Greece..the good life.

These past two days have been filled with homework and procrastination. Yes, even in Greece we had to do a little studying. Yesterday, we had language class, which we all like. It's only an hour, but it's a lot of fun to learn something new. Their alphabet is very different from ours, their "P" is our "R" and their "v" is our "n." Yup, confusing! We finished the alphabet today, and while we were learning, we also learned a few words. My favorite is Zoi (kind of pronounced Zoey) which means life. Right now I'm living the kalizoi (good life). Yesterday, for lunch, the morning language group all ate at Roma's Pizza, it was so good :) I'm always a fan of pizza and pasta!  Today, was a bit cloudy, and I spent my time inside. By four it was sunnier so I headed to the beach to read for class. It was a bit chilly but the view was, as always, beautiful. The sea was crashing today, and when I heard it, it reminded me of a song I enjoy. Symbol In My Driveway, by Jack Johnson, begins with the sea heard in the background. So listen to the song and you can hear what I heard today, and you'll be one step closer to Greece :)  Miss and love you all!

Adventure in Athens

Well, I'm officially back from my three days in Athens. Before we left I was a little nervous going, because the media only reports the bad news from Athens. I was proved wrong, though, Athens was wonderful. Our group was lucky and our hostel we stayed in, was close to everything we saw. Our first day we saw the Arch of Hadrian, the Temple of Zeus (pictured above), the Olympic Stadium, Parliament, the Changing of the Guards, and the Acropolis Museum. It was a great day, a lot of walking, but everything is in close proximity to each other. That night I participated in karaoke night, which was a lot of fun :) Lots of American songs were played so it felt like home. I also made some new friends from Canada, and I was able to give them a night tour of Athens, and in turn I was shown the city of Athens lit up at night. We had to climb uphill for a bit, but it was worth it. The next day our mission was to see the Parthenon, unfortunately it involves a lot of walking uphill, it took about three hours to get to the top, but we stopped often at certain spots, to see more amazing views, and sculptures. We finally made it to the top and it was pretty cool :) The rest of the day was ours, so of course, we went shopping. I was able to get all my gifts for my family and friends! Our last day was not the best, because we were all so tired. We took a subway to the National Archaeological Museum, and we headed home! It was a very successful trip, and I'm so happy I was able to experience it! I'm sad to report we did eat some McDonald's, but it was good to have some American food, we made up for it by eating some delicious gelato! Miss and love you all!

Took a stroll through the market

Today was a fun day. We had a combination art and food lecture, which resulted in a field trip to the Volos farmers market.  The market offered a variety of seasonal vegetables and fruits. There was also fish, grains, flowers and some knick knack tables. We had an assignment which was to walk and view the stalls and observe the interactions, food, and other things. With our observations we had to sketch in our journal. I'm the worst artist so sketching wasn't the best, but the viewing was fun. I was able to buy some fresh yummy strawberries, and some beautifully smelling flowers. After our sketching we had a discussion on Greek food, and more on Greek culture. We learned that Greeks eat seasonally, so they always have something to look forward to each season. We also learned that many Greeks follow a vegan diet during Lent, which is very interesting to me. We'll have a religion lecture later in the trip, and we'll learn more about their Lenten ways. After class, Pita and I, bought a cheese pie from a bakery right near our bus stop, it was delicious :) After getting back to our hotel I finished my homework and headed to the beach, it was great. I'm now working on my tan (or my sunburn ;-)) and I listened to some Jack Johnson, while admiring the sea. I tried skipping rocks, but...I failed! haha
Last night we met some locals who are very kind. They're father and son, and not originally from Greece, but they love the Greek life. Ferris is the dad, and Sheyan is the son, who is 18. Their easy to get along with, and they provided wood for a bonfire. Coincidentally, Ferris has been to Nebraska, he lived in California for awhile, and traveled all over the states. He's a very funny man. P.S. they lived in England for awhile, so they speak with an English accent! (Yup, life is good!)
Love and miss you all, Sarah.
P.P.S.: tomorrow we head to Athens, until Saturday! Woot, woot! So I'll write again later!

I see seafood!

Hello! Tried some delicious seafood, and I'm not allergic ;-) At the top the far left was an oily fish, I didn't like it, the pic of green leaves and meat on top is octopus! So good, yes I Sarah Simon, tried octopus and liked it :-) I know most people say this phrase but it really did "taste like chicken." The far back pick was potato salad, which some people liked..I personally don't like it in general. The bottom picture was the best round. At Tsiparo (sp?) bars, they bring out a round of Tsiparo (which is similar to ouzo-but too much like black licorice, not my thing) and then they bring out a round of "snacks" which was our first course the top picture. The bottom picture was my favorite round, the red plate that looks like lobster, is actually roasted red pepper, with feta cheese inside-yummy. The far back picture tasted like meat, but was mushrooms! And the right plate was fried cod, we think. All in all it was a yummy lunch. I'm glad I expanded my taste buds and gave everything a try, I will definitely bring my "try everything" attitude back to the states :) Love and miss you all!

