So since I have posted last, I have been extremely busy.

On Sunday, Nadia and I went to Kalamaki, a beautiful beach. We laid out for a few hours, and took the tram back to Pagkrati. Nadia also showed me a new metro station to go to-- Evangelismos, which is an easier and safer walk home.

Beach at Kalamaki

On Monday, I left at 5:30 AM to meet the study abroad group at Piraeus, the port of Athens. I left at 5:30 AM because I figured that it would take me 30 minutes to walk to the metro, 30 minutes on the metro, and 30 minutes to find the group in Piraeus... well, some unexpected things happened. 

At 5:30 AM, it is still dark and things don't look the same when it's not light out. I got a little turned around when I was trying to find Evangelismos metro station, which I have only been to one time before. I ended up being one block east of where I needed to be, but I managed to ask IN GREEK "Poo enai o stathmos metro Evangelismos?" (Πού είναι ο σταθμός μετρό Evangelismos?) Even though I didn't understand what left and right translated to, I nodded whenever I saw a hand motion and went in that direction.

So, by 6:10 I found the metro station (only 10 minutes later than I expected), and got onto the train to Piraeus. By the time I made it to the port, the sun was coming up... but here was the next flaw in my plan. No one from the study abroad group told me where to meet them at the port. There are 10 gates at Piraeus, that are pretty far apart... I walked around for 20 minutes trying to decipher where the different boats were coming in from-- finally I found the gate that was coming from the Cyclade islands. From there, I asked 3 different coast guards to tell me where the boat from Santorini was going to come in... naturally, all 3 of them gave me different answers. I decided to trust the one that actually took out an official sheet of paper to check the boats and time sheet. 

I started walking to E4, but there was no boat in site. And I was about to sit down on a bench to wait, when a sweet old lady came up to me. She smiled and said, "are you Emily?" I just about jumped up and gave her a hug! It was Thanos' mother, also waiting for the group. She led me back to the bus that the group would get on after they got off of the boat. Also waiting there was Thanos' son, Nick-- the same one that I have been going to art class with for the past week and a half. 

I was beyond relieved. Although I had a crazy morning, I was lightened to have found the bus, been on time, and safe. 

Once the study abroad group arrived, I had completely forgot about my crazy morning. I was so engrossed on how badly I missed having friends around-- that spoke English. 

On the bus ride to Epidaurus, I had a mini meeting with Thanos about my Shape Grammars research. So far I have been doing a lot of reading and writing down of definitions that will help me understand Greek temples better. He was very excited to see the work that I've been doing and helped me understand what I should be doing next.

Anyways, Epidaurus was beautiful!! We went around to see the theater, Temple of Asklepios, the stadium, and the remains of the Temple of Apollo. 

Theater in Epidaurus

Myrsini and me in the theater

After Epidaurus, we drove to Olympia, about 2 or so hours away. We didn't have any more site visits for the rest of the night, so we had the chance to relax.

These two awesome guys helped me celebrate my birthday at a taverna in Olympia. Sam (left) and David (right) are two of the many amazing people that I've gotten to know much better from this trip. I can't wait to have reunions with them when we get back to Tech!!

On Tuesday, we got to go to the ancient site of Olympia. Since I have already been here, I had the chance to walk around and take great pictures and discover new parts of the site, which could help me with my research.  

The well preserved pediment from the Temple of Zeus

The Temple of Hera

Column pieces near Temple of Zeus

The Temple of Zeus was destroyed in an earthquake, sending all of the columns to the ground. There are hundreds of pieces laying around the site. It amazes me how restoration teams are able to decipher the parts and begin to put back the pieces.

The boys as they race in Olympia

I suppose that's all for now, I know this was a long post... but I will have more later-- about my birthday! :)

Fun fact-- no part in Greece is more than 85 miles from the sea!! :)

Emily

I realized today that I am culturally misplaced. I am an American living in Athens, Greece, with a Moldovan roommate. We went to the market today-- a Russian market. AND-- the family that is renting the apartment next to my room is from Australia.

