Anxious. Excited. Exhausted. Those three words describe how I was feeling right before I left my sweet little beach town of Naples, FL to the bustling metropolis of Athens, Greece. I said goodbye to my sisters and pets then hopped in the car to Miami where all I could do was blow a kiss to my dad at security because I was afraid if I opened my mouth the tears would start to fall. However, as soon as I got to my gate, I felt better. I watched Mamma Mia! on the plane (classic Greek film) proceeded by Shrek (classic film period) and could feel myself getting butterflies again but in a good way. We landed and then I saw it… the Acropolis. It was visible through the window of my school where I was getting a Greek SIM card and tears sprang to thine eyes. There it was. The place I had been studying and dreaming about for years was just a few kilos away (yes I am learning the metric system… impressed?) and I couldn’t wait to immerse myself in that history. I have been here for *officially a week and those three words still explain how I feel. In Athens you walk EVERYWHERE which means I am making my step goal everyday yay! Classes start tomorrow and I am pumped to be doing something familiar in such an unfamiliar place. The food is out of this world but the Greek language is intimidating as heck. I don’t understand any of the street signs but I have picked up on a few Greek phrases so I can get by without completely getting lost or making a fool of myself. However, the teachers at CYA (which stands for College Year in Athens but I’ll only be here for a semester) are extremely helpful and seem to always be around when you need them; just the other day my history professor helped me order gelato & I am still thinking of how to repay him. Athens is a popping place with crazy motorcyclists everywhere but it has a great personality that kind of reminds me of Orlando :’) Greece as a whole, though, is drop dead GORGEOUS. It has every different landscape imaginable and I can never get enough of the mountains. We went to Delphi over the weekend but don’t worry, I’ll save that for another post 😉 I am still finding my footing in this foreign land but have faith that I’ll feel right at home here soon. Until next time my fellow tars this is Erin signing off!
