My days here really aren't too exciting so I apologize for the boring blog entries. In Greek class today, my teacher brought us tiropita, which is like spanikopita but with cheese/egg instead of spinach inside. Her grandma had cooked it for us, and it was delicious. During my hour-long break, I worked on an absolutely gigantic post-program survey for Ecuador. It asked questions I could have written essays for, but decided that I had better ways to spend my time. I still didn't finish the survey though, I spent 30 minutes on it later as well. We then had our culture lecture on Ancient Greek Art. The professor talked really slowly; I don't know if it was because he always does or just because he was unsure of his English sometimes (for the record, he had basically perfect English and a large vocabulary(, but I wasn't complaining about the speed since we were actually able to follow the topics. After lunch I went to Carrefour (AGAIN) but I've gotten the shopping trip down by now so I was able to pick out all my foods pretty quickly. After, I went up on the roof again and finished Dear John. I can't decided whether or not I wasted 3.5 hours of my life reading it or not. I had heard it was bad so I didn't have high hopes, but I'm a little disappointed in Nicholas Sparks; his other books were better. However, I've gotten my bad romance novel fix for the next year. Leah said she has Motorcycle Diaries so I think I'll steal that when she's done with it; it's probably better.
In dance class, we did the 12-step dance better than before, which was good. We also learned some cool moves like spinning or bending down and then jumping up to spice up some dances so that was fun.
Tomorrow we're going to Thessaloniki and we're staying there till Sunday, so I doubt there will be any new posts until then.
Enjoy the weekend!
Love Alex
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
lesson on how life is hit or miss, greek-cafeteria-style
Yesterday was a pretty normal Tuesday. In our culture lecture, we learned everything about the Byzantine Empire in a two hour lecture by a blind professor who spoke great English and had everything memorized, which was really impressive. Since he covered a HUGE time span, our notes only touch on the very major aspects, but it was interesting.
We also went into town for Ethnography interviews, part 2. It was nicer today so we tried just approaching people walking in the street. We had a number of people who said they didn't speak Greek or who didn't have time to talk to us, but we had three good interviews with people who all said pretty different things. In response to questions about Albanians and immigration, though, two of the interview-ees made the point that "We're all people!" and nationality shouldn't matter in your opinions of others. We also had another delicious dinner at our typical restaurant, although I think we're going to try somewhere else next time.
On the walk back to the bus, we saw a huge group of riot police and just up the road, a huge group of people just milling about and partially standing in the street. There was going to be a demonstration of some sort, but it hadn't started yet and I didn't really want to get caught up in that so we continued on home.
Today, we had more Greek class and then right after we went to the Ancient Theatre of Dodoni, which is only about 20 minutes away. It's a huge auditorium built into a hillside which can seat 18,000 people. This was also a sanctuary with an oracle and the Temple of Zeus.
It's also a pretty incredible location:
We came back to the BEST lunch we've had so far. There was green salad with tomatoes, cucumbers and feta cheese and eggplant with sweet, cooked onions on top, which is delicious. This was a meal I legitimately would have ordered in a restaurant, so I was very satisfied.
I spent part of the afternoon reading on the roof, which was really nice. The emergency exits on either end of the building go all the way up, so I just grabbed my yoga mat and "Dear John" (I'm glad it's an easy read, because I wouldn't want to spend a lot of time reading it...) and soaked up some sun.
Albanian class was really long since I was tired, but he did talk a little bit more slowly, which was definitely an improvement.
After, Michelle and I ran to the track, were we were informed by another exerciser that that Track Coordinator had said they use pesticides on the grass, so we stopped stretching on it. Why they would use pesticides on a University field which has plenty of soccer players on it and runners next to it, I don't know. It also amazes me that the gate is perpetually locked and that lock is perpetually ignored. They really should just keep the gate open since I'm sure at least 50 people a day hope the fence, if not more.
We walked up to dinner after, which was unfortunately the worst meal we've had there yet haha. The entree options were either mystery soup with meatballs (although I don't know what kind of meat they were) or meat-stuffed cucumbers, which we had at dinner last night, and they weren't good then, so I certainly wasn't going to try these. There was also feta cheese, custard, and of course apples and bread.
Jenny and I ate apples, bread and water. Michelle, who can't eat wheat, had apples and water. I was so entertained by how horrible dinner was that I didn't mind too much, as long as that doesn't repeat itself too often.
