It's All Greek To Me

It's All Greek To Me

Greek Sunset

It's been awhile since I've posted but I have had a week jam packed with new experiences and new people. On Wednesday the other student teacher arrived. Emily is from the University of Alabama and is going to be a FANTASTIC teacher.  She's much more of an extrovert than I am and has pushing me out of my comfort zone so that I'll try new things.  It's also been wonderful to have a companion to go out with instead of traveling alone all the time.

Emily and me on the boardwalk!

On Wednesday evening we went out to a fabulous restaurant and enjoyed several dishes and some Greek wine. I took Emily to the boardwalk to see the sea. We watched the sun go down and finally got to see the silhouette of Mt. Olympus across the bay. The next morning we went to the Museum of Byzantine Culture. The collection at the museum was insane. Pieces of history from the last three thousand years were put together in an artistic and eclectic showcase. There were tombs painted with scenes from the Old and New Testaments that we were able to walk into. The museum curators had done a spectacular job restoring the artifacts and the clothing from the first few centuries. Later we took the bus downtown to a restaurant in the central part of the city. 

The spread!

Because Emily is with me now, I finally felt comfortable exploring the Greek nightlife. Thessaloniki is supposedly ranked as the "#1 Hippest City in the World" and as having one of the "Top 15 Most Active Nightlives." We went downtown Friday night to the heart of Thessaloniki and what we found was crazy. The entire city was flooded with young people, lights, and music. There was such a contrast between the youth of the town and the smells, the sounds, and the sights of a young generation against the ancient ruins that were lit up as the background of this enormous party.It was so overwhelming that Emily and I found quieter bar in the corner to sit and observe everything around us.

Emily and me in Ladadika!

On Saturday our professor, Soula, picked the two of us up and took us to one of the city's large open markets. Basically, this was a clean and outdoor flea market combined with a farmers' market on steroids. There was everything from underwear, to electronics, to clothing, to jewelry stretching for blocks and blocks. I found an amazing Eddie Bauer jacket for five euro. FIVE EURO. What a steal! Then we explored about a mile of produce stands from all over Greece. I bought fresh feta, tomatoes, eggplants, and zucchini. The vendors loved that we were from America and gave us free treats! After the market, Soula drove us downtown to a very historical and famous district called Ladadika. We ordered enough food to feed a small country and spent the next two hours talking about the city and teaching. Its hard to believe sometimes that I get to live in this incredible environment.

Perea Beach!

Today Emily and I ventured out to the beach. There is no real beach in the city of Thessaloniki--only the boardwalk. To get to sandy beaches we have to take a bus east for about thirty minutes. It's always a true adventure when you get on a bus to go to a place you've never been, cannot pronounce, or even recognize from the signs.  After about thirty minutes of being confused and using lots of hand gestures and broken Greek, we made it to Perea Beach. It was absolutely gorgeous. Emily and I parked it in lawn chairs right on the water under an umbrella. A young waiter came and brought us drinks and snacks all afternoon while we swam, basked, and read in the sun. Everything around me was a shade of blue. The water a light turquoise with dark patches of seaweed. The blue mountains spread across the horizon, dotted by the white blocks of buildings that make up the city in the distance, and above it all was a wide expanse of light blue sky stretching on forever. Emily and I kept repeating out loud, "I can't believe we are here. I cannot believe that this is our lives now."

Perea Beach!

We met several local people and told them all about Kentucky and Alabama. The Thessalonians did not hesitate to give us mini-lessons in Greek. "Ohi" means no. "Nei" means yes. "EfkariSTO" means thank you. When we were swimming we started to talking to an old "babushka," as she referred to herself (Grandmother in Russian). When we told her we were American she started clapping and yelling to her elderly friends that we were American-i! She pantomimed a story combined with broken English about how the American soldiers saved her life when she was living in the country Georgia. She said that Iraqi's had invaded and killed her family but that the Americans stepped in and evacuated her. She started singing "America the Beautiful" and yelling "Goodbama! Goodbama!" in reference to President Obama. She told us that she loved us, braided our hair in the water, and started singing and dancing and yelling, "Opa!" in the ocean. We sang, danced, and splashed with her and her friends. We taught her how to shimi and called it a night. Today was by far the best time I have had in Greece so far.

