Kelly Meets Aegina

The past few days has brought me so many new discoveries in this city that I now call home and once in a lifetime experiences that I will not soon forget. Thursday and yesterday, Saturday, were two particularly wonderful days with memories I wanted to share!

Thursday: Thursday all of the CYA students and staff were invited to the home of the US Ambassador for a "garden party." Our orientation festivities were light that day so that we had plenty of time to make ourselves presentable for the Ambassador, and I must say, us Bennies and Johnnies clean up nice! Pictures were not allowed in the home of the Ambassador, but I can promise that the home and grounds were absolutely stunning. Surprisingly enough, my favorite things about the property were the Chevy pick ups in the drive way and the American flag hanging on the porch! These are obviously two things that you don't see on a normal day in Athens. I haven't really gotten homesick yet, however those small symbols of America made me feel so much comfort and gave me just a little bit of the warmth of home I didn't realize I was missing.

The garden party was wonderful. After some logistical information from members of the Embassy, about a 100 CYA members headed down to the pool area where we enjoyed some hot dogs and hamburgers (yay! classic American food!) The Ambassador also mingled and gave a speech where he concluded by encouraging us to take advantage of the pool. I think we all had pictured the event as much more formal than it really was, so most people did not bring their swimsuits. That did not, however, stop several CYA students from jumping in the water in their dresses/dress shirts/dress pants, which was wonderful post-dinner entertainment. I think the open bar may have had something to do with the swimming festivities?

Saturday: Saturday, our wonderful, amazing, caring, fun, energetic, best program directors EVER, Nelsey and Alberto, surprised us with a free trip to the nearby island of Aegina. Bright and early yesterday we embarked for the island, taking the metro to the Athens port where we boarded a ferry to take us to Aegina. After about an hour ride filled with PB&Js and card games, we had arrived at the island and were instantly stunned by its beauty. I have shared pictures, but to be quite honest, no photo can really capture the beautiful of this island! From the port, we all boarded a bus which took us to the Temple of Aphaea, Agios Nektarios Monastery, and back to the port to tour of the Church of St. Nicholas. Everything we saw was unique and beautiful. I don't know much about Greek history so their historical significance is almost incomprehensible for me. I'm looking forward to learning more about these sites in my classes so that I can gain an even deeper appreciation for these wonderful places!

After getting our cultural fix, our group boarded a bus to a more secluded part of the island for an afternoon on the beach. We had a large area of the beach to ourselves, and outside of losing my contact in my eye and the few individuals on our trip who got sea urchin stuck in their feet, the day was a huge success. Laying on the beach, soaking up the views, relaxing in the water, I cannot think of a more perfect way to spend a Saturday. We all enjoyed sea food at seaside restaurants for dinner before heading back to Athens, where we now have to prepare for school to start tomorrow.

The beautiful beach where we spent our day!

Agios Nektarios Monastery

Church of St. Nicholas

Our wonderful group at the Temple of Aphaea.

The Temple of Aphaea

A beautiful sunset on Aegina!

Also, here are just some other random things I have learned/come to enjoy/etc.

1. Having a 24 hour crepe stand/souvlaki place a few doors down from your apartment is both a blessing and a curse.

2. I think drivers in Greece have a competition to see who can run the most red lights and hit the most pedestrians.

3. The farmers market in Athens is wonderful. They have every fresh fruit and vegetable you can imagine for SO cheap! It's my new favorite thing.

4. Uzo may be the famous vodka of Greece, but it is also really awful.

5. Not all cafeteria food is bad. We are fed a weekday lunch at CYA and it is delicious!

And finally, some clarification on my study abroad program. I am on the CSBSJU Greco-Roman program. CSBSJU leads a trip with 30 Bennies and Johnnies with a program director, who is a professor from our school. This director teaches one class and is there to help us if we need anything. The college I am currently studying at is College Year in Athens, which is a university in Greece. While I am a member of the school, 3/4 classes are taught by CYA professors and I am in CYA housing, I am on a CSBSJU program, so my roommates and classmates are all from CSBSJU. There are other students at the university as well, but we do not have classes with or live with them. So basically, it's like I am a student as CSBSJU, except I am in a classroom on the other side of the world that is basically rented from CSBSJU for its students.

School starting tomorrow is definitely bittersweet. It will be nice to have a more concrete daily schedule and to learn about all of the wonderful things that Greece has to offer, but I'll definitely miss being able to roam the streets aimlessly every day. It's so strange because I feel like I have been here forever, yet I also know that when it comes times to leave it will feel like I only just got here. So for right now, I am just trying to make the most of my time with wonderful people in a wonderful city and doing all I can to savor every moment.

Kelly

#csbsju #college #studyabroad #athens #greece #travel #aegina #beach