We also went into town for Ethnography interviews, part 2. It was nicer today so we tried just approaching people walking in the street. We had a number of people who said they didn't speak Greek or who didn't have time to talk to us, but we had three good interviews with people who all said pretty different things. In response to questions about Albanians and immigration, though, two of the interview-ees made the point that "We're all people!" and nationality shouldn't matter in your opinions of others. We also had another delicious dinner at our typical restaurant, although I think we're going to try somewhere else next time.
On the walk back to the bus, we saw a huge group of riot police and just up the road, a huge group of people just milling about and partially standing in the street. There was going to be a demonstration of some sort, but it hadn't started yet and I didn't really want to get caught up in that so we continued on home.
Today, we had more Greek class and then right after we went to the Ancient Theatre of Dodoni, which is only about 20 minutes away. It's a huge auditorium built into a hillside which can seat 18,000 people. This was also a sanctuary with an oracle and the Temple of Zeus.
It's also a pretty incredible location:
We came back to the BEST lunch we've had so far. There was green salad with tomatoes, cucumbers and feta cheese and eggplant with sweet, cooked onions on top, which is delicious. This was a meal I legitimately would have ordered in a restaurant, so I was very satisfied.
I spent part of the afternoon reading on the roof, which was really nice. The emergency exits on either end of the building go all the way up, so I just grabbed my yoga mat and "Dear John" (I'm glad it's an easy read, because I wouldn't want to spend a lot of time reading it...) and soaked up some sun.
Albanian class was really long since I was tired, but he did talk a little bit more slowly, which was definitely an improvement.
After, Michelle and I ran to the track, were we were informed by another exerciser that that Track Coordinator had said they use pesticides on the grass, so we stopped stretching on it. Why they would use pesticides on a University field which has plenty of soccer players on it and runners next to it, I don't know. It also amazes me that the gate is perpetually locked and that lock is perpetually ignored. They really should just keep the gate open since I'm sure at least 50 people a day hope the fence, if not more.
We walked up to dinner after, which was unfortunately the worst meal we've had there yet haha. The entree options were either mystery soup with meatballs (although I don't know what kind of meat they were) or meat-stuffed cucumbers, which we had at dinner last night, and they weren't good then, so I certainly wasn't going to try these. There was also feta cheese, custard, and of course apples and bread.
Jenny and I ate apples, bread and water. Michelle, who can't eat wheat, had apples and water. I was so entertained by how horrible dinner was that I didn't mind too much, as long as that doesn't repeat itself too often.
Monday, April 26, 2010
don't eat fish soup. you know, just in case you though that sounded good...
Today was pretty normal; nothing too exciting happened. I had greek class, during which we learn another conjugation pattern. It's getting easier to read although we're still all slow. Listening to us read must be like teaching 5 year olds how to sound out words haha. We also talked about birthdays. Here, you invite your friends out and you pay for everything, not the other way around, even if you're a kid. You also celebrate both your birthday AND your name day. Each saint has a day so if your name is similar to theirs, that's your day. There's also a day for everyone else who doesn't have a saint with the same name.
In dance class, we were more or less successful at the semi-complicated 12 step dance. We also learned two other dances which aren't in a big circle. In one, couples form a line and walk around in a circle for a while and then make a big tunnel which everyone goes under, which is fun. In the other, couples face each other with all the girls standing shoulder to shoulder and the boys in front of them. Then, the girls line walks backwards 8 steps and the boys like walks forward 8 steps. reverse, repeat, reverse repeat, etc haha.
We had Greek/Albanian class. The professor continued to talk really fast with his accent and use poor handwriting. I would find the material really interesting if I could understand it better, but oh well.
At lunch, I ate a salad and a soup with fish in it. That was a mistake, I think, because when I tried to go on a run later, I did not feel very good. I went to dinner with the other girls who had gone to work out, and we stayed for a really long time, leaving a little after 9. It was freezing out so we all ran back since we had workout clothes on (the only downside being that we get SO many stares in the cafeteria), which was fun and way faster than walking.
