Greece, Epilogue

Well, my profoundest apologies for waiting so very long to send an update, but it's been a very busy time of it ever since I returned from Greece. I write to you now from Camp Wawona, where I am currently working in the kitchen, and at last have a break to tell you how I got here perfectly safe and sound, even having quite a bit of fun along the way.

I finally met Mary, my friend Mrs. White's Greek cousin, Wednesday of last week. She was kind enough to take me out for orange juice to rival the best of Florida or California and dinner. This meal was wonderfully filling after I had started to starve on the hotel's food, which was low on vegetarian options. When I asked her where I could get a ticket to a bus to the airport, she immediately volunteered to take me herself. I was incredibly grateful for this kindness, as I had not savored the idea of finding my way to the airport in the middle of the night.

So, after taking the exam and learning I had earned a high B (very respectable, that, nothing wrong with it if worked for) and being celebrated by some of my classmates, she picked me up and took me to her house. There, her husband, godmother, and daughter had prepared a wonderful meal of their own. I enjoyed spending time with actual Greeks, not just hotel staff, and wished that I'd thought to get in touch with them sooner. Mary's daughter was my own age and had taken English in school, so we had fun exchanging words back and forth. She even gave up her room for the night to give me a place to stay. I was touched by this family's generosity to a near stranger, connected to them only by a relatively they rarely see all the way back in the States. They asked, too, that I come back to Greece, to see them again--I hope someday I will be able to do so.

After many hours of flight in which Iberia somehow managed not to lose me for a change, I landed in Dulles to be greeted by Katie and Aunt Faith again. Now was the time for the visit we had actually planned on, and I enjoyed meeting Katie's boyfriend Paul and seeing KJ (or rather, Kenny) in church the next day. They always were my second family, and it was good to be with them. On Sabbath afternoon, Faith took Katie, Paul and I to be tourists in our nation's capital, and I was blown away by everything I saw.

It took me 16 pages in my journal to talk about the National Mall with its gleaming monuments, the White House, the Capital building, the Library of Congress, Arlington Cemetery, and much more. . . it was like walking through the entire history of the US in one action-packed afternoon. I will not trouble you with all the details, but give highlights. The two monuments that moved me the most deeply were actually not on the Mall, but a little off the beaten track--Jefferson and FDR. Both represent leaders who stood up for the rights of the people in a dramatically changing world, Jefferson with his words and FDR with his many acts of reform throughout his long presidency. The new World War II monument on the Mall does a great job of honoring the men who served and the unity of the states during that time, but the FDR monument tells the story. It is beautifully narrative, not quite like anything else there.

As for the White House, don't let the pictures fool you. I had to stand on the fence like any self-respecting tourist, stick my camera through the bars, and use zoom to get them. Between that experience and seeing how lavish the Capital really is, I couldn't help but think that it's no wonder that sometimes our leaders in Washington seem a little out of touch with the outside world. We finished the day at Arlington, watching the changing of the guard at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier--wow, what precision to their steps, and care to each movement!

I almost didn't want to say goodbye to Faith, Ken, and everyone else so soon, but it was time to go home. I actually cried as I saw the hills of Oakland come into view through the scratchy window of the plane. I hugged my mother tightly when she picked me up, and we went to the movies while we waited for my dad's plane to come in later. I cried at the film Wall-E, of all things--just seeing the Pixar logos to remind myself that I was in California was all it took. I loved the big silly grin on Dad's face when he saw me as we picked him up from the airport; I had missed him, too. I cried, too, when I saw my room--my parents had selflessly worked hard on assembling new furniture for me, and it looked so. . . peaceful.

After a mere two days, just long enough to see a large portion of my family at a little get-together at our house (and what a joy it was to see them!) and to run some errands, I left home again to come here, to Camp Wawona. Here I will work for the remainder of the summer, and I'm so glad to be back! Many remember me from last year, and my boss, Theresa, is particularly glad to have me working again. It's been hard getting back into the swing of things again, particularly as jetlag rears its ugly head, but I'm happy just to be in California, doing something fairly productive-feeling again. I wish you all well, and hope that you are having times as happy as this, my homecoming was. Thank you for all your prayers and support while I was gone; without that, I don't think I would have made it back here so safely and satisfactorily.

Greece, Part VII

We rose early on Friday morning to rush onto a boat to take us to an eventual destination which, thankfully, does not encourage rushing. To get to that peaceful island of Hydra, however, we spent a very long time on a day cruise ship called the Ana Maru, stopping at the islands of Aegina and Poros along the way. We sailed out of Piraeus, the port city near Athens, and shared some fairly decent conversation on the way to Aegina.

