Labor Day Generally Means Summer is Over For Most People But....

Luckily here in Greece, that isn't the case! I know, so many people are back in school, and teachers are back in school, and people are back at work (hey, in my defense, I've been working this whole time too!). But summer seems to feel eternal here and that is a very nice thing. It does feel great to wake up to blue skies and to escape to the beaches and islands on the weekends. I have been told we can continue to do this until the middle of October, and I intend to do so. Work has been really, really busy in GSO land...this is our heavy transition season getting people in and out of post, so you'll notice I haven't posted an update since July (though I really, truly meant to!), so here is my update for you! Lots of travel has taken place since then for you to enjoy :) Will keep trying to post when I can! Don't worry - all is well here...health continues to be good and gets better every day, and I am very happy here in Greece. Life is indeed very, very good!! :)

These are two of the pups that reside at our warehouse...we found a home for one of them (the front one)...he is now Nikos and now lives with one our Embassy families...hopefully we will soon find a home for the others :) I will make it one of my missions to find them good homes.

This is the sunrise on the island of Chios, which I visited in late July 2014. Took this photo right after I got off of the airplane.

The village of Pyrgi on the island of Chios - the village has unique houses that are patterned with "grating" decoration that is created by a plastering technique using black sand and then it is coated with whitewash and then carefully scraped off into intricate designs in geometric patterns. Each home is different. And they are spectacular!!

 

 

More of the intricate designs around the village of Pyrgi...so beautiful

The homes were just gorgeous...and each of them was different. Some had been renovated...and others had not. If you notice, there are tomatoes hanging outside the homes...they were fresh...and would eventually become "sundried tomatoes"...this fact kind of escaped me until it was explained to me by someone. I thought that was hilarious once it was finally explained...and I felt slightly stupid as well :)

This lovely woman is a direct descendant of Christopher Columbus. Her great great grandson, John, gave us a 3 hour tour of the town. He was from New York City and was in town to be married a few weeks later. It was indeed a wonderful experience. The island produces many shipping companies and has a rich history of shipping magnates, and also has a naval school, I think. At any rate, this woman was beautiful and allowed me to photograph her. Truly lovely woman.

Pyrgi :) The lumps in the hollow there are swallows nests...they were swarming and swooping throughout the village. They are considered good luck evidently! The star you see next to the town name is also good luck. You will see it prominently displayed in the room that is most used in the home. I purchased a piece of art created by a local artisan and it is now in my living room - hopefully it brings me good luck as well :) One can always hope.

The Great Moon over the sea at our hotel in Chios the weekend we were there. It was absolutely incredible. This photo cannot clearly capture the majesty of it. We had dinner at a wonderful restaurant overlooking the sea (of octopus and wonderful other seafood) that was splendid. Then drove a windy road next to the ocean to get back that was a bit daunting, but was under this amazing moon. Absolutely incredible. The experience was awesome.

Another highlight of Chios is the stone village known as Mesta. This village was like a stone fortress and was absolutely gorgeous. We had lunch here and enjoyed walking through and seeing the different ways they had converted the stone rooms into apartments and homes. Truly incredible. 

A view of Mesta

Painting on one of the walls in Mesta

Mesta walkway

In the Embassy we have some resident cats who are cared for by our community. They have all been fixed so they can't reproduce and are fed and taken care of well. One of our drivers found a kitten on the major road in front of the Embassy and brought it in to prevent it from being killed by traffic. We named it Speedbump. It has been growing up well and I had a little photo shoot with it the other day while waiting for a bus :) She is a photogenic little gem.

I spent a weekend with 2 of my friends on the "island" of Evvoia at the town of Rovvies in early August. It isn't far from Athens, and you actually can drive to the island over a bridge or can catch a ferry with your car if you prefer. It is absolutely lovely and relaxing. This was the view from our hotel room...so close to the sea.

The view of the sun setting from our beach chairs in Rovvies, Evvoia. I truly did not want to leave after our weekend was over :)

A friend of mine and I traveled by plane to the island of Corfu for a weekend getaway (much faster than having to drive to the port of Patras and then take a ferry to the island). This is the view of the very clear, blue waters from our lovely beach chairs :) You'll notice I'm on the beach a lot? :)

I snorkel a lot here as well...and here I am snorkeling in Corfu. The underwater camera has been a great investment for me. The waters aren't as "productive" as the oceans in Hawaii or other places where people scuba dive, but they are clear, beautiful and there are little fish, octopus, sea slugs, sea urchins, different types of anemones and things like that to see. There are also sharks and seals in various places in the Aegean I have heard...though I haven't seen them myself :) I would prefer not to see the sharks anytime soon...