There are times that I don't know what language is being said around me, or what kind of food I am eating. Whatever it is though, I'm enjoying the company and the confusion of cultures.

This past week went by really fast-- going to my drawing class every day and coming back to the apartment to either do research or read the second book of the Hunger Games. I enjoy spending the evenings on my veranda looking out to the city, thinking about how different life is here compared to back home in Alpharetta. 

One of my drawings of an Ionic column capital

Even though we work much harder back home to make a living, the Greeks seem much more busy. The city is so alive. And its not just young adults, there are older people too, walking around and gossiping about people as they pass. There is a constant stream of motorcycles, foot traffic, and the metro is always packed. It's unbelievable to think the amount of people that live in this city. 

Anyways, today Nadia (my roommate) and I walked around the city-- wandering our way from Syntagma through Monistiraki and over to Omonia. I understand why people tell me to avoid those areas, although it is safe during the day. When we were on our way to Omonia, an old lady come up to me and Nadia and asked (in Greek) if we wanted to buy any marijuana. I understand now why Nadia ignored her and shoved her way through the crowd, with me trailing at her footsteps. 

It's not a scary area, but I know that a lot of crazies hang out there. So I will do my best to avoid that area.

Me in Omonia Square

The markets in Omonia-- fresh fruit, fish, nuts... anything you want

Haha the other thing that I noticed (from this picture) is that RIGHT across the street, there is a pet shop, where the animals are halfway in the street. There are pigeons EVERYWHERE... so I wouldn't suggest going to this market because something isn't right about the zoning situation there.

Tomorrow, Nadia and I are going to the beach! :) I'm not sure where she will take us, but she said that the water is very clear, so I am convinced we will have a great time. I will bring my camera and take pictures to post next time.

Random fact about Greece-- 80% of Greece is mountainous and it has half of the seismic activity of Europe.

Emily

Here are some fun facts about Greece:


1. With an area of 50,949 square miles, Greece is roughly the size of Alabama. The population of Greece is more than 10 million people—comparatively, the population of Alabama is around 4.5 million.


2. About 7% of all the marble produced in the world comes from Greece.


3. Greece is the world's 3rd largest producer of olives.


4. Greece has over 2,000 islands-- and only 170 are populated.


5. Greece is the birthplace of democracy, Western philosophy, the Olympic Games, political science, Western literature, historiography, major mathematical principles, and Western theories of tragedy and comedy.


6. In Greece, people celebrate their "name day," or the name of the saint that they were named after, instead of their birthday.


7. Greeks do not wave with an open hand, in fact it is the equivalent of the middle finger in the states. So when Greeks wave, they have to keep their fingers closed.




I have only been here about a week and a half, but I am starting to get to know the city pretty well. I feel pretty comfortable riding the metro, going to the grocery store to try new foods, walking from Pagkrati to the Acropolis, and saying hello to people in Greek. 


It is also very convenient to stay in my room, waiting for friends and family to get on Skype or g-chat... I'm going to push myself to get out of the room more and more each day so I become adapted to the city and can finally live on my own. I love talking to friends and family back home, but I can't rely on them while I am here doing this trip.


Well, I am off to day 4 of my art class!! :) Can't wait to see Nick and finish my second drawing.

My drawing class at Tsigkris

Emily

Athena is all around the city of Athens, not only at the Parthenon, but on the coins, in the shops, and everywhere else that I go. It makes sense that Athena is the goddess of wisdom, because I am here to soak up as much of her as I can.

I have learned a lot about this city-- where the closest grocery store is, how to find my way back home from the Acropolis, the metro system, which places not to go to, etc. I am becoming very familiar with the city, although I don't think I could ever call it home. Athens is very dirty. There needs to be a year long rain to get all of the black soot off the sidewalks and concrete buildings. I can taste it in the air as I walk too.

