καλως ηρθατε....Welcome to Greece!!!

There are many different definitions of the word journey. Just looking below its all dependent on how the person sees what they are doing. This trip to Greece for me was defined by all four parts of the definition of the word.

jour·ney

1.a traveling from one place to another, usually taking a rather long time
2.a distance, course, or area traveled or suitable for traveling
3.a period of travel
4.passage or progress from one stage to another

1) i was going from Boston to Thessaloniki, 2) Thessaloniki was going to be an area that was suitable for travelling in order for me to understand my surrounding environment. 3) essentially my three months away was going to be a period of travel . 4) i know that i was going to be progressing from one stage to another and possibly multiple stages: physically, mentally, emotionally and psychologically. The fourth definition was the one i felt applied the most to how i saw this journey i was on. That's why i really liked this quote i found

~ The only journey is the one within. ~ Rainer Maria Rilke

So From Logan Airport in Boston we took a 7 and a half hour flight to the Munich Airport in Germany and then from Germany we took an hour and a half flight to Thessaloniki. The flights in themselves weren’t bad. The first flight with Lufthansa wasn’t bad at all. Each passenger had an individual TV to watch and there were many movies on demand. I chose to watch Letters to Juliet first. It was a good movie but i cried a little because of the whole idea of love and still finding it no matter how old you are or how long you wait. Its very inspirational to think that some people hold on to love from years and years ago because that person they loved was who they were always meant to love. So regardless of whatever other path they took, destiny had ordained them together, meaning they would always find each other in the end. I just got really sappy and emotional with the whole thing because it made me think if i had someone out there that was “predestined” for me. Then i watch the Karate Kid, which was beyond cute. I love the original with Mr.. Miyagi, but Jayden Smith was so adorable and cute in the whole thing that i couldn’t help but love the movie. And even though the movie was cute i realized that the movie was also about a journey that Jay took in all aspects of the 4 definitions of the word Journey. Last i watch the Last Song. I’d heard mixed reviews about it but the plot of the story was so moving. I couldn’t stop crying from mid way into the movie to the end. And i had to keep hiding my face because i was surrounded by NUin students and i was sitting right next to my bus. I didn’t want them to look over and see me bawling. Nickolas Sparks is such a great author in how he writes realistic stories of love and life. I always say that i can’t handle his stories because its never guaranteed of a happy ending but the fact that the endings are realistic endings actually make the stories happy endings. They don’t try to delude you like most romance into thinking that every ending is always going to be perfect. This was the last thing i could watch because as soon as we were allowed to get off the plane me and the other 3 staff members with me had to find a way to herd over 70 students through the Munich airport, through security and customs and onto a flight that was leaving in 30 minutes. It was crazy, we were rushing and barely all made it on before the flight attendants started calling out names.

The second flight passed by in a blur for me because i passed out on that flight. All i remember is getting on, settling in, talking with my friend Erin. Then next thing i was waking up and putting my seat belt on because we were about to land. Stepping off the plane, Greece was beautiful. From the airport we could see the mountains all around us and the weather was absolutely perfect. We got on buses for our different buildings (the students surpassed previous years so they were split up in two buildings Alexandrias and Papa K). I was in Alexandrias with the majority of the students and with another ISA Diana, and the site director Leighanne.

We got our keys (which are sick and crazy looking) and i got a single.

The room is really cute. it has a little kitchenette area, a bathroom, a desk area, and a little eating area. These are before pictures

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These are after i unpacked and decorated a little

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We all rested a little but then we had a informal staff meeting where i had my first ever Greek meal. it involved a Greek salad…hahaha…..some feta cheese, olive oil and tomato thing called Boyardee (its definitely not spelt like that) and some meatball things and a chicken kebab thing. I actually liked it. i would love some more of the Boyardee stuff because it was delicious. The whole time i didn’t feel like i was eating because the African in me was waiting for rice. lol. But it was all delicious and you don’t have to pay for deserts they just give you a desert or sweet thing at the end of the meal, so we got some watermelon.
That ended the day for me and i just went back to my room and called my parents and made sure everyone knew that I'd arrived safely.