A Quick Thought on Finding Home

Before jumping into today’s blog (which consists of a theme that is self-determined), I should first confess that yesterday’s post was not without a little fictional flair. Our studies of 2 Maccabee revolved around the idea of crafting a mixture of historical occurrences (water) and entertainment (wine) as a way of pleasing the reader, and thus our blogs were designed as such. The hedgehog mug was not in fact labelled as the “first sippy cup in history” (it is actually labelled as a type of vase), however most of the other information I included in that blog was historically accurate.

Moving on, I have a couple short ideas pertaining to a metaphor that I have been thinking about: Greece is a shell.

A shell is not simply the hard, protective layer around a mollusk or crustacean, but it is also a home. I can boldly assert that Greece has become a second home to me in just over a week, offering several distinguishing aspects that are required for me to feel this way:

1.) A location inside the culture- For one, the vibe at our apartment is much different from a hotel; we were thrown into an apartment complex alongside permanent Greek citizens, and accordingly, we are not greeted every morning by bellhops and clerks that are used to speaking English. Instead, it is our job to assimilate, living outside of the cultural bubble that hotels often provide.

2.) A homely place of residence - at first, our apartment in Pangrati felt very foreign and distant, but I have grown to really appreciate our living situation. I find amusement in the little quirks that make this place feel as if we have been living here for years: a spotty central heating system, an adequate set of pots and pans, a toilet button that requires lots of pressure to get it to flush, and other things like that. The apartment no longer feels like it is ours temporarily, but rather like it has been ours forever.

3.) A comfortable environment - it’s not only the apartment that has provided me with a sense of comfort. The skeptical looks from people we pass on the streets have became less frequent (at least it feels like it), and as the language barrier slowly dissipates, I feel myself being embraced by the surrounding culture. It helps a whole heck of a lot to have a group of friends that support and accompany me, and this sense of collectiveness is something I strongly attribute to any place I call home.

Concluding, I hope the following weeks add in strengthening these feelings. And with sunsets like these, who wouldn’t be on the hopeful side of things.