Before I go any further, credit must be given where credit is due. Kendra Watenpaugh provided the name for this blog (even though we wanted to call it Homerotica -- much to Stella's chagrin).
For the next few months my students and I will be providing both a travelogue of our experiences as well as a set of guideposts for future Pierce students fortunate enough to, in Homer's words, sail the wine-dark sea.
As it stands, Greece's contributions to Western civilization cannot be underestimated. (One can scarcely imagine where we'd be today if they had fallen to the Persians.) But at the same time, Greece today is an exceedingly fragile and economically vulnerable country.
But this is starting to sound too serious! This blog is a place to have fun, let loose, and convey the joy for life epitomized by Zorba the Greek -- and, truth be told, most Greeks. We should be sitting in tavernas, eating mezes and drinking ouzo -- and we will....
We'll start, though, by discussing our mis-preconceptions (in other words, what we thought we knew before we got here and what we've learned in the past two weeks).
Thanks for coming along for the ride.
I thought before coming to Greece that it was going to be like a desert, a town that i have never seen before. They would not have any food like they do back in the states. When i got here i was surprised, it was just like another city i guess people say like NY i have never been to NY personally. Only from tv or movies have i seen some sorts of what it looks like. They do not have all the junk food and fast food restaurants like they do in MA, but they do have a TGIF and a pizza hut along with a dominoes and a few Chinese restaurants. The people here are very civilized they dress up basically every day. You do not see anybody walking around in shorts or sweat pants. A few things that i thought where amusing is when you go out after dusk there are dogs everywhere you go. They are very friendly and kept well fed thanks to all the friendly citizens in Greece. If you start talking one and are nice to it and give it attention he will follow you the rest of the night. Even if you go inside a bar or restaurant when you get out they will be there. The one thing that i am not use to is the traffic. The traffic here is horrible. Unlike back in mass the traffic has to stop for you in the cross walks. Here you have to wait for them to stop for you, and if you get in there way they will honk and get mad at you. The lifestyle here is very amusing as well. Normally i eat dinner say around 6 or 7 o'clock. Here a lot of them do not eat dinner until 10 or later. A lot of food places stay open late until like 2 or 3 in the morning so if you ever have a mid night craving for some food you can always find some place to fill your appetite. Well that is what i think of Greece so far a lot of new adventures are sure to come.
ReplyDelete"Who let the dogs out" Hello, my name is Joey Cotton and at some point halfway through last semester i made a decision to study in Athens this spring, so far i could not be happier about that decision. I love everyone and everything about this trip and the group we are traveling with. There have been a few curveballs as far as expectations of what we would be doing here and how we would be doing it. One of the things that surprised me (in a good way) is how laid back and open Professor Mara is, he has shown us a great side of the Greek culture because he has been here before and made a great group of friends. Now, you might be wondering why i named this post "who let the dogs out" so i am going to tell you. outside of every bar, restaurant, hotel, and street corner there are stray dogs. What i found really cool about this is that they act just like people, they walk the streets, wait for crossing lights, and so on. I have a friend who studied abroad last spring and warned me about the dogs but i didn't quite believe him until i saw it with my own eyes. The coolest part about these hounds is their loyalty. We may go out to a bar and come back at 3 a.m. and they will walk with us side by side protecting us from strangers. Another surprise is how safe i feel in this city, because i haven't traveled a great deal or ever lived in a city i didn't know what to expect. It has far exceeded all expectations that i could have had and as i have told my family, it is the experience of a lifetime and i am cherishing every moment.
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