Buying local, study abroad and HOME!

 The street market, laiki, comes every Saturday to our neighborhood in Athens. In the past my kids have expressed distaste at accompanying me to these street markets, no matter where we've lived. But those expressions over time have dissipated due to the fun that can be had a such places. The Turkish "pazar", street market or bazaar, tops all street markets I've been to. Lively, loud, musical, tasty, economical, and you leave feeling pretty good about your purchases. In Greece, the vendors are loud and lively too. The produce isn't quite as varied as you'd find in Turkey, which is not surprising since what you get depends entirely on where you live. That's a beautiful thing, to support and consume something that was planted and harvested not too far away from you while you are contributing to the livelihood of your neighbor who works out there on their farm, not 100 miles away from your doorstep. In Athens, my kids like the candy seller the best. I like her a lot too. There are three types of candy you can see in the bottom left corner of the picture above. The red one is a rose-flavored soft jelly candy, the green one is mastic flavor, and the purple one is grape. These are flavors typical of the Aegean region and I plan on buying a few kilos of these candies because after one bite of the mastic flavored one, my mind is immediately sent flying over the wine dark sea to the island Chios.

 When I was a young teenager I dreamed of travel. I dreamed of seeing the wonders of the world. I dreamed of speaking other languages. I thought it would turn me into some cosmopolitan, cultured person who had found happiness in discovering and connecting to the world around her. Now that I'm living in Athens, with my kiddos, and I see their reaction to the "wonders of the world" and ancient historical places, I realize that this whole idea of "seeing the world" is only what you make of it. It also matters WHO you choose to do this with. Be selective who you decide to see the world with. It matters. That's why I do not recommend university study abroad programs. If you want to see the world, go on a study abroad program. If you want to experience the world, don't. Maybe I'll write about my experiences with study abroad programs some other day. Some of my kids hate the Parthenon. One of my kids refers to the Greek Gods as "Rapist Gods", no offense intended for any people out there who worship these Gods. Sometimes I try to get my kids to appreciate the beauty of Greek architecture by taking them up Muses Hill, a few minutes walk from our apartment, and spend some time drawing the Parthenon. I hope they will remember what it was like walking around on that hill and what the views were like. An extremely beautiful place to be. Better than being in the Acropolis, in my opinion. The reason I want them to remember what it was like is because when people are exposed to beauty somewhere, it's likely they will recognize it in other places too. There is definitely not one beautiful place on earth. There are too many and wherever we are, we can find it.     

 I took this picture in front of the Olympic Stadium. Maybe my kids will think it's cool one day. I think it's cool because it symbolizes the coming together of different rich people to celebrate their love of sport. Of pushing physical limits. And being with others who love the same thing. During the Panhellenic Games that took place in different parts of Greece, they all competed nude, except for the charioteers. I can't deny that I enjoy watching certain events in today's Olympics. Some athletic expressions are beautiful to watch and I'm glad that some people spend their lives perfecting their art for all to see.

 My middle kid on Mars Hill.

I'll miss the days of stuffing seven people onto four chairs in the subways or buses on the way to church. Our family has been so united these past two and a half years. We do EVERYTHING together. I know where my kids are all the time. They come to me for everything. They play with each other. They don't seem to want anything else outside what we offer them. But, I know that once we touch down on American soil, that will all change. America is the home of independence and individuality and I know those values will penetrate my kids' hearts the moment they begin attending school in America, watching American TV and just being around other Americans. What is wrong with individuality and independence you ask? Individuality fosters selfishness as does independence. Independence is a myth. No one on Earth is independent. Everything we do is dependent on something else or someone else. Even our country is not independent. America is dependent on maintaining friendships with other nations that possess resources we want. Just because we have capital to pay for said resources doesn't mean we are independent. Blah blah blah . . . On a more positive note, I love America. It is my birthplace and always will be my true home. I want to live there and put down roots. I may not be the most patriotic person on the 4th of July but I will be an active person in my community wherever I end up living. I will talk with my neighbor, try to know him/her and love them. I will speak to people in the grocery store line and smile at people on the street. BECAUSE I CAN!!!!! If you live abroad long enough you begin to hear things about Americans. Not just the imperialist stuff but you hear things like how wearing white socks is so ugly and how Americans smile too much. Well, that's something I've stopped doing while abroad because it doesn't fit the cultures out here. But when I get home, I can smile again and not be afraid. 27 more days.