Experiential Wisdom

If there's anything I've learned so far on the trip, it's that things rarely, if ever, go as you plan. And when you're going to a new place, there are certain characteristics of the people, city, or culture that you do not know going in that you learn very quickly.

For example... when you are crossing the street, you have to do it with conviction. Otherwise they'll just run you over. If you aren't quick about getting across the street and do it with hesitation, the cars and mopeds will not stop. We've almost been hit so many times. Crossing the streets in Athens is literally dangerous

Another part is just figuring out the apartments. The heater in my room is controlled by a remote control clicker thing that neither Jessica nor I could figure out for the first two days. Luckily it works now, our room is a toasty 84 degrees :) Figuring out how to open and close the door took days of practice as well. There are two locks on our door, one is a safety lock and one is a normal lock, and they are really confusing until you've done it a few times. Plus, the door on the outside doesn't have a handle where you can just push and come in, you have to actually unlock the door again or someone has to let you in.

The most important thing I have learned is related to food. If you know me, you probably know I'm a picky eater. I do like a lot of different foods, but sweets and vegetables are not my favorite things in the world. That has changed today. A small group of us went to this really cute restaurant near the classroom that was run by a British family. I sat back and let everyone else do a lot of the ordering, because I thought I probably wouldn't eat much of the vegetables anyway. I was so wrong. First came out these salads, one made up of cabbage leaves and carrots and a delicious vinegar sauce, and I took thirds of that. Then, we had these meatballs that weren't meat, but actually zucchini. I told myself at the beginning of the trip I was going to try everything that was put in front of me, so I took the smallest piece thinking I would hate it. Again, I was wrong. The zucchini was so good, it was mixed with different spices and was delicious. If we went back to that restaurant, I would get it again. Simply opening up and eating new things has caused me to realize that there are food groups I normally avoid that now I'm going to be looking at and possibly ordering at restaurants.

Overall, the trip has taught me a lot about Greece and the people, but through that a lot about myself. I'm gaining more confidence and branching out from my comfort zone. I know this is only a drop in the bucket of what I'm going to learn and experience in the next few weeks.