Another day, a different story

Yesterday I tried to wake up and go jogging in the morning. Those who know me will not be surprised by the fact that I did not wake up early enough and that I was too lazy to jog. But I did take a walk, a very long walk along the sea on the never-ending road that, from what I understand leads to the beach. This road separates the sea from part of the land, forming a lake on the right side, while on the left guarding the sea. There are several roads extending far into the sea, so I am not sure whether this is the actual sea or just another lake. This whole city is in a lagoon, so I don't think I will see any big waves here. This city is unbelievable quiet and can give you such serenity as I did not think could be found. I began to walk on this road, in the middle of the day, with the sun still burning hot as if it were still summer. I found what I then believed to be the beach, a small patch of ground extending to the left. I must note that every beach I’ve seen so far was rocky and not the least bit sandy as I have always know beaches to be. But I still believed that this patch of ground was the beach Konstantinus told me about, only to be proven wrong later. After walking a little further away from it, I decided to turn back faced with the idea that the road will not end anytime soon. On my way back I stopped at the beach and splashed my hands with sea water. I sat down at the end of this beach for a while, looking at the sun starting to set. I had the brilliant idea of taking the camera with me, so I will be able to soon show everyone what I have seen so far. :)

I was supposed to meet with Konstantinus later that day, at about 6 pm so that he can give me a code I need for the WIFI in the university grounds. Unfortunately he forgot the paper, but we went out and had a coffee/tea at one of those fancy cafeterias. After that we went to eat dinner at the university restaurant. Too bad that it's so far away, it has really good food. And free with the meal-card. I believe I will have some problems with this card, because every time I show it Konstantinus has to explain smth to the lady there in Greek, and of course I have no idea what he is saying. Anyway, last night I had a delicious dish called: "Fisherman's Pasta", which is spaghetti with calamari, and squid and smth like that in a delicious sauce.

I remember the subject of gypsies coming up in the conversation when Konstantinus told me a very interesting myth about them and what he believes to be the truth behind the myth of Dracula.It is said that the nails that were used to crucify Jesus were made by the gypsies and that is why they have this destiny of a nomad life.Concerning Dracula, he knows this to be true: Dracula existed for real as a very good and kind man, a religious man, who fought the ones who didn't believe in God, his enemies at that time. But one time when he was away at war, a letter was sent home to his wife telling her that her husband had died. In a desperate act she killed herself. When her husband came home to discover such an event, he confronted God, demanding and explanation. When God did not answer, he denied his faith and drank blood from a cup. So the myth of the vampire was born..

We decided to go out again later, after taking a shower. So we met again at 10 pm. I of course have no idea which places are good to go to so I asked Konstantinus to pick a place. We went to a traditional restaurant/pub very popular with the students here from what I understand. There I met a friend of Konstatinus, who works as a waiter. And another friend. A very cool guy from Jamaica who finished studying in Dublin and is here to earn some money to do his Masters later. He's been here for 11 months and has learned some basic Greek. So I am hopeful that I will also learn one or two words. We stayed in the restaurant drinking wine until about 2 am when we realized it would not be a bad idea to go get some sleep. :) And so I did. I like the way Konstatinus thinks. He is very open-minded and seems to be a lot of fun. More info to come as I get to know him better.

This morning I woke up determined to go jogging. And I did. Go jogging, not wake up in the morning. :D I realized I’m terrible shape, because I got tired very quickly, but I hope to improve my condition soon. After my short jog and long walk I decided to go to the center to enjoy some nice and beautiful internet. But when I got there, surprise, surprise! The wireless internet connection that I loved so much was gone. There was no sign of it, and so, no sign of internet. Because of this I decided to go to the TEI and have lunch, and try out the internet connection there. I called Konstantinus to see if he hadn't already eaten, but he was at home. So I was there for the first time on my own. Of course I had a few problems with the lady who started to ask me smth and I tried to tell her I don't understand, after chaotically saying the words ERASMUS and OK she said smth like yes and I just took the food and found myself a table. In case you're wondering I had spaghetti and meatballs. After finishing with my lunch I went in search of a plug for my laptop hoping to be able to stay there longer than the two hours my battery has to offer. Of course I could find no such thing. But I found a nice bench and decided to use my 2 hours to the fullest. :) After my batteries were almost dead, I sadly turned off the computer and went back to the center. There I found a supermarket and finally bought myself a teaspoon. :) But I couldn't find any sugar..

I had a lot of fun last night and started to feel a little like I can find my place here, but today I started to feel out of place again. I read on the internet an article about this very common mood associated with Erasmus experiences and other long-term exchanges. The phenomenon I am referring is called 'culture shock'. It's not only common but also normal that with such dramatic changes in scenery and going from one country to another for a study period, the student goes through several stages of depression, frustration and anxiety in the first few weeks. Confronted with many difference between the local culture and new culture the student is faced with, several communication issues appear and there is a constant feeling of confusion and anxiety. In time though, the shock is diminished and the student adapts to the new environment, adopting the lifestyle of their new home.

Although I do not believe the phenomenon to be exactly the same in my case, I am hoping the part about the anxiety going away is true. My biggest problem is that I have not yet started courses and because of that I cannot get a grasp on a minimal daily routine. Because of this I still feel out of place. Of course there also the fact that I do not know that many people yet and find myself to be a little shy about approaching strangers out of the blue. :P But I’m sure as soon as the ice has been broken I will become my talkative self again. :)

I didn't go out tonight. It's not like I had any opportunities that I let slip, but still I felt a little lazy. And still do. :) Dunno when I’ll get to post this, but for the record it is now 8.30 pm, October the 16th, my third day here..
I'll see you on the other side.. ;)