Counting Down

I just got out of my final religion class and conclude all work tomorrow when I take its final at 9 AM sharp. The reality of the conclusion of my trip is raining down pretty hard right now. I've started trying to pack all my possessions back into my duffel bag (with souvenirs, the situation can best be described as "tight") and think about the last few things here in Athens I want to try and accomplish before I leave. I've even started making plans and appointments for when I'm back in the States as I'll have a couple of days in Connecticut before I fly out to California to visit Pepperdine's campus to sort my life out there. Still, there's the mental block I have about imagining myself back in the USA. I know in just a few short days I'll be back on US soil, but envisioning myself there is just hard for me to figure at this point. Sure, if it were another European city I was jetting to for the weekend to meet up with some old friends I would have no trouble accepting what lies ahead. But as ready as I am to head back home, I'm still expecting a culture shock of sorts to occur when I'm paying in the greenback and not speaking in Euro-English to locals to get them to understand me. Of course, most of my college friends will still be at school for about another month, so I'll be able to sink into some quiet anonymity for a bit and relearn what it is to be an American. Hopefully it's like riding a bike.

Come On, Connecticut

Honestly, what the hell...

Student suspended for buying Skittles at school

NEW HAVEN, Connecticut (AP) -- Contraband candy has led to big trouble for an eighth-grade honors student in Connecticut.

Michael Sheridan was stripped of his title as class vice president, barred from attending an honors student dinner and suspended for a day after buying a bag of Skittles from a classmate.

School spokeswoman Catherine Sullivan-DeCarlo says the New Haven school system banned candy sales in 2003 as part of a districtwide school wellness policy.

Michael's suspension has been reduced from three days to one, but he has not been reinstated as class vice president.

He says he didn't realize his candy purchase was against the rules -- although he did notice the student selling the Skittles on February 26 was being secretive.

Really, New Haven? Really?

At least they recognized the error of their ways.

Michael Sheridan, an eighth-grade honors student who was suspended for a day, barred from attending an honors dinner and stripped of his title as class vice president after he was caught with a bag of Skittles candy in school will get his student council post back, school officials said.

I tell ya, sometimes I wonder what what home is going to be like when I get back. This is leaving me kinda worried...

Down to My Last Euros

If you wanted to use aviation metaphors to describe my current financial state, the appropriate one to apply to me currently would be a crash landing. I'm basically broke and I'm spending my final Euros. It's difficult plotting out how I'm going to buy souvenirs for family and friends back home, visit some final museums and historical sites here in Athens, and eat all on the budget of about 80 Euros. Sure, thats over $100, but that doesn't buy much love here in Athens. As it is, I will be trying to squeeze as much work in this summer as possible, especially since I'm trying to live off-campus next year at school. But unfortunately the realities of capitalism have caught up to me, and if I'm to avoid that cruel temptress Debt, it'll be cheap cheap cheap from here on out. Sorry mom and dad, that means no authentic Middle Eastern carpet!

A Connecticut Yankee In: the old Ottoman Empire (Turkey)

