FACT. PublicTransportation sucks everywhere.

OK. I love this whole walking thing. I seriously do....nothing is too far....its a 5-30 minute walk to anywhere...mostly 10 minute walk but 30 if it's raining....because I have shoes with no traction....you do the math....Only in Greece would the sidewalks be marble-esque and super smooth making for a nice and easy trip to the ground infront of many people....Have I experienced this.....no...not personally but I've got to tell you what is REALLY on my mind right now.

It all started when I took my second bus ride to campus at Virginia Tech. It was all fine and dandy when I stepped on the bus....I got a seat in the front....you hokies know what I'm talking about...the side seats that face people horizontal to the rest of the bus....right then....and then all of a sudden the bus stops to let more people on as buses often do and they just kept coming.....I didn't know what was going on or WHY the bus would let on that many people...I seriously did not get it.....and then I was up and my seat was pressed into the side of the bus...it folded up...um....NO way....TRANSFORMERS.....I know right....I was excited....ok that is not the point of my intro story to my story....that really isn't a story at all...it's a thought based on a series of events that have occurred...oh I don't know every time I leave campus...ANYWAY. The VT bus kept piling on people....I thought we were so crammed.....It was a tangle of backpacks, orange and maroon, ipod cords, and sunglasses that are way too big for the faces underneath them (yes I'm included in this discription....I take pride in my sunglass choices....."EYES.....very important")

So why do I tell you this?

THIS CRAMPED STYLE IS NOTHING LIKE THE PUBLIC BUS TRANSPORTATION IN THESSALONIKI.

I love Tech so much more now and appreciate the fact that our students practice Hygine and Department store fregrances for this VERY reason. Literally today I was basically holding onto the grip bars above me in the bus and I was basically off the ground because there were so many people around me....THIS IS NOT AN EXAGGERATION....seriously....AND it isn't the easiest thing to navigate on the buses.....

However,

I will continue to take the bus everyday with my .50 euro cent ticket.....and I will continue to levitate on the majority of my excursions....at least I know I smell good...minus the fact that I'm devestatingly low on my body by victoria (Mom if you plan on sending me a care package....THIS WOULD be more than fantastic to send....its my scent....I'm drowning in change....changing my scent would just put me over the edge) Haha right then...this is my rant. That was my story...we had some flashbacks to the past with transformers....some hokie pride...and right now there is a greek man in my bathroom trying to fix the fact that we haven't had hot water in...oh I don't know....5 days.........


Oh.PA.


FACT. public transportation sucks everywhere.

FALSE. I'll never use the public bus again.


such is this life.


So much love from the Grecian shores to yours,

Hlo

...and I had nothing to do for 30 min. before I left an hour before my first class because I was excited for the first day of school....