Emily and me at the beach!

Now I am home in my tiny apartment, sunburned, warm, and happy. Tomorrow is my first day at Pinewood School. I am a combination of excited and nervous about teaching with such an amazing faculty. Wednesday is the first day for students. I can't wait!!

More Greek Adventures

Thessaloniki is HOT. Way too hot for pale princess like me. I am sunburned, freckled, and worn out from this heat. Everyone I walked past today was soaked with sweat. I nearly passed out from the heat. But after sunset and three liters of water--that's right, THREE--I am feeling much better.

The White Tower--taken
on my second day in Thessaloniki.


Yesterday I had the privilege of spending the afternoon with Dr. Mitakidou, the COST cooperative professor at Aristotle University. She took me down to the heart of the city on a driving tour and to lunch next to the Rotunda--a building originally intended to be the Macedonian emperor's mausoleum built in 306 AD. Since its construction, it has been occupied by the Romans, the Christians, the Turks, and the Christians again as a place of worship until an earthquake sometime in the 20th century. The building had fallen into disrepair but has recently been adopted for renovation. The building is circular (as the name implies) and full of ancient frescoes. I was taken aback by its magnificent construction for a building so ancient and how well the original architecture has been preserved over the centuries. The lunch itself was delicious. We had Greek salad, feta, roasted eggplant, fried zucchini with yogurt sauce, and split peas. I even tried the signature Greek beverage ouzo--a drink much different from Kentucky bourbon, let me tell you. 

From the top of the White Tower.

It was nice to go downtown for the first time with a native. It helped build my confidence to go downtown on my own today using the bus system. Its pretty scary to get on a bus heading to a place that you cannot read or understand and praying that it will get you relatively close to your intended destination. Of course, I didn't understand the system and made a fool of myself. I tried to get on the bus through the exit. The doors slammed in my face but then opened again. I hopped on only to realize my mistake and that I never showed the driver my ticket. My immediate thought was that the bus police were going to kick me off and how embarrassing that would be. Then I realized that there is no such thing as the bus police and that I am too old to jump to that kind of conclusion anymore. During my inner monologue about the hypothetical bus police, the bus started to move and I fell into a pole. Once I got my bearings and stood the bus stopped again and the doors slammed into me. It was incredibly obvious that this gringo grew up far away from the use of public transit. Or civilization for that matter. I'm sure I was an interesting form of entertainment to all of the other passengers on their Sunday commute to church.

Despite my difficulty getting downtown, the trip itself paid off. I toured the White Tower, the unofficial architectural symbol of Thessaloniki. Built in the 15th century by the Ottomans as a part of the fort and walls guarding the city, the White Tower has had a fascinating (and bloody) history. It served as a prison for many years and was referred to as the "Red Tower" in reference to the number of people tortured and executed there during the Ottoman occupation. I read that it was whitewashed by a prisoner in exchange for his freedom in the 

Thessaloniki from
the White Tower.

early 20th century, rechristening it as "the White Tower." Today the building serves as a museum dedicated to the history and achievements of Thessaloniki and its people. I climbed all seven floors of the building to the top where I was greeted by a spectacular view of the city and of the Aegean Sea. It was incredible to stand so high and see how wide the city is and how the buildings seem to climb up the mountains and hills in the distance.  I was reminded that as an American I have a very minute concept of "what old is." The city I was looking at had stood the test of time for over 2300 years and had lasted through multiple occupations--including those of the Turks, the Nazis, and of a military state.  In the United States, "old" refers to buildings of 100 years or more. That's nothing in Greek history.

