Well, here we go. I would first like to squelch any ideas that anyone might have that this blog will make me more capable of keeping in touch. Anyone who has tried to keep in touch with me via e-mail or even my phone knows that I am not very good at it; I cannot promise that the blog will help. That being said, you will all at least get to see this one.
I am off to Greece, Thessaloniki to be exact (the i's are pronounced with long e's) a.k.a Salonika (former name) or Thessalonica (ancient name). Here's your history lesson. Thessaloniki is the second oldest, second largest city in Greece only to? Of course, Athens. The city is considered the most metropolitan in Greece and functions as its second largest port, still functioning. Thessaloniki is the capital of the largest region in Greece, Macedonia and lies on the northern gulf of the Aegean sea.
Not bad, right?
I will be teaching at the Pinewood International School in 6th grade language arts and 7th grade biology. The students are from all over the world; the school runs the IB program along side a traditional U.S. school curriculum. This is about all I know about my teaching experience. What's more is that you can find all of this information on your own if you just search for the school.
My general lack of knowledge does not stop there, oh no. While I have an apartment, my own, I do not know where it is, how much it will cost, its address, how big it is, and I am only assuming that it is furnished. How exciting!
The beauty is that I have two contacts in Greece who have been incredibly helpful and seem genuinely excited about my arrival. There are two other items that I also have going for me:
1. Because I do not know anything there are no expectations, thus no let downs, thus only good experiences.
2. I do not care. The simple facts that I am traveling and get to learn new things and once again facilitate learning are enough for me.
Oh yeah! Make that three items.
3. I almost forgot, I'll be in Greece!
Here will end my first posting and if my reputation reflects the truth then it has the potential to be my last; hopefully not.
Fight for every breath, and tell death to go to hell -Che-
Peace, love, and happiness,
Ian
5 comments:
Hi Ian:
How incredible!! I read your post and thought, "Holy Cow, how could a person enter a situation with so little information, and yet with such a positive attitude. And then, I remembered you are a Harrington. You guys seem to be able to be more "Free and easy" than anyone I've ever met.
Your adventure, I'm sure, will be a great experience. New people, new culture, new region, new environment, etc., all things that you should thrive in.
We are currently studying the book of Acts in Joanie's bible study class. So I'm sure that Joanie wishes we could do an "On-site" visit to aid in the research of the class. Sounds like we'd have our own personal guide through Greece.
I hope you keep this blog up-to-date so we can see some pictures and hear some stories along the way.
Have fun, and good luck.
Tom Cahalan
Yeah, I agree with Tom. Take more pictures. Start with a new one of your face, the one there now has a distinct unabomberness to it. I can't believe your leaving, man. Who am I going to wreck with...er... I mean ride with this spring? And did you leave Modest Mouse off your list of favorites? All the best to you, dude; do try to drop me a line here and again, eh.
Well, I guess the only thing left to say is:
May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face.
And may you be in heaven
a half hour before the devil knows you're dead
k-
Hey buddy,
Just got back from a second to last (hopefully not last) gym sesh. Good start on the Blog, just make sure you keep it up. My dad has always pushed me to write in journals and I never have. This is the perfect oppurtunity to keep a log of what you've done, where you've been, and the people and things you see. Take advantage of that, as your brain can only hold so much new. So good luck, climb hard, have fun, and we'll keep you in our thoughts and prayers.
-brendan
What up brother-man! Hey, I'm jammin to the cd you got me for xmas right now. Thanks!
So, good blog so far... you're hilarious! BTW I like your photo... i don't think you look like the unabomber at all.
So here's my shot at brotherly love and advice:
Just remember, if it doesn't kill ya it's a chance to refine tactics... is that just a more awkward way of saying Live and Learn?! I think so... Ha ha!
Just remember to enjoy the moment and don't take anything too seriously!
-Adam
heya! How's Greece? I'm assuming you made it b/c I haven't heard any different. I hope you're not wondering around lost - although that may be kind of fun for a bit. And by the way, have you heard of Skype? You can make free calls from computer to computer. All you need is a microphone. It actually does video calls too if you have a camera. Well, I hope the reason you haven't updated this yet is that you're out having to much fun. Keep in touch and upload lots of pics!
LeAnna
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