Kalimera!

Kalimera (hello or good day)!

I can’t believe I’ve been here for one full week already!! I’ve been so busy in the last few days that I’ve lost track of time! Besides doing research, I’ve had the opportunity to explore different parts of Crete, take another class here for school, as well as meet some important people from the island.

The way it works here is that every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I take classes in the morning, followed by me doing my STAR research in the afternoon/ early evening. Tuesdays and Thursdays are considered field trip/research days where I get to see different regions of the island as well as meet with some prominent people to get information for my research paper. I also do some work on Saturdays and have Sundays off.

So to give a brief outline of the week:

On Monday I had classes in the morning where I got to learn some Greek and some things on Cretan economy and business, all of which were really interesting! I then did my research in the afternoon, which consisted of reading different articles and taking notes on them, as well as writing some sample essays and sketching out a skeleton of my 50-100pg research paper!

Tuesday was a field trip/ field work day where I got to see the archeological site of Knossos, go to a few museums, walk around the city of Heraklion (the capital of Crete), and see some really interesting sculptures and frescos.

Wednesday was another class/research day. Nothing too special to report, except I did start the actual writing of my paper and got most of the intro section done as well as gather some info for some of the other parts.

Thursday was probably my favorite part of the week. Not only was it the 4^th of July (which they obviously don’t celebrate here, however, we had our own bbq), I also got to see one of the most beautiful beaches called Matala, go to another archeological site, see some picturesque villages, and also meet with/interview the Deputy Governor of Crete. It was awesome to meet with the Governor as she was very well-spoken and knowledgeable. I was able to ask her some questions for my research regarding the relationship that Crete has with other nations as well as on some energy/environmental issues.  Her answers will be able to be incorporated into my paper which I thought was great!

Friday was another day of classes in the morning, however this time we got to watch an old Greek movie called “Aunt from Chicago.” It was really funny to watch and it gave me some insight into Greek families and their feelings about marriage. Lastly, I finished the day off with doing some research on the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea, Exclusive Economic Zones, and national sovereignty.

Today I will continue to work on my paper and hopefully enjoy some sun later today!

And tomorrow, I have plans to go horseback riding through a gorge with some friends tomorrow! I’m super excited!!