Unwinding after a long week

It was a long week. I have been working at my job for about a month and a half now. I am learning daily...A LOT...and there are quite a few parts of my job that I foresee being very good and will be enjoyable, and there are a few (sometimes they seem like a lot) that will be quite challenging. It seemed like during this past week, many of those challenging aspects hit me all at once. I also had a horrible headache that started Sunday and finally let up on Wednesday night. After visiting the doctor, it was discovered it was due to muscle tension, allergies and possibly a pinched nerve. Medication and a massage helped assuage that problem this week, and I will be working to get regular massage and chiropractic treatment from here to prevent that pesky issue from arising again.

Adding to the challenge, I also broke from what has become my normal morning routine of running. I used the excuse that it was because my awesome running partner was in the states for the week. And I ate a lot more bread this week...the women at the bakery across the street now know my first name... :) But truth be told, I felt lazy this week and didn't commit to my normal routine and healthier eating habits.

So alas, this week was quite a challenge overall. However, I made it through, bringing the old adage to life "All things do have an end"...and I was actually pretty glad for the end of this week.

This is not to say I did not have some wonderful moments and times this week - a relaxing coffee to catch up with a wise and good friend, a dinner out with colleagues, amazing people to work with who continue to take good care of me and provide me with some levity on things, extended Greek conversation with my landlord and family (and understanding all of it), picking up my friend (and workout partner!) from the airport, and another quick visit to IKEA (to return items and spend the refund) :)

I have since regrouped since the end of the week, and have recommitted to doing better this coming week. The beauty of a new day is a new perspective!

At the beginning of the week, I had made a plan to visit Mount Lycabettus (Liki-veet-os in Greek) on Friday night after work to get some photos of the sunset from up there and also just to unwind a bit. You can read more about this Athens icon here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Lycabettus

After deciding to leave work around 7:15pm on Friday night, I was tired and a part of me just wanted to go home, have a hot cup of tea, and fall into bed. However, I forced myself to go up the mountain...and I am really, really glad I did. It was just what I needed to recharge. There was a moment when the dress I had on decided to channel its inner Marilyn Monroe over a heating grate (BIG WIND!!), and I flashed several people. I just let it go and had a great laugh about it. My mom's standard quote came to mind - "I'll never see these people again!" :) And I think I may have totally made one older gentleman's week....HA!

I continue to learn how Sophia Persephone works. I have decided that I'm going to try to find a camera class here in Athens...maybe even a camera group....it will be great to learn from others and to share methodology of photography. Plus will be a great way to meet people and to get out and do something away from work :)

So here are a few of my photos from my visit up on Friday...

The stairs leading up to Mt Lycovittos

View from the stairs

Bell tower at the top

The chapel at the top of the mountain

The cupolas at the top of the chapel...there is also a siren/speaker up there too... :)

Inside the chapel on Mt Lycovittos

After lighting a candle and saying a prayer

View of the city as the sun is coming down

My frozen yogurt in a waffle cone overlooking the sunset :) HAPPINESS!

View of the mountains and city with the sun setting

The beautiful sun getting ready to say goodbye for the day

My lesson learned from this week? Hold to your plans....they will be good for you in the end, even if you think you are too tired or too frustrated to enjoy them. This for me means my daily workouts, holding to plans to travel or experience new things, meeting up with people I've committed to meeting with, and making good decisions for my health (food, travel and peace).

I was going to try to meet up with a good friend on the 3-day Labor Day weekend but that didn't work out. So I decided to book a trip via ferry to the beautiful and relaxing island of Hydra. I'm very excited for this trip and will be excited to share the photos and experience once I return! :)

Until next time, from the sunny city of Athens...Becky :)

Song in my head: The theme song from Pee Wee Herman's Big Adventure. Yes, seriously. I thought of this song this morning for some reason...I think it's because I'm on Becky's Big Adventure :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3mfqo0QbeQ

The beautiful island of Aegina

I took a day trip to Aegina today from Athens...it was a nice foray away from the city. I metro'd to the Port of Piraeus (about 30 minutes from my house) and then took a ferry to the island, which only took about an hour and a half. The island was beautiful. Unfortunately, I did not get to the archaic ruins or to the other side of the island during my time there, but that just gives me a reason to head back! I wanted to share a few photos of my trip...it was a lovely, sunny and warm day :)

View of the Port of Piraeus as we departed

Fishing off the pier in Piraeus

Port of Aegina upon arrival

One of the side streets in the town of Aegina

Agios Nektarios of Aegina

Beautiful lanterns in the monastery chapel

Wrought iron

Listening for the scraping sound in the tomb...though I'm not completely sure why. I heard water running..?