SO there I was bright and early, 8 am to be exact, on MONDAY morning. I have been in Thessaloniki for exactly ONE week as of today. Let's be honest...days 1-6 have been long, interesting, and frustrating. EMPHASIS On the whole Frustration thing....ANYWAY...so it is 8 am and I'm feeling all ready to go...I decide to greet the day with enthusiasm...(don't act like you don't remember that from High school who ever cares to read this from cocoa town) Mr. Fricke would be proud...OH HEY blast from the past...ANYWAY...SO I get ready....you know, check email which Kappa Delta keeps POURING into my inbox, I read every one of those emails btw....I know that it is pointless and I should just delete them...but...it makes me feel good just to look at something from Tech/makes me feel important that I still receive on average; 20 plus emails a day...Anyway...SO I Was SO stoked for the first day of school....Minus taking the traditional lockwood first day of school photo infront of the tree, I'd say I was just as excited as usual. It's not that I'm ready to do work...its that going to the first 2 days of classes is awesome. I go to class and have no work...it has ALWAYS been like this...ALWAYS...I don't get my books till the second or third week of classes depending on the class....I ease myself into the whole school thing and I'm proud to say that I started this tradition early. ANYWAY, FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL....SO STOKED...like I said....so I got ready...found something to eat for breakfast and then....and then I had nothing to do....for an hour....I know I said it was 30 minutes but that is because I wanted to feel less of a dork. Maybe it was 45 minutes....either way...I was ready to go with nothing to do. I thought I had planned my time out accordingly but when my first class doesn't start till 11 waking up at 8 in the morning is a bit extreme....BUT what part of extreme wouldn't make anyone's days awesome?...I'm ALL about it...ergo, I waited...and of course no one was online because it was like 4 in the morning at home...I couldn't even bother madre which I know she loves.....OH well...FINALLY it was time to go walk down to the bus...THANK THE GOOD LORD that ACT scheduled a free bus to pick us up at 10:30 every morning and then it picks students up from campus at 8...the downside: ...I'm done with class at 4 on mondays and wendesdays and I'm done at 3:30 on Tuesdays and Thursdays...and then I have ONE CLASS on fridays...ONLY ONE....ASK ME HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE IN THIS CLASS...go ahead ask me!! OK I'll TELL YOU. 4 1/2....yeah...sometimes 5...but there's a canadian in the class so...thats where that 1/2 comes from...OK haha JUST KIDDING...seriously though...a 5 person class that meets 3-4 (mid afternoon) m/w/f/....let's think about this ok?.....done thinking? GREAT BECAUSE I'VE BEEN FINISHED when I found out DAY 1 how few people were in the class...so what did I do? I proposed that we don't do class on fridays...IT IS MY ONLY CLASS...I have to take the public bus there and then the free bus leaves at 5:15 on fridays...so that is nice...but seriously....I'm the only English major in this English class...this doesn't matter too much, but....LOCK IT UP....I'm on a SERIOUS mission to make this professor lose this negative attitude about fridays and make it a semester long holiday...I'll do extra work to turn in every friday through email...that would be completely fine...I'd rather put my mind to good use than to ride the public bus...ANYWAY.....SO Greek is first on the list...its a 2 hour class but the course finishes before all the other classes. Woo for me? It doesn't seem like it's going to be too terribly hard...the alphabet and the sounds they use will be the hardest...it's like learning how to read ALL over again...however, I'm really pumped to get this on a roll. When you are surrounded by the language everywhere AND you are learning it...don't you think it will be easier to pick it up? I hope so.....SO when I finished class I found some people and we took a cab home...man...if people weren't going to switch around their schedules so much I'd always take a cab home..its almost too easy not too...though I know the bus is cheaper...it freaks me out...and it looks crowded....please prep yourself for a bus update in the near future...I plan to attempt this sooner than later. SOooo that's basically it...I ranted about English...that was a given, AND Greek comes before that....soon enough I'll probably be tutoring in the writing center and figuring out my life in a nutshell in this awkward but really amazing place called Greece. No broken plates yet....but until then...Opa.

VERGINA is nothing like VIRGINIA

And now..... A poem......

I went to a place called Vergina.

And the tomb there was nice and serene(ah)

there were some remains

of King philip who'd slain

too many to count, he's no fun!

OK so you guessed I went to Vergina....the drive was actually really nice...I like watching out windows to see what things look like....this was really relaxing and neat because beyond the Athens airport and the city smoke and crossing signs I haven't seen Greece like you'd think. Minus the amazing old buildings colored expertly to match the mediterranean lifestyles. So I looked out the window A LOT...until we reached Vergina. They wouldn't let us take our cameras inside but it was pretty baller. In 1977 an archaeologist found an entrance to a tomb where the bones and artifacts inside gave evidence of King Philip II of Madedon's tomb. It was pretty incredible inside. There were frescos and expert restorations of the tomb's entrances.....it was really outstanding....though I thought the trip itself wasn't enough to be included with my tuition however.....it was really cool...the outside of the tomb was just this huge mound of grass....and it led to an entrance....WE took the liberty of taking pictures outside of it....Oooo photo op!

SO, after our tour of the tomb we went to lunch at this cafe that seemed to have drawn in a lot of tourists. We were served RAPIDLY and were shoved out the door before we knew it. THIS was my first sign of chicken since I had arrived in Thessaloniki.....I have yet to see the sights of chicken....which is my favorite dinner item (after sushi and bread of course)....I was just excited to eat a protein that wasn't going to clog my arteries. BUT it was almost cold when it got to me....I think when you are feeding 30 plus people at once that I had no room to argue and EVEN if I did...what were they going to do....understand me? ohhhh hellllll no. Speaking of which...I'm getting better at this whole Greek thing....we will see how well I can speak it when I return hmmm....