Although Aegina is home to the famous temple of Apollo and a rather lovely monastery, the tour to those places was rather out of the price range of anyone in my group, myself included. So, we walked Aegina's streets instead, looking at things which are free, like the fish market and the local Greek Orthodox church. It was somewhat disturbing to see octopus tentacles hanging like decoration outside of some of the cafes, but more disturbing were the sea horses sitting in a bowl outside a jewelry store. Unsettling, rather. The Greek Orthodox church, on the other hand, was transcendentally beautiful, from the elegantly carved chairs for the people, the rich paintings on its ceiling, and the soft glow of the light through the colorfully stained glass to the scent of incense which lingered in the air.

Poros had one point of interest--a lighthouse with a flag next to it overlooking the city. So, we climbed it, took pictures, browsed the stores, and climbed back down again. It was nice, after the noise and bustle of Aegina, to see the soft white of the village's houses with bougainvilleas (yeesh, that's a hard word to spell) spilling out from various openings. That was nothing to be compared, however, to the incredible stillness and peace of Hydra.

With no cars or motorcycles, the place had its own unique sound--nothing but waves, footsteps, and human voices. The hotel was a charming place, converted from the former governor's palace, if I recall, and not a single room was alike. Mine was a pure white--walls, ceiling, beds--no clutter, just soft white. Coming down the stairs on the way to dinner, I was shocked to run into an old classmate of mine from sixth grade, Nicole King--it is amazing how, even in the most remote of places, it is still possible to run into a long-lost acquaintance. She was there with her college, studying abroad, and I hadn't seen her in years. Remarkable.

After an incredible dinner (I wish I knew the name of the restaurant so that I could personally recommend it on a travel site), we went up to where the cannons from the battle against the Ottoman Empire were, and had worship there, overlooking the sea and the town. A perfect opening to the Sabbath. Many hiked up the hill to the monastery the next morning; I slept, slept better than I had slept since I came here. Then, we had a study on the book of Esther in our room before meeting together for our little group's church service, a discussion on Daniel.

Free to go, I wandered around the streets, hanging out with the local cat population--Hydra is teeming with cats. I visited a local book shop, where I was mistaken for a Greek by the owner, to my delight. Unfortunately, I could not keep up the illusion with my very few phrases of modern Greek, but it was cool to hear that. After dinner and worship, I bought a dress so that I could attend a Greek Orthodox service the next morning, just to see what it would be like. The chanting was beautiful, if a bit repetitive. The priest's robes were intricately embroidered, red stitching on white silk, if my eyes guessed the fabric right--I've always had a strange fascination with ecclesiastical vestments.

Spent the rest of the morning and, in fact, the day, just wandering around the island. I started walking on a path leading out of the town, and before I knew it, I found myself what felt like a mile or so out of it and in another village so small, it must qualify as a hamlet. I dragged some of my fellow students to the Ecclesiastical Museum of Hydra, and they actually thanked me, as it was quite a few shiny objects on display for free--and free museums are not to be passed up by starving students. Vestments, vessels, and gilded books--gorgeous.

The rest of the trip was fairly tedious, though we stopped at Aegina again on our way back to Piraeus, where two of us were cheated into paying twice as much for a scoop of ice cream as intended. . . just for sitting down. Irritating. On the way back, there was a show on board the Ana Maru with Greek music and dancing, as well as a comedian of many faces. The dancing, at least, was interesting.

Coming back to the Palace Hotel felt like coming back home, and after I checked my email, my heart was warmed by how many of you sent me letters of encouragement or news from home--I really appreciate that, and just wanted to thank, categorically, everyone who did. I wish I could write back to each one of you personally, but the finicky internet here makes even these posts a challenge. I am glad to hear that so many of you are doing so well, and look forward to seeing a few of you as I return--next weekend. The end is in sight!

Greece, Part VI

To celebrate the completion of the test on Monday, I got together some other students into Damali and I's room to watch Enchanted. It was exactly the break my poor little brain needed. However, I may have taken the charge to relax a little too seriously--the next day I decided to go study on the beach, thinking, "It would be really, really pathetic if I spent 4 weeks in Greece and never swam in the Aegean," and, well. . .

At first, it went fantastically. I actually got some work done. But then, then a random Romanian girl sat down next to me and talked, talked, talked because she was very bored. It was fascinating to hear her talk about her ambitions to be a fashion designer, and nice to have someone to swim with, but it was ultimately somewhat detrimental to my translation assignment on Philemon. Still, though, I really must recommend the Aegean Sea--it is truly wonderful water. I found it amusing how vendors kept on approaching me on the beach, as I had no money to buy anything from them, even if I were interested in doing so in the first place.

