*Yia Sas*

The transition from Doha to Thessaloniki went very well. On my first flight, I sat next to a native Greek man that was a plane inspector and was very interesting... and may have explained why he was so finicky when they served us lunch (haha). As we flew, I saw mountains and islands, so beautiful. When I arrived in Athens for a two hour layover, I had a minor heart attack when I saw on the board that the flight to Thessaloniki (SKG) was labeled as "plane departed". But thankfully that was the wrong flight, and by 19:20, I was in the air flying again for the final leg of the trip. I flew on Aegean airlines and learned the word "Yia Sas" which means hey or hello. I also learned that "Nero" is water, YES, which was the only thing I wanted to drink... traveling makes me very thirsty!  

On the way to the airport... and the nerves set in!

Greece meets Vera Bradley: This is my laptop and carry-on bag. Athens
security thought this was the most hilarious thing and brought other workers over
just to show the cover and bag matched... Proud to be a Southern Girl!:)

The Aegean Sea and the coast of South Eastern Greece! 

After getting to Thessaloniki...

*Picked up my luggage from the belt

*Grabbed a cab from right outside the arrival gate

*Rode 15 minutes to the ABC Hotel to stay the first night

*Checked into the ABC Hotel and met up with my roommate Janice 

*We walked around downtown, and grabbed a little LATE dinner (22:00) at a Chinese place... it was the only restaurant  that was open with food... other places just had drinks at that time

*Time for bed by 11:30... SLEPT VERY WELL!

Night view from our hotel on the first night! 

Morning view from our hotel on the first morning!

The next morning...

*Wake up at 8:00 to shower and get ready

*Breakfast in the hotel lobby that overlooked one of the city squares (eggs, tomato and feta mix, crape, and coffee) Yes Nathan, the crape included Nutella:)

*Our advisor, Soula, meet us at the hotel and took us to our studio apartment as well as gave us a brief tour of the city 

*Met with our new studio apartment... WOW! THE VIEW IS AMAZING! Small and old and very Greek.

*Walked to the water front that is only 4 blocks from our place, who could ask for a better location.

*Had a sweet lunch of Tsoureki (a sweet bread, famous in Thessaloniki) and a latte. Yum... and ate right on the side of the street, overlooking the water. 

*Grocery Shopping at Carrefour (Doha friends understand how awesome it is that there is a Carrefour here) and lounged around the studio for a while

*Met up with Mom, Dede, and Bailey at the Electra Palace Hotel around 17:00

*Walked to Garcon for dinner... right on the water (Salmon pasta... could not read the menu)

*Took everyone to the apartment to walk around and look at the place

*Saw a GREEK WEDDING going on in the church right below our window! Bride came in as the crowd greeted her at the door

*Walked around the city and grabbed some gelato near Mom, Dede, and Bailey's Hotel (The Electra Palace)

*Sat near Aristotelous Square and listened to music as well as just chatted together. It is strange how back ground conversations sound the same in every language when you are not listening carefully

*Back part with the three travelers as Janice and I head back for our first sleep in our studio... with the door open... on the fifth floor... listening to down town hustle and bustle... This is SO AWESOME!

Thermaikos Gulf (Aegean Sea)... this spot is 4 blocks from my studio apartment!
Known as the waterfront.

Me and my roommate Janice on the waterfront! No beaches here,
but you can definitely hear the waves:) Cafes all over!

Location, Location, Location! The view from our studio apartment... at
Aghias Sofia Square. 

More of the view right outside our balcony... villages are more north
on the hill, while the more upscale places are towards the
water, so we learned.

"Ble": a bakery close by... beautiful pasteries... a staple in
Thessaloniki!

Aristotelous Square: Walking to see Mom, Dede, and Bailey. If you
ever wanted to protest, apparently this is the place to do it... very
lively at night!

Mom and Bailey at Dinner! Beautiful... don't they look alike??

Dede, Bailey and I on our balcony... yes pigeons are
definitely in sight!

A wedding going on at Aghias Sofia Church that
we could see from our room... My Big Fat
Greek Wedding Anyone??? Thought this was awesome!

Overview of the Wedding- the bride arrives (bottom
left) and is greeted by all the guests as she arrives
(on the top right section)

Bailey and I at Aghias Sofia square... Aghias Sofia=HOME!

Routine of Ramadan

A painting I made for Mom's Birthday!
Notice the funny light switches

Greetings! I hope this post finds all my family and friends happy, and getting back into a Fall schedule. I have been in Doha for a little over two weeks now. The kicker to this stay, is that it is Ramadan, which means a complete change of schedule. Muslims treat Ramadan similar to the way we as Americans or Christians treat Christmas. It lasts about a month, but they celebrate by fasting from sun up to sun down, and having parties and speakers in the evening. Iftar is the meal that breaks a Muslims fast in the evening and starts after the call to prayer around 6:10. They usually break fast by having dates and tea before going to Mosque, and having a large meal with their family. When we go out to dinner, not only do the restaurants not open until 6:10, but also they always have dates on the table. Before the 6:10 call to prayer it is not only heavily rude, but also illegal to eat, drink (even water) or chew gum anywhere in public... even in the car. Stores have very strange hours, as well, and shopping is definitely a hit or miss activity... unfortunately, we have had more misses than hits (except for grocery stores that are always open). The rules are very different inside the bright yellow and orange walls of the compound, and thankfully eating and drinking is acceptable. 

"For More Than Ourselves- Class of 2012"
Mom's Ring

This past weekend, Mom and Dad spent in New York for Graham's Ring Weekend. They had a blast going to a few plays, staying in Manhattan, and seeing Graham get awarded a ring for all his hard work, and for the start of his Senior year at West Point. Mom even received a small ring from Graham, similar to the one all the cadets are given (its tradition for Mom's to have one of these). She came back just a day ago, and Dad stayed in the states to visit Grandma, Papa, and Aunt Bonnie. Prior to the NY trip, Mom made a surprise visit to Katy to see Nana and Bubba, and her dearly missed friends. A surprise indeed, since Nana and Bubba did not know she was coming until they walked into their house after a trip to North Carolina... and there is mom answering the door... SURPRISE... so sweet!  

At the compound... miss
you McKenzie!!!

My flight for Greece leaves in two days and I am ready to get this show on the road! I will land on Friday night around 8:00 p.m., take a taxi over to The ABC Hotel in Thessaloniki, and meet up with my new roommate, Janice. For those of you that do not know about Janice, she is from Tennessee and goes to Middle Tennessee State. She is the only other student on this Study Abroad assignment with me from America, so we will become great friends for sure. We will stay the night at The ABC Hotel, and the next morning meet up with our advisor from Aristotle University at 10:00. She will then take Janice and I to our Smart Studio Apartment and show us our new home for the next 4 months. Bailey, Mom, and a friend of Mom's from Qatar, Dede Jackson, will be flying in Saturday evening to meet up with us and send a few says around the city. School starts September 1st! I cannot believe in two days I will be there, thanks again for sharing in this adventure!