So upon my mother’s arrival, she immediately informed me that people we extremely upset about the lack of updates on my blog… like, to the point of violence. And although she sounded like my life was being mildly threatened by irate home dwellers, I am, at long last, here to appease the situation.
Where did I leave off? Well, I was in Turkey for 10 days with all of the students from my school and it was an interesting experience to say the least. I guess a little bit of immodium can only get you so far when 17 staff and students come down with some really bad bouts of food poisoning. The trip, for them, was a very scenic view of the lovely Turkish toilets. Fortunately for me, I was able to be out and about, enjoying the ancient ruins of Ephesus, getting yelled at by psychotic shop keepers trying to sell me lamps and carpets, navigating the Bazaar,
sneaking into the natural pools on the cliffs of Pammukale, breaking the hearts of smelly Turkish men with long hair,
smoking hookah with friends, and watching the sunset over the hills of Ephesus while drinking Turkish apple tea. I was Turkish Delighted. The history in Ephesus had me floored, and being by myself, walking out of a tunnel onto the sand of an arena where gladiators fought and Christians like myself were fed to lions was something to behold. It left me amazed, well, I guess I left it amazed, but needless to say, pulling out of the port in Ephesus left me seriously heart broken to this place I connected with.
On the boat trip home from Turkey, we had to stay on a Greek Island called Samos.
Now, I know I loved Santorini and all, but let me tell you, Samos is by far my favorite place in all of Greece. It’s Venetian style buildings, mountainous landscapes, and BOMB gelato seriously won me over. We went on a hike here that lead us into a forest area with old church ruins and patches of sunlight streaming in. Back in the heart of it we came to a pool of water leading into a small opening between the rocks, which we
followed into a maze of rocks and waterfalls we had to climb. It was AWESOME.
My mom came to visit me for the past 5 days and that was just as exciting for my friends as it was for me. We here are starving for some motherly love so I had to share her and Kim with all my friends. They were passed around and I’m sure are so exhausted from all of the things we all wanted to share about our lives here on the island. I don’t think they have ever heard anyone talk as much as my friends Brooke and Amy. We took them on hikes, to other islands, swimming in the Aegean Sea, through the other towns of Paros, and, most importantly, to the best food you will find anywhere in the world! I’m sure you will hear about the food. In fact, it will probably be the first thing mom tells you if you ask her about it (other than how stunningly beautiful I am, of course). We went to Karen’s where she would never miss an opportunity to be profane and rude – even to my mother. We played cards at the love café on the waterfront while the sun set. Mom pet Bruce, which is never recommended, and grossed out nearby locals. We did it all. *see Kerry for more details.
Basically, now, I am coming into the home stretch. As I waved goodbye to my mom on the ferry I realized how much work I have ahead of me. Time to buckle down and make some art, I guess. It was fun to have a taste from home, but I am still so very happy to be here on this silly little island where I am making the most of every day I have left. It doesn’t really feel like I have been gone long at all, but I guess that’s normal. Seeing all of your faces again is incentive to come home, but I will bring back a special treat to whoever is the first to talk Jonny into getting rid of all that hair on his general head region within the next 3 weeks. My bet is that it will be Grandma. Or Petey. I don’t know. Love you all and I wish more of you could have been here with mom to soak in all the culture, humor, entertainment, and beauty this island has to offer. And so more of my friends could latch onto you! Hope all is well back at the shire!
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