Only one more week in paradise, not sure if I’m okay or not.
The past week has brought a whirlwind of activity and emotions as we all try to squeeze in some last-minute stops. There was also some discovery of hidden talents. Tuesday night, several of us headed downtown to fulfill our hunger on street burritos and sing at WonderWall. Finally, karaoke! After a few minutes of sitting in the dark while the staff at WonderWall figured out the electricity problem, we quickly queued up some of our favorite songs. Of course, we had to jam out to Nickelback, requesting “Rockstar” and hitting every note. Then, I had to pay tribute to my girl, Shania, by singing “That Don’t Impress Me Much” and joining Andrea on “Material Girls.” I think the biggest surprise came from Garrett, though, as he absolutely demolished “Lose Yourself” by Eminem. I mean, this kid KILLED it. Even the staff was impressed.
On Wednesday, I finally went to Cosmos Mall with some of the other study abroad students, and found the mall to be better than the ones at home! Greeks like things easy, so even the mall is a one-stop-shop, complete with an extensive food court, grocery store, and movie theater amongst the clothing, home goods, appliance, and miscellaneous other stores. We had some fun at Flying Tiger and chowed down on either crepes, Cinnabon, or Dominos. The trip was worth it, though we didn’t catch the movie we originally planned to see. The rest of the night was spent learning poker (it’s actually fairly easy) and hanging out with a good heart-to-heart here and there.
Friday afternoon also fulfilled another Thessaloniki bucket list. A couple of jokes told throughout the afternoon: “Pirates of the Caribbean? More like Pirates of the Mediterranean.” or “What’s a pirate’s favorite letter? It’s R! Tis the sea matey!” You guessed it; we rode a pirate ship. Docked right next to the White Tower, a pirate ship sets sail every hour for visitors and locals alike. The only requirement being a drink of some sort be purchased. I tried to order a slushie but was told the drink was out of season, so I settled on a cappuccino. Still good, and quite a bit more energized. The sail around the bay lasted around 30-45 minutes, relaxing our bodies as the ship swayed in the water. Happy, we walked the plank back to the ground and tracked down a bus to venture up to the 7 Towers. Both of these things were activities we should have done within the first couple of weeks in Thessaloniki, yet we just now got around to it. Dark now, the towers showed a view of the bright city lights and a landscape for climbing adventure, plus the perfect opportunity to listen to Harry Styles’ new album on full blast. Afterward, we splurged on €1 pizza slices and €3 real fruit smoothies. Man, I’m going to miss the convenience of delicious cheap food.
As the end of the semester continues to daunt us, the girls, Garrett, and I headed to Thermi yesterday to hole up at Coffee Island and work on homework. If anyone has watched “Derry Girls” on Netflix, we are the girls and Garrett is James. Several hours and another coffee later, lab reports and final papers submitted for grading, we headed out to grab food at BrunchBox. Des, Erika, and I split a chicken wrap and Oreo pancakes (an odd combo but definitely delicious) while Garrett and Mallory dug into Eggs Benedict. We eat a lot. Can you tell we’re tired of the school’s food?
Queue another food expedition, as Saturday night we spent at Kivotos ton Gefseon Restaurant with Greek-style dining. In Greece, people often don’t eat supper until after 10 pm, so we cabbed downtown at 10:30 and ordered food galore. The most typical thing to do in Greece is order a bunch of appetizers and main dishes and share amongst the table, which is exactly what we did. We ordered fried feta with honey, fried zucchini, grilled mushrooms, bread, Roka salad, chicken a la creme, and barbeque pork chops. Holy buckets, the food was good. And it only added up to about €8 per person in a group of seven! I swear, we’re finessing our way through Greece.
Today was a beautifully warm day, spent doing homework on the school’s rooftop garden. Soaking up the sun, listening to music, and sharing laughs with friends in perfect weather is quite possibly my favorite thing to do. The simplest pleasures in life are what leave the biggest impact, and I’ll miss days like these with the people who have grown to mean the most.
Excuse me while I cry every day this week.
Don’t get me wrong; I am beyond excited to see my family and wrap myself into my mom’s bear hugs, smell the glorious scents of home, eat my type of food, or sleep in my own bed. But these past three months have provided the most wonderful adventure of fabulous cities, huge personal growth, and outstanding friendships. Leaving this place and these people will be the hardest goodbye.
Amanda