Wow... It's been a week!

I'm sorry that it's taken me so long to post again... I've been meaning to for a while, but I've just been so busy with everything here, that I haven't had time to! I am truly sorry for that! I will try to be better for the rest of my time here! I have to start out by saying that I absolutely love it here! I am having such a great time and I'm meeting so many great people, that I don't think I will ever want to leave! It actually kind-of seems like I've already been here for months, when I've actually only been here for a week! I've even gotten into a new routine, where I do almost the same thing every day. It makes me feel really happy and satisfied!

So, as you can imagine, Monday through Friday, I have been occupied with my internship. Right now, for my main task I've been going through their inventory of pamphlets, posters, and what not that they have all over the office (you would be surprised how much stuff there is hidden if this small office! It's pretty astonishing to see!). So I have to count, package and then stack/sort all of the leaflets. There are even some that I need to cut...All in all it's a lot of work! But, I also get assigned all the odd jobs for people, like typing up English emails, proofreading, and translation from English to Greek! So much in such a short amount of time! I will soon be doing my own project... Starting on Monday!

One thing I've noticed is that it's interesting to see who comes in to office, on what days and why. For example, one of my coworkers is getting his Master's degree now, so he leaves early on Tuesday and Thursday for school. Another owns her own store that she opens on Monday and Wednesday nights, so she leaves early then. Another coworker lives an hour and a half away by bus and she is always one of the first people in to the office every day! But, also, the bosses all went to a conference in Napoli on Sunday, and just got back last night (Thursday) so I don't expect to see any of them in the office today (Friday). But, time really does just fly in the office.

So... What have I done in my week other than work at my internship...

Well, as I said I met a really nice girl, Elina, from Sweden the other day in Monastiraki Square, and we have been going out a lot, going out to dinner, sightseeing or just to hang out. It's been a lot of fun! We've gone out to a couple tavernas (as well as other places for her to eat) for dinner, and also this past weekend we hung out all day Sunday. (We were going to hang out for a bit on Saturday to, before we went to dinner, but we both got kind-of busy. She had schoolwork and I slept!) On Saturday night though, while we were walking to a taverna we stopped for a minute and saw these fireworks that just started going off in the middle of the square. We were unsure of why, and still kind-of are, as it seems that no one knows!!!

On Sunday Elina and I went off sightseeing! We started by going to the Temple of the Olympian Zeus, as Elina hadn't been there yet, and wanted to see it. I was fine with going again. I thought it would be fun to see it not by myself but with someone else! So we took lots of pictures there and then started to wander.

That's Elina!

We went to the National Gardens and wandered in there for a while, seeing the miniature lakes (in comparison to those in New Hampshire at least) full of turtles as well as the zoo in the center of the gardens. We then wandered the garden talking and saw all the cute little archways and other ruins in the gardens.

That bird is standing on a turtle! So funny!

We made some new friends at the zoo!

We then walked up to the Olympic Stadium, even though we couldn't enter the actual stadium without paying a fee, we still went there and saw the stadium, and took some pictures outside of it that we can show. There were some pretty crazy statics that were cited outside too.

I hope you can read those!

Then we decided to walk to the National Observatory. But, along the way Elina got distracted by loud noises coming from a nearby church, so we walked back down the hill (which we had just walked up) to check it out. When we found out what it was (just a busy Sunday church service I think) we had to walk back up the hill... That was fun!

The National Observatory is where I had been told you can see the Acropolis (and most of Athens) from a different view than normal and it's very beautiful. Well, that is true. It was truly beautiful and something not normally seen!

I even tried to hold the Acropolis... That didn't work so well though... :)

Afterwards we walked through the Flea Market near Ermou Street, looking at the wares all the vendors were selling. It was VERY busy and I had to keep hanging on to my purse to make sure I didn't get stolen from! I didn't, so that was a relief! When we reached Monastiraki Square we decided to get some Pita-euros for lunch (I think I'm spelling that right). That is kind-of like an open flatbread sandwich... But it was absolutely DELICIOUS! (I even ate the onions and tomatoes in it!) We sat in Monastiraki Square and ate our lunch while talking and watching the people walk on by! (We also checked out the changing of the guard!)

More friends!

We saw the coolest street performer duo! They were playing with this puppet of a guitar player, and he was singing and playing in time to the song! It was great!!!

Around 4pm we parted ways and said we would meet up later! I returned to a nice, clean office (the cleaning lady had come while I was gone) and then walked around Kolonaki (my area) for

a while. Little did I realize that everything is closed on Sundays! =P

Then, around 7:30pm, Elina called and we met up in half an hour again for some food and good conversation. We went to MacDonalds, so while Elina ate, I drank my Sprite having a great conversation! We talked about so many different and fun things!!! We were interrupted though, but a Greek homeless man, who wouldn't leave us alone, so we ended up trying to make him go away, but ended up just giving up and walking away ourselves. We then walked over and saw the changing of the guard for a few minutes, continuing our conversation. All in all, I had a lovely weekend!

