Stepping to the Beat!

             So, the past week has been all about getting into the groove – as much as that is possible in Greece! My school week started on Tuesday and it was my week to start teaching! I was just assigned spelling and language arts, so it was pretty simple. Tuesday is also when the Greek class meets. It’s an Introduction to Greek class – so we started with learning the alphabet and the different pronunciations of the sounds. I think, because of this experience, I’ll be better able to relate to my students as they learn the phonemic structures of English! It’s a fun class and I’m learning a lot!

          However, the public transportation system decided they would try to rain on my parade – they went on strike. For no apparent reason. Getting to school wasn’t too bad – only about 5 or 10 minutes longer than the normal 20 minutes it usually takes. However, getting home was a whole different story. It took us over an hour in stop and go – bumper to bumper traffic. Not my definition of fun, but this is life in Athens.

          Wednesday was a special day at school because the 4^th grade put on an OXI day presentation. OXI day is a national holiday in Greece. It celebrates the day the Greek Prime Minister, Ioannis Metaxas, said “OXI” or “NO” to Mussolini. The Axis powers wanted to enter and occupy Greece and it is rumored that Metaxas replied with a single “OXI!” He actually said “Then, it is war!” Either way, it was a historic day for Greece, even though the Axis powers did eventually invade and occupy Greece.

          The 4^th grade did a great job of presenting the story, as well as Greek poetry and songs. They also told stories of what life was like for children under the Axis occupation. It was a very informative and entertaining assembly –but it also meant that we had very little time with our students in the classroom.

          Thursday was much of the same – this time because of the Halloween parade. The whole school gathered in the courtyard and the youngest grades showed off their costumes. They were soooo cute! Then, the 5^th grade danced to the Monster Mash. They did a fantastic job, but again, we didn’t see much of them in the classroom!

          Friday, October 28^th, is officially OXI Day, so we didn’t have school. I took advantage of the long weekend by not setting an alarm clock! J I wandered around my neighborhood, Plaka, Syntagma, etc. On Saturday, I went all the way out to the Athens Mall. I spent most of the afternoon there, but only bought boots. Everyone in Athens wears boots, so this is my step toward fitting in! J

          On my way back from Mass on Sunday, I walked right through the middle of a (peaceful) protest in front of Parliament. I also saw the changing of the guard. It’s definitely something to see if you get to Athens!

          Well, that brings us to today. I’m teaching spelling/language arts and reading this week. I’m getting great feedback and support from Ms. Coklas. I just love working with her and with these kids! The rest of the week should go smoothly – well as smoothly as possible at ACS! And Brianna will be here Friday –so that’s really really really exciting!

          You’re all in my thoughts and prayers – as I settle into a rhythm here and figure out the steps in Athens, I hope you’re taking it one step at a time! 

Climbing around ancient ruins!

   I’ve spent my entire life going on trips with high school kids – so why should Greece be any different? This past weekend, I was invited to join the high school Humanities class on their three-day exploration of the ruins at Delphi. I’m so glad I said yes because I had a great weekend!

           We left Saturday around noon and headed out of Athens. My main thoughts on the drive were: 1. High school kids here are EXACTLY like high school kids in America. And 2. The landscape of Greece is not very pretty. Turns out, I was only right about one of those things! You see, Delphi is surrounded by mountains and from these mountains, you can see the path through the valley to the shore where pilgrims would have begun their journey to consult the oracle. According to Greek Mythology, Zeus released two eagles, one from the west and one from the east. Delphi is located where these eagles met – the center of the world. And when you’re there, looking at the mountains, you can see why people believed. 

          We spent Saturday night exploring the lower site of Delphi  - this was the training stadium for the Pythian games and the Temple of Athena Pronaia. The gymnasium was so interesting because there is evidence of showers – plumbing, hot water, etc, from hundreds of years ago! There is also a circular building known as the Tholos – but researchers aren’t sure what it was used for. We also saw the Castillian Spring. This was used for ritual cleansing before a pilgrim would approach the temple to seek advice from the oracle.

