Evidently I neglected a title last time...

Week one, finally over. Yeesh.

A few days ago I emailed a girl who had studied abroad here last semester and kept a blog about it. I asked roommate advice, excursion advice, and mental survival advice. You see, my classes are all day every day, there are constant strikes in the public transportation (even the Greeks don't know why sometimes), and my roommates don't seem to care that they're in Greece. My school is tucked away in the suburbs where almost nothing exciting happens, and I feel trapped here, as if I still haven't been in Greece. If you want the truth, I hate this residence hall. The rooms are cold, the kitchen and bathroom are not well-equipped, the hallways are so echo-y it doesn't matter what floor you're on, the washer and dryer doesn't make any sense, and all of the other study abroad students are here to party as opposed to all the things I am here for. I wish that my campus were already downtown so that I could just go right outside and explore, and I wish I had known that crappy roommates were part of the package deal for study abroad. I apologize for all these negative attitudes in the posts, but I felt the need to really tell you what studying abroad is ACTUALLY like.

Anyway, this girl wrote back and calmed me down a little, saying that everyone adjusts differently, that her first week was similarly not as romantic as her blog made it sound. And now that the weekend looms upon me, all I have to do is make it through tonight when everyone tries to peer pressure me into going out, and then boy, do I have plans for Saturday and Sunday!

But first. Yesterday was a pretty good one. It's the beginning of Lent, right? The Greeks called yesterday "Tsiknopempti," which means Burnt Thursday, in honor of all the inevitable souvlaki. People are expected to give up meat for lent in Greece. That doesn't end up happening a lot. But the Greeks still celebrate by eating a lot of meat right before Lent starts. From my experience so far, the food in Greece is much more flavored than I've ever had anywhere. They make the potatoes with olive oil and lemon juice somehow so that they taste like something completely different from potatoes. The pita bread, gyro meat, tzatziki, ice cream, and even pizza all are smothered in flavors I can't find anywhere. This must be the secret to real Greek cooking. I should also add that the Greeks are not an impatient bunch; they don't even bother forming lines for food, they just stand there and wait for the opportune moment to get a gyro. The food experience has been a delight, and I only hope that I can take some of their philosophies on food back with me.

I am still bothered a little by the fact that I came to this country less than adequate at speaking Greek, but so far the students, if not the shopkeepers, do not seem annoyed. I spent the Tsiknopempti celebration (on campus) with a friend I made in my political science class who is both Greek and German, and she said she appreciates simply the fact that I traveled to Greece by myself, of my own accord. It's hard to motivate myself to practice Greek with the native speakers when most of them speak fluent English, but I hope that better practice will present itself soon. I am bothered by it, but I'm sure the feeling will pass.

Oh, and the Greek swear word of the day: If you're having road rage, shove your palm out in front of you like you're pushing a door closed, and say, "Muja!" to whoever made you mad. The insult means nothing if you don't shove your palm out noticeably.

Yes, I do have plans for Saturday and Sunday, and Wednesday, too, for that matter...but they're surprises! I'll take pictures.