Thursday, March 22, 2007

Giving in to the Red, White, and Blue

When you first arrive in a new country, one of the most exciting things is foreign food. For two months I've indulged in meatballs, zuchini balls, mousaka, feta (among other cheeses), and all kinds of other traditional Greek food. I hit a breaking point this week, though. I wanted a sandwich.

It sounds simple, but in the land of Tavernas and gyros, layers of meat, cheese, lettuce & tomato between bread & mayo are hard to come by. On Tuesday evening I was determined to get a sandwich. As in any country, there is always a nearby McDonalds, but I didn't want to get off that easily. After a small search I found a pseudo-club sandwich at a place called (ironically) Pizza Man. It tasted divine.

Two days later (today) I got caught in a downpour when far from home. Desperate for shelter, I hopped on a bus, even though it was going in the opposite direction of my apartment. The roof over my head was only temporarily pleasant... until my pants got caught on an old woman's umbrella. She yelled at me in Greek for the entire two minutes it took to get unhooked.

And then, through the bus window, it appeared: Starbucks. I swear the stormy gray clouds parted and the sun shone just for a moment on this heavenly American refuge. Starving for someone to talk to me in English and a hot cup of coffee, I κατεβαίνω-ed off the bus and gave in to my temporary homesickness. The words "cafe latte" have never looked so good.

Tonight I'm departing to visit an even greater American treat: my dear friend Ashley Lawson from home. She is studying in the Greek city of Thessaloniki this semester. It should be a great weekend!

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