Happy Ohi Day!!!
Ohi (Greek for NO) Day is when Greeks celebrate saying no to Italians during WWII when the Italians tried to invade the country. Every year there is a big parade in Thessaloníki...which I went to today. It was very different from US parades...no floats! and no flying tweety birds!! There were lots of flags, and LOTS of military and armed forces in the parade. At the end helicopters and planes flew overhead. All the forces made me think about war and how sad it is (I watched too much World CNN this weekend), but I can see how supporting troops and having a military is something to be proud of...especially for Greece.
Anyways, more important to me than the parade was the fact that we got a four day weekend!!! Two of the girls from the American Farm School in Thessaloníki and I went to Athens for the weekend. It was AWESOME! My favorites sites were the Acropolis (or course!!), but also the Temple of Zeus (which has 15 columns 30 feet high still standing). We also went to other archaeological cites, through the markets, ate gryos and pastries, went to the port, went to museums... The weather was beautiful and I loved just staring up at the Parthenon from wherever I was in the city. We also got to stay at our own apartment that the farm school had, so we could relax in the evenings and watch TV. I really enjoyed Athens as a city, and also just having time away from life here. The company was great too, and Amanda and I got along really well.
So now Im back here! I had time to catch my breath, and examine my jobs situations. I talked with my director today about some of my frustrations, and he agreed that it would be better to not do so many things and say no to the "man eaters" at this school who ask you to work and work and work for them. I think learning to set boundaries is a really good skill that I need practice with....
all for now!
~allie
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Happy Strike Day!!!
Today was National Strike Day...
basically everything shuts down. People have the option of striking....about 10-30% of the staff here didn't show to school, so kids were dismissed at noon. There were talks of public transit not working...I guess they decided to shut it down at 9 pm...I was so thankful because I got to go to swimming and yoga! As I was out in town the streets were oddly empty- this is the type of city I love. My favorite time to explore is Saturday morning, because you can actually see the road and sidewalks (there are fewer cars and people).
In other news, our director Teresa knows everything about everyone. I've been feeling kinda homesick for friends and family, and today during yoga I started to cry (it felt so good). When I got back to school I went to talk to Georgia, a Grinnell alum three years older than me, and felt a lot better. I didn't want to go talk to her because I figured then everyone would know how I was feeling. Sure enough the moment I walked in to Teresa's office, she gave me a hug and asked how i've been lately...that i seemed down. Did they really talk about me so soon? Or did Teresa know because I hugged the cleaning lady? News here travels so fast....its like being back in middle school....now i know why words like drama are Greek!
Oh, and did I mention that I was EATEN ALIVE! by kids substituting? It was last period on a Friday, and they were horrible. There was never a silent moment. There were airplanes, paper wads, and lots of "Miss can I go to the bathroom." Instead of getting upset, i decided to laugh... Im substituting again Thur and Fri...hopefully it will go better.
And it also occurred to me today I have a lot to look forward to:
-Im going to Athens with two friends this weekend (if we can still get tickets....ugh!)
-Tomorrow Im going to a ballet!
-We have a Halloween party next Friday with pumpkin and bobbing for apples!
-Next weekend Im going to Meteora...monasteries in Greece on top of huge, beautiful rock formations!
All for now I think,
lots of love,
allie
basically everything shuts down. People have the option of striking....about 10-30% of the staff here didn't show to school, so kids were dismissed at noon. There were talks of public transit not working...I guess they decided to shut it down at 9 pm...I was so thankful because I got to go to swimming and yoga! As I was out in town the streets were oddly empty- this is the type of city I love. My favorite time to explore is Saturday morning, because you can actually see the road and sidewalks (there are fewer cars and people).
In other news, our director Teresa knows everything about everyone. I've been feeling kinda homesick for friends and family, and today during yoga I started to cry (it felt so good). When I got back to school I went to talk to Georgia, a Grinnell alum three years older than me, and felt a lot better. I didn't want to go talk to her because I figured then everyone would know how I was feeling. Sure enough the moment I walked in to Teresa's office, she gave me a hug and asked how i've been lately...that i seemed down. Did they really talk about me so soon? Or did Teresa know because I hugged the cleaning lady? News here travels so fast....its like being back in middle school....now i know why words like drama are Greek!
