Single Lady Swag

So here's the deal. I've surpassed the year mark of being single. I can't begin to explain how perfect the last year was and how being single made that happen. I'm thankful that that day happened over Thanksgiving last year because it definitely opened my eyes to see all the people who actually care about me. Not to mention all the amazing experiences I've had along the way.  Now I look back and wonder why I would ever date someone who licked their plate, smacked their lips, or was a know-it-all. But hey, you live and you learn right? Only took me a good 4 years to figure out what a doorkknob I was being.

Now, on to the actual reason for this post. SINGLENESS. Loud and proud baby. Yeah of course I see other couples all lovey dovey and I want that and other times I enjoy a good complaining sesh over the matter but you know what? It doesn't matter. More of my friends are single than dating and I bet none of them have to fight over the remote. 

I have been in a very serious relationship with sleep over the past few months and I know if I had some kind of mancandy I'd have to sacrifice some shut eye and that won't happen. I also never have to pretend to enjoy watching football when really I like hockey. Drink water because their house doesn't stock the angel juice that is Diet Coke. And I no longer have to check in and say things like "you're cute or I miss you" two phrases that are only reserved for puppies and naps, in that order. 

What I'm trying to get at is that some people act like being single is so sad and depressing. It's a downright shame. Well it's a disease that has been running rampant across my lady friends for years and apparently the only cure is a boyfriend. GET OUT OF HERE. Cue Bryan Adams because looking back these are going to be some of the best days of our lives. We can literally do anything we want. Sweatpants Saturday? Sure. Fall asleep reading a book? Done.  Don't answer your phone? Yep. Asleep before 9? Nailed it. 

One day I'm going to tell some guy that I'll hang out with him for the rest of his life if he wants. But until then I'm going to live up the fact that I have an unlimited amount of single lady swag and Diet Coke supply to match. 

But really though.

Quality Time

Everyday I remind myself that growing up is hard to do. Recently, my roommates left me to eat dinner on my own. This is when the real world struck me down. Of course, while the roomdogs were away, I decided to make a little trip to Target before the daunting task of dinner. Since it is Halloween season, Reese's has their specialty peanut butter cups out and about for the fanatics like myself. So clearly, I purchased some, meaning to eat them as a post-dinner snack. But I slowly realized that I still had no idea what I was going to have for dinner and the end result was all too clear. As I was sitting on the couch in front of Jessica Day and Nick Miller, eating my Reese's pumpkins and drinking Diet Coke, I realized that the one day Kim and Glen leave me to make my own food I choose candy for dinner. This was the point that I took the five long steps towards the fridge and decided to wrangle myself some eats.

Now, I'm really not trying to explain what I had for dinner last night, I'm moreso trying to explain the realities of my life. Everyday I seem to realize that this is not college and I can not substitute chocolate covered peanut buttery goodies for a balanced meal and I also cannot drive to school and see the majority of my good friends. Last weekend, I took a very trip to the cities. Yes, people travel to see their friends all the time right? But, it becomes even more of an adult task when you have to wait for a long weekend to do so. Having never traveled alone for farther than 156 miles... it was a big step for me and the more reliable car option that I now have. So as any one person would do in a car with two cupholders, I filled both up with liquids and was on my way to see some fabulous people I hadn't seen in months and even years.

During the 4ish hour journey, I learned a lot about what it's like to travel alone. Just because there are two cupholders, doesn't mean that you should fill both and drink both before hitting the halfway point.
Also, passing cars tend to get a good laugh when they catch you ad-libbing during "Wrecking Ball" or get a glimpse of your outrageous car dance moves.

In addition to all the interesting things I found out about myself as a lone driver, I found out what it's like to spend quality time with some special people. As a culture, people think that it's necessary to always be in constant contact with each other, whether it's through text, social media, or in person. I am at fault as well. I think that we tend to place quantity of time together over quality of time. Knowing that as an adult, that some of your very best friends have settle in places away from you is bittersweet, yet satisfying. They, like you, are starting to build their lives around a career and hopefully find something they love and pursue. Now in order to see them, weekends must to be preplanned, gas tanks need to be filled, and time is limited. But yet, after all the miles driven in just three days, it feels like so much more than all those lackluster nights in front of the television stuffing your face. Not to get me wrong, those days are great too but they're long gone. Now the television is a spot where I enjoy my pre-nine o'clock nap before I transition to bed. It's a place where I share some of the enjoyable moments of my day with Kim and Glen or have a snack.

There is nothing more special than enjoying a cup of coffee with a good friend and talking about plans for the future, qualities searched for in a spouse, possible graduate programs, jobs, etc etc, or my personal fav, the hair and eye color of our future children. Please, not red. It's all of these thoughts and conversations that lead me to believe that I am quite possibly verging on extreme adulthood. Pretty soon I'm going to be giddy over vacuum cleaner shopping and buying forks. Am I proud of finally growing up? Hell yeah. Am I terrified? You betcha. But at least there will always be holiday Reese's right?

