Hellooooo Athens!

 

I have arrived! Being on a plane for 10 hours was weird and has made me vow to start saving up for first class plane tickets from here on out. I was so lucky to meet and get to know so many native greeks on my flight who were all coincidently quite elderly…but they had great stories! I’ll admit I got a little obsessive watching the GPS tracker screen showing our plane slowly progress along our flight path. I couldn’t help it though I was just THAT excited. As soon as the wheels touched down I had this involuntary smile that I couldn’t get rid of even having been awake for over 24 hours.

Athens is much greener than I expected. I was prepared for a desolate desert landscape but the rich foliage and green grasses are a welcomed familiarity. The drive from the airport to campus took around 20 or so minutes and it was amazing to drive through and see the city for the first time. Graffiti is a BIG deal here and I was intrigued to find out that it has an entirely different connotation in Greece than in the US. In the states we think of graffiti as being the sign of gangs or violence and almost all of the spray paint here in Greece is instead viewed as artwork or the expression of one’s views.

Our RA met us at the entrance to our building and led us up to our room and let me just say I’m STILL in disbelief at how amazing these accommodations are. We’re living like royalty in our apartment-style three bedroom dorm. Each bedroom has 2 beds so there are a total of 6 of us living in our suite. Our particular apartment has three balconies (what does one do with THREE balconies?), three full bathrooms, walk-in closets, an updated kitchen, a formal dining room, and living room. We’re even spoiled enough to have a dishwasher and laundry in our suite. How did I get so lucky?! Wow

I’m sure I’ll wake up tomorrow thinking this has all been a dream and I look forward to realizing it isn’t! Until then enjoy my HGTV House Hunter style pictures of our apartment

My bedroom

The closet my heart has always desired

A small portion of the main balcony

View from the balcony

Neighboring buildings

Kitchen

Breakfast table in the kitchen

The dorm next door

Got storage? We do

Dining Room

Living Room

Bathroom

Bathroom attached to my bedroom

I hate blogging but this is my blog

I really don’t like blogs but I haven’t been able to think of any better way to share and document my travels this summer with all my friends and family. I’ll mostly be posting images but hopefully I’ll have time to jot down a few thoughts about my experiences as well.

Sitting in the Philadelphia airport right now my heart is overflowing with excitement, to the point where I can barely sit still. For the last few months this trip has been the focus of just about every conversation I have had and to think it’s finally happening is blowing my mind. I am about to get on a plane that will take me to a surreal destination unlike anywhere I’ve ever been before. True to self I of course have expectations about how my trip will go and what it will be like but I’m trying my absolute hardest to allow those thoughts to fade. Hopefully with as few expectations as possible I will be able to enjoy each and every moment whether it be a trial or a triumph.

For the next 6 weeks I will be staying at the American College of Greece in Athens, Greece. During which time I will be taking 12 credits offered through the University of Washington’s International Studies Program. The focus of my courses will revolve around researching the effects of immigration on the Greek people and their culture. Once my program concludes I am lucky enough to have my sweet momma join me on the other side of the pond where we’ll travel around to the major European cities together.

Greece, Albania, Italy, France, and the United Kingdom…..I’m comin for ya