Riot Day

I would first like to let everyone know that all is well, and despite my best efforts I have stayed out of trouble. The riots here in Greece have entered there fourth day and have spread to more cities. They were at there most intense yesterday and have tapered off today. The original issues stems from a police shooting that left a fifteen year old child dead in the street. The child was innocent of any wrong doing except for verbally harassing the police officer. Despite how the authorities are presenting the issue, it appears that the child was shot outright and almost point blank, 50 meters.

The original demonstrations were non-violent and in control; however, there are many other issues that have been brewing under the surface waiting for an outlet such as this. On top of this there is a very volatile group of people that express there anger violently, and, while they are a minority, it only takes a few of them to create trouble.

I have kept my head low and out of trouble, but the opportunity to witness a cultural event unlike any I am accustomed to was too enticing to keep away completely. I was present on Monday night and today (we did not have school) to take some pictures and see the happenings through my own eyes rather than just through the television. I have posted them along with a video of one of the marches.

I'm Impressed

Well . . . he can talk. That is an improvement, right? Bring on the Terrorist, socialist, Israeli hating, elitist. I hope that he is the magic fix that everyone over here believes that he will be.

peace, love, and happiness

New Talent!!!

So, last night I am cooking dinner for myself (a rare treat) consisting of a couple of fried eggs, bread, juice, and milk. As I am cooking the eggs I realize that my spatula is dirty, and not wanting to take precious egg cooking time to clean it, I instead take the pan and toss the eggs, simultaneously they flip and land back in the pan, all without breaking a yoke. Now, I am not sure that you are understanding the implications of this new skill I have procured; not only does it impress the ladies, but it also means that I can do fewer dishes as I no longer need a spatula. Pretty sweet, huh?

Regarding My Future Job

After some serious study over the past years; including watching Tombstone, 3.10 to Yuma, The Proposition, The Assassination of Jesse James, and The High Plains Drifter, and listening to Johnny Cash, Murder by Death, The Raconteurs, and The Decembrists, I have decided that I should be allowed to carry a 30/30 lever action shot gun and a six shooter while riding around on horseback, dressed in a wool button up, black sash, black cowboy hat, and a waxed slicker shooting stuff.

Obviously I went to school for the wrong profession.

New Pictures, First Check-in, Climbing, School, and My New Sippy Cup

Well, things have been pretty exciting over that last month and a half. School has been crazy as I am trying to work with a poorly organized 6th grade curriculum, we had a huge grand opening ceremony, and MUN is at full steam. In the mean time my social life has taken several huge leaps forward, and climbing has re-entered my life to add to my consternation over time management.

I enjoyed my first long weekend traveling to Meteora with some students from the university. I have a good friend who is involved in a climbing club/class and when I arrived in Thessaloniki she was bragging that she was climbing all the time and after inviting myself I was climbing as well. The first time was about two weeks ago at a little crag outside of Thessaloniki. Everyone is super nice and I have met a number of people that I keep in touch with on a regular basis.

The pictures from the previous few posts are of Meteora and while one might think it fun to live in one of the cliff to monasteries we must remember that to do this one has to be a Greek Orthodox monk and among many other characteristics this includes being a man (no women allowed) and a strict belief in the Bible. The climbing on the other hand excludes no one and is wonderful, be you a beginner or the hardest of the hard. The rock is a sandstone conglomerate, think Maple Canyon, and was bolted in the days of yore by Germans, the hardest hardest of the hard, this means 10 to 15 meter run-outs are the norm and everything was done ground up and only recently has chalk been allowed in the area (thank goodness). For the most part the rock quality is good, but I was always on my toes (no pun intended) nervous about loose stones that turned a perfectly good climbing shoe into a roller-skate.

The final picture, right at the top, is a picture of my new sippy-cup (see previous post) that my mother sent me recently.

Hope you're all doing well and the weather in the States isn't getting you down too much. It has been sunny and around 20 degrees here for about two weeks now.

love luck and lollipops
ian

Wasted Worries

Well, once again it turns out that I was wasting my time worrying. I learned yesterday that not only is spilling wine not a big deal, but here in greece it is often seen as a sign of good luck. So, not only did I over react and look like an idiot, but I squandered a perfectly good opportunity, haha. ARRGGGHHH! Hindsight's 20/20.

