Greece Day Two

I apologize for the short blog yesterday.  But I didn’t want to blow my routine of daily writing.  I had only seven minutes of power left on the computer, so I barely got in on time.  I’ll write more at length about my spectacular trip tomorrow.  I only have 48 hours to enjoy this fabulous culture and the people, so I don’t want to spend too much time writing in the blog about it. 

I love this country and its people.  Im staying with the family of one of my acting students and they have been absolutely wonderful to me.  They forewarned me about their family…Think My Big Fat Greek Wedding…and you have this family.  Very kind and gracious.    They won’t let me pay for anything.  As much as I insist, they simply refuse…and Im really trying, unlike my little sister when she tries to pick up a tab, or when I’m with my parents and I try to insincerely pick it up…I’m really making an effort here. 

Being in Greece is like being in a different world.  Bahrain, doesn’t feel like a foreign country but Greece certainly does.  There aren’t a lot of American things here which is great.  They have such a rich history and culture.  We went to the Acropolis today, which I think is Athens’ most famous tourist site.  I took a ton of pictures, I’ll post them tomorrow.  I even bought a camera to commemorate the event, there were just too many breathtaking images that I was missing to not have a camera.  So I bought a Sony cybershot camera to help chronicle this blog more regularly with pictures.  If a picture is worth a thousand words, maybe I can get by with writing less and posting more photos…lol.  What struck me as we walked around…we walked everywhere.  There are so many little cafes where old men sit and visit seemingly for hours.  Its such a wonderful sense of community. 

They took me to the souk today which has so many quaint little shops.  I bought my kids a bunch of souvenirs of Greece.  Im excited about sending them home.  It seems that’s the only way I can communicate with them now…I have not talked to two of my children for nearly 3 months now…and I talked to my other child last month.  I really miss them.  I wish they could be here to experience this amazing place.  But hopefully with all the pictures and the souvenirs they can get the same experience. 

 I have been eating and eating and eating.  They order way too much food to possibly eat and its absolutely delicious.  They share the food family style.  They don’t take doggy bags, and just leave everything they don’t eat.  I think I gained 5 pounds in a day and a half.  But Im walking a lot, so that helps.  I didn’t get to see everything in just 48 hours, but I saw enough and just soaked everything in.  My favorite part was just walking to and fro on the streets interacting with the people and seeing the “real” Greece.  When we went to dinner tonight, there were hundreds of quaint little outdoor cafes we could have gone to.  There are some very trendy spots here and the nightlife is pretty fantastic.  I think if I were to come back, there would be even more to see.  My host family, wants me to return in the summer and go with them to their house in Santorini, which is the vacation spot on the water.  If you ever seen a movie called Mediterraneo, which happens to be one of my favorite foreign films, is similar to Santorini.  Before I’ve even left, I can’t wait to come back. I needed this pick me up, to fuel me at work.  I’ve been working 6 day weeks, 70 hours plus for a couple of months now..I feel recharged.  I’m going to try to make it a goal to go to one country in a weekend every other month.  I can do it so cheaply when I stay with friends. Once again, Im very blessed and fortunate to be here and have this life.