ANYWAY, like I said....this was the first sign of chicken...I WAS excited....I know they have it hear....but its hard to find...I think they just use eggs and oil for dinner and call it a day....i'm not even kidding...lamb...lamb...lamb....and uhhh lamb....and if it is pork...I can't tell the difference anyway...its all cooked the same...it all tastes the same....OY vey. SO chickens...right....and then WE FOUND some....OK rooster...chicken...its all the same...I was just excited to see some life beyond the city walls....and I finally had a reason to say beyond the city walls....I win. MY very First city-life experience...and it really does have serious walls.

..........I win.

SO after our trip to Vergina the bus took us back through the country-side where we got yet another tour of our lovely city, Thessaloniki....only this time they took us to the top...and we were on the bus the whole time....minus when they let us out at the TOP of city...we got to overlook it all...and now you can see where I live.....SO..check, check, check, check it out...

I KNOW Right......castles....towers....roman and greek ruins 2,000 years old....and this is my home...for the next 3 months....LOOK at me go....

annnnd once again...blogger photos are acting funky...which means you miss out on the largest church in Greece WHICH is right down the street from me...and the tower from where I took the above pictures...you win some..you lose some....GREAT news...I'm working on complete albums...so look for those....coming up soon!

NEXT TIME on HlockDOESgreece: Heather's First day of SCHOOL/ first week of classes, FOOD...I swear I'm going to get to it at some point, My taxi ride from hell, My 2nd attempt at the Grocery store (ALL by myself), the public bus system, AND my Trip to Halkidiki!!

sending so much love from across the way,

hlo

WHERE in the world is.....

Carmen San Diego? mmmm Not so much....

SO lets talk about how orientation went.

NEVER AGAIN.....ok it wasn't that bad...but I could severely whoop this program into shape....which gave me the idea of I could do anything abroad really....and once I get my MFA I can teach anywhere I want...it just depends on who will hire me....I could def. do the abroad thing at an american school somewhere in a different country...that would be cool.....that would be neat.....THIS is to be put on the backburner for when I'm freaking out about how to find/get a job. SO....orientation was not what you would expect....well maybe it is....but from the Virginia Tech perspective/ from the perspective of someone who has worked with a similar type of orientation because we all are transferring into the school for a semester and then leaving....I would do it all WAY differently....but the size of the school will most probably/definetly have something to do with it.....The first day of orientation I was in a rarrrrre mood. Oy....going out the night before and not getting in till 3/4 in the morning....NOT the brightest idea....however....we all seemed to manage as they moved us on the charter buses that are available for us to jump on every morning and evening......however, I'm not willing to wait around for a few hours until the free bus comes after class....SO I have to resort to public transportation....or a taxi....meh....I think life will come down to pennies and dimes...or is it nickels and dimes? I have no clue. BUT either way the cost thing will probably start to settle in soon enough....backkkk to Orientation....so they said they'd give us a breakfast buffet...LIES, all lies....sandwhiches the size of walnuts and no where to sit....THEY seriously need to lock it up....but soon enough it endedand in we went into this auditorium for several hours of speakers and a video.....that we all have seen.....probably more than once....because its on the website....WHY show us something we all have seen before? idk.....it all just frustrated me....ANNND then they sent us for lunch eventually...not the biggest dissapointment....but I was so exhausted I lost my cool a little bit.....a case of the giggles hit like YOU don't even know....annnnnd that's where we will stop....because it was a bit extreme...needless to say I won't be going out again before a long day on the ACT campus.....Eventually we were almost done but not before a stimulating round of intense survival greek instruction......THIS WAS MURDER.....well not exactly....but guarenteed EVERY sab student would raise there hands and voices in unison to the fact that IT WAS MISERABLE.....the next day not so bad...because we were actually told things that pertain to everyday life....phrases we will use and need to know...not the HISTORY of the greek language....that is what GREEK 101 is for....I don't want to go into it.....I'm heated about it...you understand.....ORIENTATION day 2 was actually a LOT better. We got to sleep in a bit more than the previous day....seriously day one was ENTIRELY too long....seriously...no variety...no opportunities for meet and greet...icebreakers i mean....I'd do it up....but ohhh these Greek pretenders just don't get the American Education system...and when I say American...I mean Virginia Tech....which by default is the only way....haha ok that is me being closed-minded....but seriously......haha...ANYWAY....I really enjoyed the first speaker that talked to us on Oday2. She was young and Greek but very Americanized as she lived in the US and studied there as well. It was a culturation wake-up call and I really took a lot from it....it is really interesting to see how different our cultures are and how different we all seem.....but in retrospect how we can relate in small ways....I'm interested to see how well I acclimate myself to this Greek culture....and I'm interested to see how well I can adapt without having someone by myside....so far I haven't been too successfull....but maybe this is subject to change? Well as you can guess the day went by the same MINUS the lunch break....which we ate all the same food....hmm interesting....BUT it was at the president's house...which was very nice.....they should work on the rest of the campus to match his house.....AND while we were there the American Consulate of Greece joined us for a few words....THAT was pretty cool....I know he's a big deal....I plan to google him at somepoint in the future...I mean he was right there....a mere 2/3 feet away.....Dear Mr. big shot....I wish I knew more about you/ Knew how big of a deal you are.......This is to be explored further....OK so We're all exhausted and the day isn't even over yet....and so we run back to our rooms and we're off again for a neighborhood/thessaloniki tour....this actually was really great because the only knowledge we had was what we had found on our own...WHICH WAS A LOT......needless to say it was a fun/interesting afternoon.....

