Thanksgiving here at the school was surprisingly very festive. The American interns were invited to both the staff Thanksgiving lunch and the donor dinner. The two delicious meals consisted of the most unique stuffing with chestnuts I've ever tasted, yummy turkey and cranberry. Aside from being a world away from family and familiar faces it felt very much like home. It was nice to be able to speak to so many people in unbroken English but still Greek words could be heard.
This past weekend the Christmas festival took place in downtown Thessaloniki. An enormous Christmas tree was lit in Aristotle's square near the water. I never feel as foreign as I do when I stand surrounded by Greeks who speak primarily Greek but it was still really cool. Hearing Greek Christmas carols was a pretty cool feeling standing in the middle of so many native Greeks was really cool.
When we were (the American interns) weaved our way out of the crowd to leave for the night I saw three Greek guys trying to take a picture of themselves awkwardly using one arm outstretched. I asked if they needed help "do you want me to take a picture of you all?" After I watched these three Greek boys with their dark eyes look me up and down checking if I looked too sketch to hold their camera (I assume) one said "no thanks! we don't need help!" His tone completely explained the situation- they had no idea what I asked them. These little scenes happen pretty often when I am out and about exploring the city.
Right now I am sitting in my office (which is like a glass box) watching 6 greek girls wrap lights and beads around a Christmas tree. Between Mariah Carey echoing out of a laptop and the spurts of laughter some are directing where such tree decorations should be placed. It's sweet to see this event happen, even though it perfectly sums up what I think Greek culture is like. In this room next to my office (another giant glass room) there is a tv where 7 Greek boys are sprawled out on the couches intently watching the soccer game. While the girls actively work hard at making the building more Christmas-ey the boys are focused only on one thing- "futbol." While some of the girls get upset about the placement of ornaments the boys jump up and get upset about some call the referee made on tv. Understanding this about Greek (and I believe all of Balkan culture) is important. When walking by cafe's downtown the first time I didn't understand why on some nights all of life seemed to stop and on every tv anywhere I could see the same futbol game on. When I first applied for this internship my friend Gea who told me about it explained what Balkan culture is really like. "It is like the national sport is drinking coffee and watching soccer" she said. I thought this was just a joke but it is very true. I know this is foreign to hear coming from the United States but everything is just very very different. Some things about the culture are difficult to accept but I really believe this "xallarah" (chill or calm) attitude about life is really beneficial.
The tree outside my office now has blinking lights, is wrapped in green shiny garland and has garnet and gold ornaments hanging from its limbs... Merry Christmas y'all!
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
Mt. Pelion
When Travis and I got to the top of the mountain this man (George) greeted us and welcomed us into his shop. Inside we found a real wood fire (which smelt amazing) and George's homemade honey (meli in greek).He next showed us how he made it (he learned in Italy) and let us try some.
George also picks mountain tea.... which looks like something that should be illegal. The tea was amazing and the honey was the best I've ever had.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Halloween half way through November
Being the only natural blond on campus has some perks. Here it is such a rare thing that it draws immediate attention whenever desired or not. Here on campus people are getting more comfortable and boys call me Barbie or Blondie and the a sweet lunch lady calls me beautiful girl every time she sees me. Here they do not celebrate Halloween but the general understanding is that when there can be a good reason for an organized party we are definitely going to have one! As October 31st came and went students began questioning when this shindig was going down and the students themselves organized the party.
I don't think that Balkans in general understand that Halloween doesn't constitute dressing up as something scary or dead but it made for some rather interesting costumes...
I decided to be Barbie... which was AWESOME! Of course I'm going to take the only opportunity to entirely clothe myself in hot pink in eastern Europe! Thanos (one of my supervisors) has 2 really sweet young girls and they wanted to see dressed up like Barbie before the party. As I ran up hill (a real hill yall!) in 4 inch hot pink heels with a purple hair peice, hot pink makeup and a colorful purse with a stuffed puppy inside I was thinking a combination of "If my mom could see me now!" & "You can do this, you can do this, you can do this!" As I rang the door bell of their house the younger sister answered the door. Her name is Arietta and she is 5. As her mouth quickly turned into and giant smile she grabbed my hand and pulled me inside to greet her older sister, Katerina- 7, and mother. Katerina was speechless and their mom just grinned. I don't think that any of them have ever seen such a white, blonde, pink person in all of their lives... I knew that T had done barbie (or Elle Woods) justice.
