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Right after graduation, I was reunited with one of my closest friends. He had just come back from a semester in China and it was fantastic to see him! Hearing his stories made me miss my semester abroad, but it was awesome to finally catch up in person. Turns out that he and his friends had stayed at a couple hostels that my group had visited, cool legacy!
Signatures from 2013 and 2014 ETA groups at the Ming Palace Hostel in Guilin, China
The next day I flew home to Houston and was planning to go on a hiking trip through southern Utah. It was going to be fantastic, but I ended up cancelling the trip because I got really sick with a horrible bug. Instead I ended up spending 2.5 weeks at home to get better and to catch up with my family. I'm so glad that I was home to see my sister graduate high school and we had a joint graduation party at home. So much to celebrate! She's getting ready to begin pre-health studies at Trinity University in San Antonio. I'm excited to visit her!
Soon after spending time at home, I was ready to finally go to Greece. Greece had been my number-one travel destination since I was little. I had grown up learning about my Greek background (I'm half-Greek) and I was in desperate need of some time out there. I had originally planned on taking a European backpacking trip, but 15 days in Greece was exactly what I needed.
I went on my own (first time to Europe and first big solo trip) and took a language and culture class in Santorini. My class was through the Hellenic Cultural Center and it was a fantastic introduction into Greece. Within 2 days, I could (slowly) read Greek and I was well on my way to holding a basic conversation. Language lessons were in the morning, afternoons were free and then in the evening we had a couple hours of cultural activities (meeting with a local farmer, going to a winery, exploring an archaeological site, etc) followed by long dinners at local tavernas with lots of white wine. During my free time, I did a lot of hiking around the island (over the weekend, I did over 18 km!) and of course, soaking in the warm Santorini sun. Fun fact, the first Americans I met (took me 4 days) were some engineers from University of Illinois!
My classmates were a couple Italians from Rome (mother-daughter pair, mother was a retired chemistry professor and the daughter is a physicist at CERN) and an elderly lady from London. The teachers in the school were from all different parts of Greece and I learned so much from them. Stella, Nikos, Vassia and Ifigenia were all pretty amazing and I really enjoyed getting to know them. I'm excited to continue my Greek studies once I get settled in my new life in Louisiana. The HCC offers online and Skype lessons, so tell all your friends!
As my stint in Santorini was coming to a close, I met up with a couple Purdue graduates who were finishing up a whirlwind trip to Europe. I took them to my favorite club for a drink to celebrate the end of my time on the island. We actually took the same ferry back to Athens the next day. Meeting me at the port of Piraeus were a couple distant cousins of mine who I had never met. I had told them I would be wearing blue and they had a sign for me. It was incredible to meet them because I had heard about them before, but never even talked to them on the phone. However, within 5 minutes of meeting them, it felt like we had known each other forever. The power of genes and family connections... Greek hospitality and extroverted personalities helped quite a bit too.
I stayed a couple nights at Myrto's apartment (my dad had met her back in 1987 when she was a little girl) and explored Athens. That Saturday night I went out with Myrto and met some of her closest friends (most of whom had known each other since elementary school) at a great nightclub on the marina near Vouliagmeni (beautiful, starry night). The next day we explored around the Akropolis, saw the Parthenon and other historical sites, shopped and ate in Plaka. If you are going to Athens, be sure to not miss the Akropolis museum... it was incredible.
The time with Myrto and Bibi was short, but it was a fantastic weekend. Really, my entire trip to Greece went by so quickly. I returned to the U.S. completely refreshed. Finding my roots, connecting with my culture, exploring a new part of the world and becoming a better world traveler was simply amazing. This trip also taught me something else about traveling, I do not want to simply just see a new place as a tourist. It's way more fun and interesting to learn what it means to be a local and really plug in. On future travels, I will do my best to make sure this happens. I'm already planning my next trip back to Greece (Ikaria and Crete!) but I've decided that Argentina will be my next new international destination. I am also going to try very hard to use my passport at least once a year. China, now Greece, more adventures to be had!
After I came back from Greece, July seemed to fly. Independence day was a fantastic reunion with Purdue friends (cookout, fireworks, boat ride on the lake and wonderful people). I had some time to relax too, slowly beginning to organize my move to Louisiana. I also made an apartment-hunting trip down south where I had the chance to reconnect with people I had interned with last summer who are now working full-time.
I got back to Purdue just in time to celebrate my 22nd birthday with friends (an evening at Purdue and an adventure to the dunes!). I woke up early that Saturday morning to fly out to CA to meet my family for a 10-day vacation to SoCal and Washington state. We spent time with our relatives, celebrated my birthday a bit more, enjoyed some CA beach time and then headed up to the Pacific Northwest to explore the San Juan Islands. Absolutely beautiful part of the country! Then I came back to Indiana to spend one more week in the Midwest before driving down south. We even made some delicious Greek food, inspired by my time in Santorini...
Andy and I are great chefs.... what can I say?
Now I've already finished my first two days as a full-time Chevron Facilities Engineer. I'm really enjoying my job and the people on my team. More stories soon!
