Noikokyrio

Today

Morning: Orientation to Greece

Greece consists of sun, mountains and the sea. It is the closest European country to the equator and has a Mediterranean climate with very direct sunlight. The climate impacts the sleep cycles of people who rise early to work, take siesta after a late lunch and then return to work in the evening, and the plants which are mainly scrub vegetation--low-to the ground plants that protect themselves from the sun. The terrain of Greece is 80% mountains and contains some farmable land. As for the people, there are two identities that make someone Greek: ethnic and political (or both). And of course, there's the food...Greeks consume 1/3 of their calories in olive oil. They eat lots of fruits and vegetables, and rarely have red meat. The Mediterranean diet is one of the healthiest and historically Greeks live very long. This diet is changing a bit though as more refined sugars are mass produced throughout the world.

Paros is known as the "transportation hub of the Cyclades" and has a population of 3,000 I live in the town of Paroikia (I misspelled it yesterday), which is pronounced Par-ee-KEE-yah.

After "lecture" we spent some time walking through the historical/archaeological part of Paroikia and saw an old Venetian wall built from the remnants of a temple to Athena. Just next to the wall is a 5th century church with a great view of the Aegean Sea. Then we walked to the public library where we met the librarian, Allegra, who helped to set up the service project we will be doing and various trips we are taking. Turns out she's Jewish, so I definitely want to talk to her about that. My teacher, Susan, just told me that when we were leaving the library this anthropologist introduced herself; apparently she is Israeli and is here for the summer doing research on the interaction between people and dogs. Interesting...but I imagine she's also Jewish! So that's at least 2 Jews on Paros, which is far more than I expected.

Venetian Wall

Church entrance

We had the afternoon off in which I went to the gym, supermarket and fruit stand.

Afternoon: Service Learning

We had lecture again in the evening where we talked about "Service Learning" in general and also the specific project we will be focusing on here. We discussed the difference in the civil society as we know it in the Western World and the civil society that exists in Greece. Unlike the United States and Northern Europe where there are non-profits and NGOs, Greece does not have formal organizations without governmental involvement that look after community needs. Instead, they have many informal forms of community engagements. Historically this consisted of dense networks of social relationships, but is evolving to include "organizations" that are a combination of government, business and voluntary action.

We also discussed tourism, both in general and with specific relation to Paros. 1 in 12 people worldwide and 1 in 5 in Greece work in tourism. The main focus of this discussion was the idea of "sustainable tourism," why we need it and what it means. One article used the workd "noikokyrio" to describe what life was like pre-tourism on Paros. This was a lifestyle in which Parians ate food they grew, made their own houses and were concerned about sustainability because if they used up the islands resources, that was it. This concept disappeared in the 70s as tourism came to Paros as a result of German exploitation of the island in Stern magazine and because young people became engrossed in consumer goods and strayed from their family history of being farmers and living a sustainable lifestyle.

There are pushes now to create sustainable tourism on Paros. The current and previous mayor are pushing for young people to understand Paros and value distinct Parian attributes. There are now laws forbidding buildings greater than 3 stories anywhere on the island and all the beaches are public.

So where do we come in?

Marine litter. We just briefly started on this topic, but our service project is to go out and pick up trash from beaches. More details about how this creates sustainable tourism to come...class ended.

Lesson of the Day

The street stones are outlined in white so that at night, without street lights, the light from the moon is reflected and you are able to see.

Photo of the Day

Could it get any more stereotypical? Note the whitewash stones.

The Count

Photos taken: 3703

Tomorrow

More class.

Oh, Paros...

Today

Well, going to bed at 11:30 and waking up at 4:15 was a bit rough but definitely worth it. We were the second group on the ferry and got a booth/table, in which I was able to lay out and sleep for a majority of the ride.

Getting off the boat was relatively surreal. I can't believe this is my home for the next month.

I took some time unpacking, then went for lunch with a few friends and explored the city on my own. I found the supermarket, post office and beaches (all within walking distance of my room and very important).