Yesterday morning, when I was going down the stairs and started to test each stair for its acoustic properties, I suddenly realized how badly the upcoming trip to the island of Hydra is needed. I was much more doggedly determined as I sat down to do translation, being stuck in the hotel to do laundry, anyway, but only saw a 4-point difference for all my effort. Eh. Doing laundry here is a real chore, working out of the hotel sink by hand. The hotel staff are a little miffed at our practice of tying clotheslines in their picturesque balconies, but if we didn't dry it there, where would we dry it? I'd love to hear their solution. In the process of this, I somehow found myself talking with a desk clerk for half an hour for no other inquiry than a lost room key. Interesting, at least.

As for today, well, heh, any who see me when I return will be somewhat amused at my tan. Somehow, in the process of sitting on the roof to get good internet, I managed to burn my left arm and side of my face, but not my right. It makes for a somewhat peculiar look--a good conversation starter, I guess. Had the rare pleasure of an empty train on the way to Glyfada this afternoon to get money--no people, perfectly safe to take photos without getting my camera stolen.

Anyways, I've probably bored you all out of your skulls enough with this mundane talk already; just thought I'd drop a line before heading out to Hydra tomorrow. It is an island so remote that there are no motor vehicles--all travel there is either on foot or donkey back. Essentially, enforced relaxation! This I consider to be a good thing--it'll be nice not to have any translations to worry about over the weekend, to have a change of space. It does make me a little sad that we may not get this room back, though--we have no idea where we'll be reassigned after the weekend. This room truly had a wonderful view of the ocean, and I hate to give it up.

Wish you all a wonderful weekend, full of fun and relaxation. I hope you are having an excellent summer wherever you are, nice and sunny--but no burns. Love you all dearly, and hope that it all goes well with you.

Greece, Part V

Just in case any of you were wondering why it's been a while since I've posted, it's because I've been spending a ridiculously large proportion of my days in my room studying--not very interesting blog material, I thought. More like devotional material, actually. In these days of study, I've been learning more than just Greek. If anything, it's my frustration at spending hours upon hours a day on Greek and still not learning it as well as I would like that has been teaching me.

Even though my journeys here of late have been mostly internal, a few interesting things have happened. At dinner on Wednesday, I met a Physics teacher from London who was fascinating--it was neat to compare school systems, and to hear his comments on the Anglican church.

I won't lie. After all the trouble it's taken to come here, I spent Thursday and Friday more or less sequestered in my room, studying. I studied so hard, it felt like my brain had gone through a wringer. I was forced to leave the room and get some air on Friday afternoon for a little fourth of July celebration. Our teachers treated us to Pizza Hut and McDonald's, so that we could still feel American on our day of independence. Seeing these American restaurants in the middle of Glyfada fascinated me, how the world economy allows for such a thing. I come all the way to Greece, just to find it to be not too different from home.

After dinner, I wandered with some of my classmates to a random toy store, where I bought my first actual souvenir of the entire trip--a game of Scrabble in Greek, so as to study my vocab better. Sad, almost, how I have to justify something as a study aid to myself before I can purchase it as a souvenir. On the train back, I discovered that I had been spending four or five times the amount of time on my studies that my classmates had put in, and they were shocked at how much time I'd been spending. Likewise, I was shocked. . . for all that effort, I do believe they were still doing better than me.

Sabbath could not have come sooner, all in all. It felt good, to come to church with a proper chocolate cake to give to them for potluck. Church was a much more enjoyable experience this time around because, wonder of wonders, it was actually translated into English. . . from Bulgarian, of all languages, but still, it was nice to know what was going on for a change, and it was refreshing to get away from the Greek for a bit. We rounded off the day with dinner upstairs for a change, overlooking the sea--it was moved there out of necessity, because of a wedding in our usual dining room, but the change was welcome.

Afterwards, my cabin fever was such that, against my better judgment, I went with some of my classmates into Athens to check out the nightlife. The street performers were really neat to see, and the Acropolis looked beautiful, lit for the nighttime, but I was so tired already, it was a bad idea for me to go with them. Another of my classmates had the same thoughts about the upcoming quiz, and we high-tailed it back to the hotel. There, the wedding was still raging on in the dining room, and it was entrancing to watch the bride dancing a traditional Greek dance before I crawled upstairs and went to sleep.

