spiti

I'm home. Last night my parents picked me up from the airport and we had a late night Japanese-style dinner. Then Rick and I drank some American beer and mom and I stayed up half the night (despite not having slept in two days) talking. Eventually I went to bed under my down comforter and woke up freezing. It just isn't 104 degrees here and I won't be able to get used to it. I woke up at 8 this morning, again despite the lack of sleep and have been drinking coffee (okay, plural. Coffees.) and talking. I'm giddy to be home but nervous to start my day because I have an incredible amount of stuff to do today. First thing, ride my pony. (Last night I went out to the barn and called her name and she came galloping in from the pasture and the first thing she did was smell me all over. She sniffed my face for a good five minutes before she realized I brought her food.)

Anyway, I'm home. I miss Alex, but I'm home and happy to be here. It feels surprisingly natural. I'll try to make lots of phone calls today but feel free to call me at 603.547.6278!

Love, Elena

AlexAlexAlexAlexAlex...

I don't think I've ever really thought about Zurich before, but it sure looks green from an airplane. Or maybe I'm just comparing it to Athens. 

Anywayyssss (as Jessica and tora half of Korinthos would say), here I am, halfway to America at the Zurich airport in Switzerland. I used mommy's credit card number to buy some Internet time because I have a 9-hour layover here and I can't leave the terminal group I'm in which basically leaves me bored. Really, I should be sleeping instead of typing, but there isn't anywhere good to lie down and I can't sleep sitting up. It is 9 am Swiss time (10 am Greek time) and I've been awake all night sans maybe an hour total of sleep on the plane here. 

Let me catch you up on my life.

My friend Jason visited me for a few days at the end of July. He's in the Peace Corps in Macedonia (or whatever you want to call it, Greeks). It was amazing to see him and be with someone who strangely seemed to relate really well to my situation. Unfortunately he didn't stay long. 

Then, Zach (the little brother) came to visit at the beginning of the month and Alex, Zach, Laura and I went to Santorini to camp for a few days. It was lovely. We rented scooters and ate well and I got to relax for the first time in ages. The only problem was that sleeping on ferries sucks. But anyone could figure that out. After Santorini I had to say bye to Laura (waaaaaahhhhhh) because she was going back to England for a little holiday. Zach stayed with me a few more days after that and by then it was countdown-to-America. Which sucked. I hate goodbyes and Greece is too damn nice in the summer to want to leave. I should have waited until winter. 

Two days ago, after a nice calamari dinner and right before my going away party, Alex tripped on the curb and sprained his ankle pretty badly. He sucked it up through my (AMAZING) party but he's in pretty bad shape. The going away party was really nice. Everyone wrote on a card for me and printed out place cards with my face on them and some Greeklish. I cried a lot and then it took us an hour to walk home because of Alex's ankle. 

Last night (which still seems like today) Alex and I took the last train to the airport. Someone was supposed to drive us, but it fell through so we had to wait 5 hours in the airport. The time went fast because it was my last time with Alex until December which basically sucks a lot. The goodbye was very tearful. Then I had to go through dreaded immigration (you know what I mean by that if you know me) but everything went totally fine. What a waste of 6 months of worrying! (*GRINNNN*) When I got to my gate I hung out with a nice New York couple and then Alex called me to check up and told me to look in my bag where he had hidden a goodbye post card. I started crying (again). I've basically been perma-crying for a week. Why bother drying my tears?

That all said, I AM excited to go home and see my family and my friends and my pets and be somewhere where showers are nice and I can speak English. I'm not sure how long I'll last in America, though. Europe does that to people. Fortunately in December I'm going to Ukraine for a few months to finalize Alex's visa to America. America would be so much cooler with Alex in it. 

Which brings me to what I can't get off my mind. Alex. 

For the first time in my life I feel like, despite so many differences in background, I'm with a guy who wants just what I want. Our lives seem to perfectly intersect and I love him more than should be humanly possible. 

We just have to patient. Which isn't my strong suit. 

Sunday

I love Sundays lately. It is the only day Alex and I get to sleep in and cuddle, which I adore and day just feels relaxing. I guess there is something to be said for living in a religious (take that word as you may) country. Sundays are somehow still sacred. The stores are closed. People are at home. The biggest stress on a Sunday is cleaning the house or getting coffee. And things, usually, are nice and quiet around town. Of course today at what I'd guess was 8 am, three guys decided to jackhammer the sidewalk below our balcony. That, I was not so happy about. 

We finally rolled out of bed this morning at around noon. Then I made coffee and pancakes. I made Alex's mom (we realized at breakfast that I never call her anything because I haven't found an appropriate name yet... isn't that strange. They tried to teach me the word for "mother-in-law" in Russian but it had too many difficult sounds. My Russian sucks.) one in the shape of a lamtha which is also what a Russian L looks like. (For "Luda", her name) And I made Alex one in the shape of an alpha. My mom had sent us some NH maple syrup, so the pancakes were basically perfect. 

