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March 25, 2008
Happy Greek Independence Day/Opening Day!
Today Greece celebrated its independence from the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century with fantastic fanfare and pomp. To mark the occasion, a military parade was held merely a couple blocks from our hotel, which gave me an eerie impression of what a Soviet May Day celebration must've been like. I mean they had the whole gang there, the tanks, missiles, Humvees with bazookas on top, multiple fly overs by jets, bombers and helicopters of all sorts. It literally must have been the entire Greek army.
Soldiers even marched in full regalia with a disciplined coordination up and down the lines, especially with the whole arms swinging thing they had going on. It was quite impressive, but hardly the ticker-tape, floats and candy throwing that mark our Memorial Day parades. An ill-placed spark would've had the whole parade route in trouble here in Athens.
It was still a fun event nonetheless seeing all the Greeks lining the streets waving their flags in the shadow of Hadrian's Arch and the Temple of Zeus. We even got to strike a pose in front of one of the tanks with some diplomats from Cameroon that thought it would be cool to get in our picture.
It was also a special day for what was going on half way around the world... and no, not in America. I'm talking about the events in Tokyo, Japan that took place this afternoon (or night or morning depending on where you are). Major League Baseball's Opening Day was today with my Boston Red Sox squaring off against the Oakland A's in the Tokyo Dome. This was the earliest Opening Day in Major League Baseball history, but the start of the title defense couldn't come soon enough, especially now that my bracket is on life support. The Sox won, albeit in sloppy fashion, as Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched in front of his native countrymen, though the win went to fellow Japanese native son Hideki Okajima. I braved the especially slow internet service to try and watch as much of the game as possible on my MLB.TV subscription and was fortunate enough to catch some of the best moments. In fact, the coverage of the NCAA tournament and now baseball season on MLB.TV are serving as my windows back into United States culture.
I forgot how much I disliked American commercials, though now I have a new appreciation for hearing something being sold to me in English. Now, excuse me while I head back to studying. With one midterm finished this morning, I still have a final to go tomorrow. I guess today can't all be one big celebration!
Posted by Lambert on 10:03 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
What Lies Ahead
So here's what I have left for my time here abroad. I may have trouble catching my breath, so bear with me:
Today-Thursday: Lots and lots of work. My Intercultural Communications class is wrapping up, culminating in an exam on Wednesday that is bookended by papers that are due. Tomorrow brings a Religion midterm (whose study group I will be attending shortly) and that class won't end until April 10th.
Friday-Sunday: Rome, Italy. I couldn't forgive myself if I didn't go to the home of antiquity's greatest civilization and stop by to say hi to the Pope (who I just found out I will be seeing when he visits Yankee Stadium at the end of April. Sweet.). Plus you know that Coliseum isn't going to be standing for that much longer. I'll be meeting up with my roommate from last year who is currently studying in Florence and offered to give me the tour. It should be a blast and I'm excited, but I'll have little opportunity to reflect on it afterward since...
Next Monday - Sunday: Turkey for our Educational Field Trip. Each program takes an EFT for a week to sojourn to another country and learn about Europe beyond our assigned host countries. We were stripped of our Spring Break due to our relocation to Greece, but they are more then making it up with this week long visit to Turkey. I have never been to a predominantly Muslim country and I am looking forward to learning about a way of life different from that practiced in the West. Looking at our itinerary, we're going to be thrown into the thick of things right away so transition time will be minimal... making it that much more exciting. Afterward we'll be heading back to Athens for another week before heading back to the USA.
So that's my life for the next couple weeks. If I have light posting this week, blame the work I have due, but I hope to squeeze in a couple more entries based on Athens and out preparations for Turkey. In any event, I promise to give you a detailed account of wherever I go as always and will try and post when I can while in Turkey.
Posted by Lambert on 9:59 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 22, 2008
Good Friday in Corinth
Yesterday marked one of the most solemn days in the Catholic church, and indeed Christianity as a whole: Good Friday. As a sort of pilgrimage, our group traveled to Corinth, Greece to mark the occasion and learn while experiencing where the Apostle Paul practiced most of his ministry. As is the case with seemingly every Good Friday, the day was marked with a cold, wind accompanied by lots of rain. Still, we persevered through the bad weather and learned a lot. Paul found much success while preaching in Corinth, more so than Athens, and the community of Christians that resulted made their mark very clearly in the ruins of the ancient city. While much of what we saw was nothing more than foundation for the city, we were able to locate where Paul would have been, exactly, and traced his footsteps while reading passages from the Bible and putting ourselves in his time and place. The whole experience was surreal and helped remind me personally of the struggle and sacrifice endured by Jesus and his followers to spread God's message. After walking around the ruins, we hopped on the bus and headed up to the adjacent mountain that boasted the city's citadel. The view was outstanding and offered a memorable mental image of the surrounding area I will be sure to hold dear. This was certainly a Good Friday I will remember for my lifetime.
Posted by Lambert on 6:48 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 21, 2008
Grabbing Life by the Baklava
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Lucky for me, the incessant strikes here in Athens allotted me an afternoon confined to my immediate area and an opportunity to think and reflect about my time here abroad. Just as I finished lunch, and headed into dessert, the thinking bug bit me in the brain and I became overcome with the fear of not accomplishing or savoring enough my time here in Europe. And then my thoughts turned even more.