Love Alex
In dance class, we were more or less successful at the semi-complicated 12 step dance. We also learned two other dances which aren't in a big circle. In one, couples form a line and walk around in a circle for a while and then make a big tunnel which everyone goes under, which is fun. In the other, couples face each other with all the girls standing shoulder to shoulder and the boys in front of them. Then, the girls line walks backwards 8 steps and the boys like walks forward 8 steps. reverse, repeat, reverse repeat, etc haha.
We had Greek/Albanian class. The professor continued to talk really fast with his accent and use poor handwriting. I would find the material really interesting if I could understand it better, but oh well.
At lunch, I ate a salad and a soup with fish in it. That was a mistake, I think, because when I tried to go on a run later, I did not feel very good. I went to dinner with the other girls who had gone to work out, and we stayed for a really long time, leaving a little after 9. It was freezing out so we all ran back since we had workout clothes on (the only downside being that we get SO many stares in the cafeteria), which was fun and way faster than walking.
Love Alex
Sunday, April 25, 2010
old ruins and beautiful beaches
On Friday, we went on our weekly field trip. First, we visited the ancient city Nikopolis, which was built by Octavian to commemorate his victory over Anthony and Cleopatra in 31 BC.
Then we headed to the museum for Nicopolis and saw lots of sculptures and preserved remnants of the buildings. I think the small figure on the right looks like a wolf eating an octopus, but I could be wrong haha
Then we went to Nekromanteio of Aryra, the "gate of Hades", which is more cool ruins, including an underground room.
By this time we were starving, and we had lunch at this sweet restaurant right on a cliff looking out over the sea.
First we had a delicous salad with tomatoes, cucumber, onions, olives and a large slice of feta on the side. That seems to be what a "Greek Salad" really is. I ate a lot of that so I was pretty full, but then they brought out the pasta-lasagna thing we had for lunch at the cafeteria on thursday, except these ones had a layer of ground beef and they were GIGANTIC, probably 4.5" by 4.5" square and 3.5" tall, and everyone got one. I could have shared with someone and still had leftovers. Michelle can't eat wheat or dairy so they brought her calimari, but she wasn't a big fan so everyone else had a bit, and it was fantastic.
We drove just down the road to an adorable town, Parga. Words don't do it justice, but it was a quintessential little Greek town on the coast. First we played on the beach for a while. Taso decided we should have our own Olympics, so we had skipping rock contests, a throwing rocks contest, a reverse-long-jump contest (run, but jump backwards), and a run backwards race. I beat him (that's the goofy-looking-picture below)...
Then we hiked up to the monastery on top of a hill. If I had lived during the time period when it was built, I definitely would have become a monk just so I could live there. Aside from the fact that the property was huge and had all sorts of cool buildings (ruins, now), it jutted out with a 270 degree view of the sea (which is absolutely stunning).
Now normally when I'm visiting some tall, photogenic place I go right to the top to get the sweet view. I did that this time and figured everyone else would follow. A few people did, and then I kept exploring (like I said, the place is big). It was interesting because it hasn't been restored like the other sites we've visited have, so there were rooms full of weeds and broken stones, which of course is realistic for ruins. Anyway, when I finally wandered back down towards the entrance, everyone was gone haha. I felt slightly abandoned but Tina realized and called me to give me directions. The town itself was built strategically to protect the residents from pirate attacks, so the roads are ridiculously narrow and windy and all over the place, which is really neat but you'd have to really know your way around to go anywhere; I have no idea how tourists find hotels, for example.
We had coffee at a cafe on the waterfront, which was very pleasant. Anna actually had hot chocolate, which came with lots of whipped cream and rainbow sprinkles :)
Since Parga was adorable but not sunny, we decided to come back another weekend when it was nice so we could go swimming and be in the sun.
On the bus ride back, everyone was exhausted and passed out, so when we got back, we were still disoriented and we relaxed for a while (aka most people napped; I watched House). Then I went into town with a few people and we got food. I had a gyro for 1.80 euros. It's a pita with meat, french fries, tomatoes onions and tzatziki. Not super healthy, but delicious.
On Saturday, I went into town again on a shopping expedition. There aren't any malls but there are a ton of cute stores. Many are very pricey, but we found two that are more like H&M, and so I got a few new things, which I'm excited about. My goal is to find a cool leather jacket; they seem to be a Grecian wardrobe staple. For lunch, I had my first real spanikopita from a pastry shop, which I enjoyed immensely. I also had a gyro, since I was still hungry. We were pretty exhausted from all the walking and shopping, so four of us headed back to school. Michelle and I stopped at Carrefour and actually had a fast shopping trip for once. I bought more little yogurts. I love them.
