OPA!!!!

Heyyy guys!
So today's Sunday and everything is closed on Sunday. So I have time to write my blog! Wooooo.

Anyway, this weekend was definitely one to remember. In the best way possible. Thurday and Friday we had orientation (again) so we learned all about school and travel and stuff I've already forgotten (but don't worry, I took notes!) so now I have been extremely orientated. We took a tour of the American College of Thessaloniki (ACT--where I'm studying) and I was surprised how nice it was. The library especially was super nice. And the librarian was the most cliche librarian EVER. Like, glasses, swooshy hair, British accent, the whole package. Here's the library:

Thursday we went to IKEA! I had never been there before and it was pretty awesome! Way overwhelming, though. I couldn't figure out the whole grab-a-bag-at-the-beginning-of-the-line thing so I just ended up carrying everything out in my hands...kinda awkward. But it was fun to wander through the rooms and pretend like they were our apartments.

 Also on Thursday, we went on a group scavenger hunt around downtown Thessaloniki! It was really cold. After about 10 minutes I lost feeling in my feet. But we went around looking for crepes (yum), mullets, tsoureki (Greek sweet bread--we bought a loaf and devoured it like wild animals), churches, stray dogs in ruins, and man-purses. But basically we just meandered around Thessaloniki and took random pictures. But the best thing I saw?

Yessssssss.

So Friday after orientation was finished, we all went out for a group meal at a traditional Greek taverna. This night was pretty much the best ever. The food was delicious, there was unlimited free wine (wheeeeeee!), and then the Greek dancing started. It started out with the Greeks dancing in the traditional way, in the lines with the arms around the shoulders and everything. And then we Americans joined in and basically made it a dance party. The space was really tiny, so it was really fun and we got to know each other REAL well. There was dancing on tables, people throwing napkins, and WINE! Oh, did I mention that already?



                                                                             This is the owner of the taverna!

After this awesome dancing experience, the younger people from ACT took us out to the bar area of Thessaloniki. We went to one called Home 9-11 and it was very crowded. We left after a few minutes, went to the bar next door, realized half our group was missing, so natually we sat down and ordered a coke and whisky. We eventually made our way back to the first club and found our missing group! The club/bar was sooo much better than the clubs in Tulsa. Except for the dancing. They don't dance at clubs here! Whaaa? But, of course, we Americans made our own little dance club and it was really fun. They played all American pop music, which surprised me. We stayed there until around 4am, then caught a taxi home and crashed. It was a good night, and I didn't spend a single euro! (Oh, except for the taxi.) Let's see how long THAT will last...

Clubbin it up (that's my hand with the blue sleeve)



So today we went on a field trip to Vergina (pronounced ver-yee-na). It was about a 45 minute bus ride and we had a tour guide that talked almost the whole time. It was a really pretty mountain town and we went to the Royal Tomb Museum, which was underground. We weren't allowed to take pictures (boo) but it was awesome! There were huge temples and tombs that they unearthed and then left in the ground. I think someone from our group was taking photos on the sly, so I'll check their facebook and see if I can borrow a picture...Aha! Found it.



That's the tomb at the bottom



So that was very interesting and educational and we got to walk around the pretty mountain town and eat lunch at a cute restaurant. Then we went on a driving tour of Thessaloniki and the guide talked about the history and culture of Thessaloniki. But honestly, I fell asleep for most of it...whoops.

So afterward we came back, slept for 3 hours and then watched the SUPERBOWL!! Greek style. We left after halftime, though because it's 3am here. And the first day of school is tomorrow! Anyone notice Madonna's halftime show was Greek themed? Ohhhh yeah.

Night all,

Emily