Oh, and did I mention that I was EATEN ALIVE! by kids substituting? It was last period on a Friday, and they were horrible. There was never a silent moment. There were airplanes, paper wads, and lots of "Miss can I go to the bathroom." Instead of getting upset, i decided to laugh... Im substituting again Thur and Fri...hopefully it will go better.
And it also occurred to me today I have a lot to look forward to:
-Im going to Athens with two friends this weekend (if we can still get tickets....ugh!)
-Tomorrow Im going to a ballet!
-We have a Halloween party next Friday with pumpkin and bobbing for apples!
-Next weekend Im going to Meteora...monasteries in Greece on top of huge, beautiful rock formations!
All for now I think,
lots of love,
allie
Monday, October 13, 2008
more specifics about my job!
Grandma and others have been asking more about my job, so I thought I would write and tell:
-My main job is working with the kids who live in the boarding department of Anatolia School. Most of them are here on scholarship and could not afford to be at this school if it wasn't for that scholarship. They work hard to keep up their grades, and study pretty hard! (Some of them panics lots about their grades too!). There are also other kids who go to Pinewood International School...most of them are from Bulgaria, Serbia and one from Germany. They, like me, don't know Greek and we communicate in English.
My job has its ups and downs. This weekend one of the girls (who is a black belt in karate) taught us a karate class...we giggled lots! I also taught a yoga class, and NINE! girls came. Sunday afternoon, I had a pen war (where each person holds a pen and tries to write on another) with a student...also very amusing. The hard part of the job is trying to be strict: kids here never go to bed on time, and last week one of the kids broke his door, and ten minutes later set off the fire alarm. Working with these students is teaching me not to be a perfectionist, and that you never know what will happen with children!
Other than my main duty I am: teaching an SAT class (I teach vocabulary and math), helping with a forensics club and pottery club, writing a grant for the President of the college, and substitute teaching (my first class in on Wednesday morning!)
Also, coming up I will be taking a weekend road trip with a bunch of Grinnell Alums (me Calvin, Kate Diedrick, Ionnis) and hopefully going to Turkey next weekend. I'm also looking forward to Halloween...we get to carve pumpkins!!
I know it living in Greece sounds exotic, but Im realizing that life is life wherever you live. People have the same challenges and same emotions! Im still trying to find myself, relax into disorder, and find a group of friends (my social network is...somewhat nonexistent!)
love
allie
-My main job is working with the kids who live in the boarding department of Anatolia School. Most of them are here on scholarship and could not afford to be at this school if it wasn't for that scholarship. They work hard to keep up their grades, and study pretty hard! (Some of them panics lots about their grades too!). There are also other kids who go to Pinewood International School...most of them are from Bulgaria, Serbia and one from Germany. They, like me, don't know Greek and we communicate in English.
My job has its ups and downs. This weekend one of the girls (who is a black belt in karate) taught us a karate class...we giggled lots! I also taught a yoga class, and NINE! girls came. Sunday afternoon, I had a pen war (where each person holds a pen and tries to write on another) with a student...also very amusing. The hard part of the job is trying to be strict: kids here never go to bed on time, and last week one of the kids broke his door, and ten minutes later set off the fire alarm. Working with these students is teaching me not to be a perfectionist, and that you never know what will happen with children!
Other than my main duty I am: teaching an SAT class (I teach vocabulary and math), helping with a forensics club and pottery club, writing a grant for the President of the college, and substitute teaching (my first class in on Wednesday morning!)
Also, coming up I will be taking a weekend road trip with a bunch of Grinnell Alums (me Calvin, Kate Diedrick, Ionnis) and hopefully going to Turkey next weekend. I'm also looking forward to Halloween...we get to carve pumpkins!!
I know it living in Greece sounds exotic, but Im realizing that life is life wherever you live. People have the same challenges and same emotions! Im still trying to find myself, relax into disorder, and find a group of friends (my social network is...somewhat nonexistent!)
love
allie
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
a week full of stuff!!
