Greece!!!!!!!!!!!

July 17th. So people, how is America? The one thing that I have a problem with on this ship is that we have no current events updates. I have no idea what is going on in America. I missed everything about Michael Jackson, I don’t know what is happening in politics or anything. For all I know, America could be gone and no one would know on this ship. So can someone send me something cool that’s going at home. Nscook@semesteratsea.net. Now to the good stuff:

GREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECE! Beautiful. Beautiful. Beautiful. This country is gorgeous. The first day in Greece, I went to Athens to see the Acropolis. Honestly, the Acropolis was not that great to see. The experience in itself was remarkable but the whole area was under reconstruction. There was scaffolding everywhere and it was the hottest day of the year in Greece that day. Of course the hottest day of the year would be the day that we decide to go the treeless, shade less waterless Acropolis. But the view from the top of the mountain was gorgeous and literally breathtaking. I saw the first Olympic stadium, the gate of Alexander the Great, the Agean Sea was behind us and all the beautiful homes whose rooftops were literally glistening in the sunlight. It felt like we walked for miles and miles and miles that day to get to all the sites. I think the fact that I have just been to Rome a week and a half before Greece, all the ruins and ancient sites kind of meshed together. I kept calling Athens, Rome and I think my brain was on ancient ruin overdrive. We walked around all the shops and neighborhood markets and we found this amazing, praise worthy establishment located on the corner of Matistraki…..it made GYYYYYYYYYYYROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am obsessed with Gyros. They are the best tasting thing on the planet, next to Gelatto, which, sidebar, Greece had none. I was very sad, needless to say, and the ice cream I did taste was so horrible I threw it away. So if you go to Greece, avoid the ice cream and buy thousands of Gyros. In Greece I realized even more how amazing of a bargainer I am. I talked down every single thing that I bought in Greece that wasn’t a gyro. I paid full price for nothing. I am an amazing negotiator. Thanks Greece for helping me to realize that. Ok so lets talk briefly about the Greek language, not so much the language, which is not thaaaaat hard to grasp, buuuut the LETTERS ARE OUT OF THIS WORLD! They still use the Greek letters and language from 4000 years ago. I am not exaggerating. It was so difficult to read. But I worked it out.
The next day I went to Corinth which was honestly the best day I have had at Semester at Sea. It was the most random thing for me to go but I took some advice I got and found my way there. I had to catch the metro to Athens from Pireaus, then from Athens a train to some other place then another hour train to Corinth, then a bus to Ancient Corinth. But it was so worth it. When I got to ancient Corinth it was so peaceful. It was so completely off the beaten path. I did not see any tourists and I definitely didn’t see Semester at Sea people. The only people that I saw when I got to the ancient sites which had the Temple of Apollo and all these artifacts, was one family from Sweden and that’s it. No one was there. I loved it. It was the nicest, most memorable cultural experience I have ever had. I ate at this aaaaaaamazing restaurant and had chicken souvlaki dish. Im not even going to waste my time and try to describe the meal I ate. It was that good. Then I walked around the little shops and just talked to all the people. Everyone was so friendly and wanted to know where I was from and how I liked Greece. Another side bar, very few people that I have had conversations with in Europe think I’m American. Its so funny. Here is a God’s honest list of all the ethnicities I have gotten while being in the Mediterranean: Spanish (from Spain), Swedish, Portuguese, Dominican, Turkish, Moroccan, Canadian…?, South American, and my favorite, Brazilian. I’m leaving something out but these are the ones I can remember. As soon as I finally tell them I’m American they don’t believe me. And the next thing they yell is “BARACK OBAAAMAAA”!!! I think its so cool. But then it hits me that these people all the way on the other side of the ocean know who my president is and I sadly, but honestly, don’t even know what type of governmental structure they have. It is mind blowing. You don’t realize how much of an impact America has in the world until you are outside of it. I am actually embarrassed about my ignorance on a lot of things in the world. We are so focused on ourselves that we neglect the issues of the world unless is has to do with money or some mundane event that has no significance to anything. It is a problem that the Greeks no Barack Obama and I don’t know whether they have a president or a prime minister. Since I’m on the topic of my cultural experiences, which I haven’t really talked about much on my little blog, I have noticed that I get treated very differently in these countries than some of my friends on the ship that are darker skinned or even the ones who have that “All American” blonde hair, blue eyes look. Its very interesting to observe how people change the way they treat others depending on where in the world they think you are from. I, fortunately and unfortunately, get treated way better and have encountered a super lower level of racism, rudeness, or any other negative thing that comes with being a tourist, in comparison to my friends who seem to, visually, fit into a stereotypical box that some of these Europeans have made important. I realize that it is obviously because of the way I look, the color of my skin and my hair and my facial features, that I can “pass” for a lot of things that I am not, but it is crazy how looking a certain way, dressing in certain clothes, being a certain skin color really dictates how a group of people treat you. I have learned that a lot of issues we see in American are just as prevalent over here, if not worse. I talk about social constructs and issues dealing with race, class and gender as well as the global impact of the American culture in the world everyday single day in class so I really don’t want to write too much more about it on here. So I digress. Back to Greece. I went a gorgeous island about an hour off the coast of Pireaus, the water was clear for miles and it was waist deep and the perfect temperature. I didn’t want to leave but unfortunately, we had to. I don’t really know how to describe what I experience while I’ve been here. It is just too much to put into words. Everything is so enlightening. I am learning so much in ways I never thought I could and from people, places and things that I only dreamed and imagined coming in contact with. I loved Greece. I know I will be back, just how I know I’ll be back to all the countries I have visited. I didn’t get to see a lot of the places that I wanted to while in Greece but I honestly don’t even care because that just leaves me with something to look forward to the next time around. I really need to stop writing these blogs so late because I get so tired! I’m actually in Turkey right now. Well in the waters off the coast of Turkey. I am waking up at 5 in the morning…in four hours to watch us pull into Istanbul. I am so completely excited I cant describe it. I am so ready for a change in culture. Tomorrow will be the official shift between the Western world and the “other” world. We will no longer be in Christian dominated society. The things that, while being European, are very much standard ways of living for us Americans, will be completely different in the last four countries of this voyage. I cant wait to truly truly experience something so different than what I’m used to. Greek and Italy and Spain and especially Croatia were so amazing and so beautiful but I am so ready for Turkey, Bulgaria, Egypt and Morocco. Im going to sleep now. I have to wake up soon and watch the sunrise over the Hagia Sofia in Istanbul, Turkey….doesn’t that just sound out of this world????