The (Somewhat) Great Big Day of Awful That Definitely Could Have Been Worse, But Still

“Some days are like that. Even in Australia.” 

― Judith Viorst 

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

So I haven't gotten to tell you about last Saturday yet. Saturday was one great big day of awful. ok, maybe that's an exaggeration. It wasn't ENTIRELY awful. We did eat some tasty food and we learned some valuable lessons involving public transportation. But enough of these musings. Allow me to explain.

image borrowed from athensminibus.com

The plan:

Make the pilgrimage to Epidaurus, the biggest ancient theater in the WORLD. Stand on the stage and recite a monologue from Sophocles' Antigone. Check out the archeological museum and other sites. Eat lunch by the sea. Experience all sorts of joy. Cost: €21 for bus roundtrip, €6 for Epidaurus admission. 

But that doesn't really sound like one great big day of awful does it? Nope. Not at all. Sounds more like a great big day of awesome to me. But sometimes, obviously, things won't go according to plan. God is going to offer you an amazing opportunity to use the fruits of the spirit. And I can assure you, we took that opportunity. We took it, stomped all over it, and had a great big day of awful. ANYWAY.

Probably the biggest lifestyle change I have undergone here is the use of public transportation. In South Dakota, having a car is almost essential what with everything being so spread out and the occasional freak snowstorm. But in Greece, with some practice and the ability to ask strangers for directions, you can get almost anywhere by the metro and bus. However, the ticket system is very different then that of, say, the metro in NYC. Here, anyone can get in the station and on the train without a ticket. However, they run the risk of being caught by the occasional guard and being fined. 

So the morning went as follows: Left the dorms at 8 am to make it to the airport by 9:30 am to catch the only bus to Epidavros (the city where Epidaurus is - two hours away). We could have bought tickets to join a fancy tour (that not only hits up Epidaurus, but also cool areas like Mycenae and Napflio), but we are poor college students and those tours are all €92. ANYWAY. So we buy our tickets at the nearest kioske, walk to the nearest bus stop, hop on, ride to the metro station, hop on, ride to the airport, hop off and try and find the bus to Epidavros. After following various random signs and asking various random people, we finally find the buses with a couple minutes to spare. Only to discover that the bus we need to get on is actually another hour's bus ride away. And that bus doesn't even leave for another 45 minutes or so. Needless to say, we were screwed. 


We played around with the idea of going elsewhere in Greece (in Anna's words, "We're young, we're in Greece, we're at the airport - why not?") but, as we've already discovered, traveling on our own is a lot more complicated then it seems. We decided instead explore Syntagma, which is near the center of Athens and whose train station is right outside the Parliament. So, we hop back on the train, and hang out for the next 15 minutes while we wait for it to leave. We smile and chat, acknowledge the nearest guard, and watch the train slowly fill with people. All in all, trying to persevere about our failed adventure. Finally, the doors slide shut and the train begins to move. 

Food makes
everything better.

This is when the guards take their opportunity to ask to see our metro tickets... you know, so there's no escape. Actually, this is the first time I have ever been asked to show my ticket. But no big deal. We're good girls. We hand them our tickets. 

And here's a fun fact. When getting on the metro, if you're going to or from the airport, you are required to have a special €8 ticket. Rather then our little student 70 cent ones. 

We got fined €80. The one upside is that, if you pay within 10 days, your fine is cut in half. But still.... we paid more money to do nothing then we would have paid to make it to Epidaurus. Hence, the great big day of awful. Our attitudes got the best of us. TIP: When travel plans and happy perspectives fall through, it is always a good idea to stop what you're doing, find the nearest eating establishment, and simultaneously rest/drown your feelings with food. 

Me, Marianna, and
pumpkin spice latte!

So Wednesday, our lovely Greek friend Marianna joined us to try and appeal this ticket. The appeal process is as follows: take the train across town, bring copies of passport, visa, and ISIC (to prove why we had student tickets in the first place), have Marianna speak with the attendant in Greek, and each fill out a Fee Cancellation Application Form (complete with contact info, explanation for why you shouldn't be fined, and your father's name... I dunno why, but every legal document here requires your father's name). Then, we had the choice to either pay €40 for the reduced fine now or wait to hear back until our application goes through. If it is accepted, our money will be returned to us. If it is not, and we had not paid the initially, then we would be charged the full €80. We won't hear back about the status of this application for one month.
(UPDATE: Because we had brought the copies of our IDs, they cut our fine in half. So now, we get to make a trip to the office and pick up 20€. I call it a success!)

But hey. Now we know. Public transportation is a blessing... and sometimes a b-word. Mostly a blessing. Getting in my car for the first time is going to be a weird feeling. I've never taken the buses in Sioux Falls before, but I'm definitely going to give them a shot when I get home. 

Thank you for bearing through this unfortunate tale. Studying abroad continues to be an incredible experience and I am so blessed and grateful for this opportunity. As our metro fine is the most unfortunate thing to happen to me thus far, I really don't have anything to complain about. Tomorrow, the study abroad team is taking us wine tasting in Napflio! Could there be a better ending to the first week of Midterms? Signing off with a photo of me and Anna's new inspirational wall decoration. Adventure on! 