Next on the agenda? Flying the coop... hopefully before I'm 30.

Made It.

Well, it's officially here. I can finally say that I have surpassed the one month mark as a teacher...but not just a regular teacher, an art teacher. Something that I didn't think would be happening at all this year...or even in the near future. All the interviews I went on seemed to fail...miserably...and I was beyond settling as a substitute teacher for the year. I even own my very own substitute badge.

Thankfully I will never have to use it not because subbing is a bad job or anything, but purely for the fact that I look like a homeless person who forgot to open their eyes in the photo. I think it's safe to say that I have settled in at both of my schools. Yes, both. I have located the microwaves and have successfully run off copies from the copy machines. So really, I think I'm getting the hang of this.

I'm not normally the kind of person to write about how much God impacts my life or quote the bible off the top of my head. But I do think that it's important for me to point out that I think Big Daddy was looking out for me on this one. Having gone to a Catholic elementary school, I knew what a casual day in the life would look like and I guess he thought I would fit right in. Honestly, this job came out of nowhere and literally hit me in the face. All the best things do. I'm not much a planner so if I was getting a job, this was definitely the way it was supposed to happen. I think that a lot of things happen for a reason and the best of all things happen when we aren't looking for them. I am sincerely blessed each day to have 300+ kids in my life and a community who equally supports the arts as much as I do.

All in all, this last month has been chaotic. My entire schedule has flipped on its head. Never would I see myself exchanging my 3 a.m. sleep schedule for crawling off to bed at 9. But it's for a good cause. I'm pretty sure that my kids wouldn't enjoy a sleep deprived highly caffeinated Miss K. So really, I do it for their safety. Along with all of that, here are a few things that I've learned in the first month. Don't worry. I'm sure there will be plenty more.

1. Children love to stuff grasshoppers into whiffle balls.

2. Sometimes Kindergartners fall asleep in church.

3. Always iron while wearing long sleeves and long pants.

4. The sink is very short, leaving me to look like I have a lot of "accidents."

5. Never use charcoal on picture day.

6. School picture day is still awkward as an adult...stop combing my hair...

7. When you're the art teacher, any color combination is wearable.

And finally!

8. There's always time for a snack.

I'm jobless and I know it.

Art education is a very specific field, meaning that most schools only have one or two art teachers tops. I’ve had a few promising interviews but it all comes down to experience. Most of the places that I have interviewed have hired people with more teaching experience then me. And so then there’s me. What ever shall a girl do? If I’m still without a job, I’ll probably end up subbing for the next year while I look for other opportunities to pursue and when I'm not subbing I can probably be found hanging out with my roommates, also known as Kim and Glen, hanging out at my second home, known as Dairy Queen, or my third home, referred to as Target or any combo of the above. The possibilities are endless. 

Here’s how I feel about my future. The last time I checked, I will be turning 23 in a few weeks. In other instances, a lot people would be concerned that being 23 and without a stable job may leave a person hungry and living in a box. Not to worry. My roommates already told me they would continue to feed and house me until further notice. Although, I wasn't too concerned about being thrown out on the street, it's nice to have some reassurance. 

Whenever I get my hopes crushed by another failed interview, I like to remind myself that it probably wasn’t the right fit. It was too long of a drive, there weren’t enough windows, the vending machines weren't in close enough proximity to the classroom, or there's no hockey team. You know. All the important things that I look for in a job were lacking. But all in all. I try to keep my head up because it’s not the last art ed job in the world. There are plenty more jobs out there, they might just not be ready for me yet. So I'll just crack open another Diet Coke and sign some more cover letters because there's bound to be someone who's willing to take a chance on me. 

So until then, here's a few things I’ve been looking to go pro in. I’m sure at least one of these professions will pay the bills.

1. Cheese taste testing

2. Dog petting

3. Golf cart driving

4. Out of tune singing

5. Tri-city library card holding

6. Snack consulting 

7. Picture frame straightening

8. Instagramming 

9. Bug bite scratching

10. Binge tv watching

Now, I know what you are thinking. How can she go pro in all of these things and still maintain a healthy sleeping schedule? It’s not going to be easy, let me tell you that. 

Night Owl Disorder

Being a night owl is something that I have come to both love and hate in my almost 23 years of life. I love that at night I can stay up until God knows when doing just about anything but I also hate that it makes me sleep so late. As you can imagine, staying up all night getting my "to-do" list all checked off can create some pretty ugly mornings and some even uglier dark circles. I just wish there was a way to reverse my night owl tendencies so that I could be more productive in the mornings but I just don't think that's possible.

