It's All Greek to Me

Still no internet in the hotel, so thats a bummer, but hopefully it'll get fixed soon.
As for what has happened thus far, I'm pleased to report Greece as surpassed my expectations heading into our move. I'll admit it, I loved London and I was sad to go. I think that most of the people in our program felt that way as we pretty much had it made in England. Then they wanted us to move to a completely foreign country and expect us to hit the ground running and picked up where we left off in terms of classes, friendships, and pretty much our lives. I didn't think it was possible. For the most part, I was wrong.
Our hotel, the Hotel Philipos is pretty much a stone's throw from the Acropolis, which made for an amazing first day of orientation for our program. I was literally shaking in my shoes from the history this place has been home to and astounded at the thought of walking in the footsteps of of the fathers of thought and logic. Also on our tour was Mars Hill, noted not only for its astounding view of the city but also for being the reported site where the Apostle Paul mixed it up with the great philosophers in his early attempts to spread Christianity. Again, some truly humbling history all around.
Yesterday we went to the traditional center of the Greek world, Delphi, known for its important place in Greek mythology. There lived the Oracle who gave prophecies to kings and peasants alike, namely Oedipus. The area was amazing for its beauty and breathtaking view of the mountains and valley all around. The historical sites and landmarks themselves put one back in the shoes of an ancient Greek pilgrim on his way to pay homage to the gods and hear how his or her life will play out in the future. IT was a day trip I consider myself blessed to have made and an important compliment to our religion class we'll be taking for the rest of the semester here in Greece.
The Philipos is nice and the staff are friendly and very accommodating. Our beds are infinitely more comfortable than the racks they had us on in London and I feel like a king just from having my bed made, and sheets and bathroom cleaned. I could definitely get used to this lifestyle and I'm grateful it has worked out as well as it has. Some people in the program haven't totally bought into the move still, nor do I think these people ever will, but while Athens has many shortcomings, its such an incredible new perspective on people it's amazing.
Once we get an established, reliable internet connection I promise some more, detailed descriptions, including my friends and I experiencing Greek Carnival. The stories and memories gathered already are truly fantastic.

Greece!

Internet is not working in the hotel yet so I haven't been able to sign on sooner. Still, things are amazing and I went to the Acropolis today with Delphi scheduled for tomorrow! Check back soon, hopefully...

Going, Going...

Gone! The bus is here to take us to the airport and I'm about to head out. Just thought I owed it to my readers to give them some live coverage of this momentous occasion. Catch you all on the flip side in Greece!

Meanwhile, In America...

Did Hillary Clinton really just win in Texas AND Ohio? Not to mention Rhody? Wow, color me shocked and overjoyed. Hats off to her, overcoming the 12 state losing streak to win such big stakes has given her new life, not to mention momentum. And now the Democratic nomination circus can last another three months with some delectable attack ads and savory call-outs. And they don't even have to come from the RNC! This gives McCain a tremendous advantage and makes the Republican party appear to have their act together compared to the chaos on the other side of the aisle. And imagine if Clinton wins this drawn out, messy affair! That would be a dream match-up for me in terms of electability. Wow, and I was beginning to resign myself to a Democratic win in '08. Man, if there was one party that knew how to trip and fall over itself when they were the invincible, inevitable future of the country. Riiiiight.

Limbo

This is a weird feeling.
I am quite literally the only person in the house done with exams. Which of course means I can't even go out and celebrate unless its solo, and that's just sad. But still, by virtue of having both the classes I was taking in London finish with exams today, I am currently worry free. If you rewind to me 24 hours ago, the mood was not so different. I was cramming for two exams that revolved around four people (British History exam essay on Viscount Palmerston and Earl Aberdeen's foreign policies while Humanities involved analysis of Ignatius Loyola's founding of the Jesuits and Holbein's transformation of Tudor art). Names, facts, and anecdotes were whizzing around my head in time for my journey across the Renaissance/Reformation/Counter-Reformation to the 19th century British Empire. Each scribble in our blue books felt like another load being lifted off of my shoulders and now I'm left with... nothing.
I think I did rather well, too, considering I was thusly the only person with two exams today. Honestly, I was dropping dates in my exams like they were hot... all without the benefit of notes. I'm not going to hesitate from patting my back on this one, a good grade will have been hard earned provided I'm lucky enough. It's just trying to figure out how to spend my final days which will be the hardest part. There are still sights I haven't seen, experiences I have yet to partake in, and of course, a ton of packing I need to do before I leave. That also means sending a box o' stuff on a slow boat back to the states with all the excess clothes/books/miscellaneous I can't fit in my bags. There are 50 lbs. weight limits on on flights leaving Heathrow and only one checked bag allowed per student before we head to Greece. Thus, sacrifices will need to be made but I'm up to the challenge.
Anyways, back to this weird sensation I think I'll enjoy for the evening. I'm not allowing myself to be caught up in the cloud of chaos sweeping up the other students studying diligently for their exams over the next two days and beyond. I'll have plenty of time to stress over my two remaining classes in Greece later on. There is something to be said for relaxation at the dusk of an incredible semester. For now, I think I'll rent an iTunes movie or something. Wow, this is odd.

One Down, One to Go

Coming up for air in between exams. Just finished British History and now move on to Humanities. I expect my essays on Loyola and Holbein to be solid, but I had to split my studying between them and my analysis of Palmerston and Aberdeen in British History so I have what seems like a zillions names and dates running through my head. I look forward to finishing both exams... then taking a nap.

Last Train to London

Believe it or not, my semester here in London is mere days away from completion. I could've sworn only last month was I being orientated to living in the UK and receiving my cultural education first hand. Well, thats because it was. The reason our program is so short here in London (in comparison to other Pepperdine international programs who just completed their midterms and are enjoying their Spring Break) is a scheduled remodeling of the facility here in South Kensington. In order to complete it by the beginning of this coming fall, work has to basically start this coming week. Although the signs of our departure are all around us. The pictures of past programs the adorned the walls are long since gone, books have been removed from the library, broken items have been neglected for repair until after we leave and even the Coke machine has been removed. Suffice to say the higher-ups here are good and ready for our departure.
The schedule for the rest of the program looks something like this: we leave Thursday to fly into Athens and check into our new home away from home, the Hotel Philippos (my fifth different room this year, counting the multiple room switches I had in the DC program last semester). From there it's orientation all over again, concluding with a day trip for our religion class to Delphi on March 8th. After a couple days of work, we get a long weekend (our spring break) from the 13th to 16th which I plan on using to cruise the Greek Isles. The next weekend includes another educational day trip to Corinth and the weekend following that is free; I hope to take that time to get to Rome. After I come back from wherever I'm going, I leave the next day on Monday for our extended Educational Field Trip to Turkey that'll last for a week. Once that finishes and we conclude finals, it's back to the States on April 11th. And thats my semester. See, I knew this would happen. I blinked in January and here I am plotting out the short time left in my experience abroad.
Oh well, before I get too ahead of myself, I still have much to do here in London. In about an hour I'm going to hop the Tube over to Abbey Road for a requisite photo-op and I hope to see some other stuff in London I haven't experienced yet. The sad part is knowing that no matter how hard I try, there will still be things I haven't done here. Oh well, I guess that means working doubly hard this summer to save up for another trip here!