The rest of my weekend has not been particularly exciting; it has involved many episodes of House, two runs, lots of sleeping, and actual meals at the cafeteria. I'm very glad they're open on weekends. At dinner today we had green salads AND tomato/cucumber bowls!
This afternoon, we all trooped down to the track and played soccer with some of the other international students. I didn't actually play, but I run and play some frisbee, which was great :) I miss it. The soccer game was fun; a lot of the kids in my group used to play and they were happy to get to play again. Others of us don't play at all, but we enjoyed watching and cheering.
I have class again tomorrow, so I'm off to bed!
Love Alex
Then we headed to the museum for Nicopolis and saw lots of sculptures and preserved remnants of the buildings. I think the small figure on the right looks like a wolf eating an octopus, but I could be wrong haha
Then we went to Nekromanteio of Aryra, the "gate of Hades", which is more cool ruins, including an underground room.
By this time we were starving, and we had lunch at this sweet restaurant right on a cliff looking out over the sea.
First we had a delicous salad with tomatoes, cucumber, onions, olives and a large slice of feta on the side. That seems to be what a "Greek Salad" really is. I ate a lot of that so I was pretty full, but then they brought out the pasta-lasagna thing we had for lunch at the cafeteria on thursday, except these ones had a layer of ground beef and they were GIGANTIC, probably 4.5" by 4.5" square and 3.5" tall, and everyone got one. I could have shared with someone and still had leftovers. Michelle can't eat wheat or dairy so they brought her calimari, but she wasn't a big fan so everyone else had a bit, and it was fantastic.
We drove just down the road to an adorable town, Parga. Words don't do it justice, but it was a quintessential little Greek town on the coast. First we played on the beach for a while. Taso decided we should have our own Olympics, so we had skipping rock contests, a throwing rocks contest, a reverse-long-jump contest (run, but jump backwards), and a run backwards race. I beat him (that's the goofy-looking-picture below)...
Then we hiked up to the monastery on top of a hill. If I had lived during the time period when it was built, I definitely would have become a monk just so I could live there. Aside from the fact that the property was huge and had all sorts of cool buildings (ruins, now), it jutted out with a 270 degree view of the sea (which is absolutely stunning).
Now normally when I'm visiting some tall, photogenic place I go right to the top to get the sweet view. I did that this time and figured everyone else would follow. A few people did, and then I kept exploring (like I said, the place is big). It was interesting because it hasn't been restored like the other sites we've visited have, so there were rooms full of weeds and broken stones, which of course is realistic for ruins. Anyway, when I finally wandered back down towards the entrance, everyone was gone haha. I felt slightly abandoned but Tina realized and called me to give me directions. The town itself was built strategically to protect the residents from pirate attacks, so the roads are ridiculously narrow and windy and all over the place, which is really neat but you'd have to really know your way around to go anywhere; I have no idea how tourists find hotels, for example.
We had coffee at a cafe on the waterfront, which was very pleasant. Anna actually had hot chocolate, which came with lots of whipped cream and rainbow sprinkles :)
Since Parga was adorable but not sunny, we decided to come back another weekend when it was nice so we could go swimming and be in the sun.
On the bus ride back, everyone was exhausted and passed out, so when we got back, we were still disoriented and we relaxed for a while (aka most people napped; I watched House). Then I went into town with a few people and we got food. I had a gyro for 1.80 euros. It's a pita with meat, french fries, tomatoes onions and tzatziki. Not super healthy, but delicious.
On Saturday, I went into town again on a shopping expedition. There aren't any malls but there are a ton of cute stores. Many are very pricey, but we found two that are more like H&M, and so I got a few new things, which I'm excited about. My goal is to find a cool leather jacket; they seem to be a Grecian wardrobe staple. For lunch, I had my first real spanikopita from a pastry shop, which I enjoyed immensely. I also had a gyro, since I was still hungry. We were pretty exhausted from all the walking and shopping, so four of us headed back to school. Michelle and I stopped at Carrefour and actually had a fast shopping trip for once. I bought more little yogurts. I love them.