Yesterday, I found out that most of the rest of the class had stayed out much later--3:00 AM, 5:00 AM, even, and was glad I hadn't stuck around that late. Even so, it was hard to concentrate, and I got so fed up with my studies. . . well, I'm not proud of it, but I had a bit of a breakdown. My room mate, bless her, caught me crying into my pillow, and practically marched me into Glyfada to get some food and ice cream. That got a lot of sense slapped back into me, and gave me a much healthier attitude towards this morning's test. It's not about the scores and the grades, it's about learning. Finally I find that I do not care what grade I got on the test; what's more important than the score is that I learned from it.

Grades are not what's really important, after all. . . what's important is that I have all of you, and that despite being isolated in study here, it truly has been a great experience. And now, without any further gassing on about this little epiphany, I'll let the rest of you get on with your day--and wish it to be a truly marvelous one.

Greece, Part IV

Well, I had an absolutely wonderful day yesterday. It started early, leaving the hotel at 8:00 AM, and the tour guide gave us much information along the way. The traffic out of Athens was murder, but soon we were in the countryside, going towards the Peloponnese, which is a peninsula separated from the mainland of Greece by an isthmus. This isthmus is cut by an incredibly cool-looking canal, which we stopped to see. I loved the way all the layers of the rock were visible.

The next stop was the ancient city of Corinth. As far as ruins go, these weren't the most impressive, but still rather cool. Corinth's ruins are, essentially, the remains of an ancient shopping mall, in a sense. Another important part of the Corinth site is the platform from which Paul defended himself when the Jews put him on trial there. He had lived in Corinth for 18 months before the pressure was just too much, and he moved on. He had quite a job to do there, as it was a very materialistic city--only the wealthy lived there, and those who visited were mostly wealthy traders as well. From the Corinthian Acropolis, both the Aegean and Ionian seas are visible--unfortunately, we did not get to see that view, as it would have been a rather nasty long hike to do so.

The bus trip to Mycenae from there was so beautiful--the Greek countryside is beautiful, like the Napa Valley, but with more of the silvery leaves of the olive trees than anything else. When we got to Mycenae, the view from their acropolis was almost more impressive than the ruins themselves. However, the ruins in this case were actually impressive, as was the story behind them.

If the names Agamemnon, Clytemnestra, or Iphigenia ring a bell at all to you, then the significance of the ruins of Mycenae have extra meaning. In fact, the Mycenae site was excavated by a man who wanted to prove their existence, since he loved the Greek tragedies so much. What's historical fact, at least, is that Agamemnon was king of Mycenae during the Trojan War--both the height of the Mycenaean civilization, and the beginning of its downfall. There, in Mycenae, are the graves of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, or so they claim. The walls of the city are massive and really impressive, and the Lion's Gate leading inside is really cool, too.

I know I'm using and re-using words here, but it's sort of the way the ruins there leave a person thinking about them. I guess the only way I can really describe it is through pictures, and we'll see how much luck I have with that. . . the connection is still patchy here. My favorite part of the site was actually the abandoned cistern, which had a very well-preserved staircase leading down to it. The way the light shone from the top of the passageway onto the stairs was like a digital blasphemy wallpaper, if any of you are familiar with those.
The tomb of Agamemnon, in particular, was really cool--a high dome that did not photograph well, but had excellent acoustics. Again, very hard to describe, and very cool.

We had lunch at a hotel by the sea, after which many swam in the ocean or the pool. I just sort of chilled. . . needed to, being bummed about my grades. When I got back to the hotel, I studied for a little, than started watching the Little Mermaid, needing a picker-upper. As I listened to the glorious Ashman score, I got an idea. Cackling gleefully, I soon produced my very first recorded silly Greek Study Aid song. It sounds terrible, but the process of making these songs to study helps almost more than listening to them. I'm thinking, eh, this can work. Already I have personally destroyed several great works from the stage and screen, my favorite so far being the Accusative Song, based off of the song "How Does She Know?" from Enchanted. It's enough to make any music teacher's ears cringe, but oh, it was so much fun to make.

Amazingly, this unconventional study method worked for me--I did better on this morning's quiz than any other so far. Coming out of this (and I can't use that phrase without thinking about its participle-ness now), I had the adventure of finding the post office. I got off a stop too late, and had to walk several blocks before a nice person at a newsstand gave me directions. After I found it, I thought to myself, "Wow, there's much easier ways of describing where this is," and was shocked at how much less time it took me to get back to the correct station. . .but hey, that's life. It was good exercise.

May the rest of you have much greater senses of direction, and not get lost in the great city of life. And if you do. . . embrace the adventure!