There's just something about mornings that I've never really been fond of. Just the idea of unraveling myself from my perfectly worn out Spongebob blanket makes me want to vom. And having to get up and act like a morning person is just something that I've never really been good at. The truth is, my body is not fully awake until at least 10. I might be up and about... but that doesn't mean that I've chosen too. This is probably going to bite me right in the ass down the road. 

Every night, I have this really great idea that I'm going to rise and shine and hit the pavement for a nice morning run... and guess what I do every morning? I wake up, think about going for a run, gag at the thought, and then return to my previous state. I just can't. Why? Because I'd rather workout during night owl prime time, which can begin anywhere around 11 pm. You know what else I'd rather do at 11 pm? Yoga. Study for a test. Clean the bathroom. Shower. Blog. Blah blah. This list goes on and on. Seriously, I'm a machine. 

If you ever need me to do something important, there's a 98.763% chance that at least part of said project will be accomplished when I'm in the zone...and by zone I mean when everyone else is asleep.There's just something about going for a late night run when the wind is down and the moon is out or working to the sound of a ticking clock. Some may think thriving on the energy in the night air is really strange but I think I was born hardwired for it. 

Here are some things I'm currently working on in the late night hours:

1. Studying to pass my last licensure exam...aka, learning about artsy things that nobody ever ever ever needs to know

2. Reading terribly sappy love stories that could possibly induce a flood of tears

3. Jobsearching...keyword...searching...

4. Online shopping...see how many things I could buy if I had a million dollars

5. Googling random terms that I've run across throughout the day

6. Trying to plank all the way through "Walks like Rihanna"

7. Watching YouTube videos about informercial products

8. Pinning endless amounts of crap to all of my unorganized Pinterest boards

9. B...l...ogggg....ing...

So, if you have done one or more of the above after 11 pm you probably have night owl disorder like me and may or may not be trying to embrace being in your natural habitat. I hope like me, you try to reign yourself in and at least slumber before the sun rises. 

Love. 

Because I Can

It's been exactly 2 weeks since returning from Greece. And I'm sure by now all my followers are sick of me rambling on about my travels, my new friends, and dogs. So.......... Here's s'more rambles to make you a little bit sicker.

Being home has had it's ups and downs. At first it was really strange to get back in to regular Murrican lifestyle. But I think I've finally gotten back into the trifecta that is my life. Home-Dairy Queen-Target-Home and not necessarily in that order. Although the trip abroad cost roughly the arms and legs of me and all my future children, I think in the long run I saved some pretty pennies. The trifecta in Greece was Studios Marios-Gelato-Pool-Beach-Navy's-Mama Mia's. Now, I realize that that was more than a magic triangle of goodness but what I'm trying to point out is that Target was nowhere to be found, meaning when I was bored my car didn't autopilot me to the nearest bullseye and spend $37 dollars on 12 different toothbrushes and 4 cans of Pringles. So... there's that... 

Also, since I've been back I've had to deal with sharing my room with...nobody. On one hand. It's very nice. But on the other I enjoyed always having some bed neighbors to serenade with my newfound European songs and the occasional impromptu dance party. Room one really had it going on. I also didn't hate having a maid. She had her work cut out for her when she'd step in our room...one item she had to deal with approximately...everyday... was our soggy rug. There's no other way to describe it. It turned into a bit of a game. How many people could shower before the tsunami struck the bathroom.... And the answer was always, Courtney. Whatever order we showered in, somehow I always managed to flood the entire bathroom almost every time. I mean. Have you met me? A tiny shower with a handheld nozzle is no place for longhaired crazy person.

But in all seriousness. Being home and away from all the landscapes, the Aegean, sun, and people have been some of the toughest things to get over. There's a 200% chance that everyday that I've woken up back here, I've missed one of these things. I wish that the people and the friends I've made would magically show up in my room like they would at SM, or we'd knock on doors until someone answered. No text messages or phone calls needed. 

I've been truly blessed with this experience and one thing I cannot control is this spot in my heart that wants to relive this experience but more importantly create new experiences like this. I have this intense need to travel and see other cultures and cities and learn about myself along the way.... But until those opportunities arise, I'll be here in my lovely hometown, eating snacks and blogging.

And say what? There's a blogger app. Now I can blog on the go! 

Love.

Stow your seats and tray tables in the overhead compartments.