The view from our hotel balcony in Corfu on the west side of the island. It was a beautiful place. It was a resort style place and there were many families here for the height of summer. We enjoyed it very much and it was super relaxing...very much needed.

On our return to the airport in Corfu, we stopped in a little town on the east side of the island, purchased towels at a little stand, and planted ourselves at a little beach for one more swim. It's definitely too much of a temptation not to get in the water one more time before you leave this beautiful place! Corfu is a gorgeous island and I highly recommend a visit :)

One of the stops on our visit around Corfu was the beach near Glyfada...it was packed full of beach-goers. A very nice place!

So these have been my adventures so far this summer since July. In addition to working many hours during the week, getting out and about around the city when I can, turning the splendid age of 41 in early August, spending time with friends, hosting a few visitors at my house, running when I can, and generally just taking care of daily tasks around the house, this has been my extraordinary life here! :) Yes, I am truly fortunate and am trying to take advantage of every opportunity presented to me.

Until next time,
From sunny Athens,
Becky :)

Song in my head: Nina Simone "Feelin' Good"  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5Y11hwjMNs

Long overdue update!

It has been awhile since I posted...wow....6 months has really flown by. A lot has happened in the last few months. Unfortunately, some health problems sidelined me for a bit. I have to say, when everything transpired in early April and I was sent back to the United States for a medical evacuation, I was extremely worried about what might happen and if I would be able to return to Greece to complete my tour of duty here (or if I wanted to at that point), but the State Department took good care of me (and the doctors I worked with in Phoenix were AMAZING) and I am very happy that everything worked out for the best. I have since recovered very well, and I am feeling blessed and extremely happy and thankful for every day of good health. Since returning, work has been great, I have not missed a day of my job, and things have been going splendidly. I couldn't be happier, actually. Life is definitely better and is very good.

I am including a few photos of trips from the past few months that I had taken...they are scattered of course, but hey! It's been awhile since I posted, so this way you can see what I had been up to a little. I'll definitely keep up with the blog posts better from now on. I've started to train for the Athens marathon that will take place in November of this coming year. My plan is to see as many of the Greek islands as possible this summer, and I also have some additional plans to travel around Europe before I depart post next July (2015). I found out recently I will be assigned to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, for my next posting - to report in April 2016 (I will report to Washington DC first for Spanish language and Consular General training) and am very excited for this next part of my Foreign Service career. A lot more things coming up, so definitely stay tuned! :)

So without further delay, photos from the past few months.... :) Happy Summer to All!

 The Red Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, February 2014

 

 Interior of the Blue Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey, February 2014

 

 A presentation of the "Whirling Dirvishes" also known as Sufi Islam. Rumi is the Father of this particular sect of Islam. It was mesmerizing to watch!

 

 The view of the Hagia Sofia at night with the full moon. Simply beautiful :)

 

 One of the floats at the Carnivale in Patras, Greece, in March 2014

 

 One of the many groups of Carnivale participants in Patras, Greece, March 2014

 

 Colorful houses along one of the canals on the island of Burano, Italy, close to Venice, March 2014

 

 View from San Marco Cathedral, looking out across the water, Venice, Italy, March 2014

 

 A beautiful horse created just for us by an Artisan glassblower on the island of Murano near Venice, Italy, famous for their incredible and beautiful hand-blown glass, March 2014

 

 View of the Grand Canal from the Rialto Bridge at dusk, March 2014

 

 View of the sea, island of Angistri, Greece, July 2014

 

 View of the sea, from the village of Skala, island of Angistri, Greece, July 2014

 

   Sunset while waiting for the ferry to depart the island of Angistri, Greece, July 2014

 

Until next time, from the sunny city of Athens,

Becky

 

Song in my head: Life, Ludovico Einaudi - from the CD "In A Time Lapse" an amazing composer and instrumentalist!! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZpD4YeYl08

Happy New Year!

Wow. Is it seriously 2014 already?? And what a year it has been. Hard to believe all of the amazing things that have happened in the last year. I was watching one of those quick video recaps of all of the world events from this year and it still amazes me how so much can happen in one year. And it didn't even touch on everything. "Life moves pretty fast...if you don't stop to look around once in awhile, you might miss it.. " (Ferris Bueller) Very true.

The thing I love about January 1st is it always feels like a fresh start. I guess in our 365 day calendar view, it is! I don't make resolutions every year (I used to religiously, but I have since stopped doing that in the last few years). What I do like to do is reflect on the past year, and then put down some things I want to focus on...big, general kinds of concepts, but not necessarily hard and fast measureable goals...and generally the past few years, they have been the same big things. I think they are pretty much the same this year.

