Wednesday was my name day (as I mentioned in my previous post). We went out to watch Manchester v Chelsea and I had one of those nights that makes me appreciate being here. Good soccer, good beer, good people, and the thing about name days is everyone (who is anyone) KNOWS it is your name day. I was very flattered when the guy who owns the bar (who has decided Alex and I need to get married) jumped out when I came in and said "Ah Eleni! Xrona Pola!" and then showered me with spitting-worthy compliments. In contrast the next day my boss said, "Oh yeah, you know it was your name day yesterday, did anyone tell you? Do you know what that is." (No, I live under a rock. Please explain.)
Which brings me to yesterday. I had to go into Athens to do a recording for "Cracking ECCE" which means some people cram into a recording studio and read listening exercises to be put on a CD and sold with a book. This book is Michigan (an American test) so the group was all from America and Canada. And Ian from Ireland who is just a good actor and doesn't have an accent. Usually these recording sessions are pretty small. There are three or four of us and we do a few sections of a book. Yesterday there were loads of people. This strange mix of ex-pats all shoved into a tiny studio. It was fascinating both to people-watch and to talk to all these people who had somehow ended up in Greece. "You're a newlywed here" one woman told me. And I was thinking a year was a long time. It was an enjoyable session. I'm getting really good at it. Lawrence even called me "Amazing" which is the biggest compliment he's given me, ever, hands down. I think second would be something like, "That was okay." Thank you mommy, for teaching me how to read. (Which is really a big chunk of recording and the part I'm best at.)
I feel like all of this should have some kind of conclusion, but I have none. I'm still kind of exhausted. I somehow didn't get home until 11 last night. After work I drank freddos with Laura, which was lovely, and then the train from wasn't until 9 pm so I had to wait around for an hour in the less-than-beautiful Larissa Station. The ride back was really strange. Apparently they've done more line-changing/schedule-changing than I was aware of because, ok, the Prostiako line is in the shape of a triangle. One end is Piraeus. Partway up that side is Larissa Station. The point is the airport. You usually have to switch lines to get to the airport, though, and typically the train goes from Piraeus to Larissa to Naz(blahblahcan'tpronounceit) and then goes backwards, cutting towards the other point of the triangle which ends at Kiato (and Korinthos, where I live.) BUT, yesterday, somehow the train went straight to the Korinthos side of the triangle. I was terribly confused. And the train was one of the older, bigger trains that doesn't announce stops so I was even more confused. (HOW ARE WE AT KINETTA ALREADY??) To make it worse, I was exhausted, no one was on the train and the blue-interior and semi-mirrored windows were kind of creeping me out. How would anyone who didn't know the stops by heart know when to get off? Public transportation is not made for tourists.
OK... time to start my day.
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