My Moment in Greece: On Top of the World

This trip has been amazing. I can’t believe I have to say goodbye to this beautiful country tomorrow (although I’m pretty excited to be hitting up Italy!) Our time here went by so fast, and we experienced so much. It’s hard to pick a favorite day or moment, but if I had to pick that one moment that really stuck out for me, it would be at the top of Mt Lycabettus. That was one of our first nights here, and maybe the first time in my life that I really felt at peace. It was like nothing in the world could get to me, just looking out at the gorgeous city below. I could have stayed there forever. Words really can’t describe the feelings I had. I have never been able to think more clearly.
That’s one thing that’s really been important for me on this trip: being able to just sit and think. My life back at PLU is so busy that I rarely have time to take even a few minutes and just be. Think about what I want to do with my life, the person I want to be. I cannot say enough how much this experience has meant to me, and to everyone who helped make it happen THANK YOU! It doesn’t seem real that this is my last day here, but I know I’ll be back someday!
PS: My pictures are not wanting to upload :(

My Moment in Greece

My moment in Greece took place in Symi.  The island of Symi was beautiful with its picturesque houses, turquoise water, and welcoming people.  We awoke early in the morning, traveled the treacherous sea by ferry boat, walked miles along the ocean, swam, ate a traditional Greek island lunch of seafood, and returned to the mainland after a full day.  

Everything about the trip was positive except for my mood.  It was an exquisite place and there were many adventures had.  I learned from my time abroad in Ecuador that you don’t want to regret anything and so I went along with everyone and the exploring that we went on that day.

The previous day something surpassed that had put me in a bad mood but I didn’t want to miss the once in a lifetime trip to Symi and so I decided to go along just as I had planned.  The ferry was quite fun despite to rocking back and forth like a roller coaster for most of the ride.  When we arrived on the island we split up and mostly wandered around for a bit looking at all of the brightly colored houses and admiring the sights and winding roads.  There were many animals that we encountered and of course we pet and played with them before heading to search for the beach that the large sign in the middle of the town was pointing to.  It took us a bit but we finally found a way down to the water and some of our group stripped down to their swimsuits and began swimming in the water.  Apparently the water wasn’t cold however the wind was a biting temperature and whipping wildly throughout the day. 

We sat by the water for a bit, my hair windswept as the air came off the water, and we mostly sat in silence for an hour or two, some of us taking pictures and others just lounging, enjoying the experience.  We decided to take a suggestion from a man that we had passed on the way and head further down the beach to a small town.  That ended up being a nice walk, although long, but then there didn’t end up being food there so we had to trudge back to the main town where we had gotten off the ferry.  After an impeccable lunch in which I got to eat giant garlic prawns a few people wanted to go to the top of the hill.  Now this hill was more like a mountain and we probably walked up at least 500 stairs to get there.  The group I was with had really wanted to go up there so I went for it as well.  Throughout the entire climb I was regretting my decision to go to the top, my calves burning with the walk, but after finally reaching the summit I was glad that I had made it to the top.

Andrew’s gorgeous picture from the top made it onto the PLU homepage advertising for our blog-posts.  The view was of course breathtaking and we could see all the way across the island to where we had walked just a few hours earlier in search of food.  Despite my emotional state being somewhat fragile that day it is still one that I will never forget.  There are so many things from this trip that are memorable that I think my brain will have a hard time choosing which ones to forget.  This experience has been truly amazing and I feel so blessed that I got to travel to Greece with such a great people.  We left PLU as 18 students and two faculty and staff members embarking on a journey together and we will return as 20 friends that spent a month together in Greece with an experience that has forever changed our lives. 

This was my moment in Greece.

My Moment in Greece

It really does seem like it has only been the briefest passage of time since I arrived in Greece a month ago. My mind is telling me there is no way that we could have only been here for a couple weeks because of everything I have seen and done. All the experiences, all of the sights, all of the trips, all of the walks seem to have only happened just yesterday or last week.