Yes- we are standing on a table which is a really normal thing here... they dance on tables all the time! In a good party or get together there is always traditional Balkan dancing. This consists of the classic scene where everyone holds hands and dances in a circle facing inward. There is another traditional dance where everyone kneels and one person dances in the middle. At this party people tossed napkins in the air and even lit some on fire- we stepped on them quickly but still... throwing things in the air here while dancing and after drinking is normal. The only time I was genuinely concerned is when bottles were thrown down- opa!
These are the Americans here (minus Carrie)... me, Matt (Montana), Kate (Montana) and Micah (Kentucky).... Notice the foot pop :)
That was only Friday night...
Saturday night was the high school Halloween Party. After the first high school party I knew was going to be an epic party but I was mistaken. They needed some encouragement to have some fun but most of all creativity to dress up! These are some of the high school girls that I prepared for Halloween in less than 1 hour with a room full of 2 Greek girls belongings... I made 1 pirate, 1 rock star, 1 UFO, and 1 hippie... thank you very much!
As Carrie (high school intern from Connecticut... and a really good dancer!) and I stood on stage teaching Greek high school students dance moves to lighten up there dreadfully dull Halloween Party I kept thinking to myself "Thank God for Universities" neither Carrie nor I would have had the courage or enough desire to literally tell the dj's what to play and when to play it... before we intervened it was 2-3 Greek girls with a microphone on stage trying to dance to European techno while 15-20 others sat in chairs down below looking ridiculously bored.
If anything that night has taught me (other than to continue pretending to be Miley Cirus, Brittany Spears or Lady Gaga and dancing along with whatever) is to roll with the flow and when you want high school girls to dance and have fun the only way to encourage them is to get the guys up and interested :)
For 3 days my calves were sore... I mean come one- did you check out my shoes... they were awesome yet deathly painful when danced in!
Either way being Barbie was a highlight of my adventures thus far in Greece!
I don't think that Balkans in general understand that Halloween doesn't constitute dressing up as something scary or dead but it made for some rather interesting costumes...
I decided to be Barbie... which was AWESOME! Of course I'm going to take the only opportunity to entirely clothe myself in hot pink in eastern Europe! Thanos (one of my supervisors) has 2 really sweet young girls and they wanted to see dressed up like Barbie before the party. As I ran up hill (a real hill yall!) in 4 inch hot pink heels with a purple hair peice, hot pink makeup and a colorful purse with a stuffed puppy inside I was thinking a combination of "If my mom could see me now!" & "You can do this, you can do this, you can do this!" As I rang the door bell of their house the younger sister answered the door. Her name is Arietta and she is 5. As her mouth quickly turned into and giant smile she grabbed my hand and pulled me inside to greet her older sister, Katerina- 7, and mother. Katerina was speechless and their mom just grinned. I don't think that any of them have ever seen such a white, blonde, pink person in all of their lives... I knew that T had done barbie (or Elle Woods) justice.
That was only Friday night...
Saturday night was the high school Halloween Party. After the first high school party I knew was going to be an epic party but I was mistaken. They needed some encouragement to have some fun but most of all creativity to dress up! These are some of the high school girls that I prepared for Halloween in less than 1 hour with a room full of 2 Greek girls belongings... I made 1 pirate, 1 rock star, 1 UFO, and 1 hippie... thank you very much!
As Carrie (high school intern from Connecticut... and a really good dancer!) and I stood on stage teaching Greek high school students dance moves to lighten up there dreadfully dull Halloween Party I kept thinking to myself "Thank God for Universities" neither Carrie nor I would have had the courage or enough desire to literally tell the dj's what to play and when to play it... before we intervened it was 2-3 Greek girls with a microphone on stage trying to dance to European techno while 15-20 others sat in chairs down below looking ridiculously bored.
If anything that night has taught me (other than to continue pretending to be Miley Cirus, Brittany Spears or Lady Gaga and dancing along with whatever) is to roll with the flow and when you want high school girls to dance and have fun the only way to encourage them is to get the guys up and interested :)
For 3 days my calves were sore... I mean come one- did you check out my shoes... they were awesome yet deathly painful when danced in!
Either way being Barbie was a highlight of my adventures thus far in Greece!
