Post-Thanksgiving update

Hello Everyone!

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and is busy getting ready for Christmas time!! I had a great holiday with my friends traveling around Europe. The weather in these places was soo much colder than Greece is so I had a hard time getting used to that. Paris was first and so incredibly beautiful. We went up in the Eiffel Tower the first night we got there and that was really neat. The view of the city is incredible but taking the elevator all the way to the top was a little frightening... It's really, really high. The next day we did a hop-on hop-off bus tour which we could get on and off as we pleased. My friends and I went to the Louvre museum and saw the Venus De Milo statue and the Mona Lisa! We walked around the rest of it but it was so big that we didn't have enough time to see everything. We also went to Notre Dame Cathedral and the Paris Opera House which were both very big and extravagant buildings. The church was stunning inside. We did some shopping in the evening and stopped to get a "Thanksgiving dinner" at a really nice French restaurant. I got pasta - not traditional, but it was really good!

Our next stop was Brussels, Belgium in the early morning. We did a chocolate walking tour when we first got there. Our guide took the small group of us around the city and we tried different brands and types of chocolate. So much so that I almost felt sick by the end! It was worth it though. We also got to make our own chocolate which was really fun. 

Amsterdam was really cool but very Americanized. Most people spoke English (which was a nice change for a little while!) We went to the Anne Frank house which was really moving but extremely sad. It felt really weird to be in the exact house that a Jewish family was hiding in during the Nazi invasions. The rest of the day we spent walking around to shop and see the city. The coffee shops were cool except that you often saw parents, work meetings, etc. meeting up to smoke and chat in the middle of the day. I found that a bit odd. Our flight the next morning was only a few hours but with all the other travel time included, I didn't get back till about 6pm.

It was a great trip but nice to get back to my own room here in Athens! Now, continuing on to focus on finals (if that's even possible) and then I'll be back in the states in a couple weeks! 

Good luck getting through the weeks before Christmas vacation to all my college friends! :) 

Thanksgiving Trip!

Happy Thanksgiving holiday everyone!

I am more than sad that I am going to miss spending Thanksgiving with my family, and eating turkey dinner for the first time ever in my life! It's so weird knowing I won't be home to celebrate. That being said, I will be in Paris for Thanksgiving so I think I'll manage to survive somehow :)

I leave tomorrow morning on a flight with four of my friends into Paris. We will spend two days there, then head to Belgium for a day/night and then continue on to Amsterdam before coming home Sunday night! I have wanted to go to France since I began taking my six years of french class in Jr. high and High School. It's too bad I hardly remember how to say anything anymore... In Brussels we are doing a chocolate tour where you get to taste and make your own chocolate! I think we were going to try and go on a Heineken tour in Amsterdam although we aren't sure yet. We'll probably go to a few coffee shops there though at least. And by "coffee" shops I mean legalized marijuana cafes.

Between my mini vacation and the fact that I get to see my family in a little over 2 weeks, studying for my finals is going to be reeeeaaaaallly difficult. In fact that's what I'm supposed to be doing now..... oh well.

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving and remember to be thankful for everything you have! Also a Happy 24th Birthday to my big sister whose birthday is on Saturday!!!!

Au revoir! ;)

Change of Plans

So... last weekend didn't go exactly as we were 'not planning' it to go. I guess in Europe they don't do the discounted plane tickets if it's last minute. We were hoping to get cheap tickets to somewhere cool in Europe but the cheapest was 200 euros to Turkey. Needless to say I wasn't feeling to comfortable trying to figure out hotels and everything in Istanbul. I'm sure it is a great place but I feel as if the country isn't the MOST stable it could be right now.

Instead of just going back to the dorm, Alexa, Cass and I decided to get a hotel in downtown Athens for the weekend! I was really glad we ended up doing that because we all had a really great weekend! The hotel was called Hotel Central and it had a rooftop bar with an excellent view of the acropolis. We went out the first night to a small beer bar which was really fun! We also accidentally flooded our hotel room from the shower at one point but that's too long of a story for this blog to handle ;)

During the days we walked around the shops and restaurants. I bought some presents for my friends and family so I was happy to get some of that out of the way! I also got another ear piercing which was only 10 euros in a souvenir shop. It sounds pretty sketchy but it wasn't really. The prices are so so much cheaper than the U.S. I want to get a tattoo while I'm here but I think my parents would have a cow so to say. I might do it anyway since they have to love me regardless.

There's only 33 days till I come home! Bittersweet feelings are engulfing me whenever I choose to think about my departure from Greece. I have to say for sure that I think everyone should study abroad somewhere if at all possible. It has been the biggest and best experience of my life in so many ways and I hope everyone gets the chance to live somewhere else for a time. Χαι κάτι άλλο, ο καθένας Καληνύχτα!

Noooooo-vember

How is it already November 5th?!?! I don't want to think about leaving all my new friends yet! I am always amazed at how fast time flies, even though I know it's going to. This past weekend was fun but lacked typical American Halloween credentials. Well, besides a lot of really really good German candy. It was still a lot of fun though! I enjoyed seeing everyone's costumes in pictures - some of them were beyond words......

