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.