A quick catch up
There are so many ridiculous stories to be told. Many times over the last couple weeks I've just thrown my head back and laughed. Greek culture is SO unlike my own. Things that would be insanity at home are perfectly normal here. Travis visited last week and we traveled south to Volos and Pilio (about 3 hours south of here by bus). When I first moved here I realized these differences quickly and now I've become more accustomed to things. In Volos Travis and I walked around the city to taste some of the local life. We walked into a small shop with jars on the walls. I was curious to see what was inside. After asking the sweet family sitting down what it was the mother sitting behind a desk beamed with excitement to share her culinary creations. The daughter explained that this was her families shop and that all the jarred preserves were made by her mother. This is what I love about Greece- it is SO usual to drink alcohol made by ones own parents or eat jam made from the trees in your front yard. After Travis and I got a few jars for our parents I asked them what a dark liquid was in this beautiful vase on top of a table. Knowing that it was probably a self brewed sepora they handed us small cups to try their sweet concoction. Sepora, raki and other balkan made drinks are made by families all over this region. This particular one was brewed with cinnamon and spices- it was AMAZING! Unlike American drinks where they are incredibly sweet or really alcoholic these are meant to be sipped on and enjoyed with friends. I love how Balkans typically respect alcohol far more than Americans.
The mountain next to Vollos is Mt. Pilio. Standing on top of this elevated masterpiece with Travis was incredible. Looking around at all the trees that were changing colors I felt something very comforting as this cloud surrounded us... Mount Pilio is literally in the clouds. In this small town (literally 1 road with 7 stores) people worked in multiple stores and invited us to each others businesses. Honestly the marketing strategy is very limited in such a small location but still it was a cool feeling being around people so content with a simplified existence.
Moving forward with life in a culture completely alien to one's own brings this unreal feeling. Some days its like you slammed your finger in a door and there is no ice around. Other days are wonderfully beautiful and filled with new experiences that I've fallen in love with. But everyday there are these beautiful shining moments when things are shared across cultures. Small moments where I've used google images to communicate with students parents have resulted in victorious success. Learning Greek by communicating with the cleaning lady always brings the biggest smile to her face. Two weeks ago I learned how to say "Thank you for cleaning." A couple days later I was cleaning the windows to my office with her and we both were just rambling in our own native languages... I'm pretty sure we were both saying that neither of us can speak each others languages but it's all good.
One of my latest words I have LOVED learning is xallarah (said Ha-lla-rah) which is a Thessaloniki local word for "chill out." Any culture that was a local word expressing emotions towards others to calm down is all right in my book!
The mountain next to Vollos is Mt. Pilio. Standing on top of this elevated masterpiece with Travis was incredible. Looking around at all the trees that were changing colors I felt something very comforting as this cloud surrounded us... Mount Pilio is literally in the clouds. In this small town (literally 1 road with 7 stores) people worked in multiple stores and invited us to each others businesses. Honestly the marketing strategy is very limited in such a small location but still it was a cool feeling being around people so content with a simplified existence.
Moving forward with life in a culture completely alien to one's own brings this unreal feeling. Some days its like you slammed your finger in a door and there is no ice around. Other days are wonderfully beautiful and filled with new experiences that I've fallen in love with. But everyday there are these beautiful shining moments when things are shared across cultures. Small moments where I've used google images to communicate with students parents have resulted in victorious success. Learning Greek by communicating with the cleaning lady always brings the biggest smile to her face. Two weeks ago I learned how to say "Thank you for cleaning." A couple days later I was cleaning the windows to my office with her and we both were just rambling in our own native languages... I'm pretty sure we were both saying that neither of us can speak each others languages but it's all good.
One of my latest words I have LOVED learning is xallarah (said Ha-lla-rah) which is a Thessaloniki local word for "chill out." Any culture that was a local word expressing emotions towards others to calm down is all right in my book!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
What a beautiful day!
It began on Saturday. Carrie and I went into Thermi to explore for a few hours. After stepping off the bus I noticed giant bright pots of flowers down a side street. This actually marked the beginning on Thermi's weekly market where vendors from the city and locals gathered to sell and buy fish, produce, clothing, flowers and household supplies. Between the kind old Greek men and women brushing by us with their personal rolling totes to hold their groceries and getting free baklava from a vendor I found myself having a renewed sense of Greece's splendor. This is unlike any place I've ever imagined. It is beautiful and colorful with a culture completely unlike my own. Saturday at the market I bought my first pair of European boots, a black scarf, house slippers, a candle (which I learned later was a cemetery candle-haha), and homemade tahini! A woman who worked in a coffee shop gave me a sample of blueberry coffee. Another shop had all sorts of homemade things and paintings he did himself behind the counter. In his little store Carrie and I discovered in his shop I could buy genuine olive oil soap from Greece :)
Sunday I went into downtown with Nicoletta (a Greek student who speaks exceptional English) looking for the bread festival. Because the bread festival was dead we ended up getting icecream from one of the best places in Thessaloniki. Walking along the harbor with icecream in hand watching the sailboats so lovely. Later Kate's dad (she is a fulbright student here) came in town from Turkey! Micah, Carrie and I met up near Kamara (an ancient giant stone arch Galerius built around 315 BC) and decided to get drinks at a local shop. We found a warm little shop with Victorian crown molding and hookah inspired wall murals. After ordering hot chocolate whiskey drinks we sat and talked about his travels throughout Turkey, Italy, Morocco and everywhere else. After we walked to a beautiful neighborhood downtown known as La Dadica for AMAZING greek food.
