Week 2

 January 16th-22nd

I began the second week of classes with a sunset hike that’s right down the street from my school. My roommate, Nina, and I talked to a new friend about the path and decided to spend our Monday afternoon headed up there. We were skeptical on our way up that we were choosing the right paths, but ultimately every decision we made led us right where we needed to be up top. We were ahead of sunset and got to see the entire urban area of Athens, just on a mountain right next to our school. It was one of the most captivating moments I’ve experienced. 

On our way down, three dogs found us and followed us the rest of the way down. We thought they belonged to another man hiking on the trail, until they started following us into the city. I just kept thinking, ‘at what point does our moral obligation step in?’ When we saw one almost get hit by a car while chasing a stray cat we decided to take them back to the trail and call the name on their collars.

Of course everything wound up fine, and the distressed Greek woman got her dogs safely home, but it was just one of the first moments where it felt like we ultimately knew nothing about the culture of where we’re living. With so many stray dogs and cats freely running around the city, who knew if those dogs belonged to someone, or if dogs are freely allowed to roam here? Back home, at the realization their owner wasn’t in sight, I would’ve called their owner right away. Stepping into a foreign country and attempting to understand their standards I feel like I know nothing. Realistically, I feel like a toddler, only knowing a few words and just trying to comprehend the world around me.

Some of the cultural differences that are random that I’ve noticed so far are; there are no outlets in the bathroom. And the light switch is outside of the bathroom, almost always. They don’t have fitted sheets, which I didn’t ever conceptualize was something cultural. The standard is to hang your clothes up to dry, even though we have one working dryer in the basement of my dorm. Your clothes smell better that way. People seem to wear wedding rings on the opposite hand. And one of the most appalling of all; street signs are located on the side of (some) buildings. I’m confident in my driving skills, especially after frequenting the I-4 in Florida, but I’d never drive in Greece. 

Sharing an apartment (or, flat; we’ve decided sounds much more European) with eleven other girls has forced me to realize that my moods cannot be determined by those around me, and my energy is my own. Imagine letting eleven other girl’s attitudes affect yours! You just simply can’t. The best you can do is clean up after yourself, and spend time alone whenever needed. It’s been important for me to keep in mind that this is a new and individualistic semester for all of us; it’s never as personal as you may think. 

I’ve also had to remind myself that everything is working out, and as Mt.Joy said in Cardinal, “everything’s exactly where I need to be.” My mission to say yes to everything, even when it’s something I wasn’t accounting for, has only led me to the most beautiful moments of this trip so far. I wound up getting to go ice skating with my roommates on a random weeknight down the block as we waited to go to the bar since we were early in terms of European standards. 

On Friday night, as my roommates and I were meeting people at Captain Bill’s (which we have decided to call ‘the frat party of Greece’ since it’s just a bunch of American students able to finally drink at a bar on weeknights), my roommate Kaylee and I spontaneously said yes to plans to go into Athens. I got to experience my first and second techno rave in Europe (they even had lasers!), which is something I was anticipating since I’m into raves and festivals back home, in America. They really do wear the dark sunglasses inside! 

We were out until 05:00, and it was still so busy outside. The night consisted of us moving club locations and meeting new people at both. There’s such a funny moment of realization when you are meeting somebody that speaks Greek, and when you start speaking English they go “Ah,” and proceed. 

The next day, we managed to make it to see the Acropolis with an hour and a half to spare. As we were wandering around taking pictures, petting the stray cats, it began to rain. The majority of the tourists began to run down the hill to leave, but my roommates and I did the opposite. We went to the highest point, right in front of the big Greek flag, and watched as an entire rainbow emerged. It didn’t begin to rain very hard, just enough so that we were wet for the rest of the. It was one of the most euphoric feelings I’ve ever felt; being able to see a full rainbow over the entire city of Athens during golden hour with four of my new friends. 

That night we went to get pizza, and then stopped by a dessert shop where the kind man at the counter gave each of us free coffee mugs. I’ve been using it for my coffee everyday. 

It’s still unfathomable to me that I’m able to have these experiences on the weekends, literally a 20-minute metro ride away from where I’m living.