Our class will be held at the Aegean Center for Fine Arts which is a two-minute walk from my room. The teacher is the wife of my teacher from Athens and the course sounds like it is going to be fantastic. It is titled "Service Learning and Anthropology on the Island of Paros" and will focus on understanding modern Greece, cross-cultural awareness and interaction with the Greek community of Paros. There will be more class time than in Athens but I'm really excited about everything I will learn.

The island itself is amazing. We are living at the Hotel Aegean Village in Pariaka, the port of Paros. I can't help but be happy here: it is so calm, pleasant and beautiful; I finally feel as if I can breathe again and I am ecstatic to be out of Athens. There are a total of 16 students in the course, 11 of which were in my class in Athens. There are 3 new students from Indiana University, 1 from Purdue and one from Wellesley College

After our orientation we got a brief tour of the surrounding area and then went to an incredible seaside dinner at sunset. This was by far the best meal I've had in Greece. We had two different kinds of salad, tomato croquettes, eggplant in some delicious cheese stuff, fried zucchini, keftedes, fried anchovies and fried calamari. NOM. I sat next to Susan, our teacher, and the two owners of the Aegean Center for Fine Arts. The two owners have lived on Paros for the past 28 years but both grew up in the States. One is a photographer and the other is a musician (I think). It was so interesting to talk to them about the current state of Greece and how they feel it (or don't) on the island.

It seems like we will talk a lot in class about the current economic crisis in Greece and I'm looking forward to knowing more about modern Greek life and what is going on here. Wednesday, Parliament is voting on the austerity measure issued by the EU. If they veto the EU's bailout plan, they will go back to the drachma as their currency which would be excellent for me!

I am so happy and excited to be here on Paros. I can't wait to immerse myself in the island culture and learn all about it!

Lesson of the Day

I don't like cities. The island atmosphere is incredible.

Photos of the Day

I can't believe this is my home for the next 4 weeks...

The Count

Glasses of wine drinken: 111

Islands visited: 1

Photos taken: 3677

Tomorrow

Class! Learning! Soaking up the island sun!!! :)

Αντίο, Αθήνα!

Saturday

Went to services then Chabad for lunch. There were some repeats from last night (Cretan boy, Panamanian and Israeli), and a new couple originally from New York but now living and working as doctors in Israel. I learned a lot about the Jews of Panama! Who knew there were so many?? It was sad to have to say goodbye to the Hendels, but I am so happy that I found them here and was able to spend Shabbat with them every weekend (except the one when they were out of town). It truly made such a difference in my experience here in Athens.

In the evening, I walked down to the stadium (which is right next door) for the Opening Ceremonies of the Special Olympics. I didn't have a ticket so I couldn't actually go inside the stadium, but I stood outside and was able to see all the different countries lined up and walking in to the stadium for the procession. It was so wonderful to see all of their faces and hear each countries chants and pride.

Logo

This one is for Uncle Matt:

One Happy Island

Denmark, I think

Why did the U.S. decide to wear such awful shorts?

United States

Today

Museums!

I started my day at noon :) at The Jewish Museum, Greece. It wasn't really anything special but I'm glad I went. As a museum, it sucked...information wasn't easily accessible and the order didn't make sense; instead of having labels at the base of window displays, they had baskets of 9 x 17" laminated pieces of paper next to each display with a numbered picture, then descriptions listed next to the corresponding number below. Not only is this a great way to spread germs but it was inconvenient and hard to follow. I did learn a bit about the history of Jews in Greece though. Apparently many Greeks helped protect Jews during the Holocaust by hiding them, but the Nazis still managed to exterminate 87% of the Jewish population in Greece (75,000 before the war). One of the Holocaust displays was somehow related to the Athens Film Festival and had a separate blurb next to it; the title caught my attention: "The Banalaty of Evil (An open wound on the body of 20th century history)."