Here's a lowdown on the last few days of my travels...I left off my last blog in Athens during an extremely long layover that may or may not have caused a brief state of delirium (more on that later). We finally boarded our plane to Paris around 7 am in which I got to close my eyes for about three hours. I had gone so long without sleep that I was feeling sick so it was great to finally be able to sleep a little. I was stuck between two long-legged people and apparently I woke up mid-flight, announced that I was going to petition to outlaw middle seats, started laughing hysterically, covered my entire head with a sweatshirt and went back to sleep. This is probably why I have friends. I'm not ashamed to be a strange weirdo, and neither should you. After arriving in the Paris airport, we found that an escort was waiting to show us to our next gate. Pierre let us use the priority line at passport control and bypass pretty much any unnecessary waiting. I even had time to use some of my lofty French words before it was time to board for Minneapolis.

The flight to Minneapolis seemed surprisingly short probably because I'd slept a total of 6 in the past 48 hours. I only remember waking up to eat...and even when I was eating I was still half asleep. We arrived in Minneapolis with not a second to spare. Three international flights landed at the same time backing up customs to timbuktu. After clearing customs, rechecking luggage, and security, we RAN to our final plane. And by run, I clearly meant a very light jog, with assistance from both the moving sidewalk and a tram. They were out of Wheaties in Paris so I had no NRG to run fullspeed.

The flight to Fargo felt more like a rollercoaster than an airplane. First off, the flight attendant told us to stow our seats and tray tables in the overhead compartments which caused a riot of laughter from our sleep deprived group and then we were subjected to countless bouts of turbulence. Upon deboarding, I noticed that the pilot was at the ripe age of 7 and must have just earned his wings... A few people's bags were lost from Paris to Minneapolis, while mine was lost from Minneapolis to Fargo. Nothing makes you feel more helpless then when the baggage carousel brings you no luck. Luckily my bag was delivered today...and hopefully my friends will receive their bags soon as well. 

Being back in America has brought a bittersweet feeling. I love that I am finally home, seeing the people and familiar things I was missing, but I haven't seen my second "family" in 24 hours and I'm feeling kind of homesick for the way things were in Greece. Saying goodbye at the airport caused a brief stint of tears before I decided I better clean up my act. But knowing that we all may never be in the same place at the same time again was very saddening...Although I've only been here for 24 hours, here are some of the things I've notice about home.

1. We were always driven or flown to new locations and napping during those times was much appreciated... but here....Napping while driving is utmostly frowned upon.

2. Everyone here speaks English therefore public conversations should be appropriate at all times.

3. Nobody accepts Euros. 

4. I'm expected to tip at restaurants and leave before the three hour mark... did I ask you for my bill yet? Then I'm not ready to leave.

5. Where "Πού είναι η τουαλέτα" means nothing.

Stay tuned for more bloggerings about what it feels like to be American again and other smatterings of my everyday life. 

Love. 

Athens Schmathens

Well, today was the day. We had to say goodbye to our home away from home and I hate goodbyes more than most. I didn't want to return home without being able to say that I watched the sunrise from the beach of Kamari. So what did we do? We stayed up the ENTIRE night and waited for the sun to make it's daily appearance. I finally went to bed around 6:30 and then woke up again a couple of hours later and started the day with some cocktail sauce and a side of gyros as well as some souvenir shopping. We said goodbye to some of our favorite places, such as the gelato shop on the corner, christened "the purple and yellow place" because we couldn't say the name and some of the local shop owners.

Having to pack my things was a little more than a battle. Not really caring about mixing dirty and clean clothes, I proceeded to stuff my entire life back in the suitcase. If it doesn't bust open at the seems before I get home, I'm going to walk straight to the laundry room and dump the entire 7000 lbs of crap straight into the washing machine...The poor maid, we left our room in shambles. She's going to wonder who poured sand all over the floor and left random sticks of deoderant, razors, and contact solution behind. Sorry not sorry. Not everything could make the trip back.

After the packing shenanigans, we had to turn our keys in and head for the bus... One by one we gave Peter hugs and boarded the bus. Not going to lie. Being the sappy sap I am, I had to think of puppies and rainbows in order not to drown him in tears... We hit our short flight to Athens for our 9 hour layover and began our journey home. We found a little nook and cranny for all 24 of us to sit with our bags and play cards, read, or do whatever. I'm pretty sure the workers hate us. I was yelled at once for laying on a chair and then we were collectively scolded for moving tables and chairs. No matter the language barrier, there is one thing that is universal and that is a good scolding. I can read a sassy sass from a mile away. To say the least, it's going to be a blessing when we get to board our plane for France....in 5 hours.

I have read to page 8 in the book I bought to replace my broken Kindle, and then I read page 8 no less than 12 times. And guess what, I'm still on page 8. Three hours of sleep and sitting in a crapshoot for a chair can cause severe lack of focus. It's times like these that I'm reminded that my bed is getting closer and closer on the space time continuum and that is roughly the only thing that is keeping me going at this point. Sleeping in my own bed and clean clothes. HOME HOME, I'm headed home.

