Oopa!!! Hello again from Athens :) I just finished my first Greek dancing lesson at the academic center. It was tons of fun and a better workout than I expected. Anyways - I figured I'd check in before heading out for the weekend. 

Yesterday I got up early in order to catch the trolley to the National Archaeological Museum. After getting off on the wrong stop and having to walk a few extra blocks, I met up with my class outside of the huge building located in Omonia. The area of Omonia has typically served as one of the central demonstration areas in Athens. The city walls are still streaked with red paint and graffiti from the recent November-December city-wide protests.

The museum was absolutely amazing. We spent the full hour and fifteen minute class period wandering around the different rooms with our professor. Neolithic pottery scraps and bowls, beautiful wooden and stone jewelry, burial artifacts, remains from Pylos and Tiryns, exquisite sculptures, and paintings from Thera - the museum has it all. Unfortunately, I only saw a portion of it before being dragged out of the door to catch the next trolley back to the academic center. Let's just say - I will be returning as soon as possible. 

After finishing class at 12 pm, my friend Laura and I decided to explore more of Athens. The city is huge, and even though I have been living here for about two weeks, I have still barely touched the surface. We left the academic center - which sits directly next to the original 1896 Olympic Stadium and headed out past the national gardens, the Olympeion Zeus Temple, and Hadrian's arch. After managing to cross the street (I don't know if I'll ever get rid of my fear of cars and mopeds here - they really drive crazy haha) we wandered into the area of Plaka. Plaka, or "Old Athens," is absolutely charming. Crossing into it is like crossing into a whole different Greek world. It is quaint and quiet, there are small cafes and cobble stone streets, boutiques and trinket shops - and it sits perfectly, directly below the famous parthenon and acropolis. Honestly, every time I ask myself why I am in the middle of Greece - I just look at the acropolis and smile. 

There is no doubt that Greece is frequently over-romanticized - before coming here, I was guilty of over-romanticizing it myself. History textbooks, literature, artwork...they all, often unintentionally, equate the current Greek state with the idealized classical Greece of the past. 

Once you arrive here, you realize that today's Greece is not the Greece of the past, the 5th century beacon of the classical world - once you arrive here, you are immediately hit straight in the face with the reality that is modern Greece. Dirt, poverty, urban sprawl, stray cats and dogs, disorganization...that being said, Athens still has a strange power over you. It is a place where past meets present and where Greeks still hold a tremendous amount of pride in their heritage and history. It still feels strange to walk down a street and see a department store on your right and archaeological remains on your left. In the middle of the sea of endless white apartment buildings, the acropolis still remains the highest main architectural structure in the city - tall buildings are limited in height so that the parthenon and acropolis remain prominent across the cityscape. 

In my Modern Athens class today, we read a poem that serves as a literary symbol of the current Greek, or at least Athenian, relationship between past and present. Giorgos Seferis' poem from Mythistorema states:

"I woke with this marble head in my hands;

It exhausts my elbows and I don't know where to put it down.

It was falling into the dream as I was coming out of the dream

So our life became one and it will be very difficult for it to separate again."

Just food for thought. My experience the past two weeks has been overwhelming. But I think I am finally beginning to understand some aspects of this city and why it is the way it is today. It will be interesting to see how my ideas change over the next few months. 

Anyways - so after walking through Plaka, Laura and I wandered through the Monastiraki Flea Market. It is basically an entire street dedicated to every trinket, fruit, and clothing item you can think of. As we walked out of Monastiraki and into Syntagma Square, we ran into a large group of people protesting the city's working hours. Everywhere we went, streets were blocked off. As we headed back to the academic center, we passed cop cars, police trucks, and groups of riot police. I am sure it will not be the only demonstration I happen to walk through while I am here. There is always some kind of protest, strike, or demonstration going on in this city. Right now, in addition to protesting working hours, a number of farmers are on strike. So - in the very birthplace of democracy, democracy continues to reign supreme...sometimes I just wonder how the city continues to function haha. 

On our way back to the academic center, we walked past the presidential palace and witnessed the changing of the guard. The uniform of the guards in Athens is very specific - the details of the uniform symbolize specific themes that relate to the Greek independence movement and the country's final liberation from Ottoman rule. After returning to the academic center, I pretty much just studied and hung out the rest of the day.