Our Odyssey and The Iliad

“No man or woman born, 

coward or brave, 

can shun his destiny.” 

― Homer, The Iliad

We've been here a little over three weeks. I can hardly believe it! It continues to baffle me that I am actually in Greece of all places. It's a beautiful country with an exciting history, a charming culture, and delicious food. I'm in an olive, tomato, and wine lover's heaven. However, I've never been away from South Dakota this long before. This week, I found myself hit with a small bout of homesickness. Perhaps this is what culture shock feels like. The following is a passage is from a message I sent Bobby, when I was feeling particularly melodramatically helpless:

"I miss having a home in the states and I miss my sweatshirt and I miss taco bell. I miss watching tv with you and being able to read directions on the back of packages. I miss my bed and my clothes and my car and my books. I miss being able to see plays in english. I miss the theater department and not being judged for eating a burger with my hands."  

I assure you, I am still incredibly grateful to be here, but since this is a major part of the study abroad process, I thought it important to share. But on to the adventures of last Saturday. I'm starting to actually have homework and projects now, so forgive me for the prolonged post.

Our Odyssey and The Iliad

Saturday was an adventurous day, 
An Odyssey, one girl might say!
We made some plans to hit the town,
The Athens Mall and a theater round.

The day began in quite a fuss

Amanda, Jess, Anna, Debbi

We couldn't seem to find the bus! 
But thankfully the Lord did see
And sent some helpers straight to me.

The first, a graduate of our school,
Sent us to the right bus - super cool!
The second, come from Cuban dance class,
Walked us from the train - how very badass!

Once in the mall, we were very shocked,
Been weeks since we so comfortably walked.
Felt like home with burgers in hand,
(Of knives and forks, Europeans are a fan).

JOY

Shopped a lot and spent a little too much,
Greeks are such a fashionable bunch!
Amanda gave us a ride back,
Of skills, this Brazilian does not lack.

Then back on the Metro, we felt so great,
We knew we'd make it to the Iliad by eight.
One stop here, a transfer there,
Public transportation can take you anywhere!

Getting to Kallithea. 

Giggling and chatting, we had such fun,
We could make friends with anyone!
But alas, very soon, the train got tense,
A man upset with his bike? It made no sense.


But all was fine, we got off at our stop,
Just in time - that man got hot!
The doors were closed, but we had a hunch
That we totally saw someone take a punch!

...That's the only time I have ever been 
Uneasy about my safety in Athens.

Alas! We were lost! And no one could care
How much we don't want to pay taxi cab fare. 
Nothing looks like it did on Google maps,
And in Greece we don't have any data or apps.

In Kallithea, but we were so lost,
We had to give in to that taxi cab cost.
We tried to fit five of us in one small car,
He kicked two of us out - we were not getting far.

We arrived at the theater! But all was in Greek.
And looking around, we caught not a peek
Of Ancient Greek set up. We followed in line
And finally we entered the warehouse on time.

Expectation...

Reality!

Yes, I said warehouse, but it was fantastic!
And trust me, I'm not being the least bit sarcastic.
But after three hours, my friends were so done
And in English told me they were suckers of fun.

So back in the streets of Kallithea we went
To a cab to a metro and home we were sent
We stopped for a gyro at the restaurant called "MILF" *
(I know. But chill out and mind away from such filth.)

It was the best Chicken Souvlaki we have yet had.
But the fact that our big day was ending was sad.
Two girls got seconds, then we bid our goodbyes.
Our Odyssey was epic and nobody died. 

Jess, Amanda, Anna, Carissa: sucking fun.

The End. 

(tumultuous applause)










In Other News: Anna and I have still been incapable of locating some ground beef. However, we are super satisfied by the excellent fresh produce selection at the weekly farmer's market and we don't think we'll ever be able to go back to American Greek yogurt. Classes have really started to kick off for me! My favorite is Voice and Speech, though I love all the others as well. Graduation date is officially being pushed to December 2014. 

We have also booked flights to England and Italy in November. We are seeing Matilda and Billy Elliot in London and then we plan on checking out Bath, Stratford-upon-Avon and the famous Royal Shakespeare Company, possibly Stonehenge, and Canterbury (I just finished reading the tales in English class!). We also hope to hook up with my dear cousin Hillary who's been attending graduate school in England because she's ridiculously cool. In Italy, we will land in Milan and head over to Cinque Terre and then we are not sure where else. As far as flights go, here is a TIP: Easyjet.com is an excellent source for booking cheap flights in Europe! However, do it early early early early. Hence, why we are going in November. 

However, to those of you who have already traveled through Greece, England, and Italy, please post your advice for things and places Anna and I need to see! We are still lost and learning about this whole adventuring thing - we are currently facing the challenge of coordinating things like activities and hostels. I'm also slowly learning what it is like to be poor. Sending many gratitude prayers toward my parents and their support of this journey! 

Thanks so much for taking the time to read about our adventures!

Σας αγαπάμε! (Sas agapáme: We love you!)
*MILF: Meat I Live For. Yeah, I know it's not much better....