It Wasn't My Fault

Despite the urge to stay curled up in bed for as long as possible, I got up early this morning to go to the Byzantine Christian Museum in down town Athens with Mary. We figured that if we went at nine in the morning, we would have plenty of time to explore, grab some lunch, and be back in time for our class this afternoon. We were wrong. But I swear to you, it was not our fault. The last time we went into Athens before class we made it back with plenty of time, but today we fell on the wrong side of "Greece time," which is the phrase we're using to represent that fact that there really is no set time for anything here. There's no hurry, no punishment for being late, and everything is so leisurely it kills me. I'm not saying I enjoy being rushed around all day, but when I want to leave for the store at five and be back by six, I don't need the slow moving lives of other people getting in my way. Have I mentioned yet that they have a designated nap time? That can't be productive! So, we leave downtown athens with a little over an hour to spare, hop on the metro, get off at the appropriate stop, get on a bus that pulled in as we were walking up, and then sat on that bus for fifteen minutes as the driver just kind of wandered around on his cigarette break. So, we were approximately ten minutes late for class. I think this horrid story of the bus driver not doing his job is even more shameful than if we were to have claimed we had gotten lost. At least being lost is somewhat exciting, am I right?

Besides that little mishap, it has been a great day. The artwork at the museum was absolutely gorgeous. I don't always get emotional over art, but when I do, it's of Byzantine Christian art. We had a delicious lunch. I ordered a burger, which are way better in Greece. They taste better and they don't come with a bun or all of that other stuff that gets in the way. Granted, the water wasn't free, and that still gets on my nerves, but it makes me appreciate home that much more. One interesting thing that happened today was that I caught two men kissing each other on the cheeks as a form of goodbye. I know you hear about that a lot in other countries, but seeing it was different. It's not that it was uncomfortable, just something I wasn't used to. I wonder how my friends would react if I started kissing them on the cheek every time we saw each other...hmmm. Also, this whole two hour class five days a week is getting pretty tiring, but the information is intersting so I refrain from sleeping in the back row. Although, I think I'll indulge in a little Greek culture tomorrow and take a little siesta after class. I deserve it.

I'm having a great time, I miss everyone, and I could really go for some Taco Bell.