Our stove is still partially broken. On the positive side however - we now have two functioning burners instead of one. Hopefully we will have four functioning burners soon. 

Tomorrow I am heading out to the island of Aegina with my roommates. I am really excited to see a part of Greece outside of Athens. I have heard it is beautiful and very different from the city. We are catching a bus to Piraeus around 8:15 am tomorrow and then we will take a ferry from Piraeus to Aegina. 

thats all for tonight

ya sou - goodbye (also hello),

Jen

  

Hey! so it has been a few days since my last post...I haven't had much access to the internet and when I have had access the connection has been beyond slow. Surprisingly, the lack of internet access here has been one of the hardest things for me so far.

ok anyways. The past few days have been somewhat eventful. Normally we don't have class on Fridays but last Friday we did just because it was the first week of school. Friday night I wandered up to the Kolonaki area to eat dinner at a friend's apartment. Afterwards we decided to explore the main square in the neighborhood. The area has tons of small, expensive boutiques and small restaurants but it also has some of the same clothing stores and restaurant chains found throughout America. It was raining the whole time, so our exploring was cut a little short. We ended up stopping into a cafe in order to order tea and desserts. Interesting fact: in Greece and probably throughout Europe (I'm just assuming), the cost of items at cafes is much more expensive. This is because when you buy a drink or pastry, you pay for both the item and the seat. The Greek people often buy coffee and sit for hours at the same table - it is rude to ask the person to leave their seat so businesses just charge more for the item at the time of purchase. We sat for a while at this cafe until the rain calmed down and then a few other Pangrati kids and I headed back to our side of the city.

Saturday morning, most of the school met up for a hike on Mount Pendeli. The bus ride took about an hour and we hiked for about 2 hours. Mount Pendeli is one of the major mountains bordering Athens - in ancient times, it provided most of the white marble for the city. The bus drove half-way up the mountain and we walked the rest of the way. It was freezing cold and 

windy but absolutely beautiful. The beauty of the countryside stands in stark contrast to the bustling urban center of Athens. We ate lunch at the top - or tried to at least without getting blown away haha - and then headed back down to meet up with the buses. Later on that evening I walked around the Pangrati area with some people and discovered a few more restaurants, gelato shops, etc.

Not much happened Sunday. Most of us spent the day at the academic center doing homework and catching up on reading.

The stove in my apartment has been broken since I got here - only one burner works and there are five people who need to use the kitchen - so my apartment mates and I have been unable to cook much. So - we went out and found a local gyro place in Pangrati Square. Greek gyros are amazing - sooo good. I got mine without meat - you definitely get looked at strange when you ask for a gyro with no gyro haha - but it was still delicious. So that has been our go to place for the past few days - hopefully the stove will be fixed soon. Also - I am starting to pick up on a few new Greek words. "Thelo" means "I want," and "Ef Haristo" means "Thank you." So yay.

Yesterday and today I just went to class so not much else has happened...but tomorrow I'm heading to the National Archaeological Museum with my archaeology class - extremely exciting for anthro dorks like me haha.

I'll check back in later!

byeee - Jen :)

Ya sou! That means hello in Greek. I have now been in Athens for a full three days and it is already beginning to feel a little more like home. I am starting to remember the different street names in my neighborhood and I am beginning to learn some of the cultural customs. 

After picking up my books on Tuesday afternoon, I headed over to the academic center to attend an orientation session and watch live coverage of the U.S. Presidential Inauguration. The Greek people are beyond excited about Obama and optimistic about Greece's future relationship with the United States. Later that evening I headed out with some friends to explore the Pangrati area. We found a nice restaurant - I don't remember its name - and grabbed something light for dinner. I ordered vegetable pies - a vegetarian dish that tastes a lot like Chinese spring rolls. 

Between 2 and 6 everyday, Greeks take a siesta. They eat a large lunch before 2, sleep or relax until 6, and then eat dinner around 9:30 or 10 at night. The nightlife and bar scene starts around midnight or 1 and goes until 4 or 5 in the morning. 