Now I'm off to dismantle and clean my bike, then write a couple of quizzes, and then try to plan for the rest of the week.

peace love and happines
ian

Making a Fool of Myself

Well, I spilled coffee (on myself) I spilled water (not on myself), wine (not on myself), and I couldn't keep my stupid insecurities to myself. My inability to go out without blundering and being awkward has not subsided since I have come to Greece. She will probably read this and think that I am even more of a dope, but I enjoy making things worse.

It started at the cafe where I spilled coffee all over my white shirt. The lack of liquid control continued with the spill of of water (on her) and then ended with the spilling of red wine (on her). The best that I can sermise is that I need a sippy cup whenever I am out in public, especially when I am out with people who matter; yes that is it, a little blue plastic cup with a child proof lid and a drinking spout that is leak proof.

Once again I am being too hard on myself, no dout. Unfortunately, you don't understand, my social life is the only thing that is lacking here in Greece and if it was not for her it would be completely non-existent. It goes deeper than this with her, but I do not need to explain that.

Well, that is the most recent news. everything else, teaching, the apartment, riding my bike, everthing is wonderful, except well . . .

I miss everyone very much, but Hotel Ian is almost up an running. On monday I will go to the tax office to get my number. This all empowering number will allow me to get internet at the apartment and a cell that is my own. I am being paid (pretty awesome for a twenty three year old) and not only am I getting paid, but it is in euros and my stock market has not hit the bottom of the tank. I have been whatching the daily show and if you missed the last week then I suggest you catch up. I have picked up a greek textbook from school and making headway in trying to understand and speak this crazy language; a lady at starbucks (yes, I do go to starbucks) has promised that she will not quit until I have a full conversation with her in greek (she may be there a while) and my, now wine stained friend, has been grilling me everytime we are out. I have taken to learning from anyone who speaks both greek and english and everyone is happy to help. I am doing many things on my own and if failure is the best teacher, then I am leaning at an excelerated rate.

My bicylcle is awesome and while it needs a good cleaning is my pride and joy. I have found the commute to be stress relieving and a good way to energize myself. Everyone is worried about me being killed by the crazy greek drivers, but since I am not mountain biking or climbing i have found the lack of life threatening senarios a bit dull. I welcome the challenge of cars, pedestrians, wild dog packs, and crazy intersections. I have only been honked at once and I have never felt like i almost died, but it does take a certain concentration that is liberating from my usual day to day life.

I would love to post some pictures but as I have said I don't have internet yet and I am already paying a fortune at the cafe so you will just have to wait. Hope to see you all soon.

Your inept dater abroad,
Ian

Happy B-day Sarah

Hey Sarah!

Happy birthday; it was so nice to talk to you.

Ian

I ain't got time to bleed!

Man oh man, Jesse Ventura had it right. Whether you are fighting crazy cloaking aliens in a Columbian style jungle or you are woking your first teaching job, you just don't have time to think or do anything else. I have kept my head above water for the last week and a half as I try to teach, plan, adjust, make appointments, and maintain some kind of social life (the latter is important to overall sanity).

School is going well and I really can't say that I am not enjoying myself, but I am busy and I am tired. My class is small, but prepping for four completly different subjects, two of which I have never taught and have no training in, takes it's toll on my mental capabilities. My customary schedule has resumed from last year; I wake up at 6:30, leave for school at 7:30, teaching by 8:30, back home at around 5, nap from 6-8 (doctors say that these are the ony naps that actually hav any effect as they allow for a full rem cycle), eat at 8:30 and work from 9 until 2 a.m., and repeat. I know that this sounds kind of absurd but it is the only schedule that allows me to work productivly and maintain some kind of conscious state. Once a week, towards the middle, I try to get a normal nights sleep and then it is friday before I know it.

Friday nights and Saturdays are mine; I have made them so. The last couple of Friday nights I have taken to hanging out with Helena. She is the girl on the left in the last pictures of Thessaloniki from last spring. It has been super cool hanging out with someone other than teachers as then I don't feel like I have to talk shop (it helps that she is super cool, shares some of my interest, is cute, and is patient as I attempt to butcher her language). Last Friday we met a couple of our friends at a cafe and relaxed in the center for the evening. Yesterday we went and saw a movie, that most recent Adam Sandler movie, not my pick, and not great but good for a few laughs, then we went to a very nice restaurant. I usually get home late on fridays as the normal Greek night has ended early if you are home by 3. Saturdays I sleep in late, usually go into the center to have coffee with Roxanne, Demitri, or Helena and to do some window shopping and then it is home in the evening to get a good nights sleep and relax. I wake up around 9 on Sunday go for a walk and then get right to work and work until I finish, usually around 11 p.m. or 12; The next week starts again and I have just caught my breath to go back under.

