Stopping Regrets Before They Happen.

The other night I was pondering the major questions of my life. Such as, Who am I? Why am I here? What am I going to do the rest of my life? All of these questions I do not have an answer to.
Who am I? Or more who do I want to be? 
You can label me: daughter, sister, aunt, friend, student, human being. Or you could say: I am tall, nice, quiet, loud, weird, crazy, an overthinker. None of these qualities are unique. There are many sisters, daughters, aunts, students, in the world. Girls that probably fulfill these roles better than I do.
Why am I here?
Where to begin? God, evolution, fate, destiny, a Truman show situation? What is my purpose for living, do I even get one?
What am I going to do the rest of my life?
This last question has been nagging me for the past month. I am on the verge of a major life change. In two weeks I will be done taking college classes "forever." To many they would feel jubilant, I feel crushed. I want to keep learning, there are still so many classes I want to take. Instead I will student teach and then graduate...from COLLEGE. For the lucky, you know exactly what your plan is when you graduate. Find a job with your degree, and go on from there. For me, it is not that simple. I still have no idea. My major is set in stone, but my path is not. I still think, is there a job out there I do not even know about? Is my calling still waiting patiently for me? Will I ever travel again? oh...and how about that whole relationship thing, still not happening.

The questions keep coming and I only know this.
  I have NO regrets.

All the moments that have happened in my life, I do not regret a single one. Even the ones where I got crushed. The ones where I put myself out there and "failed." Because I learned from every wrong turn, and every right turn. And I am going to keep on learning.
I learned that you cannot die from embarrassment;  to dancing in the aisles of Walmart, singing at the top of my lungs in front of 10,000 people, saying hi to that guy at the bar, or having a bad day where it just went wrong...I am still here, still breathing. I learned that I have truly remarkable friends which I can count on both of my hands who I  will know for the rest of my life. I have a family who loves me and accepts me in all my crazy, quirky ways.  I have traveled, explored, reflected. I have taken risks, but also stood on the sidelines.  At my best times, I have moved to the beat of my own drum.  All of these moments have provided insights to my questions.
These moments gave me stories, advice, and bonding time with people I love.

I may have no idea who I am, where I am going, or what life really is...but I know this.
I am Sarah, a book lover, music fiend, a dance in the kitchen gal, and a Christmas enthusiast. And I am learning every step of the way. I am terrified for my next chapter of life, but I am thrilled knowing I am laying the stones down for my path.

HOME

Well it's official I'm home. I've been in the States a little over a week, it's been an adjustment getting back into my American groove :) My last days in Greece were filled with happiness and fun times. Our last weekend we took a ferry to Skiathos Island, it was a great weekend. The island offered gorgeous views, beautiful water, and plenty of elder British folk to keep us entertained. We were able to see some beautiful beaches, take a fun boat cruise, and enjoy our last friend time in Greece. Our final days in Alikes involved some rainy weather, beach time, and plenty of good byes. It's hard having to leave behind a life I had come to enjoy, a lot! I'll never forget the experiences I had on this trip, the friends I made, and the lessons I learned. The only thing I wish I could have changed was adding just a little bit more time :)

