From Athens to Rhodes, and back again.

It has been about a week since I embarked on my journey to Greece, and I must say that it has been quite the adventure. Due to technological difficulties I have been unable to update my blog on a daily basis, but now, as I sit here in the cool air conditioned room of the Deree College in Athens, I can think of no better time to update any followers that I may have of my adventures thus far. If my adventures are not entertaining enough to read, just know that I am well and having a wonderful, adventurous, time in the country known as Hellas.

June 14th: Saying goodbye, flying, and trying to sleep. 

Thursday was an exciting day. As I prepared myself for my journey I found my mind wandering as I imagined all of the beautiful things that I would see in Athens. It was so strange to think that I would finally be going to another country that was thousands of miles away from my home.  After the initial bitter-sweet moment of saying goodbye to my parents before my journey, I was overcome with a sense of excitement. As the plane took off from Orlando to Philly, from Philly to Greece, my excitement continued to grow. But then disaster struck in the form of a nine hour plane ride...

Exhibit A: Sleep Deprived Jimmy. Note the look of madness in his eyes.

Nine hours is a very long time. Had it not been for the friends that were flying with me, and the occasional on-plane movie, I surely would have succumbed to madness. Reading was a good way to occupy my time, and I made a little bit of progress into the Odyssey, but for most of the flight my mind was stuck in a strange sort of limbo between awake and asleep, which prevented me from focusing on my book. But enough about that. After 9 hours of flying, and 0 minutes of sleeping, we had finally arrived in Athens.

A beautiful view of Hellas from the airplane. 

June 15th: Athens, the Greek language, and the ordering food.

The landscape of Athens was a stark contrast to the flatland of Florida. Although the weather was just as hot, it was not nearly as humid, and sweating was not a big issue. We took a short bus ride to the American College of Greece, where I am currently living, and I was sure to soak in all of the sights along the way. To save time I will condense the things that I initially noticed about Athens into a list:
- The fields and olive trees are beautiful.
- The mountains are beautiful.
- The breeze is beautiful (and much cooler than Florida's).
- There is A LOT of graffiti (most likely due to politics regarding the economic crisis).
- Driving is absolutely chaotic in comparison to the U.S.....by a lot.
- I have no idea how to read the Greek alphabet.

A tired but anxious Jimmy points at the camera. I believe Turkey is in the background.

I was eager to change the final point, and also to practice my "Ellinika" (Greek). After arriving at the College, and going on a short tour of the neighborhood I began to read through my Greek handbook and practice the alphabet. Within about an hour of studying I actually had a fairly decent grasp on the alphabet, which has only gotten better with practice from reading street signs and all-Greek menus. My linguistic skills have also been fairly useful in communicating with locals, and for at least the past few days I have been somewhat of the designated food order-er? Although I did have some difficulty communicating, I really enjoyed the challenge. On one occasion in the Ferry's diner, I think I was actually able to order food well enough to where the cashier thought that I was Greek! Unfortunately he tried talking to me in Greek, which made me seem like a fool since my vocabulary was basically limited to ordering food, saying hello, and asking where the bathroom is.

Nonetheless, after a good meal on the Ferry, and talking with friends, I retreated to my small cabin and let the ocean rock me to sleep. I had no idea what Rhodes would be like, but I knew that I would be finding out tomorrow.

June 16th: Rhodes, Lindos, and Shady Street:

The Temple of Athene on the Akropolis at Lindos. As a Greek mythology fan, and lover of history, this was exciting.

Navigating the busy winding streets of Lindos. 

Rodos (Rhodes) is one of the most beautiful places that I have ever seen. To try to describe it completely in a post is nearly impossible, so I will attempt to post some pictures of this beautiful island, and the beautiful town of Lindos. Our journey involved a walk through the curving streets of Lindos to the town's Akropolis, which was home to ancient ruins. As someone who loves history and Greek mythology I was thrilled to see the temple of Athene, and the other beautiful structures at the top of the hill.


On the way back we had a delicious lunch on the roof of a scenic restaurant before continuing our exploration of the town. The view was amazing.

A view of Lindos from the roof of the restaurant. 

After exploring Lindos we took a bus to the hotel that we would be staying at on Rodos, and it was also quite beautiful. Not long after arriving, I took my first swim in the Mediterranean, which was directly across from our hotel. After a good amount of recreation, a group of us went out for dinner (which was delicious) and then began our journey to a sports bar to watch the Russia vs Greece football (soccer) game. Our journey was a perilous one, that took us down a dangerous road that I like to call....

*dramatic music*

SHADY STREET

It was chaotic. As you walk down the brightly lit road of Shady Street you are bombarded left and right by loud voices, beckoning you to come into their bars. The voices, masked by sweaty smiling faces, tempt you with free alcohol, free food, and friendship, and all they want in return is for you to come and sit down. You cannot stop though, unless you wish to risk being sucked into one of these seedy looking establishments; their flashing lights and loud noises calling out to you. Amidst the chaos small Romani children circle you, crying out to you, pleading for you to buy their bracelets. One girl grabs your arm, tears in her eyes as she yells, "only 10 cents, only 10 cents!". Still, you push forward, dragging the wailing figure behind you, steadfast in your quest to find a less shady looking establishment; you yearn for an escape from the chaos and the begging. And then finally, you find it. A sports bar that is quiet, removed, in which you can peacefully watch the soccer game. The noise of Shady Streets dies out as you sit and enjoy the game.

Greece wins.

June 17th: Finding my Kefi....


I cannot contain all of the amazing events of Sunday in this post. What I can do, however, is attempt to explain one sensation that was the pinnacle of the day, and my entire stay in Hellas thus-far. I am talking, of course, about the concept of Kefi. Although it does not have a literal translation, it is more or less the Greek word for "spirit". Talking about it is one thing, but experiencing it is something else altogether...

Sunday night is the night that I experience Kefi. It wasn't something that I was expecting, or even searching for actively, but it happened. It started with a trip to a restaurant. I believe the restaurant was called the "Blue Lagoon" and it was a pirate themed authentic Greek cuisine with live Greek music.

Everything started off normally, with food, drink, and group discussion, but there was something different about this place. The music. The band was playing fast-paced live Greek music with their "bazooki" (a traditional Greek guitar-like instrument), keyboard, and voices. It was enough to get my foot tapping, but never did I think that I would go on stage and dance in front of everyone in the restaurant. But as the music continued I kept feeling the desire to dance, and when some friends from my group went up on the stage to dance to the music I finally conquered my self-consciousness and joined them on the stage. I had no idea what I was doing, but I was loving it. I didn't really need to know what I was doing, I just had to feel it. As most of the other left the stage, I found myself still up there dancing uncontrollably, consumed by the Kefi that I had been told about.

Everything was so alive, the cheers of the crowd, of my group, and the music! Oh the music, it was becoming part of my being. I ceased to be a self-conscious entity, and became a euphoric dancing machine that moved uncontrollably with the beat of the song. I was alive. Probably more alive than I have ever really felt. My hands clapping, my feet stomping, my body twisting and turning, and my heart racing. I didn't care what anyone thought of me, all I cared about was that I WAS. I was living, I was existing, I was truly and unmistakably alive. I had found my Kefi.