After this museum, I walked past Gazi to the Benaki Museum Annex for some really fun, innovative and interesting exhibits. I went for one exhibit in particular, but as a student at a Greek university, I got free admission and was able to see the entire museum. Unlike the Benaki Museum we went to with class that focuses on historical objects, the annex was much more modern and reminded me of the "Virtual Identities" exhibit I went to in Florence. A lot of my descriptions of the exhibits include the information from the blurbs posted around the building. I found their words very strong and much more descriptive and informative than my ramblings about what I saw could do.

• Against All Odds Project

"An individual's self-perception is largely determined by the culture of their profession - its views, ideologies, trends and evaluations. The existing framework of the discipline of architecture, or any other profession, will often curb our ability to perceive issues which are obvious and self-evident to others. The Against All Odds project is a starting point for removing the dividing lines and working with other disciplines, such as art and design, in order to find ways for each of us as citizens and professionals to contribute to the evolutionary process of society as a whole, to redefine our sense of identity at a time of great changes, both local and global.

The Against All Odds project is a mechanism that produces thoughts, ideas and actions.

Specifically, AAO is:
first, a ‘think-tank’: it promotes debate on occurring issues which need to be addressed within the framework of Architecture (in its wider understanding as spatial practice) regarding society, ecology and culture.
second, a ‘disseminator of ideas’: it raises public awareness on the value of Architecture (as spatial practice) in resolving significant current issues, as well as in offering a podium for the promotion of projects that address its main philosophy.
third, a ‘do-tank’: it sets targets for the fulfillment of which it creates partnership models with organizations, educational institutions and designers, becoming their strategic partner."

Okay, sorry to bore you, but I really liked the mission statement and explanation of their project. There's more, but you can read about it on their website (http://aaoproject.org/?page_id=1447).

This year, AAO's actions and events are under the title "Ethics/Aesthetics."

In the exhibition "twenty internationally celebrated architects, designers and artists from Europe, Asia and the US adopt various pioneering ways to devise new pratices for reinforcing social bonds and environmental protection, while transcending the established boundaries of architecture and the other spatial practices and redefining their role." It was broken into four sections:

1. Activism, Groups with Vision
2. Society & Aesthetics
3. Identity, Professional Ethics
4. Action - Reaction

A lot of these people should do TED talks.

A few of my favorites were "Worldbike," a more practical bike for use in third world countries, and various innovative and interesting ways to recycle.

"The Sun Gives Without Receiving"

Tree Stump Chair

At the end of the exhibit were "Slow Down Rooms." There were 8 "rooms" that "use mostly ephemeral materials to create inependent hybrid environments and to explore specific issues around the delineation of organic space and its potential reconstruction through the use of stereotypical materials, or unexpected cheap or discarded materials, and by means of alternative techniques with the emphasis on handicraft."

Slow Down Rooms

My favorite in the Slow Down Rooms was a "carpet" made entirely from spices:

Spice Carpet

• Contemporary Japanese Architecture

Various photographs and blurbs about Japanese religious, cultural, political and family buildings. Lots of really interesting and beautiful architecture. One structure that caught my eye was the "Reversible Destiny Lofts:"

"The designers of the Reversible Destiny Lofts are New York-based artists whose entire body of work is aimed at delaying death. They hope these apartments will be used by the elderly and infirm, but rather than following the prevailing trend toward barrier-free design, they intend the inhabitants to be challenged and stimulated. The multiple colors, shifting floor levels, and irrefular surfaces are all methods of enlivening people by forcing them to pay close attention to

their environment."

Reversible Destiny Lofts
(www.pinktentacle.com)

• ARRRGH! Monsters in Fashion

This is the reason I came to this museum. I had seen an add for this online as well as at the main Benaki Museum. It was creepy, weird and excellent.

• Mobile in NY

A Greek man's journeys through New York with his cell phone camera. Cool concept, interesting photos.

I am all packed up and ready to go to Paros! Our ferry leaves from Pireaus at 7:30 tomorrow morning, so we are getting up quite early to head down to the port. I am really looking forward to Paros. I think it will be a completely different experience, and I'm ready for a change of scenery.

