Beware of Greeks Bearing Gifts

Anonymous

It’s 2:30 AM in Athens, and I am still awake. This is unusual for me. Even in the summertime I never seem to make it past one AM, two at the latest. But tonight is different from any other night, summer or otherwise. Tonight (or this morning?) we are bound for home. Athens to Amsterdam, Amsterdam to Seattle. In less than 24 hours I will be lying in my very own bed in my very own home in plain old Gladstone, Oregon. This thought is really astounding to me. The idea that you can start your day in Athens and end it in the Pacific Northwest is absolutely mind blowing.

Despite my sadness at leaving Greece, I have to confess I can’t wait to get home. This trip has been indescribable, completely beyond words. I don’t know if anything else can ever top it. But all good things must come to an end, and the same must be true for traveling abroad

For those of you who aren’t here, Athens was stunning for our final day here. The weather was brisk, but the city was still beautiful. As we walked past the Acropolis tonight on our way back from coffee, I took my one last look at the Parthenon lit up against the sky. It was an incredible sight to see, and I will miss it dearly!

My wake up call from the front desk will come in just a few minutes, so I should probably wrap things up for now. I’d like to catch a little sleep before we head back on the bus for the airport! Before I close I’d like to thank everyone who made this trip so wonderful for me – Dr. Finitsis and Dr. Ihssen, my amazing classmates, and my parents and family, without whom I never would have been able to be part of this trip.