Visions.

In our daily class, here in Athens, we have talked a fair amount about visions. Usually these somehow involve some sort of gas rising from a crack in the ground, a large sum of alcohol, or a great fall and bump to the head. But as I was thinking about it, I, kind of, have visions all the time (without any of these things, I might add).

Our group's daily routine is to go to class, and then walk around the city, but we have assignments to think about while we explore. We are required to take 10 pictures and keep a blog, daily, and these things must be in some way related. Today, our blog theme was "visions" and I thought to myself, "What on earth could I possibly come up with to fit this theme and our trip..." So I started thinking about visions through the photographs I was taking. I thought, "I see so many of these things differently!" I had a minor revelation and realized that I do have visions, but they are a very different kind!

I walked down the street looking up at an old, run down building that, I think, is being remodeled and saw it not as what it was, but as something beautiful. I kept walking and saw another older building, graffitied and overgrown with plants and I saw s vision of magnificent beauty!

I look around this city and see vandalism, traffic, and just another 'big city,' and then I look again and see something completely different. I have this vision of what is underneath the visible, what is covered up by the stereotypes.

I walked down the streets of the market and got this vision of the hustle and bustle of it all and the people it brings to life. I passed down a side street lined with stray cats and thrashed boxes and saw an entirely new place. Watching as a man walked passed me and a wall of painted objection put me in awe. So I try to capture these things in a photo. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't but when it does, I get to relive my visions of Athens.

And really, those are the things I want to relive the most; the little things. I want to remember the visions I see and the questions I ask when I look out my apartment window. I want to remember the truth and reality of the people I pass. I want to have the visions, of what I see when the heavens and the earth line up just right, over and over again.

I can't forget the feelings of crossing streets or lose the images of anxious pedestrians. Because when I look at the streets, I don't just see the cars or the intersection, but I see fast pace life mixed with the calm peace of the city. Because when I see a Vespa, I don't remember their arrogant ease of gliding through traffic the way I see their boldness, their confidence, and my overwhelming desire to embody that fully and show just a piece of who I am while riding a puny little Vespa.

When relive my experience in Greece, I will forever envision the uneven cobblestone I walked over to reach whatever adventure I was looking for at the time. And these things, these tiny little things, are the things I want to remember. Because they are the visions I've had and the things I've found meaning in. I will remember these things the most.

And even though this experience has been a little bit of a blur, I will forever relive the contentment and joy I felt while walking down the streets of Athens, just taking in the visions of the city.

<3