Day One

After 3 flights and about 30 hours, I arrived in Athens on Monday afternoon. Although exhausted, I was ready to start this new, exciting, and somewhat overwhelming adventure. My first experience in Athens was the cab ride that I took from the airport to my apartment. My driver was very nice and luckily spoke English. My two giant suitcases were literally strapped to the back of the cab with two giant rubber bands because they were too large to fit in the small trunk of the car. I admit that I was skeptical that I would ever see my suitcases again. We drove into the heart of the city and I realized why the cars are so small. The narrow streets make it hard to maneuver and our cab came within inches of parked cars (many times). I also learned the very helpful lesson that pedestrians do not have the right of way. . .ever. I find myself checking and double checking before I cross a street to ensure that a moped or smart car isn't speeding towards me. When we pulled up to the front of my apartment building I saw that I would have to climb two rather steep flights of stairs. My cab driver also noticed this, looked at me, and then looked at my luggage strapped to his car and decided to try to find the other side of the building so I didn't have to climb the stairs (after all he lifted my suitcases onto the car, so he knew they were heavy).
I was finally standing in front of my apartment door. After so many hours of traveling and two nights spent on a plane I was ready to go inside and relax. By some miracle my luggage survived three flights and a cab ride and I couldn't wait to not have to worry about carrying it around. I put my key in the door, releaved that the hard part of the day was over. Now all I had to do was open a door. I put the key in and turned the key (rather I tried to turn the key). Hmmmm, I must be doing this wrong, there must be a "Greek" way to unlock a door. I tried again and again, nothing. So there I stood with my all my luggage in front of my door. I decided to ask for help. I admit this was was a bit intimidating since I knew absolutely no one in this building and I didn't know exactly what to say, "Uh, hi I can't open my door" didn't exactly make me sound like the confident traveler I hoped to be. Eventually I knocked on the door across the hall. Although my neighbors didn't speak English and I couldn't speak a word of Greek they tried so hard to help. Eventually it was determined that the lock was broken and they called my school and asked to have someone sent over and fix my door. Their kindness to me was incredible and they stayed with me until my door was unlocked. Although we couldn't understand each other's language, they understood that I needed help and made me feel welcome in this new place. I have been in Athens for only a few days now, but I have seen this welcoming spirit again and again in the Greek people. My trip has been an adventure from the very beginning and I look forward to discovering more about this beautiful country and culture.