bus rides galore

This morning I woke up at 6:30am so we could meet at 7:30am. The meeting was entertaining; we had 25 Americans with gigantic suitcases looking rather lost. It's so nice to have Taso organizing everything; it is SUCH a difference from Ecuador, where everything was on our own, and particularly the last trip was 100% winging it. Here, I can just follow everyone else and I haven't had to worry about buying the bus ticket or finding the right place to catch the bus: MUCH less stressful haha. Anyway, no one was very pleased about the early hour, but we got some pastries (the cost was 3 times as much as Ecuador)and we took a (very nice) private bus to the bus station, where we where more than an hour early. We weren't very pleased about that either, but we just chilled for a while and then got on the Ioannina bus, and we could safely put our suitcases under the bus :) (which is a good thing, because there is no way anyone would have had room for theirs on the bus with them). I am, by the way, one of the lighter packers on the trip. A couple girls have two suitcases, and several have suitcases that could easily fit a body.

6.5 hours later, we made it to Ioannina. The buses here are also expensive ; that ride cost something like 32 euros, which is more like $40 :(
The bus ride was very pretty; we were next to the water for most of it, and there was blue sky and lots of white buildings with orange/red roofs. (My internet here is fast, so now I can include pictures with my blog entries!)



Everyone else was not such a fan of the bus ride (to put it midley), but I found the ride pretty luxurious; the bus was nice, the windows were super clean, and we had a 25 minute rest-stop at a cafe so we could get food and use a real bathroom. Of course, basically any ride is better than the Cuenca-Quito FREEZING night ride with 500 stops haha.

At the Ioannina station we switched to another bus. I (unlike anyone else haha) found this switch quite pleasant because Taso figured out when the bus was coming (in about 3 minutes), which bus it was, and then when we had to get off the bus. So easy for me :) We drove the 8 km to the University, which had zero people since everyone is on Easter break still. We got dorm rooms, which are considerably nicer than any dorm at UW; they're much bigger and we (me and my roommate) have a minifridge and our own bathroom!

It was really nice to unpack; I've been on the go and either living out of a suitcase or in an extremely messy room for the past monthish, so I enjoyed organizing all my stuff and stowing my suitcase on top of my closet. I used my IP-address-changing skills that I learned in Ecuador to connect to the internet (although there’s no wireless). We have three Ethernet ports in the wall but only one works, so we’ve been switching off. Hopefully there’s an electronics store in town that sells hubs…

We had dinner in the cafeteria close by; once school starts again for everyone (Monday), we’ll be eating in the main cafeteria, but this one is quite cute. It’s structured differently than American ones; the tables are pre-set and the staff brings out the food. You don’t get to choose what you eat though. We had bottled water, cole-slaw-like salad (but no mayo, fortunately), and a bowl of pasta with red sauce and cheese. Jen is the world’s pickiest eater and Michelle can’t eat wheat, so I ate the better part of three bowls because I was so hungry haha.

Breakfast is only served from 8:30 to 9:30, and after that we’re going to town to get MORE passport photos. First Taso said we needed 2, and then the University wanted three, so I got 4, but apparently he needs 2 AND they need 3. I feel like if I lose my passport, it won’t take 5 copies of my picture to get it replaced but oh well. Anyway I’m off to bed.

Love Alex