Picture Me in Delphi

I am sorry for the delay of this post! I guess yet again I have been really busy. Here's the breakdown of the past week!

Friday: Finally, a day without classes and without traveling!! I spent the day in Athens working on homework for the most part. I did take a homework break and went to a rug seminar! Never thought I would say that I went to a rug seminar in Athens! It was pretty awesome! The family that owns the rug business welcomed us in with wine and cheese pies and told us all about rugs. Let me know if you are thinking of redecorating your house! I might be able to give you a few tips!

Saturday: We spent the morning driving in a coach bus to Delphi. The views along the way were amazing according to my bus buddy, Matt. He watched the scenery while I worked on homework. :( I caught a glimpse and I agreed! The Delphi trip was meant to be a history field trip and since I am not in the history class I got to enjoy, while most people had to take notes. Robert, the history professor gave us the lowdown on the ruins we were walking through. We had the afternoon free so we walked through the small town streets there. It's the off-season there so a lot of the stores were closed. Malinda, Carissa, Lauren and I ended up going back to their room to watch the sunset. We each had our own balcony that overlooked the mountains. I seriously have never seen such a beautiful landscape from a hotel room! That evening we went out for a traditional Greek dinner with the whole group, the Kathmans, and Robert. That evening a bunch of us were feeling pretty lazy so we laid around in Ali, Holly, and my room to watch 12 Dancing Barbie Princesses. And yes, sometimes I do like to act like a 5 year old. It was in Greek, but luckily Brita had seen it before so she told us what was going on. Brita, Emily, Evan, Anna, Paul, Holly, and I had a blast making fun of the movie and its ridiculous commercials!

Sunday: We started off early with more exploring of the ruins. We traveled a little bit farther and went to St. Luke's Monastery. We headed back to Athens soon after and we got to celebrate, Brita, my roommate's 21st birthday! She wanted to keep it really low-key so we just made a chocolate cake and had a bottle of wine to share between the 5 of us. I made Greek yogurt icing for the cake and it was delicious! So far I have found that Greek yogurt is good as salad dressing, icing, and with cereal!

I should give you a little bit of background before I explain the rest of the week. So I realized part of the way through the trip in Rome that something wasn't quite right. There was some part of my behavior that wasn't me being myself. I realized that it was the fact that I was acting as more of a follower than a leader. I decided to change that and I took action on an issue that's been bothering me. I overheard the Kathmans say that we were the cliquiest group that they have ever taken on a study abroad trip. I couldn't stand for that. I decided to send an email to the group asking them to partake in a weekly mix-it-up night so that we could get to know each other better. Most people were really excited about it and a few were reluctant, but they soon changed their minds and everyone was on board! As a group we decided to spend more time together, and the results have been amazing!

Monday: Most of the group came out to play a game of basketball. I haven't played since 8th grade so I was a little nervous. Turns out I remember how to do a pick, shoot a basket, and steal the ball so it turned out to be ok. I was not good by any means, but I could manage. I did want to remember the game for the rest of the week though, so my nice big scratch on my knee has been a reminder ever since. I guess battle wounds are pretty cool.

Wednesday: Tonight was our first official "mix-it-up" night. I had arranged everyone into 5 groups of 6 earlier in the week. The groups were made based on who knew who well. I divided up roommates and good friends for the most part so that our group would get out of their comfort zone and get to know others. Our group consisted of Anna, Anne, Jon, Matt, and Nick. We had a blast! We played Spider Man Uno and Spoons while devouring fancy chocolate desserts and chips. The guys told me that I am getting the "most competitive" award at the end of the trip, but I don't think that I am the most competitive. I am so excited to continue this bonding trend!

Thursday: Tonight we did a roommate bonding dinner with another group. There are 5 girls in my apartment and the other group has 5 as well. A lot of us were roommates last semester so it was fun to reconnect. Eating pizza, spanikopita, chips, and desserts didn't hurt either! :)