It is with a heavy heart that I write this blog entry because I know that it will be my final one. I know I’ll be coming back and not just because of my 12 hour layover when I come back through from Italy. I honestly believe I will come back to this country. When we had our farewell dinner last night I was asked the question of what do I love the most about Greece. My answer was twofold: I love the fact that I can walk down the street or look out my window and see places that I have only ever read about in a book and that I love the architecture. There is not a building over maybe 10 stories in Athens but walking the streets you feel like they are extremely tall. The narrow streets make them seem a lot taller than they actually are and I love walking down them every day. I will definitely miss the food especially Greek fast food. I had a lot of pork, chicken, and lamb. I tried some very different takes on foods that I don’t think I would have eaten normally like eggplant, zucchini, and spinach.

I am so thankful for all the friends I have made on this trip.

And the experiences I have shared with them like journeying to several islands, hiking up steep mountains, swimming in the Aegean, conversations over coffee, and spending hours on every meal because we aren’t rushed to leave. I didn’t think a meal could take 4 hours but I was wrong and I loved it. I really like that there never seems to be a sense of urgency to be doing something every moment of everyday. Yes there was a lot to do and see but you can sit for hours having coffee and people watching or you can go shopping and sightseeing and then come back and take a nap because it is siesta time. And tomorrow I leave for Italy with 4 incredible friends.

I remember thinking back in September/October that this day was so far off I couldn’t even fathom being in Greece or what it would be like but now that I’m here I don’t want to leave.

The dream is collapsing and all I want to do is go deeper.

My Moment in Greece!

The month of January is quickly coming to a close. Tomorrow I will be leaving Athens, not forever, but for a while. I look back on the month with a smile on my face. Almost every day includes a memorable event. When I am an old grandma, knitting my grandchildren mittens, I will tell them the story of my fondest Greek memory. It all started when my professor told us he had a surprise in store. We were on the island of Rhodes. As a class, we walked to the Acropolis not knowing what we were in for. Walking towards the tall columns, Finitsis tells us that we will be holding our own Olympic games in the stadium. People lined up to stretch and remove their bulky jackets to partake in a sprint. The others flashed photographs as they raced by. After the triumph of the athletic games, we turned to singing. Professor Finitsis then takes the lead and starts to teach us the traditional Greek dance that I like to title “Opa!” At this very moment, I felt united with all the others on the journey. We linked arms and circled, tripping over feet and the uneven cobblestone. Turning in circles and wave like patterns, I reminisced on how close the group has become in such a short time. The eighteen of us all have such unique personalities and we contribute differently to the cohesive bond that was formed. I not only felt like I have created friendships that will last a life time, but while spinning with my friends, I realized that I will be leaving a piece of my heart in Greece. The time I have spent here has taught me about who I am as an American in a foreign country and how I should uphold my values and beliefs while immersed in another culture. We danced, and laughed and I felt ever so Greek as we finished the traditional dance. Across the road, we looked out to a beautiful view of the water. We were up so high that the boats looked like battery-operated, toy boats floating off into the distance. I perched on a rock and watched as the sun started to slowly creep down. The pinkish-orange color had even more contrast compared to the blue sea water. Watching the sun, I thought of the power of God. The earth is bigger and more gorgeous than I can fathom. I can’t try to understand the strength of God and how he created this wonderful world. It was one of only a few moments of silence I had in this month, but I felt like the world was flashing in front of me. During my time here, I have thought about the importance of God in my life. I am blessed for this opportunity and will forever look back and remember the best month I spent in Greece.

My Moment in Greece

So my moment that I am going to talk about is probably going to seem a little unconventional, but bear with me. After a long day trip to Lindos and our normal 3 hour dinner, a few of us wanted to just hang out and watch a movie. Since we have been quoting Anchorman this entire trip we thought that would be a good choice. Khadijah, Zach, Jill, Camille and I piled onto Christine and Katie’s beds and set up the computer. Before the movie started I wanted to upload some of my pictures so I tried putting my SD card in without looking. Bad idea. I accidentally put it into my disk drive and it got stuck. It is probably the stupidest thing I have ever done. I was immediately hysterical. Everyone started making jokes about it and trying to comfort me at the same time. So by this point 5 minutes had gone by and I was crying and laughing. In these five minutes we tried tweezers and brochure as a make-shift hook. I was still crying and was about to give up when Jill said, “Its like having a baby, you got this!” and right when I looked back down it had fallen out! We all started jumping for joy and screaming. I was so relieved that I didn’t have to find an Apple store and explain what had happened. 