The rest of my weekend has not been particularly exciting; it has involved many episodes of House, two runs, lots of sleeping, and actual meals at the cafeteria. I'm very glad they're open on weekends. At dinner today we had green salads AND tomato/cucumber bowls!
This afternoon, we all trooped down to the track and played soccer with some of the other international students. I didn't actually play, but I run and play some frisbee, which was great :) I miss it. The soccer game was fun; a lot of the kids in my group used to play and they were happy to get to play again. Others of us don't play at all, but we enjoyed watching and cheering.
I have class again tomorrow, so I'm off to bed!
Love Alex
Thursday, April 22, 2010
YOGURT!
I am pooped and still have some more internship app stuff to do and and I have to get up early tomorrow so this will be short. We're going to Parga (sweet town on the coast) on our Friday field trip tomorrow, and then I'm planning on staying there/Corfu (a sweet island) so I won't be posting till Sunday, but that one will be long with lots of pictures! I've done a bunch of traveling in the last few months where I just got on some buses and figured everything would work out; I think I made two hotel reservations in all of Ecuador. The kids on my program haven't done quite as much winging it so planning this weekend has involved SO much more discussion haha. Sadly, hotels here are not $5 per night. I am not excited to be paying for lodging on weekends when I travel, even in hostels...
Anyways, this morning in Greek class my teacher spent half an hour discussing Greek fashion and some clothing vocab words. It was definitely a subject she enjoys haha. We had an hour break, during which I cleared our weekend trip with the program supervisor and my professor. Then we had a two hour lecture on Greek music from the 1960s until today. I really enjoyed listening to the music. That professor said he would make us a CD of all the songs so I'm excited. Then I went back to the program coordinator and signed a paper saying I wouldn't sue the University of Ioannina if I die on my own trip this weekend. just in case that's something I would do when I'm dead...
Katlynn and I went on a run after, which was great. We had a three hour break so we actually had time for a long run and some lunges and core. After running around campus we got to the track which was locked, but we decided we could pretend to be dumb Americans who didn't understand locks if anyone got mad at us for jumping over. No one did, but there were 5 or 6 other people who showed up while we were there and also climbed the fence haha.
We also had Albanian lecture again. It was similar to the last one. Meh. It's interesting information but the presentation could be better.
Dinner was entertaining. It actually wasn't too bad but it was either a plate of potato slices with little ham squares and feta cheese and sort of brown sauce, or a large and tall square (like a huge lasagna, minus tomatoes) of overcooked pasta and cheese, with a HUGE layer of cheesy/lardy something on top. That was the most entertaining part haha. We did have green salad and tomaotes and cucumbers so I was happy.
In dance class we were all pretty tired from a long day so we decided to laugh a lot despite our teacher's previous reprimands so it was fun. We learned 6 new steps last time and the following 6 steps today and it was a minor disaster, but that was funny too
Since then (as in 9pm when class ended, yay Thursdays) I've been working on internship applications. There are several which look really really cool. I'm pretty tired of writing and editing cover letters though...
Also, possibly the highlight of my day: my all time favorite yogurt at home is Dannon Vanilla that comes in the big yellow containers. It's really sweet and rather like dessert but I love it. Here in Greece, they don't have any of course, so I bought some little containers of a random product in the yogurt aisle. It's plain so there's no sugar, but it has the EXACT same texture as my Dannon yogurt, which is amazingggg. I'm thrilled :)
Anyways, this morning in Greek class my teacher spent half an hour discussing Greek fashion and some clothing vocab words. It was definitely a subject she enjoys haha. We had an hour break, during which I cleared our weekend trip with the program supervisor and my professor. Then we had a two hour lecture on Greek music from the 1960s until today. I really enjoyed listening to the music. That professor said he would make us a CD of all the songs so I'm excited. Then I went back to the program coordinator and signed a paper saying I wouldn't sue the University of Ioannina if I die on my own trip this weekend. just in case that's something I would do when I'm dead...
Katlynn and I went on a run after, which was great. We had a three hour break so we actually had time for a long run and some lunges and core. After running around campus we got to the track which was locked, but we decided we could pretend to be dumb Americans who didn't understand locks if anyone got mad at us for jumping over. No one did, but there were 5 or 6 other people who showed up while we were there and also climbed the fence haha.
We also had Albanian lecture again. It was similar to the last one. Meh. It's interesting information but the presentation could be better.