Sorry for the ramshackle of a post. I'm clearly just trying to stay awake.

Love.

Homeward Bound Eve

Today is our last official day on the island of Santorini and there are no words to express my feeling about the past month and going home. This month long journey has been truly amazing and I can't believe that I have to say goodbye to my newfound home tomorrow. That's just it. Studios Marios and all of Kamari have become a second home for all of us Cobbers. We've laughed, we've stumbled, and we've cried. It's been the trip of a lifetime and has strengthened bonds with new friends and Cobberhood, it's something that has reigned in the idea that "Once a Cobber, Always a Cobber." There's no better way that I would have wanted to spend this past May then with 30 other beautiful Cobber people.

In true Pirate's of the Caribbean fashion, pirate ship and all, we spent our morning hiking the active volcano of Santorini and swimming in the hot springs nearby. Tonight, we're going out with a bang and having one last crazy night on the island complete with a barbecue and a night out on the town. Some of us may or may not be sleeping on the beach and waking up to the sunrise on our final morning of the trip. We are leaving for the Santorini airport tomorrow evening and will enjoy a wonderful 9 hour layover, just a 45 minute flight from where we've called home for the past month. It may or may not be a whole new rendition on the Real World, "Real World: Athens Airport." After that we'll make a less than brief stop in France where we'll catch our long flight back to 'Murrica. And for the final leg of our trip, we'll catch one final flight to Hector International where we'll part ways and begin to slide back into American culture. It will just be another one of those beautiful stories we'll have to tell our friends and families, that will start a little something like this, "When I lived in Greece..."

Here are some of the things I'll miss from my second home,

1. Having bread, Tzatiki, olive oil, and vinegar at every meal.

2. Listening to the waves roll in.

3. The maid making my bed everyday.

4. Friday night feasts with great friends, food, and dancing.

5. A pool outside my door.

6. The locals.

7. Exchanging makeup for sunscreen.

8. Salty air.

9. Wearing real clothes means anything other than a swimsuit.

10. Swearing...in Greek.

11. Gyro Stop.

12. And last but not least, BISOU, the dog from the hotel.

ode to my roommates

Here's a post devoted to how much I miss my parents. It has been roughly 30 days since I have seen both Kimmie and Glen. I can count on one hand how many times that has happened...Oh wait. This is the first time. Yes. I'm a recent college grad and still sleeping in the basement of my parents' house. But I'll have you know, I get ALL the snacks I want FO FREE as well as any other amenity I could think of. 900 channels including HBO, DVR, an elliptical, and sometimes I even get to park good ol' Rex in the garage when it's cold. By living with them, I can save my money for other more important things, such as, school loan payments, songs on itunes, and an unacceptable amount of trips to my neighborhood Target.

So, as you can imagine, leaving all these wonderful things behind for a month was a little bit of a struggle. Tonight, I ate pasta with butter, half a loaf of bread, and three cookies for dinner. If there is one thing I'm looking forward to when I get home, it's an array of Kimberly's homecooked meals. I wouldn't be disappointed if G & K showed up at the airport with a tupperware full of mac and cheese, a Diet Coke, and an IV, just pump it right into my veins. Finding mac and cheese on the island was a Fail, with a capital F and I can't wait to my hands on it when I get home. 

Now let's talk about the time change, it's an 8 hour time difference between Greece and the loving land of Minnesota. Between that and the lack of internet connection in my room, I get to talk to my parents roughly never. iMessaging between my iPhone and the home iPad have been less than spectacular. The iPad seems to alert my parents of messages hours after I've sent them, meaning I'm probably already asleep. And the past few nights, I've rang and nobody has picked up. BUT, I get to see them on SATURDAY. 

It's been a mixture of emotions here on the island this last week. I would say that I am about 50/50 when it comes to the idea of going home. I miss my family and friends SO unbelievably much but I also know that there is something about this place that will forever have my heart. I've learned a lot about others as well as myself, while staying here and will probably never have the opportunity to return. I know that by Friday at departure time, I will have an overwhelming sadness while packing up my things. 1. For the fact that I actually have to pack and 2. Because this place, Studios Marios, Kamari Beach, the boardwalk, the gelato place on the corner with the Viking's colors, the people, the view of the mountains from the pool, the hotel dog... they will always hold a special place in my heart that I will never be able to explain to anyone except through the photos I bring home... So until Friday, I'm trying to keep my head in check, enjoying every last salty-aired minute and taking these last few days by storm.

We're headed on a hike from Fira to Oia tomorrow, a trip to the volcano on Thursday in nothing other than a pirate ship, and a final goodbye barbeque hosted by the lovely Marios, complete with a photography slideshow. The days are dwindling but the fun is not.