For the past week, my program has departed from our (temporary) home and been touring Turkey as part of an Educational Field Trip revolving around the historic and religious offerings of the former Ottoman Empire. Starting off in Istanbul (or is it Constantinople? or Byzantium?), we spent a few nights in the city along the Bosphorous before crossing into Asia and spreading all along the Aegean coast from Pergamon to Izmir to Ephesus. It was probably one of the most eye-opening and incredible experiences of my life. And I didn't even get to experience a Turkish bath.
I'll be the first to admit that my expectations for the week were very low going into the trip. I had heard from others that Turkey was more of a Mexico than anything and I've never been in a predominantly Muslim country. To tell you the truth I had no idea what it was going to be like. But from the moment we touched down in Istanbul, I knew at the very least it was going to be different. After a flight that lasted a little over an hour we were herded onto a bus eerily similar to the tourist one from "Babel" and driven straight to our hotel, The Golden Horn, which is a stone's throw from Asia. It was a nice place with a fantastic view of the city and great location to an active, bustling shopping district (unfortunately where one of my friends had her camera pick-pocketed). And while there was so much in Istanbul we didn't get to see or experience or take in, believe me when I say we had a pretty good itinerary of the city on two continents.
Among the things were saw were the Chora Church, the Hippodrome, Topkapi Palace, Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia, Dolmabahce Palace, the Underground Cistern, and the Egyptian Spice Bazaar. The Blue Mosque was only the second active mosque I've been to (along with London's Central Mosque) and provided a glimpse into a culture far too many Americans and Westerners have been sheltered from in their life. But most fun was the Spice Bazaar, which contained dozens of shops each promising a good deal and provided me with some inexpensive souvenirs. The shopkeepers were just as colorful, if not more so, than the ones here in Athens (and even one guy who promised to give one of the girls in our group anything she wanted for free in exchange for five minutes with him. Wow). Our local soccer club from our days in London, Chelsea, were even in Istanbul playing a Turkish squad while we were there, offering plenty for us to joke about with the locals (though they were doing most of the joking as Chelsea choked 2-1). At one of the museums stops we made, what must've been 200 Turkish elementary school students swarmed my friends and I on the steps as we were waiting for our bus to arrive and begged us for pictures, autographs, and the like. It was awesome and really enjoyable from the cultural perspective (though again, I got a lot of shouting at me about Chelsea. Why did they have to lose?). Overall, it was a fantastic place I would love to visit again.
The second half of our journey took us squarely into Asia as we turned our attention to deeper in the past and a look at the footprints of ancient Greece and Rome in Asia Minor. After our flight to Izmir, we bussed up to Pergamon and toured the ruin there before retracing our steps and heading south to Kusadasi where our hotel was located. Kusadasi is a tourist town like others on either side of the Aegean Sea and a good launching point for our next day's journey to Ephesus. Ephesus is the crown jewel of all ancient ruins as it contains, largely preserved, the third largest city in the time of the Roman Empire. We scampered through the ancient site in wonder of just how real it all seemed. I've seen some ruins before, but this was an example of a place we could easily imagine ourselves back in time. There was so much left there, it wasn't hard to dream up a walk down the city center to the second largest library in the ancient world or past the statesmen on their way back from the forum. It was all so real. Afterwards we went to St. John's Basilica, burial site of the Apostle John, and then back to our hotel. The next day we departed back to Izmir and began a series of flights to take us back to Athens.
It was quite amazing, the trip as a whole, when I stop and think about just how many firsts I had accomplished. Beyond my first trip to Asia or the fact it was the first Islamic country I had been to, I'm talking about actually walking down the street and hearing the call for prayer echoing through the street corners. Or being the first Americans some of these Turkish children had any interaction with and trying to leave a positive impression. Or the first time I had haggled a store owner from 30 Euro down to 15 Turkish Lyria for a knock-off soccer jersey. Each one was a step further and further away from what I have known in my life. It even makes my prior travels across Europe seem trivial in comparison.
I have less then a week before I head back to the USA and I'm trying to take every ounce of Athens in before I go. Don't get me wrong, I love it over here and I am so very grateful for my time abroad. I can only hope that I get to spend more time in Europe and abroad some point in my life. But I'm ready for America. I've confirmed just how much I appreciate home in my own heart and what America means to me personally. Many folks are staying over here a few more weeks and trying to accomplish all that they have yet to do or see, but the one place I really want to see at this point is the Statue of Liberty as I'm flying into LaGuardia and the familiar images of Fairfield, Connecticut. That will all come soon enough. For now, well I'm going to catch my breath and enjoy a few my gyros.

Free Airport Internet

This is my first time online in a while as our internet in Ephesus was... well... non-existent. We're back in Istanbul right now en route to Athens so I'll give a detailed account of our Turkish experience one I'm there. Well, thats assuming the internet works there. At the very least I won't have to worry about sleeping while sitting. I've done far too much of that these past few days.

Istanbul Gone Wild!

The Turkish soccer club Fenerbahce just toppled the English goliath (and my personal soccer team) Chelsea 2-1 here in Turkey. The streets of Istanbul are going wild and the echo of sirens, screams, and horns can be heard everywhere. I'm almost scared to go onto the streets it sounds that bad, We would be out watching the game at a pub or something if not for out early flight to Izmir tomorrow. Oh well, watching the game in the hotel was an experience in and of itself. The hotel erupted after Fenerbahce's second goal, leaving us London program-ers in a dismal state. At least the excitement of the city makes up for the loss. So how much you think a knock-off Fenerbahce's jersey price went up overnight?