Part of the downside of being away from one's school, family and country while studying abroad seems quite obvious: you are so far removed from the lives of such important people that you can't possibly do justice to the relationships you have forged thus far. That's of course a complicated way of saying if you miss people, it's too bad. While this wonderful thing we call the Internet helps keep everyone connected at breathtakingly efficient speed, it can hardly substitute for the human element garnered by face-to-face contact with friends and loved ones. Sure, I employ Skype to video chat with those close to me or even my international cell phone (when the occasion justifies the nutso rates). But no matter how much fun I'm having wherever I am, there's that little piece inside of me that wishes I could be sharing these experiences with more of my closest friends or even back home having dinner at the kitchen table with my family and our cat and dog rubbing lovingly at our feet begging food from us. Alas, this experience abroad has been a testament of inner emotional fortitude for someone like me whose time here will be my longest and furthest away from home. Still, even then, my thoughts float to my cousins in the Marines and all those separated from their families for reasons far nobler than mine.
But, what I find is that at the highest of the highs, and the lowest of the lows, in my time here in Europe, I can use this affinity for home as a benefit just as some think of it as a detriment. There are incredible places I've been and amazing things I've seen and experienced here in Europe; I've had moments I wouldn't trade for any other and perspectives that I know will positively affect my life. But perhaps best of all ,I've confirmed just how happy with where I am in life. When this dream is over and I wake up in my bed in Fairfield, Conn., I'm not going to be upset nor rueful I'm not in some foreign land with adventures yet to come. You know why? Because I've been blessed with some fantastic things in life no matter where I am and my life at home couldn't be better. I am prouder now then I have ever been for who I am: an American, a Catholic, a New Englander, a Connecticuian, a Pepperdine student, and most of all a Lambert. No one can take that away from me, nor can I be robbed of everything I have done and learned here abroad. To put it simply, things are going pretty well for me right now.
Hopefully, the self-definition I have gained from my time here abroad continues to pay dividends further down the line. There are many things I can accomplish and goals I have set for myself that I will not back down from until I have satisfied my harshest critic: myself. Sure, I have my flaws as anyone with even the slightest clue of who I am surely knows, but the important thing is always remembering what drives me. I had one of those epiphanies today, hence this post, and the resulting "moment of clarity" helped me to cope with the realization of just how far behind I am at keeping in touch with those I love most in Malibu, Fairfield, and all over the USA. I'm always going to be separated from someone that would make my day by being there, but the important thing is remembering just why I'm away to begin with on this sojourn of mine and how its helping me become a better man.
Thats pretty good for one day of thinking, eh? Hard to believe such a tender moment was achieved over a plate of baklava. No wonder Greece spawned such great men of reason, it must be the food!
Posted by Lambert on 4:12 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 18, 2008
Gyros, Gyros, Gyros!
Perhaps one of the most stark contrasts in culture between Greece and London/America is the culinary tradition that embodies Greek life. While America is home to such delectable dishes like BBQ-anything (mmmm...), big juicy burgers (mmmmmmmm...), and clam chowder (ok, that's it, I want to go home now), London also boasts impressive food offerings thanks in part to the extreme diverseness of the city. Of the traditionally English dishes, fish 'n' chips has always held a spot closest to my heart. And the beers offer such wide selection and variety that it is impossible not to find an ale or any kind of brew that suits your fancy. But while all these have had a tangible, if not direct connection to foods I have grown up with, Greece has offered a new challenge to overcome. And no, there are no McDonald's, KFC's, or Subway's offering value for my Euro; it's straight local cuisine for me!
Luckily, I have found two dishes that always hit the spot for me, though it comes more from their shared qualities than anything else. The plates, gyros and suvlaki, are both, above all else, delicious. Preferring both in their chicken incarnations, I often find the difference between the two to be negligible. Basically, you have your pita bread, french fries (which actually go in the wrap), chicken, and various fixings like vegetables and the like. Supposedly, suvlaki is different because the chicken comes as a kebab but I've had it prepared where it's just like a gyro. So word to the wise, when you see these on the menu, don't be fooled, just get whatever one is cheaper and you won't be missing anything. Then there are the Greek salads, which unfortunately consist of all the vegetables I don't like plus olive oil en mass (which i have had more of in these past couple weeks than I've ever had in my life combined) and feta cheese. People have been downing those dishes like they were the only selections on the menu, so I guess we've all adapted to foods that we can enjoy. Of course I've kept up my fervent tea drinking, which I'm afraid to say looks like I'll be stuck with for life, but my deepest sympathies go out to the Diet Coke addicts in our group. In Europe, they don't have Diet Coke (and for good reason), but rather a safer version called "Coke Light" which, though packaged very similarly, I am assured is not the same thing. Boo hoo. While some are getting creative and giving Diet Coke up for Lent as a result of this supposed ocean of a divide, others are writing home asking for the real deal. I didn't realize it was that big of a deal, but then again it wouldn't be the first time I've missed a fad. Good thing I prefer the real Coca-Cola classic. Now that, my friends, is universal.
Posted by Lambert on 7:59 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