THIS is an important landmark...mostly because it is part of the wall in Thessaloniki it moves from the water all the way to the top of thessaloniki (we're on a hill you know......maybe not a hill but we are definetely on an incline) This marks the town center if you go to you right you head home...to your left....CHEAP CHEAP food and SHOPPING....all very important as you should know, yes yes.

Do you know why its cool to be here?
Hok I'll tell you why...because you're walking aimlessly and there in the middle of your day, in the middle of your walk, are ancient ruins....RIGHT there....I can't remember if this is Greek or Roman....I'll have to figure it out....either way....it can't get more legit than that.

OK you see this?? THIS is a view from the end of the center street were the cheap food and some little shops end....SEE the FIRST sign....FIRST is home to my first crepe here in Greece....VERY important...I'll NEVER forget it....I have much to say about the crepe's...you'll find out soon enough woo.

SO things I need to mention in the future: VERGINA, FOOD, taxis, NIKOS update, Classes, ACT things, the public bus, WALKING walking everywhere, My first shopping experience, my first trip the grocery store...if I haven't mentioned that already...ummmm flats boots heels leggings skinny jeans layering scarf phenomenon, no such thing as sale/clearance, My trip I'm taking this weekend...Oooo taverna's that goes with the food convo....and how/what the hell these people do with the whole eating thing here...ummmmm LOTS and lots of stuff...anyway.... THATS whats up......

I hope you are all well...and hope you believe me when I say I'm doing fantastically.

Ya-sas Hlo

Well I'm still doing a re-cap from this past week. It's bright and early on a Sunday afternoon. 4 O'clock comes quickly here....mostly because I slept-in tell then....and I didn't go out last night....I needed a major siesta. So I'll break this down short, sweet and to the point. After going out on our first night in Thessaloniki, I still hadn't seen much of area I am living.....slash/ any of it....I had planned on waking up early and walking everywhere. BUT....it seems like 4 o'clock is my staple for sleeping-in now. I need those precious hours of sleep....but mostly it was because I was going through 3 straight days of no sleep. Even this morning, I still needed more sleep... it has been "GO GO GO" since I arrived. Now, I slept in till 4....and decided to do morning things, jump online, take a shower...you know...by the time I was ready to eat it was 8 or 9 at night....THIS TIME THING is really messing me up....now I am better....kindof, but not really. SO I run down the street.....a mere 1 minute walk to a "toast and crepe" shop. I walk in with Shira (sheer-ah) and The cutest old man is just waiting there ready to take my order....annnnd then I speak....First thing I have been saying is.... "Yas sas!!! ENGLISH?!!".....and of course....the answer is always no or little......I'm pretty pumped for my Greek class because I'm determined to know this language pretty well by the time I leave.....ANYWAY....we had a long time discussing what I wanted....I wanted a sandwhich...he said crepe....I said bread....he said crepe....he laughed...WHICH is good because so far people just get pissed off and look at me like I'm retarded...not that that isn't new or anything....HOWEVER, he said..."TOAST"....and YES!! TOAST!!!!!! ahhhhh toast......anyway...he's adorable....I'm going to make him cookies....I don't know if you can do that here....but.....I'm doinit anyway....Imado what I want. OoooOoooo....