Love. 

Kamari Style

The last week has been nothing short of hectic. Let me touch on a few of the beautiful things we covered and enjoyed during week three on the island.

To start, we spent a few hours volunteering at the local dog shelter, SAWA, walking dogs and learning about the organization. The Santorini Animal Welfare Association takes in abandoned dogs as well as donkeys and horses from all over the island. Tourists and locals don't domestic their animals like we do in the states and use them for work instead. Most of the animals are left to fend for themselves after the owners realize how much work they are. Some of the Concordia students are spending their month long journey caring for and walking these dogs. We were lucky enough to take 30 dogs out for walks. And let me tell you. It was more than eventful.

If you know me at all, you know that dogs have my heart.  Ever since my dog died nearly five years ago, I have asked for a new dog. Every. Single. Day. So, as you can imagine, getting to walk a dog for a couple of hours was oh so exciting. Although, it was heartbreaking to hear some of the tales of the dogs, it was a beautiful sight to see and hear the dogs excitement for all the visitors. The shelter relies mostly on tourist volunteers with virtually no help...I was paired up with a little white dog named Captain Zach. He had ADHD and the energy of 47 small children, so naturally we fit together quite nicely and ended up bonding by the end of the walk. I was extremely surprised at how quiet and gentle he was on account of his living situation. I hope a family adopts the rambunctious little guy otherwise he will stay in the shelter. 

Now, for some other island related business. For my photog class our assignment for the week was to find a Greek myth to reinvent or modernize in a way. I chose to portray Dionysus, the god of wine in female form. My lovely model, Kristi and I even rented a 4-wheeler for this in which we tooled around the island like the adventure-hungry bosses that we are....I shot tons of photos for the final product (photos at the bottom). She looked like a badass in all of them so it was really hard to whittle them down to 8... For Kristi's shoot, I got to partake in a dream of mine and become a mermaid for a day along with a snake and a bird. I had to revisit my beginning acting skills for this shoot as well in order to portray the goddess Metis to the fullest. These shoots made me feel like none other than Tyra Banks, hair, makeup, lighting, the whole shebang. 

Thursday, we took a round trip 2.5 hour hike to the tippy top of the island, Profitis ilias. Even though it was a bit foggy that day, the view was nothing short of spectacular.

Yesterday, we returned from a one-night trip to the neighboring island of Ios. We took a speedboat ferry to the island that was nauseating to say the least. We stayed at a bare minimum hotel and enjoyed the gorgeous white sand beach and view. Then all 19 of us showered, dressed, and hit the town for some food and clubbing. It was a quick little trip but being away from Kamari for just one day made me miss the quiet atmosphere and simple nature of Studios Marios and the surrounding area.

Tonight, we're headed to Oia on 4-wheelers for the breathtaking sunset that is a must see when visiting Santorini.

We're down to the homestretch and it couldn't be more depressing to say the least. Homeward bound on Friday.

Check out my fav photos from my Dionysus shoot!

Love.

Just Say Yes

Sentimental post coming straight to your heart. If you don't like it. Turn your eyes away.

Being in Santorini, Greece is nothing short of beautiful and amazing. If you were to ask me how I would describe it, I would probably just stare at you blankly until you decided to awkwardly change the subject. Why? Because coming here means so much more to me than I could ever explain. It's my last stint as a college student. Wahhhh wahhh. I know right? But it's actually a lot deeper than that. It feels like it's been the first thing I've done in a long time without being held back. CURVEBALL.

Let me explain. All through college, I spent most of my time saying no. No to my friends, no to work, no to weekends with the girls, to Cornstock, etc etc. Why? Because I had someone in my life that would ultimately wind up meaning absolutely nothing to me and essentially be nothing other than a familiar face in the crowd. I'm extremely disappointed that I wasted a lot of my college days driving to be with someone who wound up giving me nothing more than a pair of sandals and a whole lot of lies.

So. Signing up for this month abroad was a bit of crazy thing for me. Said person actually told me that I shouldn't go because it would hinder my chances of getting a teaching job. I'm glad I shut that idea down and did something for me instead of someone else....so here's how this plays into my life on the island. I'm determined to say yes to everything, within reason of course. Nothing life altering, in order to cancel out some of the no's I've said in the past. I'm determined to show up in Moorhead on June 8th, exhausted, sad, and with absolutely no regrets.

I stay up until early morning clearing the dance floor with my white girl moves. I eat gelato twice in one day. I get shin splints running down the endless hills. I eat Nutella straight from the jar.  I jump in the ocean at 3 am...All accomplished with the necessary power-nap. Although, I don't think that saying yes to everything for one month will make up for all the no's I've said in the past, but it's sure a start.