Bad News

I just went out for a stroll with a few of my friends through the shopping area here in Istanbul that we've been frequenting in search of some post-dinner goodies. One of my friends, who is of Greek origin and was sporting a "Hellas" t-shirt started drawing some taunts from passersby but none gave us too much trouble. We should never have gone down that back alley, but we were looking for a quick way to the coffee shop we had spotted before. Well, a gang of Turkish youths, aware of the past and present hostility between Greece and Turkey, approached and encircled the five of us, jostling the girls and holding back the guys. My Greek friend was held at knife-point and we were all robbed of our money, some losing their cameras and one their passport. We've reported this to the police but they seem of no help. I'll keep y'all informed as we try to recover.

Update: OK, I have an update on the progress of the situation. After a rigorous inquiry and much reflection, it has come to my attention that it is APRIL FOOL'S DAY! Bwahahahaha. And no, this post will not be finding its way onto "A Connecticut Yankee In:"

When In Rome...

As promised here is my write-up from my weekend in Rome from Friday to Tuesday. Apologies again for not having enough time, it's difficult to keep up when constantly on the move!
I knew from the beginning the weekend was going to be constantly tinged by the thought of our imminent move to Turkey. With that in mind, I was determined to accomplish two things: get the most out of the Boot and journey to another country I had never been to before and visit my long lost roommate from last year, Ryan, who is currently studying in Pepperdine's Florence program. I had heard mixed reports about Rome so any enjoyment achieved there would be gravy. It ended up being one of my favorite cities to have visited, perhaps second only to London.
I started my trip by trying to make sure I would be as ready to go as possible for Turkey in the 8 hour interval from when I would return from Rome and then leave for Istanbul. Unfortunately they checked us out of our hotel room in Athens so we basically have to take EVERYTHING to Greece. Due to the baggage restrictions from our flight from London to Athens, my stuff has been whittled down, but it's still a pain in the neck to lug across eastern Europe. Up to my last minute before I left I was negotiating how much space I would have to store souvenirs from Rome and Turkey so it was difficult to rest before a long period of travel ahead. Part of me was just happy to leave and part my worries to he back of my mind and meet my roommate. Too bad the reality of my situation would never leave my thoughts, but I crammed it far enough back there where I was still able to enjoy myself.
I flew into Leonardo di Vinci Airport and headed straight to the hostel where I was to meet Ryan. Unfortunately my lingual shortcomings struck and it took me about a half hour of walking around a not-so-fantastic area of the city before I found my hostel and my roommate who, while originally was supposed to be there hours before, met me just as I was walking in after his train trouble. Our hostel was nice, but we busied ourselves with catching up on old times and experiencing some nice Italian cuisine (an Italian fast food joint - think Sbarro). Since Ryan had already been to Rome, the next day we spent doing some of the things he missed or couldn't afford (Rome is expensive!) his first trip including the Vatican, Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, and some castles and museums placed squarely along our route. Luckily it was culture week in Italy so all the museums were free all week, very handy for a pair of struggling backpacking college students. We talked about housing for next year, stories of our experiences apart from each other, and what we could plan on enjoying next year. After some dinner and a memorable evening out we went to bed as he was set to leave early in the morning on Sunday to head back to Florence so as to finish some impending assignments he had due.
My flight on Sunday wasn't until 7:00 PM so I had a full day of sight-seeing I was still able to get under my belt. I hit all the big spots including the Coliseum, the Roman Forum, and the Mamertine (where the Apostles Peter and Paul were imprisoned during their ministry in Rome). I was able to latch myself onto tours that were shuffling around so I got a pretty good history of the places I was visiting, albeit in bits and pieces. Still, I was so impressed with the city of Rome including the places of interest, the people, and the gelato that I wouldn't hesitate to go again. Even the knock-off soccer jerseys were reasonably priced. Overall I was glad I went and squeezed the most out of my last free weekend of my semester as we will be occupied for the duration of our trip to Turkey and time back in Athens. It was worth it enough just to see my old roommate and fellow Peppers Hall brother who willingly made the trip down to Rome again just to see me. And I'm very pleased to check off another country on my visited list as I was finally able to experience wonderful Italy. I only wish I had more time to visit!
The weekend came to an end and before I knew it I'm here in Istanbul taking in another foreign culture. Hopefully I'll have time tomorrow to document my experiences here in the land of the crescent but we were promised (another) very full day, including the Hagia Sophia. Stay tuned!

