21st Birthday!

As many of you know, my 21st birthday was on Monday. I have to admit, I was really worried about spending my birthday in a different country, away from friends, and family. I just really felt that it would be lonely, or just hard to be away and to be spending my birthday with people I didn't really know... but the truth is... so far at least... Athens feels like summer camp. My roommates and I have gotten close really fast. My roommates, and a few other friends I've made since getting here really made my birthday great.

Also! I felt really lucky to get cards JUST in time from my family. Even though we had 6 hours of lectures for orientation, the day really turned out great between dinner out with my roommates, and a surprise cake delivery from a bunch of other friends! Thanks everyone!  Here are some pictures from the day...

From L to R

Jen, Elena, Emily, Ally, and me out to dinner for my birthday.

YUM, Moussaka (the Greek version of shepherd's pie,) bread and a green salad. It was on a special that night. 

Here I am in our kitchen at the apartment with a cake I was surprised with. When we got back from dinner I walked in the door to a bunch of friends! How fun! 

I also spent the day fondly remembering the birthday celebrations I had with my family at David's Grille, and the dinner Ben made me for my birthday at the end of August. Even though I missed spending my birthday with them, it turned out to be a much better birthday than I ever could have imagined.

The Acropolis!

On Friday we finally got to tour the Acropolis as a group. We have been to the Monastiraki/Plaka sections of Athens a few times now and walked along the perimeter of the Acropolis checking out the restaurants, tavernas and shops that surround it, but until Friday we had not been to the top!

We started the morning walking to Monastiraki (usually we would have probably taken the metro) because there was another transportation strike in the city. So we walked about 40 minutes to Monastiraki, where we met up with Aphrodite. We then walked into the gates of the Ancient Agora and sat down under the shade of a tree and had lectures on the origins of the Acropolis, and how each structure came to be built and was used. At one time there were 20 structures on the Acropolis, now there are only four.

We started with a visit to the Temple of Apollo Patroos, and then were free to wander around the Agora for a while before meeting up at the Ancient Agora Museum.

Here is a picture of all the girls in my apartment in front of the Temple of Apollo Patroos. Sort of a mini Parthenon!

Then we went to the Agora Museum and proceeded UPHILL (really, quite a hike!) to the Areopagus, which many of us are more likely to recognize as Mars Hill, the place where Paul stood to address the Athenians in Acts 17. It was a BEAUTIFUL view of Athens, but it was even cooler to know I was standing in the same place as Paul. 

A friend of mine and I were talking as we climbed down from Mars Hill and couldn't get over the thinking that maybe, just maybe, one of the people whose lives had been changed by Paul's address on that day was the person who was ultimately (though distantly!) the reason for our faith. Cool place to be, and cool to think about the first generations of what I believe in.

It was incredible to look out from the top of the Acropolis too! What you couldn't see from Mars Hill, you could see from the walls surrounding the Parthenon.

 We walked through the Propylaea, the grand entryway commissioned by Pericles.

 Then saw the Old Temple of Athena (the famous building with the women holding the roof on their heads)...

 then the Parthenon. 

 From the top we could also see the Temple of Zeus, and the Theater of Dionysius.

Hope everyone's having a great day! Tonight we're having dinner out for my birthday, then I'll hopefully get to talk on the phone with Ben! Praying that Google Voice works!! Woohoo for $.01/minute international phone calls! 

Whoops... back it up...

Right before leaving for Greece I took a QUICK trip down to Messiah to visit some beautiful friends who are on campus this semester. It is sad to be away from them for so long (the summer + fall semester) but it was great to have the opportunity to pop down for a few days to see them. 

I got to see Olivia before she headed off to Mass. to play a soccer game! We had precious time at breakfast, and a quick chat. Can't wait to see her this spring. Can't believe she's a senior already.

Friday afternoon Jennie and I went to Weis and bought all the ingredients for a funny cake! YES! It's the most delicious "breakfast" cake you'll ever enjoy. If you want, I'll make you one when I get home. 

Having slices as soon as it's out of the oven is the best way to eat it.

Then we headed off to TJ Rockwell's for soup and a Rhino Platter... what were we thinking. So. Much. Food.

I really feel lucky to have such great friends. :)

FOOD

After TJ's we headed back to school to meet up with other friends to watch Ann Reck play volleyball for Messiah. It was great to catch Annie's eye and give her a quick wave.

Back home on Saturday morning, dinner out at David's Grille to celebrate my 21st birthday that evening and then left for Athens on Sunday. It was a whirlwind that's for sure!

