We have successfully arrived in Athens! I came a week early and stayed at an AirBnB in the Plaka, a colorful, upbeat neighborhood of Athens. There, I got to taste some of the orange pie, souvlaki, and mousaka that I would get to enjoy for the rest of the term. On orientation day, I met my roommates in our apartment, all of us jet lagged but excited beyond belief to explore the city. We ended up spending the first day trying the fresh pasta chain near the apartment and taking a much-needed nap before orientation dinner.
Our first field trip was to the biggest tourist attraction of Athens: The Acropolis! We met at CYA that morning to walk over to the acropolis with our TA’s, Sam and MJ. They led us through busy streets lined with fragrant orange trees, through the throngs of tourists and restaurant patios on the sidewalks, until we finally saw the Parthenon towering magnificently above us all. We wove through school groups, guided tours, and tourists speaking every language imaginable as we walked through the temples and theaters leading up to the Parthenon. Walking among the ruins, Alex’s lecture brought to life the dramas, the benefactors, and the contests at the Theater of Dionysus.
The next day, we had our first day of classes. I met my anthropology professor, who introduced us to a little bit of modern Greek history, and answered our questions about anything we’d seen so far. After class, our group had a delicious lunch of fresh salad, chicken and noodles, and mosaiko, a delicious brown cookie. A group of us decided to explore the city, stopping to take pictures of the many street cats of Athens, and find the local grocery store.
Friday brought our first day trip! We started off with an hour-long bus ride through the Greek countryside. Immediately when we stepped foot onto the new turf, we were greeted by a whole group of dogs charging at us, with seemingly every dog in the neighborhood barking at us. Alex explained that these were guard dogs, meant to watch over the houses while their owners were away in the city. If we were to encounter dogs that, unlike these dogs, were not friendly, we were supposed to bend down as if picking up a rock, in order to scare the dog, and to fake a throw if they still didn’t back off. Next in the escalation scale was throwing water or hurling actual rocks. Luckily for us, the dogs left us to pick up Late Roman pottery and roof tiles, of course leaving everything at the archaeological site. Our lunch break was a full Greek meal, complete with multiple appetizers including deep fried feta, Greek salad, and various dipping sauces. The second leg of the trip was a visit to the only fully-restored Ancient tower: The Ancient Fortress of Aigosthena. This 4th century BC tower was 3 stories high, with a double-layered wall on the first floor, and a beautiful view of the coast.