As cheesy as it sounds, after four years of always trying to please someone, I finally am getting to do what I want. I look back and think, geeze. That was me. The girl who ALWAYS needed to be on the phone. ALWAYS needed to know what was going on. But now. My phone dies and I could care less. I finally feel like everything is falling into place. I've never been one to embrace changes in my life but I think that I've finally realized that a small change that seems so awful at the time will ultimately wind up being for the better. I can honestly say that I am thankful for finally being able to let go of some things in order to find more important things.

Even though we still have two weeks left, I feel inherently sad for the day that I have to leave this beautiful place and all these beautiful people. This trip is such a blessing and has opened my eyes to the fact that one person should never break your world. There's always going to be people out there who bring you down. But I promise. No matter what. There will ALWAYS be people who support you and let you shine.

Love.

ten thangs about santorini

I've been learning a lot in the short time I've been living in Santorini. Here are some of the more important things that should be taken note of should you ever decide a Grecian vacay is in order. 

1. Although it may be TMI, but here on the island, and in most of Greece for that matter, toilet paper shall not be flushed. It's practically one of the commandments around here. I've seen some pretty funny signs in the b-rooms around here denoting this common practice. 

2. Just because it's called orange juice, doesn't mean that it's made of oranges. There's also red juice. And you know what that tastes like? Nothing red I've ever had. 

3. Living in Greece has taught me how to appreciate both good cheeses and bad cheeses. Good meaning, you know, "fresh?", uh...like authentic cheese?  But it also makes me appreciate the good ol' slices of Velveeta, just sayin... First stop when I get home? The refrigerator for some singles. 

4. Let's talk drivers. People around here drive what I image a 4 year old blind tiger, hopped up on Diet Coke and Oreos would drive. So yeah, they drive like wild animals. In 'murrica, peds have the right of way, but here, peds move for the drivers or else they're getting clocked. 

5. Bussickness. Refer to #4... I think I'm going to take up pre-gaming all bus trips with enough Dramamine to knock out a colony of squirrels. The hills hit hard. 

6. There is no such thing as fast food around here. Every meal takes on average 1 hour and can last about as long as you like. The Greeks don't like to rush guests because they think it's rude. But when you're me, I like to eat and run...Not to be confused with dine and dash. I always pay. I'm honest but have ADD.  

7. Nine times out of ten I will order pizza or a cheeseburger at a restaurant and the other time I will be ordering a variation of cheese. I was obviously born with adventure in my soul.

8. If you don't watch your back and apply a healthy amount of SPF 900, the sun is going to get you. If it doesn't burn you, it's probably going to take all of your NRG and then you're in for an unplanned napping experience. 

9. Get on the locals' levels by speaking Greek. Our vocabulary is growing day by day and we are beginning to understand common Greek terms. We can count to ten, ask where the toilet is, and also put other's to shame reciting the Greek alphabet. 

10. Lastly, some may think that listening to the crashing of the waves at night would be annoying but it's actually soothing and can set you off for a nights sleep earlier than expected. It's just something that a CD of wave sounds just can't replicate. It's going to be a terribly sad day when I wake up in the middle of the night to trains instead of tides hitting the shore just meters from my window. 

So there you have it, the top ten observations from common Santorini life. 

Much love.

a day in the life

So as of now I've been living in another country for a solid two weeks and let me tell you, it's probably going to be a doozy coming home. I'm living the life. Everyday I get up, walk a few blocks to Mamma Mia's, the local place we eat breakfast at, promptly eat about 7 pieces of toast, then it's off to the rest of our days festivities. After breakfast, the first thing we do is work on learning Greek. The most useful words I've learned so far are swear words, but really. When listening to locals speak, it's easy to pick out words you recognize and a lot of them are less than appropriate.

After Greek lessons we break into our classes, I'm taking a photography course...again. It's pretty awful. I have to walk around the island and take photos of things I like. I doubt I'm going to make it through the class without crying. PSYCH. It's a very relaxing class. I'm learning a lot about how to use my DSLR, which I didn't in the first class I took. We have simpler shots that are due daily and some larger assignments that are due at the end of the week. We usually get plenty of time to take our photos and most days I have time to work in a proper Greek siesta...If there is one thing that has stayed steady throughout my transition from the states to Santorini is my need for naps. Naps on naps. One day, I took three which would probably not be news to many.

After our photo class, we either have free time or we go on some crazy adventure with Peter. By the end of this stay we will have hiked every inch of the island. Thursday, we took a quality two hour hike to the top of the mountain, and by hike I clearly meant climb. We had to climb over plants, walk on the edge of cliffs, and jump over loose rocks in our path. I spent more time looking where to put my feet then looking at the view...I didn't feel like dying.

