"...the wind was against them..." Mark 6:48

I thought that I would write the blog a little early this week, only because I have a good feeling you will laugh at my expense.  So here it is…

            Yesterday (Sunday) our group had plans of going island hopping to Delos and Mykonos for the day.  Because the weather was looking slightly questionable according to forecast, it wasn’t decided until the night before that yes, we were going.  Great news, right?  Wrong.

            The morning was already extremely windy as we arrived at the port, and the sea was looking terribly ominous.  For precautionary reasons, my professor handed out motion sickness pills for everyone to take.  RED FLAG, KYLE.  I got a little nervous when this was mentioned.  We loaded onto the boat and pulled out of the safety of the harbor, where we were immediately hit with the wrath of Posieden.  Up and down, side to side, free fall, side to side and up again.  Within minutes of taking off, of the hundred people on the boat, only of a handful of us weren’t projectile vomiting.  I was completely surrounded.  It was literally everyone around me.  And it didn’t stop.  For an hour and a half, stuck on a boat where sea sickness bags are getting handed out like candy, and rolling around and around and around – Kyle Olson Hell.

            Fortunately, most everyone moved outside up the stairs for fresh air, and easy over-the-side access.  I stayed down inside with my friend Brooke, who was afraid she would lose it if she moved.  Basically, it was a sick joke the universe decided to play on me. 

            When I got out of that hell hole, I got to go explore the ancient ruins of Delos Island.  I took a long climb to the top of the mountain (this thing ain’t got nothin’ on Half Dome though) and the 360 degree view was breathtaking.  I thought I might have blown off and down to my death because of that wretched wind, but according to Greek mythology (some drama went down between Zeus, Hera, Apollo, Posieden, and some prostitute), no one is allowed to give birth or die on that island.  And that is a law still in effect today.  I don’t really know how they enforce that kinda thing, but it made me feel better on the edge of the cliffs.

            Then we had to get back on the boat.

            The gale force winds had only gotten stronger since the morning, and by now, even the crew on the boat looked nervous.  As we rounded out of the harbor we could see swells coming in that were the size of the boat itself.  They cleared everyone off the deck and force everyone to stay down and inside – making it incredibly crowded.  We plowed full speed into the first swell and it felt like we hit a rock.  I was in the front seat and my window was completely submerged under water.  NO SKY.  We surged through and then dropped into valley of water.  There were times where we got stuck in between swells going sideways and twice I was sure our boat would capsize.  People were screaming, things were falling and it was pure pandemonium.  Crew members were running back and forth trying to get control of both the people and the boat. 

I loved it.  One of the most exciting 30 minutes of my life.  It felt like adventure.  I felt like a pirate.  My adrenaline was pumping as I braced myself in my seat and watched as we got tossed about like a toy.  I scanned my emergency exit, but I’m not going to lie, it was so thrilling I couldn’t help but laugh.  I think I just got to the point where I was beyond scared, and was ready to embrace disaster. When we landed in Mykonos, the crew applauded. 

The town of Mykonos paled in comparison to the excitement of the journey.  It was crowded and expensive and it just made me love Paros more.  Paros feels like home.

Well that about does it for this story.  Hope you enjoyed my misery, and my adventure as well.  I thought I would end with a picture of Bruce.  He eats small children.