Turkish Delight

I must say, my first impressions of Turkey, specifically Istanbul, have been nothing but positive. The city itself is beautiful on so many levels and the effect is only amplified by the view of the city our hotel affords us. We are staying right along the "Golden Horn" and in a very safe, clean, and exciting area of town. Thus far, after touching down in Istanbul, we were loaded on buses and took a brief tour of the city before heading to our hotel. Much much more is in store for tomorrow and I'll post something up at the end of the day. Also I hope to have some time to post about my trip to Rome, which was incredible. Ahhh, so much!

Four Hours to Go Until Turkey

I literally got in an hour ago, unpacked, allowed myself to unwind... then repacked and got in the traveling frame of mind again. I've had enough time to through together a bag of stuff I won't need in Turkey to keep in storage here for a week (since we are technically checking out of our hotel), bunch my clothes for the week (and then some, since I couldn't fit more into the backpack I was keeping here) in a duffel bag, charge EVERYTHING I own, and talk to my parents about housing for next year. Thats a lot for two hours. But now I realize I only have four and a half hours to sleep before tomorrow's adventure begins. This is probably the best example of my problem of not having enough time to enjoy what I'm doing wherever I am. Oh well, I can't stop now!

Live from Rome

I have about 4 minutes of free internet left, so I'll make this quick. Just wanted to check in on my loyal readers from the friendly confines of Bella Roma. My roommate from last year who is studying in the Florence program took me to all the cool spots that he missed the first time and today I'm visiting the big ones. Rome is easily one of my favorite cities outside of London, so clearly I'm enjoying mysef. I promise more soon when I get back to Athens and before I head to Turkey!

Rome-ward Bound!

In just a couple short hours, I'll be boarding my flight to Rome to meet up with my roommate from last year who is studying in the Florence program. I've never been to Italy before, much less Rome, so my excitement level is pretty high right now (though I'm a bit anxious I'll only have a couple hours when I get back at night to pack for my week-long program field trip to Turkey). I'll try to post once I'm in beautiful Roma but forgive me if I'm too caught up in the sights and history of the city!

Welcome Back

I just got word last night in the midst of all my finals studying that my cousin Josh, who you may recall was stationed with the Marines in Iraq, just reached American soil and he is currently on-base in Hawaii. This is tremendous news and my family and I are ecstatic at his safe arrival. Even better, his brother Luke, who is also in the Marines, is stationed in Hawaii as well and the two are finally reunited. This certainly puts finals studying and harrowing travel experiences in perspective for me as nothing compares to the sacrifice and courage Josh has displayed in his time in service to our country fighting for freedom. I only wish I was there with Luke to personally greet Josh upon his re-entrance to the States. Welcome back Stateside, Josh!

Happy Greek Independence Day/Opening Day!

Today Greece celebrated its independence from the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century with fantastic fanfare and pomp. To mark the occasion, a military parade was held merely a couple blocks from our hotel, which gave me an eerie impression of what a Soviet May Day celebration must've been like. I mean they had the whole gang there, the tanks, missiles, Humvees with bazookas on top, multiple fly overs by jets, bombers, and helicopters of all sorts. It literally must have been the entire Greek army. Soldiers even marched in full regalia with a disciplined coordination up and down the lines, especially with the whole arms swinging thing they had going on. It was quite impressive, but hardly the ticker-tate, floats, and candy throwing that mark our Memorial Day parades. An ill-placed spark would've had the whole parade route in trouble here in Athens. It was still a fun event nonetheless seeing all the Greeks lining the streets waving their flags in the shadow of Hadrian's Arch and the Temple of Zeus. We even got to strike a pose in front of one of the tanks (is that not Michael Dukakis in the tank?) with some diplomats from Cameroon that thought it would be cool to get in our picture.
It was also a special day for what was going on half way around the world... and no, not in America. I'm talking about the events in Tokyo, Japan that took place this afternoon (or night or morning depending on where you are). Major League Baseball's Opening Day was today with my Boston Red Sox squaring off against the Oakland A's in the Tokyo Dome. This was the earliest Opening Day in Major League Baseball history, but the start of the title defense couldn't come soon enough, especially now that my bracket is on life support. The Sox won, albeit in sloppy fashion, as Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched in front of his native countrymen, though the win went to fellow Japanese native son Hideki Okajima. I braved the especially slow internet service to try and watch as much of the game as possible on my MLB.TV subscription and was fortunate enough to catch some of the best moments. In fact, the coverage of the NCAA tournament and now baseball season on MLB.TV are serving as my windows back into United States culture. I forgot how much I disliked American commercials, though now I have a new appreciation for hearing something being sold to me in English. Now, excuse me while I head back to studying. With one midterm finished this morning, I still have a final to go tomorrow. I guess today can't all be one big celebration!