If we aren't logged into an exhausting adventure with Peter, I usually spend my time at the hotel pool or at the beach. Earlier this week, I went cliff jumping with some friends. And as tough as I like to think I am, I didn't make it through the first or second jump without a buddy system, holding my hand and counting down. I wasn't afraid of the jump...I was obviously more afraid of losing my top...but public nudity isn't a shame here so I didn't have much to worry about.

Yesterday, was our first weekend off without classes. And man. It was GLORIOUS. Marios, the hotel owner, threw us a pool party in which we celebrated life in Santorini with a free drinks and lots of sun.

It's a tough life here on the island.

Here's the link to my photo blog...ch ch check it out!

http://courtneyinsantorini.blogspot.gr/

Love.

First stop, Athens

We finally arrived at our first destination yesterday in Athens, around 5. After an extremely long day of layovers and and flights, it was nice to finally get to our hotel room and settle in. JOKE. That never happened. We were on the move asap. Peter would not let us sleep or allow us enough time to nap in order to beat jet lag. About an hour after we arrived, we split into groups of 3 or 4 and were expected to find selected important structures in the city, take a photo with it, then move onto the next one. There was a reward on the line for this one, first group to finish won $50 meals with the teachers. UMM? We're all broke. So sign me up for some of that.
So being born with a competitive spirits, we quickly circle the places on the map that we needed to locate and decided on a plan to hit the furthest place from the final destination. Yeah...and that didn't really work out. It was so far away that we kept turning around and going backwards because we couldn't find it. The locals tried to help us, "it's really close, just five more minutes." Twenty minutes later, we finally snapped a photo and off we went.
Having a scavenger hunt around the city not only forced us to keep our eye on the prize but it also kept our minds off of falling asleep at any moment. We also learned about interesting places in the city that we wanted to go again or...wanted to stay away from. Let me tell you. Some people really think American's are helpless and brain dead. Give me a break, my daddy taught me good. After the scavenger hunt we finally got to finish off the night with dinner...at 10 pm. That's at least 5 hours past the normal time I prefer to eat. Then, the best time of the day arrived. We FINALLY got to sleep in a bed for a change and not on the tray table connected to the seat in front of us.
Today, we started off bright and early with a tour of the Athenian Agora. I'm not naturally a history buff but it was pretty awesome to be in the presence of ancient greek historical figures. We broke for lunch and then enjoyed our afternoon hanging at the Acropolis and the Parthenon. It was an astonishing view of the city from where the Parthenon sits. Just unbelievable.

Here are some things I've learned so far...
1. Diet Coke and Coke Lite are NOT the same.
2. Europeans charge for everything...including ketchup and butter. That's a luxury I miss.
3. There is no rhyme or reason to the street systems... Avenues and streets? Probably not. It's a maize.
4. Everything is written in Greek.
5. You need to go somewhere? Put your tennis shoes on. You're going UPHILL. That's new to us.
6. People try to sell you the most ridiculous things...Even their compliments.
7. There are stray dogs and cats EVERYWHERE.

Off to Santorini in the morning. The ascending and descending in the plane is longer than the actual flight which is good. I'm seriously so tired of flying. Can't wait to finally settle in on the island.

Love.

what lies ahead

I finished up student teaching at West Fargo High last week and applied to multiple jobs. Then yesterday, I walked across the stage like a boss, flipped my Cobber ring, and said "see you later" to a few of my best friends. Today I traveled to and from Breckenridge, MN for a last minute job interview before I leave for Greece, TOMORROW. To say the least, the last couple of weeks have been nothing short of insane. After an extremely hectic semester, I finally get to take a deep breath and relax a little bit.

Recently graduating, very recently I mean, is a big enough change in itself. I have to find a job, maybe a new car, and grow up a little, but first I thought I'd take one for the team and hang out in the Mediterranean sun for a few days. I think I can handle it. Although, four years ago, I would've laughed at the idea. I was homesick as soon as my parents dropped me off freshman year...the whole mile and a half from my neighborhood. Hey, I was young and dumb. It may seem like a short or long amount of time depending on how you look at it but spending 30 days in a foreign country is going to be a  challenge for me. I mean. I had to select only a handful of Nike shorts to make the journey. Talk about de-pressing.

But really the biggest challenge of all was probably trying to jam a suitcase full of clothes fit for every occasion. I tried to use an approach that would weed out all the bad items. "On a scale of 1-1000, how much do I think I need this panda bear pillow pet?" There was only one problem in working with this scale. Everything seemed very necessary. And yes. The pillow pet made the cut. And no I'm not ashamed. It doubles both as a pillow and as a pet...soooooo. I'll probably get there and realize I forgot to bring something that actually is important.

Anyway, it's been a long week of wearing the same outfit day after day and I'm ready for a change...Literally.

Love.