Seashell Sunday!

Today was a beautiful day :) Pita and I spent our afternoon  eating a nice lunch, spaghetti carbonara, and walking along the beach finding seashells. It was so simple and relaxing. Family is very important in the Greek culture, and today a lot of families were out eating, chatting, and enjoying the weather. One major difference between the Greeks and Americans (at least Midwest people) is the temperature. I thought today was very warm, so my outfit of capris and a short sleeve shirt was perfect for me; until we walked along the beach and I saw two ladies with winter coats on! I felt way under dressed! But my discomfort was overshadowed by my happiness. I'm so grateful to be here, and I can't wait to enjoy the rest of the days I have. If only homework wouldn't get in the way! Love and miss you all!

Happiness is...enjoying every moment :)

Yesterday was once again a good day! We didn't have language class, so I was able to sleep in and get ready for our  first lecture at 2. The night before our group built a bonfire on the beach and had a great time. Unfortunately, we dealt with our first "creeper" who wanted to hang out with our group, but was a little too freaky. Once he whipped out a chainsaw out of his trunk, hopefully for the wood, we bolted and headed back to the hotel. It was a fun night though. Yesterday, our history lecture went from 2-5, it was too long, and I'm pretty sure I fell asleep once or twice, whoops! After class, we headed back to our village and found some much needed coffee and food. Greek coffee is amazing, I had a mochachinno, which is chocolate heaven, and today I had a cappuccino, yum! We ate at Smashing for supper, it was so good. I had carbonara pasta, and it was delicious! After, supper, I spent the rest of the night booking my flights for spring break, not the best time. Today, we went to class, and came prepared with coffee! Love and miss you all!

When in Volos drink Ouzo!

Today is a beautiful day! I could not be happier! Pita, my Zeta sister and roomie, and I woke up around 7: 45 this morning, thanks to the wonderful sun and got ready for the day. We had language class at 10 so we had to be at the bus a little after 9. When arriving to Linguaplus--our language school, Sol one of our instructors had a surprise for us...Ouzo! Bright and early at 10 I was taking a shot! It was good, some of us compared it close to  a vodka like liquor. After our pick me up we learned good morning- kalimera (which is not even close to the Greek spelling) good afternoon- kalispera (once again the spelling is just to help us pronounce) and good evening- kalinitha. We also learned hello (pronounced ya sue) and goodbye (pronounced Adio) It was so much fun, my instructor Valentina (pronounced ValenDina) is amazing and I can't wait to get to know her more. After class we took a walk along the pier and stood in awe of the amazing views :) It truly made me so happy. The rest of the days was ours and we filled the time with shopping, looking, eating, and a lot of people watching. It's  5 here now, and I'm about to start my homework and practice my Greek spelling for tomorrow's class. Life is wonderful :-) Miss and love you all!

My first Volos experience!

View from my balcony in Greece :-)

Today was a great day. I woke up around 8 in the morning, took a shower (no shower curtain, have to get used to that!!) and ate breakfast in the hotel dining room. They typically serve bread, meat, cheese, cereal, yogurt, and orange juice. We took a bus to Volos and explored! We were very touristy today, which for today was okay...but I can't wait to act like a local. We were shown where we are going to take our language class, and I can't wait! The teachers seem so nice, Sol will be our main teacher--he's really friendly. After that we were shown the general area of Volos, shops, groceries, markets, food! We ate on the sea walk at Casa Pizza, soooo yummy :) I bought shampoo (herbal essence) and also bought water, bread, and nutella. I took a siesta, and then had supper! I had my first gyro, which is a pita filled with meat, (pork), a special sauce, tomatoes, and  fries( yup fries) it was delicious! I also tried epso which is carbonated lemonade..not bad! I took a walk along the beach, and admired the local eateries, we stopped at a bakery and I bought a sugar doughnut, and a hazelnut chocolate ball. That's about it, it's 11 30 now so I'm trying to write everything out and get to bed. We have language class from 10-11 and a short lesson after, then the day is mine! Can't wait to explore and learn more :-) Miss and love you all!

Journey to the Sea!

Hello! I'm in Greece! The journey was great, a little long, but there was so much to see! Can't wait to give you more of an update on my journey---I will write soon! Love you all!

Greece2012

Hello, this is my first post. Today is Thursday March 8, 2012 and I am leaving the country on Sunday! I can't believe the time has come and I'm so excited. I can't wait to share my experiences with you, and show you how much fun traveling can be :-)