Monday was beautifully productive and lovely... my clothes are almost dry! We do not have dryers here and must use drying racks. It has been really humid and rainy and keeps clothes from drying an since there are not enough drying racks it has been extra difficult. This might sound depressing or awful but it is just another thing to adjust to. I find myself chuckling in response to these sorts of things and saying alound "It's Greece!" All in all I've learned that the little things in life that I always took for granted I will now treasure.
Yesterday I met my sweet friend Gea who actually told me about this internship at FSU. She has come for the week to visit old friends. Yesterday we chatted for hours and still have not fully caught up on everything. After I went to the library where I found an English version of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix!!! I went up to the terrace on the top floor of my building intending on diving head first into Harry's magical world when I noticed the beautiful Greek sun setting over the mountains on the opposite coast over the sea. This sight was unreal and I will soon post pics.
Greece is unlike any place I could ever imagine and this adventure has already changed my outlook on so much and I've only been here 2 months.
Sunday I went into downtown with Nicoletta (a Greek student who speaks exceptional English) looking for the bread festival. Because the bread festival was dead we ended up getting icecream from one of the best places in Thessaloniki. Walking along the harbor with icecream in hand watching the sailboats so lovely. Later Kate's dad (she is a fulbright student here) came in town from Turkey! Micah, Carrie and I met up near Kamara (an ancient giant stone arch Galerius built around 315 BC) and decided to get drinks at a local shop. We found a warm little shop with Victorian crown molding and hookah inspired wall murals. After ordering hot chocolate whiskey drinks we sat and talked about his travels throughout Turkey, Italy, Morocco and everywhere else. After we walked to a beautiful neighborhood downtown known as La Dadica for AMAZING greek food.
Monday was beautifully productive and lovely... my clothes are almost dry! We do not have dryers here and must use drying racks. It has been really humid and rainy and keeps clothes from drying an since there are not enough drying racks it has been extra difficult. This might sound depressing or awful but it is just another thing to adjust to. I find myself chuckling in response to these sorts of things and saying alound "It's Greece!" All in all I've learned that the little things in life that I always took for granted I will now treasure.
Yesterday I met my sweet friend Gea who actually told me about this internship at FSU. She has come for the week to visit old friends. Yesterday we chatted for hours and still have not fully caught up on everything. After I went to the library where I found an English version of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix!!! I went up to the terrace on the top floor of my building intending on diving head first into Harry's magical world when I noticed the beautiful Greek sun setting over the mountains on the opposite coast over the sea. This sight was unreal and I will soon post pics.
Greece is unlike any place I could ever imagine and this adventure has already changed my outlook on so much and I've only been here 2 months.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Ups and Downs
This morning I walked back from breakfast with the sun on my back as the wind blew in my face. Wearing my freshly bought olive coat I walked down a paved street on campus of the school still thinking about the hot chocolate and chocolate spread that perfectly accompanied my whole wheat bread. It was a lovely Sunday but this morning I really missed home. I miss going to an English speaking protestant church service. Going to church isn't just a Sunday activity for me but part of my identity and today I hit close to rock bottom. On that street I could look to the left and see the Aegean Sea and to the right freshly grown organic plants. Birds chirped up in a tree while I passed the small vineyard. As beautiful as everything was I felt as though the excitement I would normally have felt was muted into a shade of gray. Later at lunch I sat with one of my sweet friends from Albania. She figured out that I was becoming homesick and began telling me how to keep this from happening. Later after lunch she brought me wild tulips she had picked to make me happy.
Friday night I went out with some students to try honey raki. This strong local alcoholic drink is served hot. After sitting around a table in a bar downtown near the Rotunda we headed to the Polytechnia. The Rotunda was built by Galerius in 306 BC and transitioned from temple of Zeus in 305 AD to Christian church then in the 500's became a mosque until 1912 when it became a church again... then the earthquake in the 70's ruined the structure and now it is a museum. At the Polytechnia (engineering school) college students had orchestrated a massive party... in the building. It was pretty crazy. After dancing to a mix of Beatles, Lady Gaga and European techno I put down my favorite forever 21 coat and it disappeared.