Lesson of the Day

Athens has been interesting. Not really at all what I had expected, but I definitely learned much more than I had anticipated and the class-aspect of my time here was truly wonderful. As a city

itself, there are other places I'd rather be.

Photo of the Day

I think I need this sign in my everyday life...or atleast in my teen years it would've come in handy :)

The Count

Glasses of wine drinken: 107

Meals eaten at Chabad, Athens: 4
Jewish Museums visited: 2

Photos taken: 3587

Tomorrow

Paros!

I think we'll arrive around 10:00 and we don't have orientation until 6:00, so I have all day to settle in to my new home and explore the island!

Shabbat Shalom!

Today

I went for a lovely run this morning in the National Gardens. It was my first run in over a month so all things considered, it wasn't half bad. The Gardens are absolutely beautiful though. Everything was just waking up and I had fun timing my strides to avoid various sprinklers and barking dogs.

Exam went well.

I took an adventure to the Post Office to mail some extra stuff home. And by adventure I mean worst cab ride of my life. The driver didn't know where the post office was, didn't understand the street name I was telling him, sat on the side of the road for 5 minutes with the meter running trying to figure out what I was saying and where to go and took 2 wrong turns while ignoring my directions before lifting up the Pokemon (Gotta Catch 'Em All!) hat on his dashboard to reveal a GPS. He then spoke the address to GPS lady, then went straight when she said turn right, made a U-turn and 10 minutes later we made it to the post office (which is only 850 m from my house...850 m!!!!!). The only reason I took a cab was because the box was awkwardly large and it was brutally hot. Oh, and he charged me full price. Thanks.

Package sending was surprisingly quick and easy.

I met up with the rest of my program at a Taverna nearby where we had a farewell (free!) lunch. Well, nothing on a school program is free because I'm paying tuition buuut...it felt free. Regardless, it was delicious. It was the traditional Taverna experience: lots of appetizers and small plates (mezedes), similar to tapas. They included bread, tzatziki, Greek salad, keftedes (Greek meatballs) and fried zucchini. Keftedes are delicious; they are not just meatballs, but balls of goodness with garlic, parsley, dill and who knows what other deliciousness. Of course we had wine throughout and after the mezedes they brought out a giant plate of meat and french fries. Dessert was watermelon. Om nom. :)

I waddled home and finished packing because I have to move apartments for the weekend before I leave for Paros on Monday morning so they can turn over my apartment for new students coming in. Quite frustrating and inconvenient but oh well. I putzed around the apartment for awhile, chatting and running various errands with the roommates.

After taking my suitcase to my new apartment (where some other students are already staying), I walked to the synagogue for services, followed by dinner at Chabad. This was my first time going on Friday night in Athens and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The service was nice, and the Shabbat table was much more crowded than either of the lunches I've been to. There was a couple from Buenos Aires on their honeymoon, 2 University of Washington (Seattle) students who just finished Birthright and are now travelling in Greece, a Molecular and Cellular Biology graduate from Harvard who is starting Emory Med School in the fall, loves Classics and is currently traveling for 7 weeks in France, Italy and Greece, a man from Panama who was here for a conference of sorts, an Israeli here for another conference/seminar, a Greek man currently studying music on Crete and an Athenian man. What an assortment! I talked to most of the guests and it was really interesting and exciting to hear all their stories and interests. Throughout dinner we took turns going around the table and telling a bit about ourselves which I enjoyed. In the middle of dinner we started hearing lots of noise, cheering and honking from outside and someone looked out on the balcony, then motioned for the rest of us to follow: on the street below there were thousands of bikers taking over the entire street and stretching for miles. The Rebetson explained that this is a demonstration that the bikers of Athens do every Friday night in different neighborhoods around the city as a way to increase awareness about biking and fight for more bike lanes and bikers in the city. SO GREAT!

Afterwards we all walked back towards Syntagma because many people were staying near there. I walked with the Athenian and asked him many questions about growing up Jewish in Greece and his thoughts about the immigration problem and other problems in Greece. I love talking to Greeks. I am understanding more and more each day the situation here and what people think about it all. I hope to interact with more Greeks on the island and I anticipate that they will have a different perspective.

