Anecdotes

This time, I am going to list you some fun facts about Athens and anecdotes that happened to me during the first half of my trip. This mobility is, for me, the best experience of my life, because I am constantly challenged, I always learn new things, about the world and about myself, and most importantly, I learn how to appreciate the little things that are given to me. And I wanted to share these little things with you.

1. The first days of my mobility were like hell. I have to be honest. I had to leave my siblings, my boyfriend, my best friends, and move in a country, which I did not know anything about. But the worst thing was how stressful my departure was because I almost missed my plane! Before boarding at the airport, you have to go through the customs to make sure that you don't travel with something unauthorized in your luggages. Unfortunately for me, I had forgotten to empty my water bottle and, because the lady before me had about 5 bags which had to be checked, I was stopped and I had to wait 30 minutes. I had to run through the airport to catch my plane. I was sweating, crying and shaking, and as soon as I had landed, I already wanted to go home.

2. This is probably the biggest cultural shock about Greece, but the canalisations are so small that you can never ever throw paper in the toilets! In some public spaces, it is not mentionned, so pay attention. There is a bin next to the seat to throw your paper. Also, the doors in public toilets, and especially at the university, can rarely be locked, so you have to keep it closed with your foot while you are doing your business. Going to the loo in Greece requires some good gymnastic skills!

3. Everywhere in Athens, people will try to scam you. They will give you flowers or bracelets for "free" and then, when you leave, they will run after you to claim for money. There are also a lot of pickpockets in the public transports and in front of every restaurant, you have someone who will try, by any mean, to attract you. However, it is not because they can be really annoying that they aren't nice. At the contrary, I find them quite generous and happy to share their culture.

4. On the other hand, some people, and especially tourists, can really go on your nerves. I went on a day-trip to the island of Aegina with my mother. She doesn't speak english at all, and she is partially deaf, so I had to translate for her. We were in the line to buy tickets to go to the Temple of Afaia, and behind me, an old English man was complaining and being very rude. When my mom tried to pay for the bus tickets, it did not work, and the man behind me started to insult her and yell at us. I was so upset that I turned around and we had an argument. It was my first argument in English, which is not my mother tongue, and I nailed it!

5. What I liked the most about this trip is how challenging it was! I decided to live it like if it was the last and I was right. I did very crazy things, such as getting a big tattoo of Athena on the left arm, registering for a bungee jumping in Corinth (when I am writing this article, I am supposed to jump next week and I am so scared!!) and planing many trips in Milos, Hydra, the Meteora, or even Crete with the ESN. I saw dolphins in the sea, I was initiated to sculpture and I met incredible people, whom I will never forget.

At the end, a mobility like that can be a real rollercoaster and you never know what incredible things are waiting for you. Your job is just to accept that, sometimes, it doesn't go as planned, for the best!