I'll be home for Christmas...

The end has finally come, today is my last day in Greece! It is a very bittersweet feeling as I am very excited to come home, but sad to leave. Last week was busy with lots of last night celebrations pretty much every day since someone was always leaving. Jamie left on Thursday morning and I helped her get to the airport which was quite an adventure since there was a taxi strike we were unaware of. It has been a very quiet weekend; as of Friday there were only 7 or so people left in my dorm. I spent the weekend doing the last of everything, last bus ride home from school on the 58, last walk to the water at sunset, last gyro from 150, last taverna night, and last minute shopping of course.

During my last walk around the city I was thinking about how many things here I am going to miss, and its a pretty long list. I'm going to miss the weather for one (its about 40 degrees warmer than Boston right now). But I am very much looking forward to snow and a white Christmas. I'm also going to miss the food, the feta, the chocolate, and the tavernas. The Greek lifestyle includes sitting at restaurants or cafes for hours at a time with the staff in no rush for you to leave. In fact, they encourage you to stay with live music, and rounds of wine and dessert on the house. I'm going to miss walking down the street and seeing a group of old men sitting outside relaxing and playing backgammon. I'm going to miss the kiosks that line the streets and are really handy at night when you have a snack craving, just get there before midnight. Then of course, there are all the beautiful places here in Greece. Thessaloniki may not be a hot tourist spot, but all of Greece has some really amazing places. I'm going to miss being able to travel to another country within a few hours, and at a fraction of the cost it would be from America. Most of all I am going to miss the people that I have met here. It was crazy making such fast friends and then having to say goodbye when it feels like we just met. I'm sure that I'm leaving a few things out of that list that will come up once I get back home.

But, while there are many things I will miss, there are a few that I wont. I will certainly not miss communication with family and friends over skype with a connection that cuts out every few minutes. Not to mention the 7 hour time difference that makes finding a time to talk hard as well. I am not going to miss the public transportation. The bus home from school was always an experience, that I think I even prefer the Boston subway. I'm not going to miss having to throw toilet paper in the trash, although I will miss the signs all over the place. The best sign I saw was in Athens in a random restaurant. Naturally I took a picture...


Ha ha, it was a good one. I also won't miss the struggle that came with the language barrier, especially when trying to grocery shop and not being able to ready any of the labels. Granted, that did get a little easier when I learned a little more Greek, but trying to communicate with cab drivers never did. All in all, the list of things I'm going to miss is longer than the ones I won't.

After about 20 hours of travel, I should be touching down in Boston Logan Airport at 6:35 pm tomorrow. It has been an absolutely amazing semester, and has gone by so fast. I'm so thankful for the opportunity and experience I have had here. Also, I have really enjoyed sharing it with you all. Thanks for following me along the way. Have a happy and safe holiday season!