My moment is not being hysterical but just the feeling of being surround by people I care about. It was awesome that we chose to hang out. It wasn’t something we had to do. We all wanted to sit around the little laptop screen and bond over a funny movie. Just knowing that I have made real friends who I want to be around and want to remain friends with is such a great feeling. There have been many moments where I have felt this way, but I thought this was an entertaining example. I have treasured my time here in Greece and I am thankful that every person here will act as a souvenir back home. We will hang out and continue to exchange stories about our amazing time abroad. I couldn’t think of a better souvenir than the relationships this atmosphere has created.

My moment in Greece.

Last night, at our farewell dinner, I was talking to my professor's sister and she asked me two questions: What was the thing I hated about Greece and what was the thing I loved that I will remember forever?

I had very little to say to answer the first question but I managed to find something. I told her that I hated not knowing the language because it set such a barrier between me and the Greek people and culture. I also told her that I hated not being able to see more of the country.

Then, when thinking about my answer to her second question, I couldn't stop talking. There are so many things about this trip that I love and I will remember forever.

I think the most fun I've had on the trip has been at the soccer game in the Olympic stadium. Going with a small group of classmates allowed me to get to know more people, experience a whole new piece of the Greek culture, and really have some good hearted fun! I remember every detail of that night.

I will always love the life and energy and culture in the markets here in Greece, whether it was the farmers market every Friday or the flea market every Sunday. The city and the people became more alive and I loved experiencing that new life too!

Some of the most moving experiences I've had on the trip have been on our visit to the cemetery and my visit to the Orthodox church in Rhodes. Both places were incredibly spiritual and overwhelming for me but I was deeply moved by both. They are experiences that I will look back on later in life and have the same feelings I had on those days.
I will never regret waking up at 5 am to go and watch the sunrise over the acropolis and explore Athens with that entirely new perspective. Even though the clouds masked most of the colors in the sunrise, it was still vividly beautiful.

I remember looking out over Athens, standing where the Apostle Paul stood, and being in awe.

I will always remember (and be a little baffled) walking down dozens and dozens of streets lined with orange trees, having never expected to find anything like that here in Greece.

I will never forget the excitement I had when we first arrived and began exploring Athens. I will never forget the new friends I've made, what they've taught me, and how I've been changed. I will never forget the new people I've met and the Greek culture I've managed to pick up and hold on to while I've been here.

[My new Greek friend Kiddeagos, who is studying in Crete]

Overall, I rambled on and on about just a few of my experiences here in Greece that I don't think I could forget if I wanted to.

Just a few moments in time. Just a few moments from this month. Just a few moments from Greece.

But they carry a lifetime of memories, lessons, fun, and love.

And I will never let those memories go.

But, I mean, this trip is just a moment in my lifetime, right?

My moment in Greece.

-Jess

My Moment in Greece

My moment in Greece wasn't at an Acropolis, it wasn't on an island, it wasn't climbing a mountain, it happened to be at last nights dinner. Don't worry, I have truly valued and reflected spiritually at the surrounding beauty, but it cannot compare to the feelings that came over me at dinner. Why it was at dinner, I'm not sure. I've eaten meals with my colleges plenty of times, but yesterday struck a nerve.

Last night we dressed up and had a delicious and filling five-course meal. Throughout our dinner, we listened and laughed with Momma Fin as she shared stories of her young life. As I listened to her story, I looked around all the faces of my friends, the strangers who became family, and reflected on the story we have written. This is when my moment hit me. Our time here in Greece was coming to a close, and I had to fathom the thought of leaving my new-found world. These people are the explorers who walked alongside me in the journey of self-discovery. The architects who built a home amongst the unfamiliar and the counselors who listened in times of pain.

This moment felt like hours. I was overcome with the feeling of love, appreciation and heartbreak. In an instant, thousands of memories flashed before me and my eyes began to fill with tears.

Words cannot define the feelings I have for Greece and the friends who were here to share it. Because of this experience, I know who Katie Fisher is. I found her by answering questions I faced in classroom discussions and living amongst Greek culture. This trip has challenged me mentally, and spiritually and I would not have been able to conquer these obstacles if my classmates weren't beside me. For that, I am eternally grateful.
My moment ended at the sound of roaring laughter. I quickly dried my eyes and became engaged in the conversation. After all, I have the whole plane ride to cry. With the final day approaching, I will cherish every moment I have left.