Finally back home, the land of flushable toilet paper, comfy beds and....humidity. As much as I love being home I am already missing Greece. As crazy as it sounds, I am missing being around my peers 24/7. Don't get me wrong, the down time is great, I am getting in some quality "Mary" time with my xbox and enjoying every second of it; however, I miss the excitement of waking up in Greece. Everything in little ole Lakeland, Florida is a bit too predictable and boring in my taste. In Greece I wouldn't just sit around the dorm all day. I would need to walk out the door at least once to go to the grocery store, get something to drink, or to go get gelato with friends. At home I can just camp out on the couch all day knowing that the refrigerator is fully stocked with tasty drinks and savory morsels.
In Greece you are naturally more active, there is more to do and socialization is much more easily accomplished. If I want to hang out with people here in the United States it is more of a "big deal." I have to, somehow, get in contact with my friend- texting, facebook, phone call, etc.- then we have to choose the place to hang out, which is very limited, than we have to drive there and only hang for about an hour, anytime past that and it's a "waste of time." In Greece all you would have to do is walk down the road and pick a coffee shop from one of the many located on the main street. In the U.S. walking somewhere seems almost incredulous. Everyone uses a car or gets a ride from someone.
That is another thing that has struck me as I've returned to the United States, parking lots. In Greece parking lots were virtually nonexistent and I never really acknowledged it. It's really odd to see so many parking lots everywhere and they take up so much space! It's just interesting to note some of the differences between Greece and America.
I do have to say being surrounded with people I can easily communicate with is such a breath of fresh air. There have been a couple times when I've gone to say thank you it has been my impulse to start saying "effkeristo," but than I realize I can actually speak English and be understood. I wish I could take the Greek culture and merge it with the English language and then I would be set for life.
In Greece you are naturally more active, there is more to do and socialization is much more easily accomplished. If I want to hang out with people here in the United States it is more of a "big deal." I have to, somehow, get in contact with my friend- texting, facebook, phone call, etc.- then we have to choose the place to hang out, which is very limited, than we have to drive there and only hang for about an hour, anytime past that and it's a "waste of time." In Greece all you would have to do is walk down the road and pick a coffee shop from one of the many located on the main street. In the U.S. walking somewhere seems almost incredulous. Everyone uses a car or gets a ride from someone.
That is another thing that has struck me as I've returned to the United States, parking lots. In Greece parking lots were virtually nonexistent and I never really acknowledged it. It's really odd to see so many parking lots everywhere and they take up so much space! It's just interesting to note some of the differences between Greece and America.
I do have to say being surrounded with people I can easily communicate with is such a breath of fresh air. There have been a couple times when I've gone to say thank you it has been my impulse to start saying "effkeristo," but than I realize I can actually speak English and be understood. I wish I could take the Greek culture and merge it with the English language and then I would be set for life.
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