"Confusion now hath made his masterpiece."

Mr. Phylactopoulos at Orientation 

.

Which exactly what orientation week was good for. . . Sort of.

I believe I left off in the beginning of Orientation week.

CYA had many things planned for us to help get us acquainted with the city, the program, and each other. I've already talked about the Modern Greek Crash Course we had to endure. And unfortunately, my Greek is suffering still. I've hardly found myself using their native tongue unless prompted to randomly during conversation. ONE DAY! One day I will be able to speak Greek. . . A little.

Anyways. Besides all the official information sessions, there were some highlights to Orientation week!

Our Rooftop Taverna Dinner!

Greek Salad and Stuffed Grape Leaves.

One of these delights was the Taverna Dinner we went on. We were split up (unoriginality by last name, of course) and a CYA faculty member escorted us to a local diner to help us find good, CHEAP places for meals. It was an opportunity to get to know some of the staff and ask questions, and to try some wonderful Greek food! Additionally, we were kind of thrown into a randomized group of students, forcing us to socialize with people OTHER than our assigned roommates. As I believe I've mentioned before, CYA is a very specific kind of program. Most of the students are committed to History, Classics, Religion, Archeology, Anthropology and other majors within this spectrum. It makes it even easier to connect with the students here, since we've already got something in common. Its been really gratifying to be surrounded by other students who share my interests. As much as I LOVE The University of Rochester, it really is a mixing bowl of majors and minor, and of course, the emphasis on Natural Science and Pre-Med programs. Us History/Religions majors are few and far between. LUCKILY for us, however, our departments are small but wonderful and we have excellent professors. Either way, I get the semester off from listening to the campus moan about how much Organic Chemistry and Calculus are slowing killing off the populous. In any case, the evening was filled with good food, good conversation, and good wine.

Amber being charismatic!

Me and the Tree.

The other Orientation week highlight was the Garden Party hosted by the President of College Year in Athens, Alexis Phylactopoulos. He hosted about 100 students and staff at his suburban home in Athens. It was absolutely gorgeous. After a week of running around Athens and being hot and sweaty, we finally had an opportunity to get all dressed up and Classy. This occasion was catered and allowed the entire program to get familiar with each others faces. Naturally, my roommates and I initially sat together with a few random CYA-ers, but it didn't take long for us to start circling and talking to new faces. I had the pleasure of bonding over what our home campuses were over Greek frozen yogurt under the stars. I made connections with another handful of students, which was exceptionally excellent, as it turns out I have classes with most of them. 

Mr. Phylactopoulos had a massive backyard with nice spaces and local greenery. Naturally, my roommates and I took the opportunity to take pretty pictures in the Gardens. 

One of the days of Orientation, Two local Athenians came in to show us some traditional Greek dancing. Unfortunately, I dont have pictures of this, as we were all actually dancing. However, there was one step that i already knew from dancing with Sihir BellyDance Ensemble! We call it the Grape-Vine and have used it in lots of pieces since I've been at Rochester. This was oddly comforting. It was nice to have something here remind me of home. Hopefully I will begin a bellydance class here in Athens. I am hoping to find an awesome place to custom make costumes here. That would be the ultimate souvenir. 

Mimicking Statues.

Parliament Building.

Friday morning, About 1/3 of the CYA kids left for an optional trip to Andros, one of the larger islands off the cost of Greece. For the rest of us, was the opportunity to participate in a scavenger hunt aimed at helping us learn how to navigate Athens and Orient ourselves in the city. It worked on a point system, and the winner was announced this past Wednesday, and received Eternal Glory and a box of treats from a local Bakery. I won't say much else on this, as I intend on posting a separate blog post. BUT MY GROUP WON ALLLLL THE ETERNAL GLORY. . . And some really good homemade chocolate treats from the bakery across the street from me. 

Cretan Food and drink.

We were also given some details about our Trip to CRETE! We'll be spending the entire week there, We're leaving on the Ferry Monday evening! We have lots to do and lots to see. Crete is one of two program trips we'll all be participating in. Crete's so interesting because it is located almost in the very middle of  Greece and Africa. Its in the southern part of the Aegean Sea, which has made it a prime target in History as means to gain and maintain control of the water. Because of this, Crete has changed hands lots of times, thus altering its culture in really weird ways. Although the Cretans consider themselves Greek, they have a very distinct sense of tradition and culture, independent of the rest of Greece. They also introduced us to Cretan food and drink. The drink being alcohol, of course. But not just ANY kind. Greek Moonshine!

Me.

Fredrick.

This past Wednesday,
A group of us set out to find what we believed to be a restaurant that offers free Yoga. Our program manager, Nadia, sends us information on things we might like to participate in around Athens. So we were going on her word. We, of course, got pretty lost for a minute trying to find the place. We ended up in an actual Yoga studio, which they had no idea what we were talking about. Eventually, though, we found the place we were looking for. "Avocado" is the only full service Vegan and Vegetarian restaurant in Athens, but does not offer free Yoga. Instead, it offers a free 3 hour meditation session. As lovely as that would have been, the group opted to not participate. My roommates and I ended up walking around Athens in our athletic wear and went grocery shopping instead.It was a disappointment, especially because the only other weekly Yoga being offered is around 5 euro's a session. Either way, it was once again, a nice opportunity to get to know some other students. Everyone's been super friendly and its been lovely getting to know everyone.

Taking the Subway!

Friday, a group of us bought tickets to see Standford's Summer Theater program put on "The Wandering of Odysseus." It was an interesting interpretation of Homers, "The Odyssey." There were 6 actors and a man playing the music. The actors flawlessly switched in and out of character and put on an excellent performance. Again, I don't have pictures of the Actual performance, as cameras were prohibited. But it was nice experiencing Greek Theater and hanging out with the students.

Legit.

Saturday was exciting too.

Sandal Assistant.

There is a sandal maker here, called the Poet Sandal Maker, who makes hand crafted leather sandals for 28 euros! He's business is a 2nd generation shop and has catered to The Beatles, Sarah Jessica Parker, Bob Saget, and Joe Biden's Wife (Among others). We went and got our very own pair of leather sandal art! I am trying to resist going back to purchase a handmade leather backpack from them. They're ONLY 100 euros and they're sooo snazzy. We'll see how long my resolve lasts!

To see more pictures, Click Here!!

The password is "CYAThings"