Leaving the chapel

The view of the tomb of the saint

One of the cupolas of the church

The Saint

The roses were beautiful...this one caught my eye

 

Song in my head today: "Three Little Birds" Bob Marley...for some reason I always think of Bob when I go to islands :) 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaGUr6wzyT8

Views and observations of my first month in Greece

I reported for duty at my first foreign service post in Athens, Greece, one month ago. And what a month it has been!

I had a very positive arrival experience, mostly due to an awesome social sponsor and an excellent work sponsor. I can't tell you how much that mattered. It really started everything off on a very positive note. So if you are ever asked to be a sponsor, do it right! The person you are sponsoring will appreciate the effort you make. And even if they don't, you will know you did the right thing.

I was housed in a temporary home for a month or so because my new house was occupied and they had to get it cleaned and prepped once the person left. My temporary house was exceptional. My walk to the metro was about 10 minutes (downhill on the way to work) and 15 minutes (uphill on the way home). Plus I was very close to a great park, and a restaurant called "Piu Verde"...which reminded me of a treehouse! Here are a few photos from my porch at the temporary home plus the restaurant...amazing, huh? :)

View of the mountain from my back patio/deck area

View of the other mountain from my patio/deck area

 

View of Piu Verde from our seats...so lush and green!

My amazing sponsor, Em, and our dinner at Verde on my first night here in Greece

The first week of work was really good and full of learning. I am responsible for portfolios dealing with the housing, shipping and customs, customer service and property. Definitely enough to keep me busy! The people I have met at the Embassy are very helpful, and everyone gave me a very warm welcome. My local staff are incredible. They are hard working and know their jobs very well, and are patient with me as I ask them every question possible (which helps me learn). Most of them are also willing to help me continue using my Greek, and are helping me learn more. So far, it has been incredibly hectic because this is our heavy transition season of people moving in and out, but it is going well so far. My goal is not to screw things up too much at this point and to keep learning :)

The first weekend here, I was fortunate enough to get to visit a lovely beach with a small group of colleagues. It was a wonderful experience! Astir Beach is south of Athens, and is associated with a palace (somewhere...I didn't see the palace). It was a "paid" beach, and the entry fee included a really nice beach chair, umbrella, changing rooms, bathrooms, and a button with which you can order food. I wouldn't normally pay for beach access, but this was awesome. There is a TGI Friday's there too, though I didn't order anything from there :) I observed that I was the only person in a one-piece bathing suit. The great thing is that no one seemed to care what anyone else was wearing. In fact, there were people there of all sizes and shapes in their bikinis, speedos and whatnot suits, and everyone was just enjoying the sun, the sand and the atmosphere. I am taking that to heart! I ordered a bikini the next day on Amazon :) Here are a few photos of the beach...

View from the shore

View of the beach go-ers' area from the water

Cheesin' in the water :)

Taking advantage of my underwater camera...yes, this is the ocean...it looks like a swimming pool!!

View from my chair of the beach...so relaxing and nice :)

 

I have already had my first visitors in the one month that I have been here, which was great! Two young ladies who are friends of a friend's son, visited me on the last leg of their Eastern European journey. We were able to head up to the Acropolis before they headed to the airport. It was a great tour, and we learned quite a bit about the ancient area. Here are a few photos of our adventure up to the Acropolis....