SO after my toast walk and after the littl old toast man motioned that I look and was tired...I decided that I was...Jet lag for me is going to be about a week long.....I hope it will stop there....so despite my many hours of rest and sleeping I was STILL ready to go to bed after toast....but....peer pressure....ohhhhh that peer pressure...annnd approximately 15 minutes later I am READY to go. Oh heyyyy. So we decided to pre-game....pre-drink as shira would say....pre-funk as joana would say.....either way...its the cheaper way to go...oh heyyyyy....SO.....Luckily...I decided to bring my camera this night....I feel that the pictures speak for themselves....

OK WHO AM I KIDDING....I love commentary.

Here you see Heather. No, Not me......As you can see from the smile she was slightly surprised and shocked at the spontaeous shooting of the camera. The photographer focused on the shadowing of the room. As you can see the lighting exuberates the ecstaticness of the subject. Clearly a work of art. Dear Heather, I know you're reading this.............enter room here....turn here...creepily state...I'm reading your blog...turn around....proceed.....(you aren't supposed to understand this.....Heather is creepy...that is all you need to know.

Oh shira.....SO stoked about our evening. oh heyyyy----->

SO this is the night we went to DANTE...I know I've been menioning it from day one and here I am and I still haven't gotten to my Tuesdaynight ADVENTURES....however, DANTE's was quite fun.....We just walked into it...wasn't sure what we were doing but we sat down....and joana and I didn't want to wait for the server to come around so we went straight to the bar and got a drink....but here the style of drinking is SOOOO hlock style. It isn' extreme...its like eating dinner: you go for awhile....and you defintely do no go to just pound alcohol the american collegiate way. It is just socializing.....which is really fun....SO eventually everyone went there ways...after a few good hour maybe longer, but we stayed at Dante's where we met Demitiri who was the bartender, Socrates haha who was hysterical and just didn't get the whole american thing...though he was EXTREMELY interested...MAXIMOUS who was the first Greek guy I thought was cute...minus the extreme unibrow (I personally wouldn't have it) and the DJ who's name I can't pronounce...talk to joana....she knows.....ANYWAY....we talked to them for a long time and it was killer fun.....SO eventually we decided to go home mostly because Heather...not me couldn't keep her English, Greek, AND spanish seperated......mostly spanish....tambien works in spain and mexico...not GREECE.....SO then we were off......Allie, Joana, Heather, Myself, and Shira........and we decided to stop at FIRST in the centre which is one of the MANY food stands/ places to go in the center....ENTER my first crepe....ummm AWESOME....I still like sweddish pancakes better.....but....the whole crepe thing will work....mostly because they are everywhere...and mostly because you can put random stuff in it....i like cheese.....insert melodramatic pause here.....

WHILE eating our Crepes we found 5 Greek boys.....2 were behind us in line and 3 were sitting there just chilling hanging out....soooo naturally being american, bold, and foward, we go talk to them....on a scale from one to ten, it was really fun....mostly for joana....she technically got asked out....She technically has still not responded to the boy that pulled her aside....they do Facebook here....very into it....anyyyyway.....Mas Photos? MAS PHOTOS!!!....and I lied......my internet is not cooperating....so pictures will have to wait......Idk....I'll figureout what is going on soon enough...

adios.....er adio....er...YA SAS!!!!

