Just in TIME: Abby's adventures in the Middle East

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.

posted by Abby @ 12:40 AM