This is life as I know it.
Updates to come: I am buying a new bike, my bathtub leaks, I have to get a tax number, and I have to go to the hospital this week. Stay tuned for the next installment.

peace love and happiness
ian

Happy B-Day Keith

Yamas!

May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sunshine warm upon your face,
and may you be in heaven a half hour before the devil knows you're dead.

Someone once gave me such a blessing and now I carry it with me wherever I go on a note card and, so far, it has worked.
Happy B-Day Bro

Peace, love, and happiness
Ian

Happy Birthday Dad

Hey dad! Happy b-day.

Love
Ian

Thoughts of a Traveler

8:00 a.m. 9.4.08
Well, it is officially four hours till I need to be at the airport. I cannot tell you that I am not nervous, and I think I am a bit more sad this time; in fact I don't think that I was sad at all last January when I left home. Perhaps I am sadder because my parents are sadder; that changes things. I will say though that I am very excited and look forward to seeing everyone who I left in Greece.

5:00 p.m. 9.4.08
Sitting in Dulles International Airport. It is kind of like being home. I have not flown as much as some people, but I have the process down to a science. Shoes, belt, sunglasses, wallet, watch, iPod in tub one; computer in tub two; rucksack (that is what they call backpacks in Europe; I like it) next; boarding pass and passport in hand. Be pleasant. Don’t pack anything you are not supposed to. Look inspectors in the eyes. Repack quickly and neatly. Get to your gate then go to the bathroom. Board the plane quietly. Help other passengers when possible (good juju for rest of flight). Don’t lean the seat back; deal with the discomfort (especially on smaller planes, anything below a 747). Be ready to disembark before the plane lands, but do not rush. Stay seated until your turn comes. Let someone into the isle who is stuck behind the constant stream of passengers (good juju for the next flight). Read and follow the signs in the new airport and realize that most airports work the same way. Stay calm at customs. Repeat at next stop.

9:10 a.m. 9.5.08
Sitting in Munich’s Franz Josef Strauss International Airport. The flights have been non eventful; I would propose that they were even good. Flying across the Atlantic is an incredible experience; everyone should try it once. While wearing my Medina Swimming shirt; met swimmer from Akron who graduated in 76’; met a woman who grew up in Medina, she lived on Wadsworth Road; had a discussion regarding possible reasons for the excessive amount of broken records at the Summer Olympics. I watched Monty Python: Search for the Holy Grail and a movie about George Hogg (true story) that was amazing; the movie was decent, the story was downright marvelous. I daresay I am calm. I have gained control. I am no longer sad. I am getting excited. I have begun to tackle the challenges that lay ahead. I cannot control things that are out of my control; the things that are within my control are things that I am sure I can handle or will learn to handle.

1:30 p.m. 9.5.08
18 hours is an ungodly long time to be traveling. There is a difference between drained and tired. The trick now is not to sleep until the locals sleep.

Feral and Superb

i am moving ahead and so is my blog. i think that greece was the first time that i really took the time to keep a record of my activities and so i am going to try to continue as i move ahead. the new site is for the next stage of my adventure and you can find it at www.wvfas.blogspot.com, so go and check it out. please. and if you don't have a google account to leave comments then e-mail me or use skype.

peace
ian

There and Back Again

well . . . this is officially my last post from the european continent. i am currently back at gianluca's house after a wonderful romp through pisa, florence, rome, barcelona, and madrid. i have had a wonderful trip and i will admit that it is a bit sureal to think about coming back to the states, but i am sure that things will be fine once i get off of the plane.

i thought that i would take the opportunity to answer the title question; Aristotle said what?

it is a bit difficult to answer such a questioning considering that he said so much, but i have been searching and reading and i think that i have found the quote that is most pertinate to my situation. the quote reads as follows, "for the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them." perfect i think. this applies to teaching as well as it applies to train stations. the quote is self explanitory and to the point.

as for the fate of this blog and its upkeep, my experience in greece has not ended it is only on a hiatus. so upon my return i will try to find interesting things to add to keep you all entertained. i look forward to seeing everyone and answering all of the questions that i can.

peace love and happiness
"fight for every breath and tell death to go to hell" che

ian

The Rain in Spain Falls Mainly on the Plains

the world past time. here played in rome.

the roman palintino. this is the old game field.

the vatican.

this is the fake that is in the plaza where the real one used to be. The real one is pretty amazing but i think that i like the "prisoners" even better. florence.
crazy statue in florence
gardens in florence.
gardens in florence.the collosseum.

the duomo in milan. the largest gothic cathedral in italy.
over looking torino.
little red bicycle. pisa.
the leaning tower.

over athens.
kalymnos sunset.
greek island.
oh the climbing. kalymnos.

