Downtown Thessaloniki Pics

The board walk and the White Tower.
Emily tasting Aristotle's toe.
The square.
Church.
Not sure who this guy is, but he looks like Lenin and the pigeons dig him.

Poking Around Downtown (Plus a Shimosh Update)

After being in Greece nearly a month, life is still great. I am getting to know the students, soccer practice started last week, and I am settling into a daily routine. The presidential election is this weekend so rumors are spreading on campus about a four day weekend (it is mind-boggling that they don't announce the vacation days in advance but that's all part of the laid-back culture I suppose). If we do have the long weekend, I am going to go down to Athens or to Halkidiki, a nearby peninsula with allegedly amazing beaches. After a few weeks of clouds and rain, the weather is starting to feel like Fall. It definitely makes me miss college soccer season and UGA tailgates, but I'm not complaining. Greek Fall is ideal.

I have taken several excursions to downtown Thessaloniki. All trips have been by bus. There is a stop directly across from the school and it takes around 40 minutes to arrive downtown. The bus system has been reliable so far, and they never ask for bus tickets so it is essentially free. You are supposed to get your ticket stamped when you enter the bus, but most locals ignore the protocol and the drivers seem completely apathetic. Every aspect of life is more relaxed here. The pace of life is very slow which I enjoy.

Downtown Thessaloniki is picturesque and historic yet still feels like a modern city. There are ancient ruins, beautiful churches, and monuments amidst the grind of daily life. The main attraction is the boardwalk along the sea. Night or day, people are strolling along the water or sitting at one of the numerous cafes. Everybody here drinks frappes and smokes cigarettes. The omnipresent smoke clouds are bothersome but a law recently passed that prohibits smoking inside all businesses. It is a step in the right direction, however the police seem to be as indifferent as the bus drivers so enforcement of the law is already an issue.

Without further ado, I know that some of you are probably only reading this for an update on Shimosh so I will satiate your craving. True to form, Shimosh has kept the laundry machines busy throughout the week. He has also picked up the habit of sneaking up and poking the older kids to annoy them. Once poked, the older kids chase him around. Shimosh is quick and shifty, however they usually catch him. Most of the authority figures (myself included) allow Shimosh to receive a bit of physical abuse from the others because he has earned it; he is a pest. Thus, Shimosh has developed a defense mechanism which renders his attackers powerless. Once in their clutches (headlock and shoulder punch are popular), he starts to emit a shrill scream. It is no ordinary scream. It is a piercing, high-pitched noise that seems to originate somewhere in his soul. The older students have no option but to flee and hope that no permanent damage to their ears has occurred.

He also told me a story about life on his father's farm. The story was conveyed partly in English, partly in Greek and partly in International Body Language (luckily I am fluent). I have translated the Greek and IBL segments into English. The IBL parts will appear in brackets, so you can picture Shimosh acting out the scene. Also feel free to insert voice cracks wherever you see fit. It goes something like this:

Shimosh: On my fathaire's farm, there are many many mices. They eat holes in food bags then food [spills on the ground]. So, my fathaire has to [kill] the mices. [Laughter]

Me: How does he kill the mice?

Shimosh: Well we have many cats. Also, he uses [unrecognizable IBL. It must be some sort of new IBL slang that kids are using these days].

Me: Mouse traps with cheese?

Shimosh: No. [he starts choking himself]

Me: Poison?

Shimosh: Yes. Yes. Poison. He uses the poison and they [keel over and die a gruesome death].

Me: I see.

Shimosh: But sometimes, the mice die from the poison then the cats eat the mice, and the cats [die a death that appears to be represented by the IBL symbol for electrocution] too. [Uncontrollable laughter]

Me: Alright, get your damn clothes out of the dryer and let's get out of here.

That's all for now. I'll post some pictures of downtown Thessaloniki. I'll also try to snap a pic of Shimosh in the near future.

Love,

Jacques (or Zak as they refer to me here. Derrick Quarrels is a prophet.)

Pics

The view from Princeton Hall.
Princeton Hall - library, dining hall, offices.
The dorm.

The view from my room at dawn.

First Week with the Students

Kalimera. The students arrived last weekend; they are hilarious. Imagine 250 awkward, pubescent teenagers scurrying around in tight shirts. Cell phones are the primary means of entertainment. Popular pastimes include blaring techno from their cells and looking at pictures of motorcycles and/or body builders ("body sculpers" as they say) on their phones. After observing their behavior for a week, my personal favorite activity is when the students scream animal noises at the top of their lungs in the dormitory hallways for no apparent reason. Who needs sleep when you can hear Greek teenagers' impressions of a rabid baboon being accosted by a pack of drunk hyenas with megaphones? It's a spiritual experience.

