Can I remix Kenny Rogers' song into, "I turned 21 in Greece doing life without worry?"
That's right, folks, today is my 21st birthday. What other way to celebrate than by spending the day in a dream destination, hanging out with amazing friends, and eating good food? It's honestly pretty wild that today is finally the big 2-1, yet the age is not nearly as big of a deal in Europe as it is in the states. After all, it's just another number. My friends have been asking me how I feel, what I have enjoyed most over this past year, and what I look forward to in the future. I've been reflecting on that, and can safely say that my 20th year on this earth was the best year I've had in this short life. I mean, I'm studying abroad in Greece and have marked off more than one bucket list destination or activity over the past three months, I had a wonderful internship this past summer, and I've surrounded myself with the people that appreciate me for me. I feel so fulfilled. It's been an amazing year, and I have a good feeling this next one will be another high. Cheers to 21 years!
Now, back to the week's activities. It's been a great week, and I am thankful for all of the fun and adventure I've experienced. On Monday, I was able to tag along with my Animal Science friends on a field trip to a water buffalo farm. We were able to learn all about meat processing and production, discovering a long list of positive aspects to raising water buffalo. We also got to taste a couple of the meat products, one being similar to a summer sausage and the other being a sort of steak. Both were good, but some barbeque sauce really would have hit the spot. On the farm, we saw the cutest little buffalo calf, born at only ~55 pounds!
That night, Andrea was supposed to meet someone downtown but didn't necessarily want to be alone. Cue date night. A couple of the guys let Erika and Mallory borrow their clothes to pose as men, while Des and I just went as ourselves. We shadowed Andrea across the room and had a blast. Mallory's outfit adopted her an alter-ego: MJ. Can you say obsessed? Our running joke is that MJ is going to overpower Mallory, and that's how she's going to dress all the time now. I mean, she looks fantastic. We're an odd bunch.
Both Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon brought more trips downtown, this time enjoying a casual coffee, shopping, and gelato. We discovered a new café bar and have declared it our "spot" for the next month. On Wednesday morning, a few of us headed over to Thermi for more coffee and gyros. I think we've turned full-on Greek. That evening, Andrea, Erika, Mallory, and I were hanging out working on homework when somehow, the topic of conversation shifted to line-dancing. Next thing you know, we have a Youtube video pulled up, and we're learning the dance to Nickelback's "Burn It To The Ground." Determined, we spent nearly two hours learning and perfecting the dance, and can now confidently show off our skills to anybody who asks. We would tear it up down South.
Thanksgiving proved to be fairly traditional for us! In the afternoon, our study abroad group of ten loaded up into a large school van and drove to a village about 40 minutes away. We arrived at Marianna's Pies, a small cottage where the Goniatisses Women's Association produces and packages traditional cheese pies to sell. We learned how to make these pies and all lent a hand in the process. I felt like Pioneer Woman. Ree Drummond, step out of the way! We also made another furry friend, no surprise there. After our lesson, Helen and Maria surprised us with dinner at a beautiful restaurant nearby. We had a Thanksgiving dinner complete with a stunning turkey, mashed potatoes, greens, and more. It was a marriage of Greek and American dishes, and the Animal Science students were proud to proclaim the turkey we ate was processed and packed by their own hands! The group is that of many talents.
Sometime on Thursday, our residence hall director, Pantileas, announced he would give pizza to whoever would catch the singing cricket in the dorm basement. Andrea and I looked at each other, said, "Bet," and headed downstairs. Within minutes, we caught the cricket and brought it to Pantileas. His expression showed defeat, and he instructed us to let it outside and promised us the reward of pizza. Friday night, we took advantage of the reward and ordered pizza for delivery, then settled in for a cozy movie night. The pizza here is really cheap, yet still delicious, as we were able to get two pizzas for only €10.60! Can I bring that price back with me to the states?
From Thursday to Sunday, Andrea, Erika, Costas, and I took over the CALS Study Abroad Instagram stories. We showcased plenty of fun things to do throughout Thessaloniki, as well as some basic stuff we do on the daily. We're becoming pros at takeovers.
Over the weekend, my friends and I went out to celebrate my birthday and also attended a professional soccer game. Maria was able to score us tickets, and we were surprised to find out we got VIP treatment! Our group arrived at the stadium two hours before the game and were lead straight down to the field. We were able to sit in the "dugout" (I'm not sure what it's called in soccer) and take pictures on the field! We also scored some free merch, and all adorned ourselves with a black and yellow scarf. I felt like a Hufflepuff. After pictures, we made our way back up to our seats and grabbed coffee and hot dogs to enjoy before the game began. The game consists of two 45-minute halves and goes by fairly quickly since they don't stop for penalties or goals like in other sports. We all had a great time, agreeing that soccer is much cooler than most of us expected. Maybe we'll catch another game before we leave.
Time is dwindling - I leave for home in less than three weeks. I still have moments of disbelief that I'm actually living in Greece, but I'm also excited to see my family and friends back home again. We've all agreed that we're going to make these next three weeks memorable, so I'm looking forward to lots of fun ahead. For now, I have to get back to being the birthday girl. :)
Amanda