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