We got into Athens airport and about half of our group lost their luggage. Luckily all of mine were there waiting for me after the half-hour line to get my passport and visa stamped.  We were literally dropped off at our apartment and told to be at the Arcadia Center at 20:00 (8pm) for dinner.  We were all exhausted, but two other girls and I were too hyped up to sleep, so we went exploring around the area.  Though signs on the freeway were in both English and Greek, in the city, they’re primarily Greek, so we got a little lost… but at least we figured out what kind of stores and cafes are around us.  We found a Starbucks, a KFC and a TGI Fridays nearby, but I’ve sworn to not enter into any one of them until I’m physically aching for America.

Last night was rather uneventful… made a few landline calls that I could with my Greek calling card and chatted with my roommates.  I had strange dreams all night about home and CMC, and when I opened my eyes in the morning, it was like, “Oh yeah… I’m in Greece…”

But I quickly got up since we had to meet at 7:30am to head down a clinic to get a TB shot and to get x-rays of our chests.  I tried making Greek coffee but apparently made it way too weak.  Last night we went to a mini-market to get a few food items where I bought milk, oatmeal and apples, so without a microwave, I boiled up some oatmeal for breakfast.  I have to say, it was a pretty sketchy looking clinic… the doctor who gave me my shot was super nice, however, especially when I told him I hated needles, so he said, in a thick Greek accent, “Just relax, take a deep breath and tell me your name.”  So I did, and by the time I hesitantly said, “My name is Bri,” it was done.  Then I got naked.  No really.  I had to take off everything from the waist up and was pressed into this cold plastic panel for the x-ray.  It was a little awkward, I’m not going to lie…

We walked by the 2004 Olympic Stadium on our way to the clinic.  There’s a track and exercise course up above it, so I figure that’s where I’ll go run in the mornings.  Jan told us we could get a gym membership and a couple of girls expressed great enthusiasm at the prospect, but I bet it’s cheaper just to head down to the stadium.  And closer too.

The disorientation is wearing off as I get acclimated to the time zone.  It’s hot.  Really hot.  Really hot and humid.  It’s like Southern California and New York City combined.  Oh yes! I have a single in our apartment and my window opens up to a balcony overlooking an alleyway.  I’ll post pictures when I have more time as I need to run off in a few minutes to get to an orientation meeting.  We have our first Greek class this afternoon.  We hope to grocery shop later tonight for more necessities.

Everyone here smokes.  Athens is full of stray cats.  It’s rather run-down and old looking (Greek graffiti everywhere), but there’s a kind of charm to the place.  My converter doesn’t fit the outlets, leaving me flat-ironless and curly-haired.  Greg wrote in his Greece blog that he felt like a child learning to walk when he first got here… well I feel like a toddler learning to crawl.

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Tori Amos – Parasol