          That night, we checked into our hotel and I was instantly struck by the differences between Greek and American hotels. This hotel used real keys that were left at the reception desk when you left the hotel so you wouldn’t lose them. The hotel room had tile floors and just the bare necessities – a bed, pillow, chair, bathroom. But what it didn’t have in luxury, it made up for in view. The whole town of Delphi seems to be built on the edge of the mountain, as if a slight breeze could blow it down to the sea below. The hotel rooms each had a balcony that showed the entire valley, mountains, and down to the sea. The sunrises and sunsets were simply breathtaking. God’s scenery never fails to impress me

The view from my hotel balcony!

         

          Sunday was spent at the upper site of Delphi. The humanities teachers were the best tour guides. They know Greek Mythology, world history and random fun facts that made the place come alive in a historical way that I would never had gotten alone. We wandered along what is known as the Sacred Way – the path to the Temple of Apollo. It is lined with treasuries . These treasuries were both for the gods and men. They housed spoils of war and other trophies of the respective city states. Though they were displayed as tributes to the gods – they were also a way for the city states to honor particular heroes or display their power and wealth.

Me standing in front of the Temple of Apollo

          The most famous treasury is that of the Athenians. It is mostly restored on the site and many artifacts from it are housed in the museum. My favorite part about this treasury is the south wall. It was inscribed with hymns to Apollo. These inscriptions are some of the earliest forms of notated music in the world. While the notations made no sense to me, it was still neat to see how music has progressed.

 The Temple of Apollo was nice,  but what I really enjoyed was the view from the top. We climbed up to the stadium and I paused when I was directly above the theater. This theater was used for the choral and instrumental competitions during the Pythian games. The view down to the valley was indescribable. If “All the world’s a stage” then this stage has one of the best natural views ever. I don’t think I’d be able to focus on the play with that view stealing the limelight.

          

The view from the top. 

  After exploring the rest of the site and the museum, we went back to the hotel where I proceeded to crash for about an hour before dinner. The teachers and myself went back to the taverna we had visited the night before. I had chicken souvlaki and it was phenomenal. They also treated us to dessert both nights. I had walnut cake and tiramisu –both delicious!

          Monday was our day to travel back  and we had one more stop. We visited the Orthodox monastery of Hossios Loucas – a blessed in the Orthodox church. Again, the view was outstanding. This monastery is also one of a handful of places that still has intact gold mosaics. They were beautiful. All in the Byzantine style – depicting Our Lord and the Virgin Mary. Beautiful. We couldn’t stay long because we had to be back to school, but I’m so glad we were able  to stop!       

Gold Mosaic in the Narthex

       

          It was a crazy weekend, but one that I’m so glad I was able to have while over here. I’ll be posting again with an update about my week – but I think this post is long enough for now. So, I’ll leave you with a prayer and a reminder to keep taking it one step at time – especially if you’re climbing a mountain! 

Adventure!

Adventure is about the only word to describe last night. But before I get there, I have to mention the school. I just finished my first week. and I am loving it! Just loving it! My cooperating teacher, Ms. Coklas, is amazing. The students are fantastic - funny and (mostly) well-behaved and polite. One big difference between this school and American schools is the number of ESL students. In my class of 23, there are 6 currently in ESL and another 3-4 that just tested out of ESL services. It's going to be prove to be an interesting challenge. But, seriously, it's so good here! And the campus is great - you can see the mountains from the balcony just outside our room. Beautiful. 

So - last night. Well, we had parent-teacher conferences, so it was about 6:30 -6:45 before I even left school. Again, the Syntagma station was closed, so I got off at Monastiraki and that's when things got interesting. As I rode the escalator up to street level, I started smelling smoke and teargas. You could have cut the air with a knife - tensions were high. When I got off the stairs, I saw why. Monastiraki square had been taken over by a massive fight between the rioters and police. Fires were burning, people were shouting, projectiles were being thrown - it just was not good. So, I quickly headed the opposite direction. 