1) Focus on living a healthy and balanced life. This takes on all aspects of life, really. Mainly for me, it is something to focus on for my overall health. I struggle with the whole "work-life" balance and my health normally takes a backseat to work. This generally means I go full force with work and neglect my physical, spiritual and mental health, then promptly crash or get sick, or just spend 3 full days in PJs watching reruns of Friends :) This is, and will be, a continuing theme in life for me. I do my best. I fall off the wagon. And then I climb back up. Sometimes it takes a little longer to get back on, but I still get back up and try again. I am glad for that. So each year (and ideally every day), I try to focus on making balanced and healthy choices, and to do things that I know are good for my overall health and well-being. This year is no exception :)

2) Live outside my comfort zone. Well, I have to say 2013 was incredible for this one. Learning a new language, moving myself overseas to start a whole new career, and now living overseas. Yeah, all outside my comfort zone. It has had its challenges, for sure! But overall, I honestly feel that if I live by this and push myself to do things that scare me, or that I haven't done before, I think it makes me grow into a better person. Ok so it may not make me "better" but it sure does help me grow :) I was, and to some extent still am, a person who tends to not like huge changes. I find it HILARIOUS that I have chosen a career that expects me to move every 2-3 years, do different jobs that I may, or may not, have experience for, and completely adapt to a new culture and state of being so often. I like to think that I have somehow incorporated this subconsciously into my life. Eh, probably not. But maybe if I keep doing it, it will just become part of who I am. Or maybe it already has :)

3) Developing relationships that are meaningful. When I was younger, I thought it was so important to have a lot of friends. I wanted everyone to like me, and I genuinely wanted to like everyone. I still have both parts of that in my being to a great extent and I struggle with the whole thing at times. But as I have gotten older, I have truly realized the value of meaningful relationships. I think we all have those surface relationships in our lives too and there is something to be said for those too. I still strive to be nice to everyone, and to be a good person, and not exclude people whenever possible. But in the deeper sense of meaning, I have also grown to realize that everyone does not like me (gasp!!) and that I don't want to be "friends" with everyone I meet. And I am truly coming to terms with that and becoming better about it. I really like having relationships with people who I trust and respect, and who do the same with me. It is important to me to be able to be myself, in all of my weirdness and dysfunction at times, with people. And I have realized that is not everyone I meet :) Most people would say "well, duh!" To this...and they'd be right :) But I am very trusting and I have tended to trust quickly and then get hurt. I have lost people in my life because of differences, or changes in priorities, or breaking of trusts, or just general disconnection. It still pains me, especially if there was a perceived, or real, connection and/or friendship there. I firmly believe that people are brought into our lives at certain times for certain reasons. And I am brought into theirs. So I work to have faith to know what to do when I meet people or know people. I don't always get it right, and sometimes things are just painful. And I still tend to trust too quickly. But other times? Well, then life is just amazing and I am so thankful for the wonderful relationships that I do have with the people in my life.

4) Travel. And More Travel. I love traveling. I seriously just love going to new places and experiencing what is there. Sometimes it is just taking a different way home, or driving to a park, but mainly it is getting out and seeing the world. The quote "Your life is never the same after your passport has been stamped" is my mantra. It is true. You see, smell, hear, taste and experience things you never thought you would when you travel. Anywhere. Some good, and some not so good. But every experience you have makes a memory, and makes an indelible impression on you in some way. I make sure I travel at least once a month, but know that I am happier when it is more often. I have started planning some of my travel for this year and I am utterly excited for the amazingness that awaits me as I visit these places. I know I am truly blessed and fortunate to have these opportunities for adventure and travel, and I will not waste them or forget how truly lucky I am to be able to experience them. 

Although I am a very structured person, and I like a schedule, follow the rules, and tend to have a plan, I have noticed I am starting to enjoy more spontaneity, am learning to fly by the seat of my pants more often, and may bend the rules here and there (though not break them!!). And every year on the first day of the year, it is kind of awesome to reflect on where I have been, who I have become, and to think about who I want to be and where I want to go...in life and in the world. Life is great for that! Every day we get a fresh start when we open our eyes and start a new day.

I wish for you the beauty and freshness of every new day. And for finding those things in the coming year that make you happy, healthy and well.

Happy 2014 :)

From a chilly and overcast Athens,

Becky

Song in my head: "Wake Me Up" Avicii

http://youtu.be/5y_KJAg8bHI