On Wednesday morning I attended another orientation session. It was very informative and helped me to better understand specific aspects of the culture as well as the academic program run by CYA. During the afternoon I took my second Survival Modern Greek class - a crash course in Greek for students not taking the semester long course. Let's just say I was a bit lost haha. 

Later on that evening I attended a "U.S. - Greek Relations" talk by Deborah McCarthy, the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Athens. It was interesting and informative. Following this talk, most of the 179 students enrolled at CYA met up and left for a school organized Taverna dinner. Tavernas, or family-oriented restaurants are found throughout Greece. We had a wonderful meal that consisted of Greek salad, mashed fava beans, tzatziki sauce, feta cheese, this fried cheese block (I don't remember the name of it), freshly cut french fries, and a ton of meat - including lamb, chicken, and pork (which I did not eat). We also had two traditional greek desserts - a block made with cinnamon and nuts, and a type of yogurt with fruit. 

One thing I have struggled a bit with here is the smoking - everyone smokes both indoors and out and my lungs are still adjusting. 

Today I had two classes - Modern Athens: History and Culture of the Greek Capital and Greek Philosophy. Both were interesting and the professors seem nice. After class I walked through the national gardens, saw some archaeological sites, walked past Syntagma Square - also known as Constitution Square - and then headed back to CYA. There are stray dogs everywhere but they are all really friendly.

I still have one more class to go - Gender and Sexuality in Modern Greek Culture - but then I will be done for the day. 

bye!!

Also - interesting fact: Greek people cross themselves three times every time they pass a church.

First Impressions

I arrived in Athens, Greece yesterday afternoon after taking two flights - one from New York's JFK airport to London and then one from London to Athens. The travel time was a little lengthy and we had an incredibly unsmooth landing at Heathrow but other than that the flights were fine. After picking up my luggage - unfortunately a number of people in my group lost their bags - we went to wait for a taxi. This process took forever and we ended up waiting around for two hours to get a ride to our apartments. My experience with our apartment so far has been interesting to say the least. 

The taxi driver taking me to Ellanikou Stree (the street where I am living) was not the friendliest man in the world. He spoke no English, didn't have enough room for our luggage, proceeded to leave both of my duffel bags hanging out of the back trunk while driving on the freeway, and dropped me off on the wrong street - a ways away from my apartment. I couldn't read the signs on the street and had no idea where I was but I somehow managed to find my apartment building - #6 Ellanikou. The apartment halls have lights - but they go off after 20 or 30 seconds to save electricity. I couldn't figure out how to work the elevator and before I figured out the way the lights work, I couldn't really see where I was or read the labels on the doors. So, I ended up dragging my bags up three flights of stairs to get to our third floor apartment (2nd floor in Greece). Our keys don't work very well so it took me about 15 minutes to get the door open. The inside of the apartment is small but nice. The kitchen and bathroom are really tiny and we have hot water sporadically but it will work fine. Our toilet is currently broken but it should be fixed at some point today. Something to know about Greece - you cannot flush toilet paper...the pipes are too old and small so we have to throw it out instead. 

My apartment is located in the Pangrati district of Athens - it is not as nice as Kolonaki but it is only a 5-10 minute walk to the academic center. I have four other roommates. They are all classics majors and they are all super nice. Last night we were able to meet our neighbors, a nice Greek couple studying physics. 

After settling in, we were all supposed to meet up at the academic center to pick up documents and get oriented. At that point I did not have the number of the ND students so I grabbed my map and tried to find my way to the college. I got lost and ended up running into another student who was trying to figure out where she was as well. We eventually managed to make it to the center. I got back pretty late last night and was extremely jetlagged and tired, so I went to bed. 

My first impressions of Greece - the country is beautiful and the culture seems very interesting and extremely different from what I am used to. Athens is a huge, white, dirty city suffering from urban sprawl. There are stray cats all over the place and I can hear them meowing from my apartment. The Greek language is insane and I have no clue what anything says or what anyone is saying. The streets are narrow and people drive like maniacs...word of advice - no jaywalking. You really seriously might get run over and the cars probably wouldn't care. 

I am about to head over to the academic center to pick up my course materials and books - so that's all I have time for now.

Check in latrrr. Bye!

Jen