Unfortuately, I don't know my way around the Plaka as well as I would like (especially in the dark). So, I wasn't lost, per se, but I wasn't sure exactly how to get where I wanted to be. There was no way I was going to pull out my map and look lost, so I found a view of the Acropolis and used that as my North star. Eventually, I found a small church that I remembered. However, it was right by Syntagma and there was a small fight going on just ahead. I ducked down the side street again, and soon found myself in more familiar territory. It wasn't until I saw Hadrian's Arch that I really started to feel comfortable again. I was almost home when I saw a whole group of people get arrested at the crossroads before my house. Suffice it to say, once I got home, I stayed there. 

So, it was a long and stressful walk home, but I did make it. Lizzie interviewed me for the radio - and she asked me what it felt like to be here, during these times. My answer: Well, this is just life right now. This is how it is. You deal. But, it's going to really sink in when I teach about this in social studies or economics someday - and I'll be able to tell my kids - Hey, I was there. I saw this. It's a crazy thing really. 

So, yeah, the metro is fully operational today, which made my walk home much easier. I wandered around my neighborhood and found a supermarket. :) Now, it's homework and packing time. I leave tomorrow for a visit to Delphi with the Academy's Humanities class. I'll be back Monday night. I'll post pictures and an update then! Have a great weekend and take it all one step at a time. <3

χαρούμενα γενέθλια!

Happy Birthday to me!!!

And what a birthday it was! Greek Parliament is voting on new austerity measures today (Oct. 20), so protesters were out in full force yesterday. Of course, this means the country is virtually shut down as the people either a) take to the streets to march or b)stay home. The metro was closed until 9 am - so I rode to school with Steve. School was fairly uneventful - but I was allowed to take a long lunch! :) Ashton and I walked to a small square near the school and ate lunch at Haagen Dazs. I had a chocolate banana crepe that was amazing!

After school, we had teacher meetings, so I didn't leave school until about 4:30. and that's when the day started to get really interesting! Since the government buildings are in Syntagma Square, that metro stop was shut down. Unfortunetly, that's where all the trains switch, so I couldn't get to my stop. Instead, I rode the blue line down to Monastiraki and got off there. I had a map, but I wasn't sure exactly how to get home, so I just started walking. There were tons, I mean TONS! of people in the area and I soon realized why. I was headed directly toward Syntagma. Not exactly where a young American should be - petrol bombs and tear gas are not my idea of great birthday presents! I took a side street and headed through the Plaka unil I ended up at the Acropolis metro stop and headed home.

Once home, I skyped with Bri and got very excited for her trip here! Then, not content with sitting alone at home on my birthday, I took myself out to dinner. I grabbed a sandwich from a corner cafe and started walking toward the Acropolis. It's so beautiful at night! I also explored the grounds of a small church right at the end of my street, near the Temple of Zeus. It was fantastic.

I'm at school now, (the kids are at specials) so I'll have to post pictures later. The metro situation is much the same as it was yesterday, but I promise I'll be safe and avoid getting arrested! :) Until next time, keep taking it one step at time (away from riots, moltov cocktails, and police!)

Organized Chaos

Day 1 of student teaching has been nothing but organized chaos. And what a day it was. Steve met me for the walk to the metro and introduced me to the school. My cooperating teacher, Ms. Coklas, is fantastic. She described her classroom as ‘organized choas’ and I have to agree with her. It’s going to be a great 8 weeks here! The 23 students are great kids and the rest of the staff at the school are fantastic.  Later this week, I’ll try to post pictures!

          I was invited to join the high school humanities class for their field trip this weekend and I said yes! Which means, ladies and gentlemen, that a few of my steps in Greece with be taken in Delphi! I’m so excited!

          Ashton, the other student teacher from the states, will also be going! We had a great afternoon getting to know each other – over coffee, of course! We also took a bus to IKEA and sat on the couches for quite a while J  

          I navigated the metro by myself tonight and didn’t get lost once! It’s a really easy trip actually – just one switch at the Syntagma station and then straight sailing back home. I was pretty proud of myself though! I’m finally able to eat real food – which makes me very happy and now, it’s almost bedtime. The next few weeks are going to be crazy blur – thanks again for your prayers – I need them always and you need to keep taking it one step at a time. 