So sorry to keep adoring blog readers waiting (just kidding!).
Im not sure why I havent updated my blog except that I've been either too busy, too homesick, or the Internet wasn't working!!!! The last two days we havent had Internet, and while it seems easy to just not worry about it, its really hard to try and keep in contact with people.
Anyways, things are ever so slowly picking up...some highlights from the last work week:
-Yesterday I played soccer for the FIRST TIME EVER! It was really fun, and I'm pretty sure all the young boys found it amusing whenever I ducked from the ball. And I scored a point (did I mention the goalie was lying down!)
-Calvin and I are in charge of multiply programs: from volunteers doing big brother/sister stuff to SAT prep. These are slowly taking off, and its weird to be "in charge."
-Last Thursday we had a dorm dance party. It was really weird and felt just like middle school (in fact some of the songs were the same...TITANIC!) The boys and girls formed there own circles, and I entertained them by crossing in between.
-I'm teaching two yoga classes a week to some of the dorm girls. Its going well, although they get tired easily. The biggest stressor is that Teresa (our adviser) never gives me the keys to the gym...I hate having to hunt her down!
-Last Friday Calvin and I went to see Filip's basketball game. We waited a good hour before seeing him go in for three minutes...man I dont know how mom and dad ever sat through all my games and swim meets! All the same, Filip was really glad we were there (I could tell by the huge grin on his face).
And in other news:
-I found the Jewish Synagogue! Its kinda hidden and they ID you at the door, but last Friday night I went to Kabalah Shabbat. I met lots of people but especially two couples (Shirley and Jacob, Miriam and Joseph). They assured me that if i needed ANYTHING I should call, and that even though its a big city in a new country, I now have friends in the Jewish community. Im so thankful to be a Jew! I think Ill go back next week.
- Starting to plan trips...I think Im going to go to Turkey in the end of October...then Athens and another weekend trip in November.
-Swimming is going much better...the kids are starting to talk to me, and Im more in shape which helps.
-Oh and on October 22 Im going the National Ballet!!!
all for now,
love
allie
Im not sure why I havent updated my blog except that I've been either too busy, too homesick, or the Internet wasn't working!!!! The last two days we havent had Internet, and while it seems easy to just not worry about it, its really hard to try and keep in contact with people.
Anyways, things are ever so slowly picking up...some highlights from the last work week:
-Yesterday I played soccer for the FIRST TIME EVER! It was really fun, and I'm pretty sure all the young boys found it amusing whenever I ducked from the ball. And I scored a point (did I mention the goalie was lying down!)
-Calvin and I are in charge of multiply programs: from volunteers doing big brother/sister stuff to SAT prep. These are slowly taking off, and its weird to be "in charge."
-Last Thursday we had a dorm dance party. It was really weird and felt just like middle school (in fact some of the songs were the same...TITANIC!) The boys and girls formed there own circles, and I entertained them by crossing in between.
-I'm teaching two yoga classes a week to some of the dorm girls. Its going well, although they get tired easily. The biggest stressor is that Teresa (our adviser) never gives me the keys to the gym...I hate having to hunt her down!
-Last Friday Calvin and I went to see Filip's basketball game. We waited a good hour before seeing him go in for three minutes...man I dont know how mom and dad ever sat through all my games and swim meets! All the same, Filip was really glad we were there (I could tell by the huge grin on his face).
And in other news:
-I found the Jewish Synagogue! Its kinda hidden and they ID you at the door, but last Friday night I went to Kabalah Shabbat. I met lots of people but especially two couples (Shirley and Jacob, Miriam and Joseph). They assured me that if i needed ANYTHING I should call, and that even though its a big city in a new country, I now have friends in the Jewish community. Im so thankful to be a Jew! I think Ill go back next week.
- Starting to plan trips...I think Im going to go to Turkey in the end of October...then Athens and another weekend trip in November.
-Swimming is going much better...the kids are starting to talk to me, and Im more in shape which helps.
-Oh and on October 22 Im going the National Ballet!!!
all for now,
love
allie
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