So on Thursday, Alexa K., Cassie and I are going to head over to the airport and just pick a destination for the weekend! My mom thinks it's ridiculous but I can't wait! All week I've been getting so excited not really for the trip, but for finding out where we will actually be going! I love "let's see where the wind takes us" trips. Anywhere would be cool but I suppose my top choices are Austria, Switzerland, or Croatia. Since this is my first time in Europe, and I've only been in Greece, anywhere we go will be a new experience!

Also, the weather is still beautiful here suckers ;)

Rachel Visits from Italy

Good morning Americans! Sorry it's been so long since I've updated my blog! I've had a busy couple of weeks!

The weekend before last, I went to Nafplio, the first capital of Greece, on Saturday )like I mentioned in my last post!) It wasn't too much walking so I was able to go throughout the day with almost no trouble. It was really cool to see the old castles and churches! I got to go inside an ancient Greek jail which was disturbing since it was a hole in the wall and really dirty. I have no desire to have an encounter with the prisons here so keep your fingers crossed for me! :) We also went on a winery tour which was awesome too because we learned about the extensive processes that grapes undergo in order to fuel our Friday night adventures. I also got to taste many different wines and purchase the ones I liked. They were cheaper since it was at the actual winery that made them so that was nice. 

Last week marks the halfway point of of my time here in Greece, so that's exciting! I'm not ready to leave yet of course but I do really miss my family and friends so I'm by no means upset that we have gone through half a semester already! I despise midterms though and I am so happy to say that I am finally done with them and I got to spend the long weekend with my Endicott roommate (who is currently studying in florence) who came to visit for the weekend! We had a great time and got to spend some time downtown going to the historical parts of Athens, as well as the nightlife ;) Rachel loved the food and the excitement of downtown clubs while she was here and we realized how much Cassie, Rachel and I missed each other! We are trying to book a trip to visit her in Italy sometime in November if we can! 

Rachel left early Sunday morning to fly back. We went out on Sunday night to a rave because we had Monday off. It is a national holiday that celebrates the day Greece said no to the Nazzis! Yay for Greece! I celebrated by watching weird movies and eating Chinese food on my balcony. Although unproductive, it was the best Monday I've had in a long time. :) 

I cannot believe that it's almost November already! Halloween is on Thursday so I can't wait to see everyone's costume pictures and live vicariously through them... Have a great week and Happy Halloween!! 

Midterm Season

So things are getting a little busy around here since everyone is studying for midterms now! They were this week and next week and worth 40% of our grade so that's the main focus for all of us these next few days! I had my first one yesterday, in my modern Greek language course. I was a little nervous for it since our teacher had covered a lot of material really quickly and most of us were a little lost. But I studied hard and I think I did pretty well! So that means that I have four more next week... uhg. Since I can't go out again this weekend, at least i'll have time to study when my friends go downtown.

I am however, going to Nafplio tomorrow as our second "study abroad" trip! Nafplio was the original capital of Greece and we will be going on tours of the castles there! We also get to go to a traditional Greek taverna and then a winery tour! It's going to be a little tough to be walking all day (even with the crutches), but I really don't want to miss this! My friend Steve said he would carry me the whole way if it meant I could go! Hopefully that won't be necessary for his sake, but it was extremely nice of him to offer!

My roommate, Rachel, and my other friend from Endicott, Ariel, are both coming to visit us on Wednesday! They have both been studying in Florence this semester and next week is their fall break! Fingers crossed that I will be able to walk around Athens by next weekend without too much trouble. I absolutely cannot wait till they get here regardless though! It'll be so nice to see them and to show them our new way of life :)

It's funny to see how the people here react to the weather and then how us Americans do. It's like 75 degrees here today and it's sunny and gorgeous to us at least, but most of the girls here are wearing boots, pants and jackets! I wore long pants with a tank top today and people stared at me, but I was really warm even in that! This is on the cooler side for them so it makes sense but it's still strange to me. My Endicott peeps would be at the beach on a day like today.

Keep a lookout on Sunday for an updated post about the weekend! :) Sending lots of love from Ελλαδα! (Greece)

Regina George style

Hello friends,

As most of you know, I have had quite the week. Last thursday I was out training for my marathon when some idiot behind the wheel decided stop driving for a few seconds. Needless to say, I have been in bed for a solid week now due to the unfortunate reason of not being able to use my legs. I will be better soon enough, which I am more than thankful for, but it is a frustrating process. I almost wish it wasn't the weekend so that I didn't have to sit at home while I see everyone leave to go downtown to the clubs and bars. At least I have desperate housewives to fill the void.

Everyone here has been overly nice and helpful so far. I've received so many desserts, foods and flowers that it makes it easier to be stuck in bed all day. My new friend Alexa made me shepherds pie the first night I was back in my dorm because it's my favorite meal! :)  I should be getting a care package from my family today, shipped over with Lex's parents who arrive today of course!

On another note, my midterms are coming up in the next two weeks and I'm trying to prepare for them as best I can. I cannot believe that it's already almost the middle of the semester. The time here is really flying, especially now that I only get to see my tiny room all the time. Although my friends did steal a wheely chair the other night so that I could go hang out with the Egyptians and smoke hookah. It was necessary for my sanity. Nothing else really to report except that I am praying this recovery process is a quick one so I can get back on my feet and doing things in this beautiful country!

Hope everything is well with everyone, and my condolences to the girl from Endicott who passed last week <3 Rest in Peace.