Christmas has come and gone...
Post-Christmas greetings to everyone. I hope you all had a great celebration with family and friends. It was strange for me to think of everyone at home, going on with the same traditions and family get-togethers as always, while I'm halfway across the world. Although, in a way, I've gotten used to this idea, and it seems almost normal to be missing Christmas after we've been gone for so long. Talking on the phone to my family, though, I was reminded that no, this is definitely NOT normal! I could hear the chatter of voices and music in the background, and at that moment I wished more than anything to be on the other end of the phone line, back at home. But that moment passed, and hanging up the phone I realized how lucky I am to be here in Greece and how much fun we had celebrating with our extended TIME family.
I don't have time to write more but will update again next week when we get back from our excursion to Naplion.
For now, I've added 50 more pictures, some from Egypt and mostly from Greece, to my yahoo album. to see them , click on the link to the right called "Abby's Travel Photos".
Happy New Year 2006!
first week+ in Athens
The last week and a half has gone by quickly and I am already getting used to life in Greece even though it is so different from any of my experiences in the last three countries. The most obvious differences are superficial: Christmas trees and holiday music are everywhere, the weather is cold, the streets are clean, you can drink the tap water, and everything is expensive! But it goes deeper than that. I have to ask myself, how does Greece tie in with the other countries? Greece is Europe, through and through. But the longer I look, the more I am able to see how cultures and societies overlap and influence each other through history. Aspects of civilization such as art and architecture, political ideologies, and religious belief, have made their marks in many ways all over the region, and this sense of co-mingling and borrowing of beliefs and ideas has been strong in all four countries I've been to. That is why it is so fascinating to study both the similarities and differences between these four very distinct places--and to discover that there is more overlap than I had ever realized.
Last week, we began our classes with our professor Ryan Preston, who is currently in the process of getting his PhD in Orthodox studies from Harvard. His style of teaching focuses much more on discussion and interaction, which after 4 months of basically all lectures and question/answer classes, is a welcome change. Our class is focusing on the rise and development of Christianity, especially the formation of doctrine, the influences of Judaism and Roman-Hellenistic culture, and art and architecture. As a history and religion double major (for now at least!) this is right up my alley. College Year in Athens, the program with which we're affiliated here, is located very close to downtown, in fact right next door to the huge marble Olympic Stadium (which was renovated in the 1890's and used in last summer's Olympics). It was about a half hour brisk walk from the hotel where we stayed for our first nine days here. It is so great to be in a place where everything feels so accessible--either by walking or by a short metro ride.
Yesterday morning we moved out of our hotel (no more free breakfasts, unfortunately!) and into very nice apartments in the fairly upscale Kolonaki neighborhood. Five of us girls are in one apartment right below Mac and Jackie, who definitely lucked out with the deluxe faculty suite. They even have a living room which will be perfect for our big Christmas gatherings coming up. It's kind of strange to have our own homey places to live after being in such close quarters in hotels for over 2 and a half months now. While the apartments do afford us some much-appreciated personal space, I kind of miss being able to step right across the hall to talk to someone, since now we are all living in different buildings. I suppose though that it is a good way to ease us into the transition of going back home next month and being away from that intense group togetherness.
We have class only every other day, so last week we took advantage of our time outside class to explore downtown Athens. The downtown revolves around the major squares, Syntagma and Omonia. Within walking distance from these are the National Gardens, many shopping streets, museums, tons of streetside cafes good for people-watching, and smaller squares which, if you time it right, are set up with Christmas carousels and flea markets which you can wander through while munching on candied nuts. This is what some of us did on Saturday, after our half-day visit to the incredibly vast and fascinating National Archeological Museum. We've had a great guide, Gabriele, for both our city tour and museum visit. Some of my favorite things from the Archeology museum were the perfectly preserved gold mask of Agamemnon, the strangely post-modern looking Cycladic sculptures, and the idealized beauty of many imposing and impressive Classical figures.
We've been trying to sample as many different restaurants as possible around the city, which is difficult to do without breaking the bank, but the Plaka neighborhood, situated right below the Acropolis and just above the classical agora (marketplace of ancient Athens), is filled with picturesque "tavernas" nestled in the narrow streets which traverse the hillside. Not surprisingly, Greek food is incredible--I'm a fan of salads with feta cheese and spanikopita, traditional spinach pies. It's going to be hard going home, if only because the food is so good here!
Well, we're all getting ready for Christmas here, planning meals together and looking for the perfect thing for our Secret Santas. I am so thankful to be here, to be having this experience as a cap off of an amazing five month whirlwind trip. And there are three weeks still left, with new places to visit and things to learn along the way. I miss you all and wish you peace and joy as we celebrate the dawning of new life this Christmas.
holiday season in Athens!
Well, it's hard to believe that just yesterday I woke up in our funky yet homey hotel room in the Cosmopolitan in Cairo, and today I'm writing from a new-age high tech internet cafe in Athens, Greece! Our last few days in Egypt were hectic--after taking our final exam on Saturday morning which I'd been studying for all week, I had to mail a package home in order to meet the weight limits for my luggage at the airport. A hassle, but luckily our friend Adam helped us out. On Sunday morning, we went to church at St. Andrew's, where we presented a donation of around $600 to the coordinator of the church's refugee education program. This money comes from an independent fund set up by alumni of Term in the Middle East and Global Semester programs, and current groups like us get to designate where we'd like to give the money. It's a pretty neat idea--it gives those of us who have had life-changing experiences on this trip to give back to the communities we've shared in during our stay. We chose St. Andrews for many reasons--especially becaus a bunch of us were able to volunteer there a couple times in beginning English classes and see firsthand what it means for the refugee children, almost all Sudanese, to have the opportunity to learn English. We were also able to speak with the leaders of two major tribes of refugees who are living there in Cairo. They told us about the struggle of trying to find work in a city where over 40% of Egyptians are already unemployed, and enduring prejudice and racism on top of everything else. I can't imagine what their lives must be like.
That evening, our last night in Cairo, I was "kidnapped" by some of my friends who insisted on taking me to a mystery location to celebrate my birthday! What fun--we ended up at a Pizza Hut right across from the Pyramids and watched the sound and light show from the upper floor! After that, they took me to a wonderful restaurant that was in a tent right on the edge of the Nile, where we ate great food and hung out for the rest of the night. So much fun! It was definitely one of the best birthday celebrations in recent memory! I am so thankful for the wonderful people I've been traveling with. I felt so special and it was just a great day overall. I can't imagine any better way to turn 20!
Yesterday morning we left Cairo and after a short flight got off in the beautiful city of Athens. Cairo and Athens are like night and day. The first thing all of us noticed were the Christmas decorations EVERYWHERE--and the weather is perfect, just chilly enough that we need to bundle up when going out! This is a real treat after being in relatively warm weather since June! Today we had a half day city tour, during which we visited the Acropolis and the Parthenon with an incredible 360 degree view of the city, and walked through the quaint and idyllic pedestrian streets of the old town. So far, I absolutely love it here. Our hotel is very nice and conveniently located close to the Metro and bus routes. Tomorrow we begin classes at the College Year in Athens. I can't wait to get out and explore in the next few weeks!
Thanks to everyone for the thoughtful birthday messages--I love you all so much and can't wait to see you soon. Until then, season's greetings from Greece!