The girls that I had gone out with that night asked me to come to their room the next day. At this point I am used to Balkan hospitality and it's never ending measures but this was a new level of thoughtfulness. When I walked into their room they explained how that their friend had gone through her closet and gotten out her coats she doesn't wear anymore. They gave me one of her coats and they all expressed how terribly they felt about me losing mine.
I write this sitting on a yellow couch in a room that belongs to one of my Albanian friends named Toletho. Earlier when he saw me earlier sitting on the floor in the hallway on my computer he invited me to his room to be more comfortable.
Kate, an American Fulbright student here, told me that living abroad is all about learning to ride the emotional roller coaster with grace. I completely agree with that.
Balkan hospitality is unlike any other... and even though I've missed things and people from home it really helps to know so many people here genuinely care.
Friday night I went out with some students to try honey raki. This strong local alcoholic drink is served hot. After sitting around a table in a bar downtown near the Rotunda we headed to the Polytechnia. The Rotunda was built by Galerius in 306 BC and transitioned from temple of Zeus in 305 AD to Christian church then in the 500's became a mosque until 1912 when it became a church again... then the earthquake in the 70's ruined the structure and now it is a museum. At the Polytechnia (engineering school) college students had orchestrated a massive party... in the building. It was pretty crazy. After dancing to a mix of Beatles, Lady Gaga and European techno I put down my favorite forever 21 coat and it disappeared.
The girls that I had gone out with that night asked me to come to their room the next day. At this point I am used to Balkan hospitality and it's never ending measures but this was a new level of thoughtfulness. When I walked into their room they explained how that their friend had gone through her closet and gotten out her coats she doesn't wear anymore. They gave me one of her coats and they all expressed how terribly they felt about me losing mine.
I write this sitting on a yellow couch in a room that belongs to one of my Albanian friends named Toletho. Earlier when he saw me earlier sitting on the floor in the hallway on my computer he invited me to his room to be more comfortable.
Kate, an American Fulbright student here, told me that living abroad is all about learning to ride the emotional roller coaster with grace. I completely agree with that.
Balkan hospitality is unlike any other... and even though I've missed things and people from home it really helps to know so many people here genuinely care.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Relentless Hospitality
I regret admitting this but I can not remember one time when I was completely giving to a total stranger. At FSU when I was a resident assistant I constantly loved on my residents and their friends but this is quite the opposite. Instead of love and generosity flowing from authority to resident here it pours the other direction. Many times this last week I've felt overwhelmed by the amount of things to do. The new building I'm living in was just completed today (minus the standard hot water, electricity, wifi, and blinds) and my responsibilities will soon dwindle down to what will be typical for me. My days were so long and frustrating that I began rethinking if my position here was worth it and then I remembered why I was here at all... for the students. Every time I have come in contact with a student they offer me a homemade treat, coffee or tea. Last week as I knocked on a door to visit some girls they asked me to come in put a cup of frappe (strong iced greek coffee) and an organic Moldovan apple in my hands. I can not count the number of times in the last week I have been offered coffee or tea with cookies. I love these people! The last couple of days I've been sick from some bug I picked up or something I ate. Sitting in my room today I dreamt of a warm bowl of tomato soup and a grilled cheese. I didn't get any grilled cheesy goodness but I did get some wonderful tea and home made Moldovan wine! The students here are so diverse and international and yet they have created a family. Hospitality is so rich in the culture here that loving on people like family is standard. I really hope that I adopt this mentality of complete giving and take it home with me.
Lately I've learned a few other things...
-Organic Moldovan apples are amazing!
-Greek washers (for clothes) take around 2 hours
-It gets bone chillingly cold in Greece!
-I'm really good at Texas Hold em... I played with Greek boys last night and for the most part beat them :)
-Google images can be vital when trying to communicate with people who don't speak the same language.
-Tonight I was reminded that I look like barbie... I think it's because I was wearing pink and my hair is really long now.
Kalinichta friends!
Lately I've learned a few other things...
-Organic Moldovan apples are amazing!
-Greek washers (for clothes) take around 2 hours
-It gets bone chillingly cold in Greece!
-I'm really good at Texas Hold em... I played with Greek boys last night and for the most part beat them :)
-Google images can be vital when trying to communicate with people who don't speak the same language.
-Tonight I was reminded that I look like barbie... I think it's because I was wearing pink and my hair is really long now.
Kalinichta friends!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)