I am still learning the language, but have a lot of key phrases down. I can easily order a freshly squeezed orange juice and ask where the bathroom is... I obviously have much more to figure out.

I continuously learn about the culture as well. The people here are much different, with more relaxed habits and more coffee breaks. The typical Greek will have their 1-2 pm Frappe on as strict of a time schedule as the German trains run. I experience new things about them daily...


Yesterday, before my drawing class, I decided to walk through Plaka. With a handful of strawberries, I munched on them as I passed the dozens of Americans asking the most touristy questions to Greeks. With the constant stream of tour buses, it's always the same questions, "where can I find a bathroom, a bakery, the Acropolis (clearly visible from where they are standing), etc. ??" I have seen more fanny packs and jean cargo shorts in Plaka, then any where else. But yesterday, I was in a pleasant mood and decided to help my fellow Americans. I answered their dumb questions and even gave them advice on places to eat. They were so amazed that I helped them out, and some reached in their bag to give me a tip. :) Whenever I am bored, I know exactly where I am going... I could get a huge kick out of this.

Yes, that is a confederate flag t-shirt...

That's all for now, I will blog later... 68 More Days Until Home!!!

I am officially alone. The study abroad group left this morning to travel to Greek Islands to see Mykonos, Delos, and Santorini. I had such an amazing time with them! I loved following them around and to hear the history about Greece one more time. The Georgia Tech Greece and Italy trip is unbelievable. Just in the past week we went to:
-Monday: Mycenae, Tiryns, and Nafplio-- to visit Minoan civilizations and to have lunch by the sea

Town of Nafplio and the Lions Gate in Mycenae, Greece

-Tuesday: Acropolis-- got a tour INSIDE the Parthenon and the Propylaia

Behind the scenes in the Propylaia

-Wednesday: Ancient Agora and New Acropolis Museum

Temple of Hephaisteion in the Agora

-Thursday: another walk around the city-- Roman Agora, Lyscicrates Monument, Pynx hill, Olympic Stadium, etc.

Olympic Stadium

Hadrian's Gate and Hadrian's Library

-Friday: Delphi and Arahova for lunch

In the village of Arahova-- David and I

Thanos and I giving a presentation about Shape Grammars

-Saturday: day trip to Aegina
-Sunday: took the metro to the closest beach and hung out with friends

Now, my trip begins... Today I will begin my art class, working with charcoals and pencils to draw in perspective. This will help me when I visit temples that I have to draw for the J. Neel Reid Award.

When we went to visit the art class the other day, I was a bit nervous-- not only for starting a new project, but also because of the area. Thanos and Myrsini gave me a strong warning about the area. Omonia, 5 or so blocks from where my class is located, has the majority of the strikes. So I will be very cautious, especially because Thanos' 15 year old son will be with me. Even though he is significantly younger than me, I think we will be good friends and we will keep an eye out for each other.

That is all for now... I will blog tomorrow with an update from my drawing class!!

Emily

I will do my best to explain today... I wish I could say that today was the most significant day of my life, but I know that there are more to come very shortly. But please bear with me when I explain everything in detail!!!

I started off the day walking to the hotel, to meet the study abroad group in Plaka. My walk is exactly 30 minutes, through neighborhoods of Pagkrati, past the Olympic stadium, and through the Zappeion Gardens. I decided to put in headphones today and listen to some upbeat country music, just to remind me of home. AND-- since no one was around me, I decided to sing out loud a little bit. :) Well, as I was crossing in from of the Zappeion gardens, a few dogs started running up to me because I was singing out loud. Naturally, I was frightened because German Shepherds aren't the nicest of dogs back home, especially if they are running towards you. However, in Athens, there are dogs EVERYWHERE, and they are all very friendly. But after the initial shock, I accepted my new friends to walk with me the rest of the way to Plaka.

After meeting up with the group, we walked to the Acropolis. I have been there multiple times before, but this time is MUCH different...

