Day 3: We're Off!

Hi All,

Just a quick note to let you know I'm at the airport and we'll be flying off in about half an hour. We fly to Munich, Germany and from there go to Athens. I will get to Athens at 11:30 AM on Sunday (that is about 3:30 AM your time).

Cheers,

Ms. G

Day 2: Say What?

Hi Everyone!

So yesterday (Friday) we learned how to Speak Greek. Wow! It happens to be a complicated language because I have to learn a whole new alphabet (the Cyrillic alphabet). I do know how to say hello: Kilamera and Sorry: signomi.

Frank -- So many Greek last names end with "s" because the names are for males. All males in Greece have last names ending in "s" because that's the masculine form of the verb. Interesting hum? Female last names end in "A". So a brother and sister would have slightly different last names.

Michael and Sandy -- Both of you asked about holidays in Greece and I found out about an interesting one already: Name Day. Instead of celebrating birthdays, the people celebrate the day of their name. All Greeks are named after a patron Saint, so whatever the Saint's Day is, that's their name day. Cool, right :)

Rafal -- Our Greek tour guide has already talked about Soccer. I guess there is a big world event going on when we're in Greece, so I'll tell you all about it when I get there.

The picture above is from the Hellenic Museum we went to yesterday. The art is very expressive, colorful, and we looked at a lot of religious art.

Anyway, wish me a good flight!

Ms. G

Day 1: Put on your Dancing Shoes...Here we Go!

Today has been a super busy day. I learned how to dance traditional Greek and Bulgarian dances, the whole history of Bulgaria (yes, it was a long lecture...but informative!), and TRIED to learn the Cyrillic Alphabet (I'm not very good at it). Govyrete anglhski means Do you speak English? That one I have learned...it will be VERY useful!

Val -- You had asked a question about Gypsies and I have an answer for you already. There are gypsies in Bulgaria, but the word "gypsy" is inappropriate. (It's like calling someone the n-word). The proper name for these people are "Roma" which means "humans". They originated in India but most of the Roma in Bulgaria have been settled and are not transient.

Go through the pictures to see what I was up to today!

Night,

Ms. G

It's All About Greece!

Hi Students!

So I finally got my itinerary for Greece! I will be arriving June 1st in Athens and that same day will get to see the Acropolis! :) I'm very excited. It also looks like I'll be going to many different types of restaurants in Greece, so for all of you who asked about the food in Greece...I'll make sure I post pictures so you can see what authentic Greek food looks like.

Besides walking around Athens, it sounds like our trip is going to focus on the archeology and history of the country, which is wonderful because I'll be able to pass on a lot of mythology information to you (the student experts!).

In my last post I said that I would be going to Olympia and it looks like I will not only be traveling to the home of the Olympics, but stay for several days in the city: visiting musuems and sites. Maybe I'll see some of the colleseums for Joseph??? :)

I will be out in the country as well and see some traditional villages and dress, so I'll make sure to post pictures when I get there around June 10th!

While I'm excited, I'm also really nervous though. I've never been away from home for more than a month at a time and this is about five and a half weeks. My packing list includes a swim suit, though, so I'm hoping I'll get to swim in the Mediterreanean Sea (I'm not sure if I spelled that correctly...I'll check back). I will also need to switch my money over to Euros. It seems like I have so much to do before I leave and that gets me nervous! Wish me safe travels and good luck. I hope you write and look up on this blog to see how I'm doing as well...keep me company as I travel around the countries.

Cheers,
Ms. Gartland

Are the Girls Pretty?

Students --

So I finally was able to look through all of your Global Experiences worksheets and some of them really made me laugh! For example, Tevin was very interested in the types of girls there are in Greece and Bulgaria. He asked me to see if they were pretty or not (I'll make sure I take some pictures of the townspeople in Greece for you, Tevin). Ryan asked about gas prices in Greece, which is a great question...I will look forward to finding out the answer to that question. I do know that traffic is absolutely awful in Athens though (the capital of Greece). I also just got my Greece and Bulgarian travel guide books and phrase books and saw that, yes Miguel, there is a Mount Olympus. It is in the north somewhat near Thessaloniki, which is one city I will be traveling to. If I get a chance and see the mountain, I will post a picture of it on the blog!

Other random things I've been learning include:

- Olympia (a place I will be traveling to) is the home of the Olympic Games

- For me to say: I'm sorry, but I don't speak Greek well, I have to learn to say: "Lipoume, alla then milao ellinika kala" 

- In Bulgaria the river just north of the country is the Danube (I love the Danube River song...have you heard it?)

- The climate will be warm: I'm supposed to bring sunscreen! Yay :)

Stay tuned....I'll tell you what more I learn soon. I actually leave on the plan for Athens on the 29th of May, so I will start posting pictures after that!

-- Ms. Gartland