Their English proficiency varies from absolutely no knowledge to advanced conversational. Most fall closer to the former, but many can hold simple conversations and discuss daily habits. One of my favorite conversations to date went something like this:

Me: "Hey buddy, are you going home for the weekend?"

Student: "Yo....50 Cent."

Me: [Laughter]

Student: [Blank stare]

Me: "Ok, well have a good weekend."

Student: [ Continued blank stare followed by slow pivot and full sprint away.]

I haven't seen him since, but I like to think that we now share an unbreakable bond.

One of my favorite students so far is a boy that I'll call "Shimosh". At this point, I can only guess at the phonetic spelling of his name because of the violent voice crack that occurred as he introduced himself. Shimosh is from the Greek Isle of Sifnos and his father runs a farm. He is a big fan of Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. Shimosh is the smallest student on campus, but he rocks an amazing "flavor-saver" mustache. Most of the students go home on the weekends, but a group of about 35 stayed this weekend for various reasons: they live too far away, their parents don't love them, etc. Shimosh was one of the students who stayed on campus. [Sidenote: I have the distinguished honor of guarding the laundry room key; somehow I was granted the privilege of accompanying every guy down to the laundry room to ensure that he doesn't break the machines. It is on the same level as my beloved equipment room duty whilst coaching at Emory.] Anyway, Shimosh somehow generated four loads of laundry this week. The smallest student in the entire school (I am convinced that he is yet to develop sweat glands) somehow soiled more clothes in one week than any other human being in the world. I spent several hours with Shimosh during the laundry cycles, and I got to know him pretty well between the squeaky English he was able to croak and the rudimentary Greek skills that I have acquired. Stay tuned for more on my adventures with Shimosh...the next laundry session is only six days away.

In all honesty, the students are great. They are so different yet so similar to American kids. I am loving my experiences at the school and look forward to having some free time to venture off-campus and explore Grecia.

Shants, Unibrows, and Gyros

Yassas from the land of Aristotle, the Acropolis, and hairy men in capri pants. If you are allergic to feta cheese, please stop reading as an allergic reaction will ensue. As most of you know, I am spending 10 months in Thessaloniki, Greece as an International Teaching Fellow at a boarding school. I arrived in Thessaloniki late Sunday evening after a 20-hour commute from the ATL via London and Athens. I have my own apartment in one of the dormitories furnished with a desk, a fridge, my own WC sans hot water, and bunk beds. Although my quarters lack air condish and I am puzzled as to how to maximize the usefulness of bunk beds without a roommate, the living situation is more than adequate. It certainly beats living in a closet for a year (Kay Lane) or trekking upstairs to take a shower (Greenwood Estate). So it goes.

I awoke on Monday on the bottom bunk at 3:45 AM. The 8 hour time difference is having a blast with my sleeping schedule and attentiveness during meetings. After reading and writing a bit, the sun finally showed its face around 6:30. I approached the large window in my room, excited to catch my first glimpse of Greece...Jackpot! My room overlooks the soccer field with a beautiful mountain range in the background. If I pan right, I can see the Aegean Sea and have a view of Mount Olympus when the sky is clear. Not too shabby. I will post pictures at some point.

The students are not on campus yet. This week has been full of meetings with the school staff and a bit of exploring the city; the school is actually located 10 km or so from downtown Thessaloniki and 4 km from Thermi, a quaint, historic town. Things are a bit slow, so it has allowed me some time to diddle around the surrounding areas on foot. I have come to a few conclusions:

A. Pedestrians never, ever, ever, ever, ever have the right of way. Greek drivers seem to be on an intense quest to run over as many pedestrians as possible in their tiny, gas-wise, hatchback, glorifed roller skate-looking automobiles. But don't worry Mom, most of the roads lack sidewalks. Picture a real-life game of Frogger any time I leave campus on foot; "game over" means broken bones in this version.

2. Greek fashion designers must have lost a very serious bet.

III. Kiosks are the backbone of the Greek economy. I have no idea how any other businesses stay afloat.

D. Gyro (with feta) - so good. Cucumber tomato salad with feta - so very good. Bread with feta - so good. Feta covered in olive oil - oh so good. Feta on top of feta with a side of feta - so very good. I am considering bathing in feta. Feta good.

That's all for now. The new students arrive on Sunday and the returning students come Monday. All of the people that I've met are great and helpful. Life here is great: the food, the fancy ladies, the simplicity. I'll try to post updates once every week or so. Stay in touch. Wherever and whoever you may be, keep it real. I love you.

Jacques