What Lies Ahead

So here's what I have left for my time here abroad. I may have trouble catching my breath, so bear with me:

Today-Thursday: Lots and lots of work. My Intercultural Communications class is wrapping up, culminating in an exam on Wednesday that is bookended by papers that are due. Tomorrow brings a Religion midterm (whose study group I will be attending shortly) and that class won't end until April 10th.

Friday-Sunday: Rome, Italy. I couldn't forgive myself if I didn't go to the home of antiquity's greatest civilization and stop by to say hi to the Pope (who I just found out I will be seeing when he visits Yankee Stadium at the end of April. Sweet.). Plus you know that Coliseum is only going to be standing for that much longer. I'll be meeting up with my roommate from last year who is currently studying in Florence and offered to give me the tour. It should be a blast and I'm excited, but I'll have little opportunity to reflect on it afterwards since...

Next Monday - Sunday: Turkey for our Educational Field Trip. Each program takes an EFT for a week to sojourn to another country and learn about Europe beyond our assigned host countries. We were stripped of our Spring Break due to our relocation to Greece, but they are more then making it up with this week long visit to Turkey. I have never been to a predominantly Muslim country and I am looking forward to learning about a way of life different from that practiced in the West. Looking at our itinerary, we're going to be thrown into the thick of things right away so transition time will be minimal... making it that much more exciting. Afterwards we'll be heading back to Athens for another week before heading back to the USA.

So thats my life for the next couple weeks. If I have light posting this week, blame the work I have due, but I hope to squeeze in a couple more entries based on Athens and out preparations for Turkey. In any event, I promise to give you a detailed account of wherever I go as always and will try and post when I can while in Turkey.

Happy Easter!

I hope everyone has a wonderful and blessed Easter with friends and family. Don't forget the Easter bunny and eat lots of Peeps!

Good Friday in Corinth

Yesterday marked one of the most solemn days in the Catholic church and indeed Christianity as a whole: Good Friday. As a sort of pilgrimage, our group traveled to Corinth, Greece to mark the occasion and learn while experiencing where the Apostle Paul practiced most of his ministry. As is the case with seemingly every Good Friday, the day was marked with a cold, windy day accompanied by lots of rain. Still, we persevered through the bad weather and learned a lot. Paul found much success while preaching in Corinth, more so than Athens, and the community of Christians that resulted made their mark very clearly in the ruins of the ancient city. While much of what we saw was nothing more than foundation for the city, we were able to locate where Paul would have been exactly and traced his footsteps while reading passages from the Bible and putting ourselves in his time and place. The whole experience was surreal and helped remind me personally of the struggle and sacrifice endured by Jesus and his followers to spread God's message. After walking around the ruins, we hoped on the bus and headed up to the adjacent mountain that boasted the city's citadel. The view was outstanding and offered a memorable mental image of the surrounding area I will be sure to hold dear. This was certainly a Good Friday I will remember for my lifetime.

March Sadness

It's inevitable. Aside from when I won some money off of seniors as a sophomore in high school, my brackets have always kicked the can after some valiant efforts. Yesterday saw some good results for me, but today my WCC schools I'm supporting have been letting me down. While I don't have Gonzaga or St. Mary's making it past the second round, wins from either would've boosted my bracket compared to others in my pools. Hopefully I can count on some success later on in the day!

Update: Or not. UConn, in a trend looking eerily familiar to the rest of my bracket, just rewarded my home state loyalty with a dud against San Diego. Don't get me wrong, I like SD considering they, like Pepperdine, are a WCC school and I'm all for the betterment of my conference, but I was counting on the OTHER WCC schools pulling through... not the one that was going to end my home state's run to the Elite 8. Oh well, I guess that's one thing that's good about being in Greece... I won't have to show my face in public with people who will judge me for my bracket here in Athens!

