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.

October

Sorry it's been so long since my last post but the week just got away from me. Time is moving ridiculously fast, as it always seems to do. I have been here exactly a month today! My teacher's are already preparing us for midterms which is annoying since I'm only here to have fun right?! I have a couple weeks to prepare still so I'm sure it'll be fine.

Last weekend was our island trip, which needless to say was incredible. Mykonos was not as lively as it is in the middle of summer but the bars were still packed and we had a great time. We met a lot of really cool people on our trip. We also had to take a small detour to the hospital in Mykonos which taught me that I love American hospitals and I'm thankful that trip wasn't for me. There were stray dogs in the hospital room (if you could call it that really) and we just walked out the back door when we were ready to leave. It was an experience though. Then, Santorini was more relaxed but so much fun as well. We went to black sand beach which was gorgeous. We also visited red rock beach - we rented ATV's to get there so that was a lot of fun too. Our hostels in both places were much nicer than I expected so that made things easier. My favorite part was probably going to Oia, Santorini (pronounced ee-ah) to watch the sunset. People from all over the world go there every single night to catch the amazing view. I wish I could see it every night, there was really nothing else like it. Our ferry ride back on Sunday night took 10 hours (midnight-10) and we were all very ready to go to our own beds and sleep all day monday.

The last few days this week have been quite chilly. I think it'll warm up again soon, but it is beginning to cool down overall. I don't mind it though because it's been scorching hot the past month and I'm ready for sweaters and boots! I am bummed about missing cider and pumpkin coffee season however. I think we are going to try to go to the Acropolis and the Acropolis museum this Sunday which I've been wanting to do since I got here.

I'll post again sooner than I have been. Happy October malakas!