Sorry for posting out of order! I just knew I wouldn't ever write it, if I put this post off any longer. We went to the Acropolis today. More later!

With a spinning mind!

And now, I present to all my loyal readers... the first picture taken on my camera in Athens, Greece!.....

Well done, huh?  But really, I promise it gets better. I'm sitting in Starbucks (how American of me...) across the street from my apartment using wifi... and wish I could upload every picture I've taken so far (I'm regretting uploading that one... 4 minutes to make a dumb joke...) but I will only share a few.

I can't even begin to describe how overwhelming the last couple of days have been! We arrived at roughly 9 o'clock Monday morning, moved right into our apartments, went on a walk right away (all alone!) and found the cafe where this bathroom was located for sandwiches and coke lite. We thought we were in Syntagma Square (the location of most of the demonstrations and riots heard about in the US) but we had actually taken a wrong turn trying to get there! Whoops! Just the beginning of the adventure of figuring out this city.

We walk through Syntagma each day on our way to school (a thirty minute walk at jogging speed) and have actually seen three protest groups in the last couple of days. With big decisions in legislation coming up, protestors are really getting busy. Today was a public transportation strike... so the metro, bus system, and taxis all were not running.

Protestors are really not so scary... they carry a sign and some have megaphones... but for the most part it's a just a huge group of people walking down the street, chatting and smoking cigarettes.

Monday we also went to dinner for the first time as a group at a taverna in Monastriki, the location of the Acropolis, two metro stops from our apartment. Walking out of the metro, this was our first view....

Pretty sweet huh! Dinner was AWESOME! Five courses, first bread, then a greek salad (no lettuce; the feta is INCREDIBLE!)....

Then some cheese dumplings and little spinach fritter things that I missed out on taking a picture of... then chicken, french fries, and delicious rice! WOOO!

Oh and for dessert... watermelon for two! Three chunks with two little forks, and you had to find a partner to share with. Pretty great.

The bathrooms at the restaurant were SO cool and I definitely think this will be a place I go back to with Mom, Dad and Toph when they come at Thanksgiving!

This is really getting to be a marathon post, but hopefully from here on out blogs will be a little more regular and I will be able to post on just one thing at a time! A few highlights... bullet points...

-We can't flush the toilet paper, we have to throw it out.

-We turn the hot water heater on 20 minutes prior to taking a shower, then turn it back off to avoid electric shock!

-Grocery shopping for the first time was HILARIOUS

-We bought cell phones for 10 euro (0030-6941679732 if you want to try to call me! but it'll cost you!)

-There are stray dogs EVERYWHERE and they're better at crossing the street than us!

-Everyone rides motorcycles! The other day I saw one motorcycle with a family of three on it!

-Internet is limited. We have wifi at school, and a computer lab, but for the most part we can't get it.

Anyway... that's all for now. I would say goodbye in Greek, if I could type in the Greek alphabet. Sound it out.... Ahdeeho sahs...

Hello, Mailman!

Well... the mailman came the other day! He rang the doorbell down by the garage... which you know if you've ever been to my house... is nearly impossible to get to before someone gets frustrated or thinks you're not home and walks away. Needless to say, because you always know it's a delivery man when that doorbell rings, I ran down two flights of stairs to try to catch him and give him my signature and FINALLY get the last piece of the puzzle.

I didn't think fast enough to take his picture so I could post it to my blog :) ... but my visa looks SO cool in my passport (just like Becky said!) Is it okay if I put it on here?! I hope so! Because you have to see it!

This week we also received our apartment lists, and phone numbers for our apartments! I am in the smallest apartment of girls. There are 5 of us, and 6 girls in each of the other two. It is definitely going to be a women's world... there is one apartment of guys with only three of them!

I'm ALSO really excited to share that I will not be spending Thanksgiving alone! My parents and younger brother, Topher will be coming to Greece to visit! They scored an incredible deal on tickets. I'm feeling really blessed and excited to share my favorite parts of Greece with them, once I've really figured it out and know all the best parts!

These have been very slow days since the beginning of September. Toph and my mom are back to school and friends have all shipped off to school and various ends of the earth... so all I've really had to do is work at night. It's good to rest, but this feels like too much rest right now. I'm ready to get going! I'll head to Messiah to visit some sweet friends next week (so everyone clear your calendars and get your homework done!!!) 

I can't wait for this adventure. 

9 more days!!!