 3 drivers went out to the airport and got the cars and everyone else met us at ACS.  We were on the road by 11:30.... it was about 1.5 hours straight north on the toll road and then we took a car ferry for 45 mins. and then just 15 mins once we landed on Evia.  I had to drive backwards up the ferry ramp onto the boat - I thought I was going to wet my pants!  Ask me to parrallel park any time but reversing - yikes!

Miah and I playing Cribbage

So we arrived at Mary's about 2ish.  We were shown around her camp grounds and property - huge for Greek standards.  She has 4 tents which sleeps 3 people each - the tents are large and have electricity and room for two beds and a small table and chairs - each tent has a small porch as well.  Then there are 2 cabins with bathrooms - each room also sleeps 3 people.  Then Miah and Dwain and Harper had the red house - they wanted a little privacy so Harper could sleep and her cries wouldn't wake anyone!  The other 2 first grade teachers were also there - my good friend Christina and a new teacher Ioanna.  Then Mary, her husband Vassilis and Vassilis "second" mom - Debby.

Mary, Catherine, Christina

Saturday night we had a delicious fish dinner with everyone there.  Vassilis had caught the fish - tsipoura (a

sea bream gilthead variety).  He grilled all 18 fish on the gas barbeque - while some people played cards, some helped Vassilis and some helped Mary make Greek salads.  It was an absolutely beautiful evening, delicious food, new company and good conversations. 

Mary told us about how her husband's family acquired the property in 1923.  Vassilis grandfather purchased all the land in Neo Pryseos (the village we were in) from the French government (he was a government official) and then sold it to the people and kept this plot of land for himself as it had the point, was on the water and had the house.  She told us about how the Germans took over the red house as it had great vantage points to see those coming across the waters.  There were stories shared about while the Germans were in the house, they had British pilots secretly hidden where the tents are now - dressed as Greeks doing farm work.  There were stories told about a belt filled with gold coins hidden somewhere in the red house and when Vassilis mother was still alive and there was some construction going on in the house, she sat in a chair and watched all the workers working and would be there if the belt resurfaced.  Because her dad had hidden it and no one knew where it was.  They are still keeping an eye out for it today!

Debby - the second mom of Vassilis is still there on Evia.  She wasn't a blood relative but when she was 10 years old (she's probably in her 80s now) her father and brother died in the war, her mother and sister died of starvation and she was sent to live with her aunt.  When Vassilis family would come to Evia for weekends and summers from Athens, they got to know her and she had kind eyes and was a friendly little girl.  Her aunt was stressed with feeding her own family and took her stress and frustrations out on Debby.  So one day Vassilis parents asked if she would like to come to Athens with them and she said yes.  After a while, the aunt told Vassilis' parents that she wanted Debby back or give her money to keep Debby.  After some legal dealings, Debby became  apart of Vassilis' family - when Vassilis was born he called Debby "mom" before he even called his real mom "Mom!"  Vassilis' father said that Debby could take their last name but she decided to keep her own because she was the only one left of her family.

In the northern part of Evia, where we were, it is green and mountainous.  So Sunday - we went for a hike.  We were heading towards a waterfall but when we got there there was no water - it was the end of the dry season!  So everyone else hiked up another hill 3 km to the top - and the Confers and I headed back for a swim and some relaxation.  It was quite unfortunate that the weather wasn't all that great.  It was about 80 during the day but no sun - just complete grey cloud coverage.

Sunday night we all went out for dinner and then played Catch Phrase for a few hours - good times!  Monday, Dwain got his snorkel gear and went out to collect sea urchins.  He was only to pick the females as you eat the roe.  So how do you  know if it is a female?????  If the sea urchin has things stuck to it like seaweed or rocks or other water debris.  Dwain did a great job - got about 25 sea urchins.  It took him a good hour to clean them and then got a small dish of roe.  Vassilis was a great teacher.  They mixed the roe with olive oil and lemon and served it on bread.  Dwain was proud of his hunting and gathering for the day!We got on the road around 12:45 to catch the 1pm ferry - then each car went on their way.  

Vassilis teaching Dwain how to clean a sea urchin.

U2 Concert at Olympic Stadium

Three capitals/countries - three U2 concerts...... The Joshua Tree in Toronto (well the capital of Ontario)Canada, Go Home in Washington, DC USA and 360 degrees in Athens, Greece.  The weather was perfect and the concert was "brilliant" (as some English guy said at the end of the show).

Since I didn't I was going to be here in Athens in September, I bought my ticket in June while my friends bought theirs when the tickets first went on sale; therefore, we weren't seated together.  But it was just find because it's so loud you can't talk to the person beside you anyway.

U2 played all their good old songs - i think there was just 4 I didn't know.  I saw them at the Olympic Stadium - which is mostly open roof.  It was a beautiful evening.

It's a Beautiful Day!

I was kind of far from the stage but with the big screens, it didn't feel that far away.

Beginning of Year 3....

I have been back in Athens for just about 2 weeks now.  So what have I been up to?

I've been to the beach twice.  The Confers and I went to our regular beach the evening of August 25th as it was the night of the full moon.  Full moons are big events for the Greeks and many of the monuments are open to the public to view the moon.  So we went to Souniou (Temple of Posideon).  It was a gorgeous night and we watched the sun set in the west and watched the moon rise above the water!

Then I went to the beach with Julia (who works at the Benetton store at the bottom of my building) and her 26 year old daughter and 91 year old grandmother (YaYa).  I don't know what I was thinking of not bringing my camera!!!!!  It was gorgeous - the water looked like island water - you looked up and saw brown rock then green trees then the blue sky.  It was a rock "beach".

I have established 2 definite clients.  I am meeting a potential client this afternoon.  And here's hoping more come my way!  I have had many calls for me to spend time with children under 4 years old for quite a few hours a day - but I consider that nannying and that is not what I want to do!  Other than that, I have been hanging out with friends, reading, cooking a lot!  Today was the first day of school for ACS children and it was my first day back to the gym!

Tonight I am going to see U2 in concert here in Athens.  I am so excited!

And then tomorrow morning (Saturday) 13.5 of us are going to meet at the airport, pick up the 3 rental cars and drive to the island of Evia - it is the second largest island and one I have not been to yet.  A friend Mary has a place there - like a camping grounds and so we are all going to go there. The Confers and I, Lacey, Christy, Eli and Therese (the oldies but goodies gang) and 6 of the newbies.  It will be great to get to know each other and spend time with Americans this Labor Day weekend!  So stay tuned for a new blog.....

Happy Labor (Labour) Day to everyone in North America!