We did the normal ascent to the top, stopping short of the Propylaia. Thanos and Myrsini (two Georgia Tech professors) did their usual lecture about the history and the architecture. Then, Thanos received a phone call, speaking in Greek. I could make out words like "nai, nai" and other positive hand gestures. When he hung up, Thanos informed us that we were going to have an incredible experience...

We were going to go INSIDE the Parthenon.

This was it!!! I really thought that I was going to pee my pants or throw up. My adrenaline was pumping and I couldn't believe what I heard. Now-- for those of you who don't know, NO ONE is allowed inside the Parthenon, expect those that are working on the restoration OR graduate students studying in Greece. This was the most significant thing that I have experienced ever.

Above is a picture of me, standing in the pronaos of the Temple of Athena Parthenos (Parthenon). You can see that there aren't any other people inside, and there is a crane in there too. The crane was being used to take one of the metopes (a sculptural element above the column and below the roofline) down to clean and put into the New Acropolis Museum. Even to see restoration work in action from afar was incredible. 

After we learned all about the techniques and history, we had the chance to go into the Propylaia, just like I did last year. We met with Pedros, a marble sculptor, who gave us about a 2 HOUR tour. We even got to try to bang on some tools to carve marble.

I cannot believe all of the events from today... and I can't believe all of the adventures ahead of me!



I miss you all! Please look at my other pictures on Facebook and Skype me when you can. :)

Emily "I'm slowly becoming more and more Greek" Lenke

After a 2 hour flight to JFK, a rough 9 hour flight to Athens, and a 25 minute taxi ride winding through mountains with no turning signals and lots of crazy drivers, I arrived at my apartment in Pangrati, Greece. The apartment is quite nice. I have my own room with a kitchen, laundry/ dryer, desk, and queen size bed-- yes all of that is in one room. The best part of this apartment is the veranda roof. :) We have a wrap-around balcony with a view of the Acropolis and the Lykavittos hill.

Yesterday and today, I walked around with the study abroad group from Tech. I took them around Athens, to the neighborhoods of Monistiraki, Thissio, and Plaka. I did a very good job pretending like I knew where I was going-- only taking my map out 4 times. :)

I am slowly learning a bit more of the Greek language, but still not enough to have a conversation after I say "hi, how are you?"I just look at them with a confused look on my face, and then they understand and ask me their question in English. I have also noticed that the way I speak English is starting to change. I start emphasizing different parts of my sentences and almost say it with a Greek accent. I guess I'm just getting used to broken up greek-style English. haha

Right now I am playing cards with two Canadians, Mitchell and Jake, on the roof of my veranda. They taught me a game called Cribs, which Mitchell of course won. :) There is a Canadian family staying in the apartment below me, sharing the veranda. I definitely don't mind the company at all. Hopefully I will have a constant stream of Americans, Canadians, and Australians throughout the summer to keep me company.

More later-- Να σας μιλήσω αργότερα!! (Talk to you later)


Emily

Countdown.. 5 days til I leave

γειά σας


I guess there is never a good time of starting a blog... so I might as well begin 5 days before my trip.

For those of you who don't know, I have a super busy summer ahead of me. I will be traveling to Athens, Greece where I will be doing 4 different projects for the next 2 1/2 months. My projects include:
1. Drawing class  (www.tsigrissxedio.gr).
2. J. Neel Reid Award through the Georgia Trust-- drawing Greek temples around the mainland
3. PURA Award through Georgia Tech-- creating shape grammars of Greek temples
4. Internship where I will be doing restoration work on the Acropolis

I know most of you don't know what those projects even mean, but I will be posting more information about them once I get to Greece.

It's hard to believe that my trip starts in 5 days. I'm very anxious to get there!! Please keep in touch with me this summer and feel free to check out my blog. I will do my best to post pictures and fun adventures that I take.

αντίο,

Emily