View from the south slope entry point of the Acropolis

 

Me in front of the Erechtheion

 

The lovely Acropolis...lots of renovation going on to restore it

 

View from the Acropolis...Lycovitos and the city are in the foreground

 

A sweet pup under the table at the restaurant where we had tea and lemonade after our outing

Last weekend I traveled to the island of Andros. The trip was coordinated by our Community Liaison Office (CLO) and was for adults only (i.e. no kids under 18). We took a ferry to Andros, then a bus across the island to the capital of Choras. My first island trip...and it was awesome. It was also a good way to get to know the ferry system, to meet a few of my fellow colleagues and their families, and a chance to use my camera. A very nice, relaxing, beautiful weekend....





View of the port of Rafina from our ferry

View of the port of Rafina from the ferry as we departed

Inside the ferry boat - seating area for people 

The vehicle hold of the ferry...a speed boat, a semi truck and many cars

View of the port as we approached Andros

Overlooking the bay in Choras, the capital city of Andros

Inside the monastery close to Choras

Cats in the monastery

Iconography in the chapel in the monastery

Courtyard bells in the monastery

 

View of the city of Choras from the beach

One of the side streets with a view of the fort

 

The dog who I sat next to on the ferry ride home from Andros :)

Rafina at night as we came back from Andros

This weekend, I was fortunate to be able to join my friend, Emily, and her friend, Judie, on a trip to Sounion where the Temple of Poseidon resides. A gorgeous place that overlooks the sea, and would be an absolutely perfect place to watch a sunset (and sunrise). So those two events are now on the list of things to see :) I also had my first grilled grouper...which was quite tasty...another lovely adventure...





View of the Temple of Poseidon from our fish taverna, O Ilios

The bay underneath the temple

Our grouper...head and all :)

Me at the base of the temple before our ascent

The Temple of Poseidon

View from the temple...wow.

 

 

So a few observations here so far...

1) The country is beautiful. It is summer, so there is some brown because of the heat and wind, but there is still green...and the water is so crystal blue and expansive...and there are so many historic sites, monuments and places to see...and there are islands and mountains to explore. I count myself blessed every day to be here.

2) The drivers are CRAZY!! :) There are motorcycles and scooters that cut the lanes (i.e. drive in between the cars), the cars drive in the middle of the lanes, and no one stops for stop signs or yield signs. And the use of the horn is quite plentiful. So I'll keep this in mind when I start driving (my car should arrive sometime in the next month or two).

3) The city reminds me of a combination of New York City and Washington DC in terms of the number of visitors, and the way people interact on the streets. An example...I was walking home from the metro one day and said "Yia Sas" to a woman walking toward me...she immediately stared at me, then stepped away from me. I learned later that it is not customary to say hello to people on the street unless you know them, or they recognize you as one of their neighbors. However, the other day I was in the metro station and a woman asked me in Greek how to get to the airport from where we were, and I told her the correct platform and pointed to the stairs to get there. So I felt like I was in NYC when I couldn't say hello to someone on the street and felt like I was downtown DC helping a tourist :) There are other cities it reminds me of in other ways...but with the outdoor cafes and the vibe here, it does feel like a European city in general.

4) I must use sunblock consistently every day. I love that I now have some color, but the sun here is definitely strong, and I don't want to burn a lot, and I also don't want to look like a piece of leather at the end of my 2 years here...

5) I started working out when I arrived...and am proud to say I have been consistent and have done it every day (except for 1) during the week. My friend, Emily, has been a huge part of my consistency of this. So the learning point here is that I know it helps me to have a "battle buddy" when it comes to working out...so we will continue to work out together each morning...it is helping the stress level, the weight gain (keeping it at bay) and the camaraderie. And an added plus? We run by a lot of really cool places and I get to know the city a whole other way. 

 

There are some challenges here, as with any large city in the world, and especially with the economy as it is, but overall, it is a very good post and I count myself fortunate for this amazing opportunity. I know there are colleagues of mine who are dealing with a lot more challenges than I will see here in Greece (several of my colleagues were evacuated from Yemen recently, and several others are working in an ordered departure post situation or are locked down). So I am thankful every day for the wonderful life I can live here and I am striving to enjoy every moment and do my very best in my work. There is a saying here..."Siga Siga"...little by little...and I will keep moving forward every day little by little to learn, enjoy and live!

 

Until next time...from the sunny sea, Becky

 

Song in my head right now: "Good Life" by One Republic (one of my very favorite songs)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZhQOvvV45w