Then my routines started again! Except, on Monday morning, before work, I had to go to the pharmacy to get some anti-itch cream (I have some bug bites) and advil. I found a pharmacy easily as there are about 7 within like 10 blocks from my apartment. So, it was all good! Then, on my way home I bought an amazing Greek breakfast pastry and munched on that for breakfast (along with my Greek yogurt and Orange Juice that I have every morning). Shortly thereafter, a new person was at the office. A woman named Nina, who's from Belgium, is volunteering for the week! She is visiting her Greek boyfriend, so she's only here for a week and is staying with him, but it's nice to have another set of hands around to fold and count everything! Again, after work, Elina and I met up and had some fun talking and eating again, as we have in the past week. We also sat on the steps in Syntagma Square for a bit, just talking and watching the people walk by. It was very fun and relaxing!

Well that's pretty much everything that I've not written over the past week! I'm sorry that it's taken me so long! I'll try to be better in the future! We'll see what I end up doing this weekend! Who knows?! Maybe I'll do something super duper exciting! I'll be sure to let you all know what I do!

After all the anxiousness I felt about getting to the office the other day, it seems to all have been over nothing! To start, I took the metro over from Akropoli to Syntagma Square, despite my fear of the metro being very confusing (in actuality, the Athens metro is easier than even Boston's metro... there are only three lines!). I then walked to Licavitou street, and looked for "1C." When I couldn't find it, I asked a nice store owner who pointed me to a large gray building with lots of plaques on the door. And there was one for MEDASSET! So, I buzzed up for MEDASSET and started up the stairs.

After climbing up four stories, I found the MEDASSET door. After being let in, I was given a short tour and met the people in the office at that time. I then had to go back to my hotel to get the other half of my bags, so off I went on the metro (metro tickets are good for an hour and a half) back-tracking my steps. When I finally got to the office with all of my luggage, Konstantina, the woman who I had been in correspondence with regarding my internship, gave me a more complete tour and told me all the rules. At that point in time we went to the kitchen where Konstantina, Giannis (the IT guy) and I talked for a while. They showed me the few areas (on one of my many maps) where I shouldn't walk through during my adventures. I was very grateful for that! My official start day for work was November 1, so Konstantina told me that I could go out and do what I wanted, so off I went for more exploring! I walked down to Syntagma Square, where I saw the small changing-of-the-guard that happens every hour (the big ceremony happens on Sundays at 11am). These guardians are stationed in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

After that, I caught the "Hop On Hop Off" bus again. I didn't know where I was going, I was just going to get off whenever I felt like it. But, everyone had to get off the bus at Ermou Street, as there was a bus change, so I just got off the bus and started walking. I walked down Ermou Street and down to Monastiraki Square, like I did the other day, going towards the flea market.

In Monastiraki square I decided that I would look at my map and decide where to go next. But, after I sat down, I looked over to my right and saw two Greek men talking to a caucasian girl (in English) who looked very uncomfortable. So, I sidled over to sit next to her and started to talk to her. I soon found out that she's a Swedish student who is in Greece for one month, studying at one of the institutions. After we sat in the square and talked for a little, she asked if I wanted to go for a coffee, so we went to a close-by Starbucks and got some coffee. Her name is Elina.

We talked for a little bit of time, and then walked through the flea market and back around to Syntagma Square (she's staying in Plaka), where we exchanged information and parted ways. We said we would meet again soon! I then returned to the office and turned off the alarm system. Or at least I thought I did. But two seconds later... All hell broke loose and the alarm started going off, nonstop. I eventually put in my code and the alarm stopped. But, then the phone started ringing off the hook. So, off to find the phone. But, little did I know, only two phones are outside lines. That was fun. After that all got sorted out, I went out again to go grocery shopping.

Grocery shopping was interesting, as everything was in Greek and there were no aisle signs, so I had to go through every aisle systematically figuring out what I wanted to buy! Then, when I got back, the alarm went back off again and the phone rang again!!! Eventually, I figured out the phones and how to turn the alarm off, so it didn't go off again for the rest of the evening. I was able to put my groceries away, eat some dinner, make my bed and have a relaxing evening after that.

The next day was my first day of work. So, I wanted to get up early! I woke up in plenty of time to make my breakfast, look presentable and be ready for my first day at work! My first day of work went great! I did a lot of organizing and counting (Konstantina and a fellow coworker were both doing a beach clean-up on Crete, so they weren't in the office) and I had a lot of fun getting to know the people in the office. After work, Liza (one of my coworkers) and I went to Lily's house, so that I could drop off some stuff for Lily and so I could know where she lives in case or an emergency. Lily is the head of MEDASSET for Greece (or something like that). I then went back to the office, so I could call Elina on Skype (I need wifi for that) and see if she wanted to do something today. We decided to meet in an hour's time.