-Hlo

HOK. Here we go...It's time to remember before I forget SO. Let's recap the past few EXCITING days in Greece. Can I get a woot woot? No? ok....totally cool. ANYWAY. Right then...SO let's discuss our FIRST evening out in Thessaloniki. We haven't slept...I'm feeling some SERIOUS jet lag...I have been awake since Early Sunday Morning....I still can't quite figure out how or when my time and sleeping and its all a mess as you can see I can't even explain it....SO after we settled in and unpacked our stuff as I exclaimed earlier WE decide its time to hit it. Luckily one of the SAB students who lives above us is decently fluent in Greece.....not that WE NEED IT....but for the first time out in this city, it wasn't a bad thing. So a bunch of us in the building that had just arrived peaced-out into the city. I'll be honest....I'm feeling a little apprehensive at the moment....meaning...I don't do cities....slash I have never really been in a city by myself and all of this business is really similar to New York city....however...that's really the only city I have visited beyond the Burg which neighbors Hershey by a mere 20 minutes....but to be honest, I don't think of it as much as a city...though Padre will tell you differently....SO we go out the bunch of us and find ourselves walking aimlessly toward the wind that seems to keep pulling us closer to something more captivating than the constant shops and food stands that line every sidewalk....and there it was... The routunda that marked the front of the pamphlet that I found in the Study Abroad office at Virginia Tech. ACT in bold red opened up to a mere three quarter pages explaining yet another opportunity to travel to Europe....I remember just shuffling the small document into a pile of othe possblities thinking that this option wasn't as elaborate as the others....and here I am....standing right infront of this HUGE enormous spherical landmark....Can you imagine trying to hug this thing?....and thats the first thing I said when I saw it....literally.....SO what is this thing really???? THIS is the White Tower. Built in 1430, this is said to be Thessaloniki's most famous site on the paralia. When we saw this it was also my first sight of water FROM land. IT was so awesome. WE LIVE HERE....this is where we are going to live......are you serious? This is like over 2,000 years of HISTORY.....take a minute....drink it in, drink it in....it always goes down smooth....and who doesn't want to live in a city, and live by water...and live where EVERY SHOP here is like 7/11.....its open at all hours ready to rumble...and I mean ALL hours....the streets are busy late at night...they are filled with busses, cars, and people.....WHEN DO THEY sleep.....They are up early...and they go to bed late....late as in they go to bed when they wake up....I DON'T get it.

ANNNNYWAY,

SO our first night out we walk towards the water like I said and we stopped at one of the food shops and got my first gyro.....ok...it isn't guy-ro....so check yourselves, haha. ANYWAY....so I didn't even have to order because Mr. I speak Greek for fun did the job for me....I was exhausted...this was perfect....and it was SO good....I'm not a big red-meat person but it was pretty baller....SO on we went and found ourselves in this place called, theCoast. Ok..it's in English....we just picked a radom place....and it was relatively americanized. Not really the best place to go as my first nightlife activity in Greece, but it was awesome all the same. The water-line is just bar after bar. THIS puts Blacksburgs DT to complete, utter, and sincere shame.....EVERY few feet its a new cafe/bar ready for you to sit down and have a drink. I COULD really get used to this....however in the midst of us enjoying ourselves....enter the NUin students. Now you might be thinking....hok Heather....sweet update I'm done....or TELL ME MORE....in which case....alright, I'll tell you MORE!

NUin: Northeastern University located in the Boston area has a relatively strong affiliation with ACT. They have started a program this semester where Freshman students that were deffered until the spring semester could do an abroad program to ACT to take about 4 courses that would cover the basic intro curriculum many students just love to get out of the way.....enter 60 freshman....into the Thessaloniki nightlife....

lets have a moment to reflect on this....

ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? haha ok It's great for them, really it is, I mean if I were there parents I would definately allow my 17 year-old who just graduated from High School to travel across the world to experience higher education for the first time and jump into higher education extra-curricular activites without knowing anything about college-life or being able to have that first semester to mature and transition into a very different part of their barely adult lives. Yes....that sounds like the ticket....why let them get in trouble with the law and alcohol poisoning in the states when they can just do it in Greece without ANY trouble or complication....where the culture they are entering doesn't EVEN compare to the nature of the american-collegian lifestyle....where binge drinking and drinking for all the wrong reasons may or may not be realized within the first few weeks at a university. Hmmm..... and we wonder why europeans think that Americans are loud, obnoxious, and billigerent...................if it were their 2nd semester....awesome....but there is no structure for these new students....and in my opinion after watching them for just a few days....the are not ready nor mature or this type of stimulation. I know they will all mature and find a good balance, and I'm sure I may not think the same when this is all over, but for now......NU needs to lock it up.....and if they are going to send their students abroad....shouldn't they want to send their firsts and not their runners up?