Home Sweet Athens!

Attention Athens: I have arrived! My steps through customs and the Athens airport were short and soon I was riding through the streets of Athens with Steve and Ashton. Steve showed me my new home, a small ground- floor apartment in his building. It’s well-furnished and very close to the city center (About a five minute walk! – My metro stop for home is Acropolis!!) I have internet and phone so anyone with a good long-distance plan who wants to call, email me for the number. Everyone else – Facebook and skype are still great! J

Bath - 

 View from garden door -

 GARDEN!

 Kitchen area -

 View from front door -

 Other side of the room -

          I fell asleep around 2 am last night and slept wonderfully until about 11 this morning. Steve took me on a walking tour of the neighborhood and we headed to meet up with Ashton and some other people for lunch and shopping. While we were waiting, I partook of a classic Greek tradition – coffee and conversation at a local coffee shop. The streets are full of vendors – cafes, coffee shops, clothes, shoes, you name it, you got it. The whole time we were drinking coffee I kept thinking of My Life in Ruins – “Everyone has to take time for a coffee!” I now understand why – the coffee is delicious here!

          We couldn’t find Ashton and so after waiting around, Steve and I finished walking a circle around the center of Athens. We saw the Parliament building, more shopping areas, the temple of Zeus, (literally in my neighborhood), and even a building that was built around this cute old church. We then grabbed lunch at the café across the street from our building. The food is delicious, but my body is still not a big fan of food just yet. Hopefully, that’ll change soon!

          The metro is not on strike as of today, but the garbage collectors are – and have been for about a week. Almost everything will be shut down Tuesday and Wednesday because the law should be voted upon in Parliament Thursday. At least I’ll have a ride to school on those days, but it could be very interesting! The protests are peaceful, but it will still be interesting to see how things work out.

          I start school in the morning – Steve will be meeting me to show me around the metro. I am so incredibly blessed. Thank you all for your prayers – I know they were heard! I’ll be posting again about the school sometime tomorrow – until then, keep taking it one step at a time. 

It starts with a step....

It’s been said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Take it from me, truer words have not been spoken. I took that first step into the security checkpoint at KCI and it’s been a series of small steps since. I’ll be completely honest, that first step was hard. There were some baby tears in my eyes. But this is the chance of a lifetime. An adventure. Something I’ve always dreamed of. And I’m scared. It’s finally starting to sink in that I’m alone, on the other side of the world. The airport is full of people, colors, signs, noises. Most of them I don’t recognize. Occasionally, I’ll hear English slip through and for this, I’m grateful.

          My trip has been fairly uneventful so far. The flight to Chicago was short, as was my time in Chicago. We departed and I just started taking those small steps in any direction. I had to catch a train to get the international terminal, then find my airline and get my boarding pass. By the time I got through security, my flight was loading. I met a wonderful lady named Alice who was also headed to Istanbul and we navigated O’Hare together after I saved her shoes from being left behind! It's always fun to meet new people and she was so sweet!

          The flight to Istanbul was 10 hours long. I pulled my blanket out of my bag, turned on “You’ve got Mail”, and promptly fell asleep until dinner. For airplane food, it looked and smelled great, but my body just wasn’t feeling it. I ate a bit and then curled back up for more sleep! Breakfast was fresh fruit, eggs, potatoes, and other deliciousness. I was feeling better and actually managed to eat something. We landed with barely a jostle and it was time to take some more steps.

          It’s funny, because I had no idea where I was going. That’s not a common thing for me. So, I just followed the crowd and I guess I did it right because I’m sitting outside a gate, typing this message to send out to the world. My flight doesn’t leave for a while, so they haven’t published which gate I’m supposed to be at. J

          Update on housing – Ashton and Steve are meeting me in Athens, and as of now, I have a place to live that has transportation to the school! (That’s been tough with the metro strikes!) God is so so good! I’ll post again (with pictures!) when I land and get settled. Until then, keep taking it one step at a time.