*if you are trying to figure out a time frame for the pictures, the top ones are the most recent and the bottom are the oldest. the list of locations that i have visited is posted in order in the message below.*

time continues to move as i sit back and watch it pass. i now find myself with 9 days remaining in my trip across the ocean and it is a bit surreal to think about coming back to the states. i am very excited to see everyone, but . . . i know that within about two weeks i will be ready to move around again. well, i am sure i will have the opportunity. i am headed back to w.v. for the summer to work at the new and will try to stay there (work permitting) throught the end of september. from there i don´t really know; there is talk about heading up to stay with keith and sarah for a while or i might try to go out west and see adam and leanna (i have not asked them yet).

for now though we will live in the present. i find myself in madrid at the moment staying with a bunch of my friends from greece. though it is late spring in an area where the temperature should be scorching it has been pretty cool (15-17º) with quite a bit of rain; however, i have been having a wonderful time just relaxing; traveling is hard work. i have officially been to athens, kalymnos, patras, brindisi, milan, torino, pisa, florence, rome, civitavecchia, barcelona, toledo, and madrid since leaving thessaloniki. i head back to barcelona on friday morning and will stay until saturday evening when my ferry leaves. i am going to see a flogging molly concert while i am there so it should be a wonderful stay (not to mention barcelona is sick). then i head back to italy to stay two night in torino and one in milan; my plane leaves at around 9 in the morning on the 28.

i am trying to think of a good story to tell . . . let´s see . . .

in rome i was waiting in line to see the palatino (the roman forums) as i had decided to splurge on the ticket that cost 11 euro (it included the palatino, forums, and collosseum) when from in front of me i heard the distinct sound or american english. now here we must stop for a second. it is not unusual to hear english in tourist areas however, the number of american tourists is way down and most of them are obnoxious college students looking to party or older individuals in guided tours. the rest of the tourists are other europeans, chinese, japanese, or aussie´s. all of this coupled with the fact that italians do not speak much english it was a rare occurance. so . . . i looked around and sure enough there was a couple standing in front of me, about mom and dad´s age, waiting in line for the same attraction. i don´t remember now how the conversation started but we were soon into the wirl-wind of conversation that occurs when you meet someone familiar in an unfamiliar place. they were a couple from florida on a last minute vacation to see some of the sites in italy. i am not sure how it came about, perhaps i was looking especially pitiful that day, but they invited me to join them to walk through the the ruins. as i had been on my own for 4 or 5 days i graciously accepted and we began to chat further. there are 3 or 4 different subject areas that you talk about with strangers and these include things like family, the weather, work, polotics (only comfortable strangers) and food. we of course covered all of these on our walk and found many things in common. ellen is a teacher and bill is a computer guy, they are the parents of boys, and very kind. upon leaving the palantino they offered to buy lunch and i of course issued what has become my standard line, "i will not ask for anything, but i am in no position to refuse your generosity." they took me to an italian restaurant (the first time i had eaten out since kalymnos) and proceded to buy me a wonderful lunch of bruschetta, ravioli, and beer. we split company upon leaving the restaurant and i have been in touch with them since. i have found numerous cases of sincere generocity as i have been traveling, and though i still believe that the human race is mainly a large, violent, distructive force, at least there are a few bright spots left.

i suppose that that is all for now i have to buy a ticket for the concert, the ferry, and reserve a place to stay in barcelona so i have to warm up the credit card. talk to you all very soon and i will see everyone before too long.

peace love and happiness
ian

Happy Mother's Day

well . . .

i now find myself in roma italy after leaving greece about two weeks ago; i have been to athena, kalymnos, patra, brindisi, milano, turin, pisa, firenza, and now roma since my departure from thessaloniki. it is sunday morning here, almost 10 oclock. I am almost ready to start my day which will consist of walking around rome and getting as many pictures as i possibly can (i love digital cameras) all the while spending as little money as possible; i call it the 5 euro diet and it does wonders for your hips. unfortunatly i do not have a usb port here at this hostel and so i am unable to post pictures but perhaps when i get to madrid in a few days i will have an opportunity to post some of my pictures ( church, church, church, old building, church, pile of rocks, church . . . .).

the purpose of this post is to wish all those back home (really only moms) a happy mother's day. i know that my mom is traveling to this weekend; hopefully, she will get this at some point. maybe g'ma harrington, cressman, and rockwell will also get the chance to see this as well. so happy mother's day to all; i miss you and can't wait to see everyone.

peace love and happiness
ian

Ahh Vacation . . . Wait I'm not relaxed!