Thessaloniki, Istanbul, and Kavala

Hello, it's official I can cross of another continent on my list. But I will get to that in a second :) Our journey to Turkey began on an early morning day, with a few stops before arriving. Our first day on our Turkey trip had us stopping in Thessaloniki, Greece. Thessaloniki is the second largest city in Greece, and we had yet to see it since being on the trip. Our teachers provided a tour guide and showed us the city through walking. I liked Thessaloniki, but when getting towards the end of this trip, we were getting touristy tired. We saw some churches, ancient ruins, and the sea walk. I have to admit, the Volos sea walk is better, in my opinion :) The next day we began our very long bus ride to Istanbul, we left around 10 in the morning, and didn't arrive until around 9 at night. The only place we went to in Turkey was Istanbul, but we could already see the differences between Greece and Turkey when we arrived. Turkey is a more well off, than Greece and there were many wealthy people walking around. We had to make sure to hold our tongues and not speak any Greek, because the Turks and Greeks do not get a long at all. When we arrived in Istanbul, which has 16 million people, by the way!, we went to their main square for supper. It was packed with so many people. The square we were at was modernized with many shops, and restaurants, and sky scrapers in the background. The next day we saw the Old City of Istanbul. We went and saw the Blue Mosque first which is still a mosque today. It was beautiful, amazing architecture and wonderful painted designs. In order to go in I had to wear a skirt, and if one wanted the ladies could cover their head with a scarf. Our next spot was the Hagia Sophia, which is one of the seven wonders of the world. It was beautiful as well. It began as a Christian church and was then converted to a mosque, and now it is a museum. Once again the architecture was amazing, and the place is very big, with tall balconies, big chandeliers, and beautiful mosaics. After the Hagia Sophia our teachers to the Grand Bazaar and left us on our own. The Grand Bazaar is truly grand, it has rows, and rows, and rows of shops where you can find and barter for clothes, antiques, spices, and other things. It was crazy. Although I would have loved to buy many things, I held on to my purse and saved my money :) The next day we went to Tokapi Palace. It was big as well, lots of buildings, gardens, and jewels. Once of the biggest jewels was a huge diamond, now safely on display. We then crossed a bridge and arrived in Asia :) Every day Turks cross the bridge and go from Europe to Asia, back and forth. It doesn't look any different, but the place we stopped at was really pretty. We took a boat ride on the Bospohrous River and saw Istanbul in a different light. Our last stop of the day was at a spice market, I didn't buy any spices, but I was able to see the set of the new James Bond movie...that was really awesome.  All in all Istanbul, was a nice place but it wasn't my favorite. Now don't use my opinion to create your experience, I think if we would have went earlier in the trip, I would have seen Istanbul in a new light. On our way back we stopped and slept in Kavala, Greece a sea side town which was really nice. My favorite part was seeing  a carnival set up for that night, lots of happy kids and families running around :) 

Happy Just To Be.

Hello! I apologize for not writing in awhile, but last week I was really busy working on a group project and then  I was gone for about six days in Turkey. I'm not going to talk about Turkey today, I'll save it for my next post. I would like to talk about my amazing daily life. Every morning I wake up to the sunshine pouring through the windows, and the sounds of daily Greek activity. I have to get up around eight every morning so I can get to the bus by nine-thirty. I, slowly, get out of bed, get ready, and head down to breakfast. After breakfast we head for the bus to get to Volos, where our language class is. The bus ride takes about fifteen minutes, and it's about a ten minute walk to get to the building. Our class lasts an hour, and afterwards I usually try to take the next bus back so I can enjoy Alikes more. The weather has been wonderful, so every free moment we have we are out at the beach. I love the beach, it is so calming and relaxing. Some days I'll swim, other days I'll toss a frisbee, and when I really want to relax, I'll just lay out and enjoy the breeze. Yesterday, was a fun day, the majority of our group went to the beach, and we had a wonderful four hours of swimming, taking pictures, and having lots of fun. I'm so fortunate to be able to get along with everyone :) Being with twenty people all the time can be tough, but I believe in staying out of everyone's business and being kind to everyone. I don't have much time left here, and I'm sad and happy at the same time. I'm going to miss Alikes a lot, especially the beach and the people I've gotten to know. I am happy to see my family and friends, and share the crazy adventures I've been on. It's a wonderful feeling knowing how blessed I am and I thank God every day. I hope you all have a wonderful end to spring, and great beginning to summer. Will write soon. Sarah.

Spring break..living my dream!

Hello! I am safely back in Greece, a little jet lagged, but extremely happy :) My spring break was a dream come true and I am so happy I was able to see the cities I have always wanted to visit!

Our trip began in Frankfurt, Germany. Frankfurt is known as the business center of Germany and it appeared to be. There were a lot of guys in suits and carrying brief cases. While in Frankfurt we went to the Frankfurt Zoo and the Natural History Museum. Both were fun and interesting, but not German enough for me ;) We also explored its main center and walked around for a bit. I bought some German gummies, and some German streusel. All in all Frankfurt was okay, I just wish there was more to see!