Dinner was entertaining. It actually wasn't too bad but it was either a plate of potato slices with little ham squares and feta cheese and sort of brown sauce, or a large and tall square (like a huge lasagna, minus tomatoes) of overcooked pasta and cheese, with a HUGE layer of cheesy/lardy something on top. That was the most entertaining part haha. We did have green salad and tomaotes and cucumbers so I was happy.
In dance class we were all pretty tired from a long day so we decided to laugh a lot despite our teacher's previous reprimands so it was fun. We learned 6 new steps last time and the following 6 steps today and it was a minor disaster, but that was funny too
Since then (as in 9pm when class ended, yay Thursdays) I've been working on internship applications. There are several which look really really cool. I'm pretty tired of writing and editing cover letters though...
Also, possibly the highlight of my day: my all time favorite yogurt at home is Dannon Vanilla that comes in the big yellow containers. It's really sweet and rather like dessert but I love it. Here in Greece, they don't have any of course, so I bought some little containers of a random product in the yogurt aisle. It's plain so there's no sugar, but it has the EXACT same texture as my Dannon yogurt, which is amazingggg. I'm thrilled :)
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
weekly wednesday field trip!
This morning in Greek class we learned how to tell time. It felt a bit like we were going back to kindergarden, except this time we actually have to learn the numbers also since we don't know them haha. We also did a spelling exercise where she read us a few sentences from yesterday's dialogue and we had to write them down. I'm pretty used to spelling by ear and using accents, so it wasn't much of a problem for me. The only difficultly was that there are 3 different letters for the "i" sound, and I didn't know which one was correct all the time, but she said it's alright if we have those errors since she's trying to stress consonant and verb sounds at the moment.
We had an hour break after class, so Katlynn Tina and I hurried back to the dorm and changed into running clothes and went for a nice sunny run. I felt very productive. It would be better during a two hour break so I could take a shower that was longer than 2 minutes, but it still worked out pretty well.
At noon we had our Albanian class. He talked about the Ottoman Empire and some general Greek and Albanian history and a lot of other things. The material is interesting but the professor is trying to tell us so much so quickly, and very enthusiastically, with a Greek accent, so it's sometimes difficult to follow. But, we got out of class 20 minutes early so we had time to go to lunch without rushing, which was good. I actually enjoyed the meal; the entree was a zucchini/potato dish in lots of olive oil with some seasoning, and there was also a casserole type dish with cheese and French fries on top haha.
At three, we went on our Wednesday excursion to the Byzantine Museum and Castle of Ioannina. This is in town, really close to the lake and the resstaurants where we've been frequently, so going there is really easy by city bus, but for some reason we took a charter bus. Waste of money in my opinion, but oh well. I uploaded a big folder with pictures but I haven't made the "Best of" folder yet. It's coming though, don't worry. Here are a few pictures from the day:
We had an hour break after class, so Katlynn Tina and I hurried back to the dorm and changed into running clothes and went for a nice sunny run. I felt very productive. It would be better during a two hour break so I could take a shower that was longer than 2 minutes, but it still worked out pretty well.
At noon we had our Albanian class. He talked about the Ottoman Empire and some general Greek and Albanian history and a lot of other things. The material is interesting but the professor is trying to tell us so much so quickly, and very enthusiastically, with a Greek accent, so it's sometimes difficult to follow. But, we got out of class 20 minutes early so we had time to go to lunch without rushing, which was good. I actually enjoyed the meal; the entree was a zucchini/potato dish in lots of olive oil with some seasoning, and there was also a casserole type dish with cheese and French fries on top haha.
At three, we went on our Wednesday excursion to the Byzantine Museum and Castle of Ioannina. This is in town, really close to the lake and the resstaurants where we've been frequently, so going there is really easy by city bus, but for some reason we took a charter bus. Waste of money in my opinion, but oh well. I uploaded a big folder with pictures but I haven't made the "Best of" folder yet. It's coming though, don't worry. Here are a few pictures from the day:
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
weird weather.