Hey everyone,

I have left Thessaloniki . . . at least for now. I found myself in Athens at six a.m. on Easter Morning; not good. I have decided that Easter is the most inappropriate time of the year to be traveling in Greece as the Eastern Orthodoxy has made it a pretty big deal; thus everything is closed, not only on Sunday, but Monday as well.

So, yesterday I spent my first 3 hours in Athens sitting in a chair reading outside Everest (no, not the mountain, but rather the Greeks answer to Mc D's). At nine I was allowed to check in to my room at the Hostel Aphrodite, a very nice place, and drop my luggage. After answering a few e mails I was off and running. I have some theories about traveling that, when I have a bit more time, I might expound upon the masses; the most important of these theories however, is that the first day you are in a new city you should spend your day wandering, put your map away and wander. Thus, after leaving my things at the hostel I left and wandered for about 7 hours (2 of those were spent on a park bench napping; that is another one of my theories). I walked all over, the weather was wonderful, the streets were quiet, and best of all there were not too many tourists. I saw the Acropolis, Pan's Cave, the Olympic Stadium, and many other sites that make 1492 look like it was a week ago. Athens is an impossibly large city, as you will see when I have an opportunity to post pictures. It sits in a basin with the Acropolis as its center point. There are old things everywhere; above the city, below the city, and built into the city. I am however, a bit disengaged from all of this; by this I mean that I feel like I should be more relaxed.

So, Ian, why are you not relaxed? Well . . . I am trying to schedule my days so that everything will fit; this, by the way, goes against everything that I believe in as a traveler; unfortunately, I do not have the funds to be spontaneous and free spirited. I have my credit card, but, as you all are well aware, I will have to pay that also. And it is not the money that is stressing me out it is the need to look ahead and figure out what I will be thinking in five days so that I can contact the right people so that I will end up in the right place, at the right time, with the right connections, places to stay, train tickets, ferry tickets, whew . . . .

I suppose though that I should not complain. I am leaving in about three hours for Kalymnos. A small island in the south Aegean, near Kos. Every time I tell a Greek where I am going they close their eyes, tip their head back, wave their hand, and say, "Poh Poh" (this is the most awe-inspiring of reactions). Kalymnos is an unspoiled island that is known for its deep-water, free-diving, sponge-catching fishermen; more importantly, for me, is that within the last few years it has become one of the premier sport climbing areas in the world. I checked the weather and for the week it is in the low 70's with full sun. So. . .

Where to from there? Well I am back in Athens for a night, then to Patras, from Patras to Brindisi Italy, and on up to Milan where I will drop my luggage for the remainder of my journey. I will move on down through Italy for about a week and then over to Madrid for about ten days, maybe a day or two in Mallorca, and finish the trip out with a Flogging Molly concert in Barcelona. I fly out of Milan on the 28th of May to complete my four months on the east side of the Atlantic.

Now you know, and knowing is half the battle. Please leave your comments, as I love to read them, and I will try to post pictures and such when I reach Milan. Thank you for all of your support and I will catch up with everyone soon.

Peace, love, and happiness
ian

Ok Ok only a few more. . .

This is my flatmates picture. I thought it was kind of cool.
This is what I want to do when I get old. Sit around with my friends grumbling about how messed up the world is and discussing the spoiled, out-of-control younger generation.

A couple more pics.

The road, or rather rail, to Thessaloniki
The old wall, Anapoli
So many people to miss
Me trying to dance to traditional greek music. . . oh yeah that is my director

The Inner Circle (and I'm a member!).

Well, it's all over!

At the Beach
Yes, you are right; that is the man on a flag.
A bit of Bulgaria. Those are bee hives; honey is pretty popular here.
Wild Iris
The Bulkans

i'm not really sure what to write about anymore; i have not written in so long . . . for now though i will just post some pictures. i am alive and breathing, better than ever i might add.

peace, love, and happiness

ian