Our next adventure was London and there was plenty to see! I am officially in love with London! We arrived around 7 in the morning, hopped on the Tube, and began our adventure. London has so much to offer, so much history to see! We stopped at Baker Street and visited 221B Baker Street...also known as Sherlock Holmes house :) It was pretty cool. We took a free walking tour, and our tour guide was excellent, he was able to show us all the amazing well known sites, and also provide some cool stories too. I was fortunate enough to see Buckingham Palace, Green Park, Clarence House, St. James Place, Trafalgar Square, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, House of Parliament, and an old bomb shelter from WWII. The tour was excellent! Our guide even took us too a pub, where they served some delicious fish and chips. It was the perfect birthday!
Our next day we went and saw the London and Tower Bridge. So cool! From a distance we saw the tower of London as well. Since we were on a bridge, we saw the Thames river flowing. We were in a popular area which was near the Rose and Globe Theater, famous because of Shakespeare! We also saw the Millennium Bridge which was featured in Harry Potter 7 pt. 1 :) We then took the tube to King's Cross Station where I found the portal to Hogwarts, platform 9 and 3/4. It was sealed though, because it wasn't September ;) Our journey ended by taking a train to Holyhead, England to catch our ferry to Dublin. The train was amazing, I was able to see the English countryside, it is my dream to live in a cottage some day in England!

We hopped on our ferry and arrived in Dublin bright and early! What I liked most about Dublin was the atmosphere. Everyone was friendly, and enthusiastic! Our first night there we joined a pub crawl, drank a Guinness(not my drink) and met some new people. We were able to listen to some amazing, live music and have a good time. We then took a tour the next day and I learned some interesting things about Dublin and took some nice pictures of it's history. I wish we were able to see the countryside of Ireland, but unfortunately we didn't have the time, but I will be back.

We then moved on to Amsterdam. Amsterdam was very different. As most people know it is famous for legalized marijuana, and the Red Light District. But it also offers some amazing architecture and canals. Once I got away from the Red Light area and saw more of traditional Amsterdam I really liked it. We ate some Dutch pancakes while we were there, and they were yummy. We also took a night canal ride, which was a lot of fun! I was lucky enough to go to see the Anne Frank House, which was very sad. One thing you will notice in Amsterdam is the locals bike everywhere. It was very cool to see, and I wish America was set up for better transportation besides cars! Something to think about, I guess :)

Lastly, our long but amazing journey ended in Paris! Yes, Paris, my very close second favorite to London! The very first landmark I was able to see around 7 in the morning was the Eiffel Tower. It was surreal. I could not believe I was looking at something so expansive, beautiful, and timeless. My whole time in Paris I couldn't let it sink in I was actually there :) For breakfast I ate a chocolate croissant which was heaven! We then went and the saw the Basilica of Sacred Heart, we had to climb about three hundred steps, but the view of Paris was worth it :) We also saw the Moulin Rogue, Arc du Triomphe Notre Dame, Shakespeare and Co. Bookstore, the Seine River, the Lover's bridge, and we watched the sunset near the Louvre. It was an amazing day and a wonderful end to our adventure! Our last goodbye was to the Eiffel Tower which we saw lit up a night, it was perfect! I can't wait to go back :)

On My Own

Hello! Tomorrow I'm off on Spring Break. I will be traveling to Frankfurt, Germany, London, England, Dublin, Ireland, Amsterdam, Netherlands, and Paris, France. I'm excited but also really nervous! I won't write much today, but when I come back I promise I'll have some more detailed adventures ready to share :)

A piece of home

Hello! Today was a really wonderful day. I found out that I am an Aunt, again! Evynn Anne was born April 4th and she is beautiful. I wish I could go home for the Easter holiday, and spend time with my family whom I miss so much :) Above is the picture of the foothill we climbed and behind us is Alikes where we live. Wonderfully enough, Volos has a movie theater and five of us went to see Titanic in 3D! It was my dream come true, Titanic will always be my favorite movie, ever since I saw it at the young age of six I knew that I would love it forever. (Tears were shed a lot today ;-)) Hope you all have a wonderful and blessed Easter-Sarah.