Living in Greece - part two

I've been here for more than eight days now, so I think I can talk more about what it's like living here. If you know nothing about Greece, Greek culture, or the language, it's going to be difficult. That's just a clear fact I've needed to accept since I've been here.

To start, my laptop knows my location, so subsequently all Google searches have resulted in Greek answers. Helpful? Not so much. And because my laptop knows my location, so does Netflix. I didn't know before coming to Europe, but the shows and movies you get on Netflix can change based on your location. So, the "comfort" shows as I like to call them, are non-existent here. These are the shows you've watched the entire series two or three times already. My comfort shows are Parks & Recreation, The Office, and New Girl - and none of them exist in Europe.

Next, my last class of the day ends at 8:50 p.m. Back home, I'd get out of work around 4 p.m., go home, eat, shower, and be able to at least get in bed by 7 p.m. if I wanted. Here, the odds of me getting in bed by 10 p.m. are slim to none. So my sleep schedule is all wacky, and I'm not getting as much sleep as I'm used to. It's an uncomfortable adjustment.

On top of a wacky sleep schedule, I now have wacky eating habits too. Because the grocery store is so tiny (about the size of one isle in Walmart, but smaller) and everything is in Greek, I have been buying very basic things. Mostly, I get bread, peanut butter, bananas, yogurt (if I'm lucky enough to figure out the flavor), and ice cream. Living off these are definitely not healthy, or sustainable. Of course, I've been eating out - a gyro here and there, pasta nights on Wednesday, coffee stop in the morning.

I'm doing the best I can here and am trying to make the best of it. I know when I get home I will look back on this trip with happy thoughts, and I'll probably even miss it. But for now, I'm excited to go back home.

love always,

angelina