Photo of the Day

The only photo taken today.

See that meatball in the bottom left corner that seems to be hollow? It's filled with melted, oozing cheese. Nomlicious.

Om nom assortment of meat.

Lesson of the Day

The National Gardens are great AND SAFE. I've spent the whole time here being afraid to go in them because of Cretan flashers and other sketchy garden dwellers, but really I don't know why I was so scared. I constantly feel safe in Athens and I can honestly say that I feel the safest in the Gardens.

The Count

Glasses of wine drinken: 107

Meals eaten at Chabad: 3

Maximum number of languages being spoken at a meal: 5

Photos taken: 3305

Tomorrow

Moving the rest of my stuff to the new apartment in the morning, then going to services and Chabad again...I just love it!

Otherwise just enjoying my last two days in Athens. Given my newfound love of the Gardens, I'll probably be spending some time there.

Shoutout

To Andrew Sapperstein for informing me that some photos from "Exam Review" weren't showing up. They should all be fixed now. Please let me know if there are ever any problems with my posts! :)

Exam Review

Today

Enjoy my study guide!

EXAM

PART 1: maps

1. map off attica

a. identify crucial places we've been

2. plan of acropolis

a. identify certain buildings

3. plan of agora

a. identify buildings

PART 2: PICTURES

· identify items as best and as completely as ou can in no more than 2 sentences

· **text books have good illustrations

PART 3: important people and other things

· mini paragraph or two

PART 4: essay

· intro, idea, examples to prove

--

Archaic Period: 625-480 BC

· Foundation of Democracy

· Persian sack of Athens

o physical remains of the city

**Classical Period: 479-323 BC** Golden age of Athens

· The Fifty Years

o between persian and pelop wars

o rise of democracy—radical democracy

o 2nd half: athenians start building up the akropolis

§ parthenon and propelya are truly periclean

· Pelopponnesian War

o other 2 akropolis buildings completed

o pelopponesians = spartans and their allies, including the

o sparta has infantry strength—warriors with big shields

o athens strength is naval

§ hide behind themistoclean wall (around athens, around pireaus)

· Fall of Athens

o spartans tear down walls

· Battle of Chaeroneia

o macedonians come from the north, defeat the city states

· Alexander the Great

320-30 BC Hellenistic

· Sack of Corinth

· Sula's sack of Athens

30-330AD Roman Empire

· Herulians sack Athens

330-650 AD Late Roman/Late Antique

· Constantine

ATHENS

· Accropolis: PPNE –built during second half of 5th century

o Propylia – pre pelop war

o Parthenon – pre pelop war

o Nike Temple –during pelop war: 420s

o Erichtheum – during pelop war: left unfinished at end

o Slopes of the Akropolis

§ Theater of Dionysus – built in 5th and 4th centuries BC (Classical)

§ Odeion of Herodis Atticus (2nd century, Roman)

§

· Agora

o Temple of Hephestas—best preserved temple (5th century)

o Tholos (circular)

§ base for 50 people presiding over the assembly

§ assembly = all Greek men

§ 17 had to stay

§ very democratic instutition

o Bouleterians

§ built new one and old one became archive room

§ 500 members of greek assembly

o Stoa of Attalos

o political, comercial and industrial center

Kerameikos

§ potter's corner

§ Themistoclean Wall

§ burials

o pots

Misc.

§ Pnyx

o assembly

§ Temple of Zeus

§ Roman Agora

o Tower of the Wind

§ Lysicrites monument

§ Hadrian's Library

§ Akropolis Museum

o Parthenon sculpture, etc.

§ triglyphs and metopes: Athenians against persian

· centaurs fighting against Greekst

· gods against giants

· athenians against amazons

· fall of troy

§ pediments

· west: contest of athena and poseidon for right to the city

o set in athens (spring, foliage, etc.)

