A Small Slice of Home...

A friend of mine from high school who traveled with me to Australia when we were 15 and 16 years old happens to be studying in Athens this semester as well. I was unaware that she was going to be here and it wasn’t until she saw some mention of Greece on my facebook profile that she realized I was here too. She got in touch with me and we met up for lunch in the middle of Syntagma square. It was really strange to see such a familiar face in an only recently familiar place. Her program is very different from mine and she actually does not take any Modern Greek Language class. While I think that is poor planning on the part of her school, it made me appreciate what I have learned even if I feel like it isn’t enough at times. We had a very nice lunch and she showed me around her apartment which is much bigger and nicer than mine, but houses 8 people instead of 5. I know that I will see her again while here and it is going to be nice to have an escape when I need a break from Arcadia.

Another slice of home came to visit just last week. My roommate Katie had her three best friends and sister here visiting us the other week and it was extremely refreshing and much needed. It is amazing how trapped in a little bubble one can be with so much of the world lying in front of you, but the world of Arcadia can be very small and it was nice to have someone from the outside come in. The week also showed me just how much I have learned and adapted to Greek life, seeing others who have not experienced the culture or language yet. I believe that the bulk of my cultural education here has been through unconscious observation than anything else and seeing others struggle as I had at first with communication and understanding has encouraged me in how much I now know.

While Katie’s “parea” (a Greek term for your inner network of friends) was here we celebrated St. Patrick’s Day at our local pub on Monday night (the official St. Patrick’s Day, not the pope sanctioned one), but were disappointed by the lack of fanfare as the holiday is not really recognized here unless at an American bar or Irish pub. But we made up for the lack of Greek enthusiasm by going out to “Hell’s Kitchen” the next night for dinner which serves more American style cuisine. It was delicious and the people friendly. Even the service was more American, with our waitress coming to check on us periodically and asking us how we liked the food. One of the chefs actually came out and was talking to us and it turns out he is from Connecticut originally and found his way here seeking job opportunities in his family’s home country, a place he visited a lot as a child. It was nice to have an escape from the frustration and confusion of not fully understanding the spoken language and the body language of Greece.
Besides these small adventures, time with Katie’s friends was enjoyable as the apartment was a lot more full of life and her friends seemed to adopt us quickly as their own. Their personalities suited me well and their being here reaffirmed my enjoyment of meeting new people. Because I got along with them so well, however, I did grow a bit homesick upon their departure. Seeing Katie with her closest friends that she’s known for years made me really miss mine and the few days following were the most homesick I’ve been since I got to Greece. Thank goodness for phones and internet to keep me connected to the people I love back in the United States so that such periods don’t last too long and I may go on my way and enjoy the rest of my time in Greece. We have a lot of adventures already planned and I know that the rest of the semester will go by quickly which is a blessing and curse. But I am certain to have many more stories to tell before my return to the States in May.