After my tour of the White Tower, I went to a nearby restaurant--always a source of anxiety when you're a vegetarian and can't read the menu. But the staff was patient with me. I spent over an hour sitting in the sun, reading my book, eating grilled feta, and looking out at the sea. I'm really roughing it in Thessaloniki. 
School doesn't start until September 3 so for the next week I will be trying to hit as many museums and sites in Thessaloniki as I can. After that I am afraid that most of my time will be taken up with teaching and planning lessons (you know--work. What I am here to do.). I hope that everyone is enjoying the pictures and updates. If you have any questions, feel free to comment on the post or shoot me a message on Facebook. Thank you all for the support and the love! :)







The Cats in Greece are Feral

Things I have learned the hard way:

-Pedestrians DO NOT have the right of way. EVER. You will get hit by a car and no one will care.

-Bringing your own bags to the grocery is WEIRD. And don't you ever do it again.

-Although it looks identical to the regular water, do not accidentally buy carbonated water. It's gross and weird and who even wants bubbly water anyway?

-The cats here are feral. So do not try to be their friend and play with them in the garden. They will attack.

-Everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) smokes in Greece. People will be power walking down the boardwalk with a water bottle and a cigarette. It may be counterintuitive but no one seems to care.

-I'm pretty sure I am the only redhead in Thessaloniki. I couldn't figure out why people kept looking at me funny until I realized the weren't looking at my face but at my hair. I read somewhere that the ancient Greeks thought that redheads were vampires. So I have that going for me.

-Doorknobs are just for looks and actually have nothing to do with opening doors.

AMENDMENT: Added Aug 25

-Deodorant: Not a thing here.

-Shaving?  That's optional. An option not often taken.

Goodbye and Hello!

Goodbye, America!  Hello, Greece!

After sitting in airports and flying for 20 hours, I have FINALLY made it to Thessaloniki! Jetlagged and with my red curls strewn about my head like a crazy person, I eventually found my luggage (Mom--you were right. It was too much luggage.) and was greeted by professor and program coordinator from Aristotle University, Dr. Soula Mitakidou. She drove me to my new studio apartment in the city and spent several hours getting me acclimated to my new space and the neighborhood. I am all too grateful for her generosity!

After a very long and well-deserved nap, I decided to do a little exploring. What a culture shock. For the first time in my life I am the cultural minority.  I understand NOTHING. I can't read ANYTHING.  Fortunately, the majority of Greek people are bilingual and will easily switch to English for me. I have not yet discovered what "vegetarian" translates as but I imagine it's something like "difficult person." I have a feeling I'll have to cross that cultural barrier soon.

I decided to walk to the ocean.  The Aegean Sea is hardly three blocks from my apartment. I spent some time walking on the boardwalk and looking at the sun beginning to set. One of the first things I noticed about the area is the variety of people you can find on the boardwalk. There were babies and toddlers with their mothers, teenagers skateboarding at a small skatepark by the sea, older people in couples on benches, and people of all ages running or biking along the coast. It was beautiful.

Once it started to get dark, I walked back to my apartment. I am staying in a studio not too far from downtown Thessaloniki. Its small but has plenty of storage and a very large balcony overlooking the garden between my building and several others. (Anne, I have already found two cats in the garden for us to play with when you visit.) Its very hot here so I am keeping all the windows and doors to the outside open. However, it sounds like everyone else in the city is doing the same thing. I am in very close proximity to three of the surrounding buildings and can hear EVERYTHING. As a small-town girl, I am not used to being so close to other people (even in Lexington). I can hear everyone's dinner conversations with their families (not that I can understand them), their tvs, their dogs, screaming babies, screaming cats in the alley...let's hope people quiet down soon so I can sleep off the rest of this jet lag!

Tomorrow I plan to walk the boardwalk as far as I can take it and start seeing sights in Thessaloniki before school begins Sept 1. Goodnight!

14 Days and Counting...(Down)

14 Days and Counting...(Down)

Today I realized that I am leaving for Greece in exactly two weeks.  14 days. That’s it.   After a year of applications, preparation, and waiting my departure is finally upon us. I keep running through my every growing mental checklist.

Passport—check.

Visa—check.

Boarding Passes—check.

Euros—check.

Four months of contacts—check.

And so forth.

It’s all coming together!