Kali mera!

I'm coming back after a mini drought of blogging. Seems as though the greek lifestyle has swept me away, enamoring me with warm afternoons, wonderful friends, fantastic food, and surreal landscapes. My friend Elly mentioned the other day that Greek mythology makes a lot of sense once you're here. You sort of fall in love with the ocean, the sun, and everything in between, becoming enraptured with the incorporeal majesty of life. Even though the state of greece is in absolute shambles and the government is essentially blown, the natural beauty of the country and the spirit of the people breathe life into a dead skeleton of a system.

I got my first glimpse of this beauty on our walk to Lykavittos Hill where we saw a panoramic view of the city. But this weekend I think I truly got introduced to Greece. It's way more than antiquity, with all the ruins and important documents. Don't get me wrong, those are incredibly important and worth studying. But what I saw this weekend wasn't out of a textbook. I saw real people, real situations, real anger, real fear, real hope, and real unity. Screw what you hear in the news, the people in greece are living their lives the best they know how. They want the best for their families and children just like you do. We've began to look at political situations in a dehumanized way, and it pains me to think we've forgotten about the people involved across the board. We owe it to ourselves to end myopia.

Anyway. I'm learning.

But back to this weekend, we all had amazing experiences. Seriously, this weekend was one of the top 10 days of my life. Sorry for all the serious crap I wrote before this, I have no idea where that came from because I'm in a really good mood. Whateva. But anyway, Gabby and I have become insanely good friends with Reem and Elly. Literally, all four of us are so happy that we just smile our brains out when we're around each other. It's a beautiful thing. ALSO, some news for y'all, Gabby and I decided we want Reem to live with us next year, and she agreed! We're so happy :) Also in the news, last night Gab and I chatted with Professor Gallant and his wife Mary in the patio and he basically offered me a job to work with him. He didn't really go into details, but said something like "I was going to tell you this at a later time, but now that you mention it (I said something about one of his PhD students), I wanted to offer you a position as a fellowship/intern/stipend-given researcher". I didn't know what to say! His wife Mary bumped me and said, "honey, you can close your mouth now" (my jaw had dropped, apparenty). So, new things to think about. This is a major opportunity to work with Gallant as one of his protegees. He has major connections all over the world. And I know I enjoy archeology and social/ historical anthropology, but this wasn't exactly what I had planned for myself. Decisions, decisions. Regardless, I'm thrilled to even have the opportunity and some deep thinking is certainly going to ensue.

SO, getting back to this weekend, on Saturday we went to an island called Aegina (said "eggina") that is a less touristy island but is still near Athens. Ya'll have probably seen the pictures on fbook, but it was so so so beautiful!! The ocean was crystal clear and it felt like bathwater. Us four girls had the time of our lives tanning on the beach and swimming in the water. We all rented 4-wheeler quads and rode around the island for 2 or 3 hours into the interior of Aegina. One of the guys in our group rented a vespa, so halfway through I asked if I could drive it. It was so LEGIT! I can't even believe I rode around one of the most beautiful, traditional islands in the world on a vespa. I was smiling so big I got bugs in my teeth. It was one of those omg-pinch-yourself-you-are-living-in-a-dream moments. Later we got back on the ferry and watched the sun set over the mountains of the islands, a red ball of fire slowly slinking away. The water turned from crystal turquoise to fiery orange and red. I couldn't imagine a better ending.

On sunday we all went to the flea market in athens and saw some pretty cool stuff. I was expeting more reasonable prices, especially becasue most people at the market were greeks. Nevertheless, I found some good bargains on leather sandals and silver jewelry. In the afternoon, reem and I met up with her cousin who lives in Athens. She treated us to a beautiful lunch at the end of the flea market. Later, Reem and I meandered slowly back through the flea market, Monasteraki, Plaka, Syntagma and finally Pangrati where we live. With such hot weather you find yourself never in a hurry. I could get used to this :) Last night gab, Elly, reem, and I went out to dinner at Platea Varnavas and ate delicious food by candlelight. Can't complain!

Today so far we've had lecture (the first half I struggled hard core to stay awake but perked up after a greek coffee at the break). The only downside is I'm getting sick. Like the kind where it feels like you swallowed a thistle and it got caught in your throat. I've been ODing on vitamins and I hope to catch up on sleep this afternoon.

I wish you all well and love you all. xoxoxo