(WOAHHH rant....a little harsh...I understand....but I'm a writer.....and WHEN have I not caused controversy with my ideals and thoughts in publications?.......)

ANYWAY.....so we decided to leave theCoast once a handful of the freshman invaded our space and made a mess of things. SO we took a taxi to get to another part of the water-line....or so we thought....we took 2 taxis but we ended-up exactly where we started and the other taxi ended at some random bar a bit away. So we sat down at a table and decided to get a beverage. Mythos and Amstel seems to be our beer of choice...to give you an idea of mythos....I think it tastes worst than natty better than keystone...and amstel....well its on the same lines....I'm not a beer drinker anyway....insert Greek Wine Here...so the others caught up to us....and that was really the end of our night...however, I'd like to disclose what the time schedule is like here.....let's do a question and answer session.

Q: What time do people go out in Thessaloniki?

A: KILLA LATE

Q: Say what?

A: If you go out before 10:30 or 11:00 you are going out WAY too early. People eat dinner around 10...DINNER....that means sit down and laugh away....then followed by drinks

Q: So that isn't too bad you eat dinner at 10 your on your way to the bars by 11....right?

A: WRONG!!!! The Greeks eat dinner like no other. You can't just go some place grab a quick bite to eat and be on your way....Dinner for these people is between 2-5 hours long. You sit and talk well after you are finished leaving.....they give you wine and bread and feed you forever....oh don't worry...I'll get to the food at a later post....but It's an interesting life the Greeks live...

So about those dogs and cats everywhere....Kboo...you'd be SO excited.....they are EVERYWHERE.....and stray...which means ofcourse i'm telling everyone NOT to even think about touching them.....they all have mange....I can feel it....Naturally we Americans melt at the site of a cute dog or cat.....but here....I mean come on lock it up....I don't think it would even be ok to pet someone elses dog while they are walking them here........TOTO, we are NOT in Kansas anymore.

NEXT TIME on HlockdoesGreece:

DANTE, My first Crepe, the 3 Greek boys we met in the Centre, Orientation days 1 and 2, My trip to Vergina, FOOD and the old toast man down the street, the taverna, the people that hate us down the street, quiet hours, my first trip to the grocery store, taxi's, downtown shopping, no matter how hard I've tried....am as American as you can get, PEACH TEA, and BAKLAVA!!

ps. Classes start monday

pps. Tech has been in school for a month muahahaha!! I WIN!!!

.....it's all GREEK to me

-Hlo

Oh heyyy Thessaloniki!!!!

I'm FINALLY HERE!!! It is currently my third day in the beautiful, FAST, and non-english speaking city of Thessaloniki, Greece. I have done so much in such a short amount of time it is hard to believe that I haven't been here longer!!! I'd love to go into the oh so fabulous details of my fights and travel experiences to Greece....but why explain how I slept on the plane..oh wait I didn't...and how the airplane meals were absolutely delcious...oh wait...they weren't haha...you get the picture. So let's start at the beginning of Thessaloniki....because it seems like great place to begin...naturally:

