Back in School

It's the end of the second day of class and the only thing I can say that adequately describes how I feel is ... blissfully exhausted. The days have been incredibly long, but every minute spent is more rewarding than the next. I can truly say for once that I feel as if I'm in exactly the right place at exactly the right time. Absolutely nothing seems to be out of place. There are a total of 12 people in my group. Amy, Carly, Andy, Alex, Marissa, Kerry, Julie and I are from the US. Feike (pronounced Fyka) is from the Netherlands. Sara and Victoria are from Canada, and Gemma is from the UK. We are all drastically different, yet strangely similar. The fluidity amongst us seems almost too good to be true.

School has been brilliant! (Accents and language are mingling together it would seem. "Brilliant" is the first word that came to mind and is something Gemma says often.) Each day varies from hour to hour but we maintain an extremely structured schedule. We jumped right in on day one and haven't looked back since.

The first afternoon I was one of six that traveled to Kiato, a village about an hour away. We were set to attend an English lesson for class 'C' students on Monday afternoon. As we waited for someone to unlock the school we watched from a street-side cafe as one car plowed into the back of another. It was nothing more than a fender bender, but you should have seen the the reaction from the Greeks! Everyone in the area stopped what they were doing and meandered toward the scene. They were all speaking incredibly fast Greek discussing back and forth who was at fault and so on and so forth. I turned to Peter, our main instructor, and asked if accidents like this were common. Peter's response was "it happens ALL the time." This accident had merely become afternoon entertainment for the locals. The school was finally unlocked and our 3 participants arrived, Peter, Angela and Stefano, all around the age of 11. We watched Vicki (their instructor) give her 90 minute lesson and I couldn't help but smile the entire way through. I felt so much joy watching those kids find their English words and phrases. As soon as they knew they'd gotten an answer right, their entire face lit up and I could feel the energy radiating from their new found confidence. It was exactly what I needed to see and I was put completely at ease. At some point this month I'll have the opportunity to teach these 3! After watching the lesson we drove back to Corinth and finished out the day in sessions with Cat (our second instructor who is from London.) Our day ended at 8:00 pm and we made the drive back to the house in Vrahati.

Today was my second day of class. Surprisingly I've been completely enthralled with each of our sessions! The days are 12 hours in length, but seem to finish much quicker than that. We leave the house each morning at 8:45 am and don't return until 8:30 pm. Currently it's 1:35 am on Wednesday morning and I'm still very awake. I think there must be something in the air. I'm running on drastically less sleep than I'm accustomed to, I have more energy than I've ever had, and all of a sudden I'm a morning person! I keep hoping this doesn't wear off.

The past couple mornings I've gone for a run down the oceanside street in Vrahati and I've seen so much of the village that way. Today I stopped in a bakery and bought freshly baked bread and bagels for breakfast. The woman behind the counter spoke only Greek so she hollered to the man just outside for help. He came in to translate and helped me find exactly what I wanted.

Tomorrow I have my first English lesson with a 10 year old student. I'll be observed by one of my instructors and 3 of my classmates. It'll be nice to get the first round jitters out of the way! It seems very soon to be instructing an actual student but I really do feel as if they've done an excellent job preparing me over the last two days. I only hope she isn't horribly shy, that makes things 10 times harder. Wish me luck!

I miss you all!

Marissa, Julie, Gemma, me, Amy, Sara, Alex and Feike on our lunch break in front of the Pegasus fountain in Corinth.

The harbor right behind the fountain shown above.

Our beach in Vrahati.

So Far, So Great

I made it to Greece and all I can say is 'ahhhhhh - mazing.' The trip here went faster than I expected and it was exhilarating the entire way. It's day 2 here in Vrahati and I still can't believe I'm here. I've already learned so much over the past few hours and I can't wait to soak up more and more each day. Here is a list of some of the things I've learned thus far...

1. Fruits and vegetables taste unreal in Greece. We shop at 'green markets' where all the produce is locally grown. Yesterday I bought 3 huge peaches, 2 limes, 3 carrots, two handfuls of cherries, and a kiwi for about 5 euro, which is the equivalent of 6 or so dollars, best deal I've ever gotten.

2. From 3-5 p.m. everyday the people of Vrahati (and I assume just about everywhere else in Greece) stop and take a breath. The stores close and the town goes quiet. I'm hoping I can make that happen when I get back to America.

3. Toilet paper isn't flushed down the toilet, it's thrown into the trash can next to the toilet. My goal is to make it all month without accidently reverting to my normal toilet paper habits. 

4. As a general rule, men wear speedos and its totally normal.

5. The Greek language is kicking my butt. I learn a word and forget it two minutes later. There are multiple different words to describe the same thing. I'm trying to remember that its only day 2 and I have all month to get better. 

6. Pedestrians DO NOT have the right away. Move over or be run over.

7. If you need to ask your neighbor for a cup of sugar there is no such thing as walking over and knocking on the door. Simply shouting from your house to theirs will suffice. 

8. The food is beyond description. 

9. Sidewalks are a standard place for parking.

10. Its considered a compliment if someone tells you you look like Michael Jackson. 

These are just a few of the things I've picked up so far. I can't wait for more.

Here are a few pictures to leave you with. Enjoy!

I love you all.

All the signs point to....!!

So as you can imagine, I've been mildly obsessed with internet research on Greece.  I've spent hours over the last couple months looking at pictures and reading about the culture and history of the country I will soon be traveling to.  Today I stopped by cnn.com to check in on the world and stopped by the travel section as usual.  The headline article was none other than...

ANCIENT MARVELS, SUN-SPLASHED ISLANDS OF GREECE

It wasn't so much an article as it was 25 beautiful images taken by people who have traveled to Greece from around the world.  Click HERE to check out all 25 shots!  You have to look at all of them, each and every one is stunning!  I read through all the photo descriptions and with each one my anticipation and excitement grew.  4 months seems like so long to wait!

A few images in-particular stuck out to me.  I wasn't able to upload them to my post but here is the description of one photo...

'Shaun Terrill of New York stayed at the Tsitouras Collection Hotel in Santorini, Greece, which came with this breathtaking view from their room's private terrace.  Greece "offers everything to everyone: from beautiful beaches to majestic landscapes to great food and warm people." Terrill said.' 

The photo accompanying this text is the third in the group.  I love his description because it says so much about Greece.  I have been so drawn to the county because of the landscapes, food and people as he mentioned.  I am so fortunate that I have been blessed with the opportunity to go to this place.  God is so good!

Its Officially Official!

Yesterday was one of the best days I've had in a long time!  The reason being that I paid my deposit for an English teaching certificate course I'll be attending in Corinth, Greece this July.  I have been waiting for an opportunity like this to come along and now I can safely say it is officially official!  My gracious and supportive boss said "Do it!" and approved the time off.  I went home and promptly paid the deposit that will hold a spot for me. 

GREECE!! The land of jaw-dropping sunsets, glorious beaches, historic landmarks and peaceful islands.  Below are a few pictures of Greece.  The first is an image of Santorini Island.  This island is located 6 hours from Corinth, but you can bet I'll be spending a weekend there.  The next two were taken in Corinth by previous TEFL students. 

My plan is to take the course this July and get my English teaching certificate.  I'll travel back to the states once the course is over and finish out the year in Kansas City.  I'm hoping to then move overseas and find a job as an English teacher in Greece.  I hope to move around to different countries every year or so and gain as much cross-cultural experience as possible. 

My trip is only 4 months away so I have a lot of work to do, including getting myself a passport.  This is going to be the experience of a lifetime and I can't wait to get on the plane!  

Pretty fall and others...