Now it is 3 pm. Jason was supposed to come earlier but due to train delays he won't be here until late tonight. I'm a little disappointed because I'd like Alex and Jason to hang out some, but what can you do? Eastern Europe (And I'm including Greece in that) isn't so good with train scheduling. 

I think I'm going to go watching some Sunday TV in English and paint my nails. I love having time to relax!

Love, Elena 

Bold.

I just got back from a little walk to the beach. (I'm beginning to get homesick for Greece and therefore finally appreciating how beautiful it is here.) It is a little windy today (the worst weather I've seen all summer) and everything was... bold. As if a child had drawn the landscape... it was that surreal. The sky was a perfect blue, the mountains a sturdy brown, the sea shimmering aqua, the tan beach meeting the brilliantly white waves. 

Sometimes I can't believe I live here. 

Bad Blogger, Bad

Sorry for the lack of posts. Sometimes there is too much going on to get it together enough to write about it. Perhaps I'll start from the most recent and work backwards.

Today: I worked all day and was sad because it is looking like this K1 visa might take even longer than we thought... and I honestly can't bare the thought of not being with Alex for *gulp* 6 months. It looks like I'll move to Ukraine for a few months in December if things haven't progressed by then. Ah the stress. I'm starting to wish (well part of me is) I was staying here a little longer... Also, I made a pizza from scratch that wasn't very good.

Yesterday: We helped Laura move into her amazingggg new apartment. It was actually fun. (Moving? Fun?) I had that giddy moving feeling even though I wasn't the one moving. I guess the fact that she managed to recruit like 300 guys (or 6) to help her made things less stressful (not stressful at all) for me. And I'm happy that things worked out and she got in all safe and sound.

Day before yesterday: I went into Athens and had coffee with my boss. He was supposed to pay me too, but instead didn't pay me, made me pay for the coffees and gave me more work. (Okay, so he forgot his wallet.) I had a nice time though.

Is it sad that I can't remember what I did the day before that? Worked, I assume. I pretty much do a lot of that since I sort of have three jobs at the moment. I also went to a sweet concert with Laura last week which was really nice. Greek concerts are like American concerts but with Ouzo and souvlakia. Well, kind of.

Anyway, basically, I am enjoying my last weeks in Greece and I'm freaking out about leaving my boyfriend. I guess I hadn't quite realized how attached-at-the-hip we are.

Alright, off to rent a cheery DVD with the boy.

Athens... to have fun??

I have ten minutes before I have to leave to catch my train (I'm guessing... good old Prostiako seems to be changing their schedule every other day so who really knows the schedule) so I thought I'd throw in a quick blog entry in the interest of being a good little blogger. I'm heading to Athens to go to a concert with Laura which I'm uber-excited about because, well, it will be fun. I'm also stopping by the office to pick up some more freelance (it never ends) and get paaaiiddd. Perhaps I'll count my money this time. (Last paycheck I didn't and there were 100 euros missing...  but apparently my boss trusts me and is making up for it in this one.) This night out symbolically marks the beginning of the end of Greece for me. When we planned it about a month ago I thought "wow, at that point, I'll really be wrapping things up." And so I am. A few more big events and wham... home. As the date gets closer I'm simultaneously becoming more afraid and more excited. There are so many plusses and minuses no matter where I am. 

Greece: Alexander, the weather, the sea, working freelance, being in Europe, the experiences I can never get in America, my friends, being near France... 

America: The ease, the pay, my family, my friends, my home, my car, my horse, English, a familiar culture... 

You get it. Lots to love everywhere. Somehow it took me 8 minutes to write that and I have to go get my stuff together. 

xo

it seems like whenever i'm overwhelmed by work i don't want to do (currently: writing my 9th city & guilds practice test), i blog

It is official. I am the campaign manager for Representative Mike Kaelin's State Senate Campaign. I'm thrilled for like a hundred reasons: A) I have a JOB. (I can delay entry-level position hell for another few months)  B) I'll be able to pull myself out of poverty, perhaps even enough to pay for Alex's visa. C) I'm getting back into politics, and even managed to get work with an amazing guy who I believe in. D) I'm going to be busy busy busy so I won't realize that I'm living at home, missing Alexander and going through uber-reverse-culture-shock. etc. etc. etc.

As for life on this side of the world; things are busy. We have deadlines at work that of course we're not able to make (is this the nature of publishing or the nature of Greece?) so instead of gradually ending work on the 20th, I'm going to be working through the end of the month basically non-stop. I could use the euros though, so I'm not complaining, but this in addition to web work and coming up with a campaign plan (oh and two visitors and leaving Greece) is going to be pretty stressful. 

On that note... back to work.