Grabbing Life by the Baklava

Lucky for me, the incessant strikes here in Athens allotted me an afternoon confined to my immediate area and an opportunity to think and reflect about my time here abroad. Just as I finished up lunch, and headed into dessert, the thinking bug bit me in the brain and I became overcome with the fear of not accomplishing or savoring enough my time here in Europe. And then my thoughts turned even more.
Part of the downside of being away from one's school, family, and country while studying abroad seems quite obvious: you are so far removed from the lives of such important people that you can't possible do justice to the relationships you have forged thus far. That's of course a complicated way of saying if you miss people, its too bad. While this wonderful thing we call the internet helps keep everyone connected at breathtakingly efficient speed, it can hardly substitute for the human element garnered by face-to-face contact with friends and loved ones. Sure, I employ Skype to video chat with those close to me or even my international cell phone (when the occasion justifies the nutso rates). But no matter how much fun I'm having wherever I am, there's that little piece inside of me that wishes I could be sharing these experiences with more of my closest friends or even back home having dinner at the kitchen table with my family and our cat and dog rubbing lovingly at our feet to beg food from us. Alas this experience abroad has been a testament of inner emotional fortitude for someone like me whose time here will be my longest and furthest away from home. Still, even then, my thoughts float to my cousins in the Marines and all those separated from their families for reasons far nobler than mine.
But what I find is that at the highest of the highs and the lowest of the lows in my time here in Europe, I can use this affinity for home as a benefit just as some think of it as a detriment. There are incredible places I've been and amazing things I've seen and experienced here in Europe; I've had moments I wouldn't trade for any other and perspectives that I know will positively affect my life. But perhaps best of all I've confirmed just how happy with where I am in life. When this dream is over and I wake up in my bed in Fairfield, Connecticut, I'm not going to be upset nor rueful I'm not in some foreign land with adventures yet to come. You know why? Because I've been blessed with some fantastic things in life no matter where I am and my life at home couldn't be better. I am prouder now then I have ever been for who I am: an American, a Catholic, a New Englander, a Connecticuian, a Pepperdine student, and most of all a Lambert. No one can take that away from me, nor can I be robbed of everything I have done and learned here abroad. To put it simply, things are going pretty well for me right now.
Hopefully the self-definition I have gained from my time here abroad continues to pay dividends further down the line. There are many things I can accomplish and goals I have set for myself that I will not back down from until I have satisfied my harshest critic: myself. Sure I have my flaws as anyone with even the slightest clue of who I am surely knows. But the important thing is always remembering what drives me. I had one of those epiphanies today, hence this post, and the resulting "moment of clarity" helped me to cope with the realization of just how far behind I am at keeping in touch with those I love most in Malibu, Fairfield, and all over the USA. I'm always going to be separated from someone that would make my day by being there, but the important thing is remembering just why I'm away to begin with on this sojourn of mine and how its helping me become a better man.
Thats pretty good for one day of thinking, eh? Hard to believe such a tender moment was achieved over a plate of baklava. No wonder this country spawned such great men of reason, it must be the food!

Everybody Wants Some!!

OK, this has gone on long enough. All this striking here is really starting to get on my nerves. Never have I seen a people on the whole work so little and expect to be paid more for it. It's mind boggling. Take my latest run-in with Socialism for example:
I got a message saying that the post office received a package for me on Friday while we were gone (thanks mom and dad!) but they were closing and I'd have to pick it up at a later date. Fine, no problem, I can live with that, I was gone anyway. I come back and on my list of things to do, like laundry and such, are to pick up that package. Each day this week I've tried to do just that and each day I've been turned away at the door. Why? They're on strike. So no treats from home for me it seems. I'll give it another shot today, hopefully the strike ends in the next 2-3 hours. Otherwise I may throw a rock through the window and get it myself. I'm kidding... but really.

Update: Alright, the strike has ended and I was able to claim my Easter love from home right before, get this, they closed for the day after a whole hour and a half on the job after the strike. And those staffing the post office clearly wanted no part of being there as they were probably the least helpful/most rude service employees I have encountered in Europe. At least I got what I set out to accomplish. But just on my way back, I run into one of my friends who is visibly distraught. She tells me the Athenian metro workers have just gone on strike and she has to take a taxi to the airport to pick up one of our fellow program participants who went back to America to attend the funeral of her cousin and aunt. Apparently the whole city is reeling from this, too (though the cabbies must be ecstatic). I can only laugh at this point it's so ridiculous.