In one hour we met at Syntagma Square and went out to a little taverna for dinner. And time just flew. We were there for about 3 hours, just eating and talking. It was great. But, we did have to each go to our respective homes for showers and sleep. So, we walked back to Syntagma Square and parted company again.

The next day, I woke up early again, made my breakfast of Greek yogurt and a pomegranate and started my next day of work. I did more organizing, but this time there were more people in the office (Konstantina came in late) and I had a fun day between the mountains of papers. Jokes abounded in our small office. The normal work day is 10am till 6pm. But yesterday, 6:30pm is really when people started to leave. But, Konstantina, Giannis and I left later still. Giannis left at around 7:15pm while Konstantina and I didn't leave till 8:45pm. One of our coworkers (the director) had sent Konstantina a document for me to proofread, and some of the translation was very bad, so in the end, we just translated it from the original Greek document together! :)

Afterwards I went for a walk and found a cute bakery where I bought a croissant for tomorrow's breakfast!

Here's a picture of my room and the kitchen in the office:

P.S. The time posted on here is not correct by the way. I'm not sure why, but if you're ever looking at it and wondering why I'm up at 4am, I'm actually not, but my computer is set for US time! :)

Safe arrival and First Day!

I arrived safe and sound! Although there were some flight issues, (my flight out of Boston was delayed by two hours) I made my connection fine and got to Greece all in one piece, with all of my luggage and without any hassle! After getting my bags, I easily found a taxi that took me to my hotel, where I'm staying for two nights before I go to my internship tomorrow (the 31st). It's a very nice hotel: the Acropolis Museum Hotel. It's very centrally located.

After dropping off my luggage, I just went for a walk, and looked for a good taverna.

Most stores were closed, so it was a pretty quiet night (9pm or so). Eventually I ended up wandering all the way to Plaka, a district in Athens. There I found a really quaint taverna with live music, so I stopped in and got some delicious traditional Greek Food. It was fun to listen to the music and watch the other restaurant-goers get up and start dancing! And, after getting lost on the way to the taverna, I made it back to the hotel with no stops and having to turn around!

The next day... So, I today I wanted to get a little more aquatinted with the city of Athens before I jump into my internship tomorrow. So, I took one of those "Hop On, Hop Off" City Buses. It was actually great! And I would've gotten off at the Acropolis and started my journey there, but I realized something... I had left my camera at the hotel! So... I went through the whole tour (all 90 minutes) until I got back to my original stop and went back to the hotel for my camera. Finally, once I had everything, I was ready for my adventure! Off to the Acropolis!

So, I climbed the Acropolis. Firstly, the view from the Acropolis down to the rest of Athens was amazing! Such a site to see!

That's just part of it! But, not only that... It was so great to see the Parthenon. It was really quite fascinating!

After finishing up with the Parthenon, I strolled down to the Theater of Dionysus, one of the many different ruins that are scattered around the Acropolis. It was exciting for me to sit where the ancient theater-goers sat in the small stadium seating!

After exciting the Acropolis, I went for a walk along Dionysiou Aeropagitou, this long walkway/road that follows the curve of the Acropolis. There I saw how truly vibrant Athens can be. There were street performers, street sellers, nut carts, drink carts and just people walking this way and that. It was so busy, I could barely take all the pictures I wanted to!

I then went to Hadrian's Arch, which is right next to the Temple of Olympian Zeus. But, on my way, I had my first encounter with a Greek man. At first I thought he was a pickpocket, so I was really careful. But, he seemed nice enough. He just wanted to talk. But, we soon parted ways.

Hadrian's Arch:

Temple of Olympian Zeus:

I then thought that it would be smart to scope out where I will be tomorrow for my internship, so I got back on my bus and went up close to where my internship will be. I found the street fine, but the actually office I couldn't find! I just hope that I can find it tomorrow! :)

I then thought I would walk down Ermou Street, a big shopping street, with street vendors on both sides of the street. Unfortunately I forgot that most street vendors pick up at 3pm on Sundays and it was almost 4pm. So, I just walked down the street anyway! And guess who I saw!? That same Greek man from before... It was interesting. Then I saw a sign for a Flea Market, so I just kept walking, not knowing where I was going or what I was looking for! It was strangely fun and yet relaxing! Eventually I ended up back at the Acropolis, so I went up the rock hill next to the Parthenon to watch the sunset. It was beautiful!

I finally went back to the hotel, and decided that I might as well go to the Acropolis Museum, while I'm staying so close to it! So, I went for the last two hours that it was open. It was so fascinating going through the museum and seeing how the Acropolis has changed and what it's missing! There were so many temples that paid homage to Athena that were wrecked by the Persians! They destroyed precious history!

Finally, on the way back I stopped at a small taverna for dinner and then went back to the hotel, stopping at a patisserie on the way to buy a piece of baklava! Let's see how tomorrow goes with my internship!