SO, there I was grabbing my SINGLE bag from the luggage...thats right. I MANAGED to fit my life for the entire semester in ONE bag. What does that mean....that means every other girl that arrived on the same flight schedule as me brought 3 plus+ bags....THREE! Who does that? THANK GOD for space bags....(madre...brosef....so smart) Once I finally got to the tiny airport at Thessaloniki, I walked aimlessly around trying to find a sign that said ACT students after walking through security. After approximately 4 minutes and 27.6 seconds of inner panic, THERE was a sign and Stefanos. Stefanos is an act student-ambassador type person....he has a sweet job...goes to school at ACT and then helps the SAB students....I could so do that. Minus that I can't speak Greek....at all...its very important here I have found....also note...we speak ENGLISH....not AMERICAN....no I did not make this mistake....but seriously....some girls here need to Lock it up....haha no no, I think it is all just the culture shock....which lasted a very short time for me...whew...as martha would say...."thats a good thing" So stefanos took about 6 or 7 of us who arrived at the same time to our "doorms" in a VERY residental part of the city....but it is still in the heart of the city....I would like to say that Thessaloniki is like a cleaner, more polite, older, and interesting New York city. All the pictures, books, and movies we have seen is exactly right....no, NO donkeys or mules yet....but the older people here are so cute. The lady across our street is the typical Greek woman. She has an orange cleaning apron and grey over-worked hair that completes the homely quiet woman that she seems to be. She just sits on her balcony, expertly inhaling the smoke from her cancer stick or leaning out her windows as her sage-green shutters bump back and forth against her whitewashed house....I have decided to call her Edna...Joana my roomate from Oregon ((serious west-coastie), also note: Joana is AMAZING and Greek..hardcore greek...) anyway....Joana isn't having it....the little old lady needs to be Greek like an Angli or something....no. She's Edna. I like her. ANYWAY...pictures? I KNEW thats what you were waiting for....or what you have decided to scroll down to see....skip my words and just see whats up...LAME! READ!!! It makes you smarter...haha ok seriously...Lets have a picture show.

The little old lady lives here!!-------------->

Thist first picture is the little market accross the street....RIGHT THERE....I'll never go hungry....(Happy mom?)

This is from our Balcony down the street...away from the city...I'll take more I promise....it was a grey day when we go here! AND it poured like crazy like SERIOUS rain storm.

OK the next few are of my room here....LUCKILY JOANA'S mom is so smart and over-packed for Joana: just throwing random things in her bag....which is super...and she brought organizers....AWESOME....AND we went to IKEA....THEY HAVE ikea here and I got some things in a very inexpensive way to make my life more live-able....they said they'd have things...LIES...all LIES....I don't mind...going to ikea was really fun. We took a taxi and the taxi's here are RIDICULOUSLY cheap. It took about 25 min to get to ikea and it cost 4 us about 6 Euros...total...and you don't tip here...NEVER tip...unheard of...I LIKE THAT POLICY...haha it was fun....so the next few pictures are of our room I think it's cute....eventually there will be things up on the walls... I brought magazines....woo for insta-wall art haha. The room is small but 2 beds a kitchen killer small bathroom (we got skunked hardcore)....a toilet that you can't flush toilet paper down (ew) an airconditioner that doesn't work, weak lighting, a fridge that will do its purpose, a desk, a small table thing, a closet, and a really awesome balcony that I could sit on for hours. Stoop sitting here is a at a whole new level....thats what the locals do...they stoop sit with vigor, force, and purpose...what purpose you might ask? WE DON'T know....but I for sure support it...much like frilly toothpicks (k-boo..."I'm FOR 'EM)....you aren't supposed to understand that last comment but if you do....have a chuckle...PICTURES NOW? YOU WANT MORE?? ok ok ok I get the picture...haha pun totally intended. SNAP!

(The green bed is mine!!!! )

This is completely do-able.....I like it.

---------> OK this is the view from the balcony...closet doors...kitchen and bathroom is the far left door of this picture...woo.

SO I decided this is where my entry for the night stops...I'm exhausted....orientation day two tomorrow...I'll explain later....and include VERY important information on the following : theCoast, DANTE, my first GYRO, Panepistimou5, Maximous, the 3 Greekboys we met eating my first Crepe, Cats and Dogs...everywhere, the old "toast" man down the street, the people that HATE us down the street, quiet hours, sleep deprivation, NUin, my uncleanable bathroom floor, the probablity that I might be on the ACT varsity soccer team, the Greek phrase book that is saving my life, I found PEACH TEA, andddd my brief moments of "omg I want to go home"....that lasted 30 seconds...btw....sorry mom...loveyoumeanit!!! haha....ok that's a lot for now......(ps. they don't even have windex here)

.....kalinihta and so much love,

Heather