Today when I got dressed, the sun was shining so I wore short sleeves. When I walked over to class, it was a little bit cloudy. In class, we reconjugated our verbs and Fay was happier. Unfortunately we also conjugated (for lack of a better word) nouns. They have different endings depending on whether they're a subject or object, singular or plural, and other things we didn't discuss. After class, we had an hour break, and Michelle and I finally fixed our internet so now we can both use it at the same time! Then we had our culture class (when I walked over, it was chilly and windy outside), which today was about Greek music history. We listened to some clips from a variety of time periods, which were really interesting. Geographic region and year makes a big difference in the sound. I particularly liked the pieces from the Post-Byzantine Era, which featured more violin-ish instruments. At the end of class, it was POURING outside, with some thunder and lightning. Tina, Katlynn, and I were going to go on a run, but I took a nap for an hour instead. When I woke up, the sky was half blue and half filled with white puffy clouds, so Katlynn and I went on a nice sunny run. We ran in the opposite direction of campus, and went on some new streets which was interesting. We also found a Metro Cash and Carry, which is like a mini-Costco. I may need to start doing some shopping there because I keep running out of food. After our run I went to Carrefour (again!) with Michelle and Nicolette. On our walk there, it started to get a little breezy. I bought more food, a bowl, cup and silverware (I realized after buying cereal and milk last time that I was still missing something haha) and a sweet yoga set for $8. It has a yoga mat, two blocks, and a strap. Now I can actually stretch out and do core without laying on the hard tile floor :)
On our walk back it got legitimately cold and windy; my hands were kind of numb when I unlocked my door. We got ready to go into town and met up with our class for day one of our Ethnographic Study. We split up into groups of 3 and walked up to random Greeks and, after making sure they spoke English, asked them a few questions about (in my group's case) politics and gender relations. This sounded INCREDIBLY awkward and I felt way out of my comfort zone when we were looking for the first people to interview, but it ended up being fine. The first couple we talked to was really nice; they were interested in what we were doing and enthusiastic about answering our questions. It was getting kind of rainy so I was glad we ambushed them at a covered bus stop. We also talked to two college guys under a kiosk awning and two men outside their apartment having cigarettes. They all had different opinions about the questions we asked, except they all said that Greeks don't trust the government. I'll share a coherent version of all the responses when we work on our final presentation at the end of the quarter, since we're going to be doing this every Tuesday evening.
After, we all met up and had dinner at the Greek restaurant where we ate last Friday, which was so delicious. It's so enjoyable to have well-prepared traditional Greek food. This time we had bread, Mediterranean salad, green salad, orzo pasta with beef I think, okra, fish fillet, rice-stuffed peppers, spaghetti with some sort of meat, and I think a few other dishs as well. After, Taso said he wanted to treat us all to ice cream, so we went to the gelato place that I ate at the first weekend and we all got incredible ice cream. I ate a lot, but it was fabulous. Then we all bused back together (by this time, it was freezing out). I'm sure the Greeks thing we're crazy: 25 Americans crowding on the bus must look pretty weird.
On our walk back it got legitimately cold and windy; my hands were kind of numb when I unlocked my door. We got ready to go into town and met up with our class for day one of our Ethnographic Study. We split up into groups of 3 and walked up to random Greeks and, after making sure they spoke English, asked them a few questions about (in my group's case) politics and gender relations. This sounded INCREDIBLY awkward and I felt way out of my comfort zone when we were looking for the first people to interview, but it ended up being fine. The first couple we talked to was really nice; they were interested in what we were doing and enthusiastic about answering our questions. It was getting kind of rainy so I was glad we ambushed them at a covered bus stop. We also talked to two college guys under a kiosk awning and two men outside their apartment having cigarettes. They all had different opinions about the questions we asked, except they all said that Greeks don't trust the government. I'll share a coherent version of all the responses when we work on our final presentation at the end of the quarter, since we're going to be doing this every Tuesday evening.
After, we all met up and had dinner at the Greek restaurant where we ate last Friday, which was so delicious. It's so enjoyable to have well-prepared traditional Greek food. This time we had bread, Mediterranean salad, green salad, orzo pasta with beef I think, okra, fish fillet, rice-stuffed peppers, spaghetti with some sort of meat, and I think a few other dishs as well. After, Taso said he wanted to treat us all to ice cream, so we went to the gelato place that I ate at the first weekend and we all got incredible ice cream. I ate a lot, but it was fabulous. Then we all bused back together (by this time, it was freezing out). I'm sure the Greeks thing we're crazy: 25 Americans crowding on the bus must look pretty weird.
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