· east: birth of athena from head of zeus

o set on mt. olympus

o athena = dawn of a new era (sun coming up, moon going down)

· Ionic frieze

o Panathenaic procession

§ bringing Athena her new dress on her birthday

§ lots of Athenians and horsemen

§ The Caryatids

§ Nike temple parapet

§ Archaic sculpture

· buildings, pediments, kouri—aristocratic monuments

PIRAEUS

§ shipsheds

§ walls

§ arsenal

§ museum

o bronze

o shield of Athena Parthenos

ATTICA

§ Battle of Marathon

o 10 years before fall of Athens (490 bc)

o Athens defeats attempted invasion by the Persians

§ Brauron

o Temple of Artemis—goddess of women, hunting, wild animals, responsible for children; virgin goddess, looks after young girls until they come of age. Bear danc

o Rooms for robe dedification to Ifiginay

§ Sounion

o Temple of Poseidon

o ship sheds

§ Eleusis

o Demeter

o temple of Demeter is designed for worship inside because it is designed for secret initiation rights

§ Eleutherai/Gyftokastro

o Forts: lunch, classical fortifications-not necessarily Athenian

§ Aigosthena

o swimming

DELPHI

§ navel of the ancient world

§ Apollo, oracle of Delphi

§ religious sanctuary

§ Panhelenic games

§ theater

§ Treasuriess

CORINTH

§ **location

o strategic location—controls isthmus: access between the peloponese and the rest of Greece

§ lots of disasters

§ Roman city, refounded by Julius Caesar

--

Athens is the greatest and most important of the Greek city-states

*historical and social reasons and explanations for that

why did classical Athens produce the wonderful things it did?

EVIDENCE

§ archaeology

o how to use archaeological evidence, how we know whats going on, come up with explanations

§ texts

o Palzanius (author)

§ tells use of buildings, etc.

o Thucydides

o Herodotus

THEORY

IMAGINATION

--

important Archaic people

§ Pisistratus

o tyrant—allows constitution to take place but makes sure it's always his men

o started temple of Zeus

o built temple of Demeter (agriculture) at Eleusis

o cult of Dionysus—dramatic festivals

o reorganized Panathenaic games

o uses cults to keep people and gods happy, public works (fountain houses), fosters pottery industry, brings in foreigners

§ Cleisthenes

o overthrows sons of Pisistratus, establishes foundation of Athenian democracy and divides city into 10 tribes that geographically unite the city: city, coast, plain

§ Themistocles

o battle of Salamos

o architect of naval strategy

o fortifies Pireaus

o builds Themistoclean wall

§ Persian sack of Athens

o wipes away archaic city, come back and they rebuild classical city

Classical period

§ The Fifty Years

o Parthenon, Propylia, city wall and long walls, Pireaus, Temple of Hephaistus, many buildings in Agora

o Perikles—democracy, builds long walls, Sounion, temple at Eleusis

§ Pelop Wars

o Nike Temple, Erichtheum, rebuild Theater of Dionysus

§ Fall of Athens

§ Battle of Chaeroneia—Philip 2 conquers Athens, Corinth and Thebes

o Philo

§ Piraeus arsenal

o Lycurgus

Hellenistic

§ Demetrius of Phaleron

§ Antiochus 4 (Syria...Olympieaeon)

§ Attalus, Eumenes (Pergamenes—near Turkey: Stoa of Attalos and Stoa of Eumenes)

§ Ptolemies (Cleopatra, Egypt)—tower of the winds

§ *Syria, Pergamon Egypt

Roman Empire

§ Herulian sack--trash agora, build more restrictive wall for inner city using trashed buildings

§ classical and roman athens has been wiped out

§ Caesar and Augustus (roman agora)

§ Nero

§ Hadrian (finished temple of zeus, arch, library)

§ Herodes Atticus (theater, stadium)

Lesson of the Day

Blogging is a great way to study.

The Count

No changes. For the first day ever.

Tomorrow

Exam. Taverna lunch. Farewell dinner with friends.