greece

Here we go again.
I seem to write these and they never get on the blog site efficiently. Oh well. I hope this reaches you all. First of all Happy Mother’s Day! (delayed) I miss my mom. I probably miss her the most. I miss having dinner with her and spending more time then what is necessary sitting at the table chatting about this and that. There has never been a dull dinner with mom. We always seem to go through the daily conversations about work and then it turns into life lessons and insights (or sometimes we just watch Sex and the City). I miss be around her strong spirit, it gives me such strength. Being a part from her once again allows me to sit back and recognize that my mom is truly the most amzing woman. I love you mom!

So here I am, on the bus departing Tolo and heading to Athens, wow this trip is going fast. It already saddens me that this group will soon no long be a group. Soon we will again be individuals focusing on our own daily lives. Anyway…

Tolo, is this amazing beach town in the Peloponnese. My hotel balcony looks at the Aegean Sea and large scattered Islands. One of my favourite things to do here is sit on my balcony and gaze at the moon. The moon stands in Tolo like it is its home. It rest between these two large mountain like Islands and projects its light on to the sea. (and lucky for me it has been a full moon for the last couple days). I must admit that every once and while I will sit there, gaze and smoke cigar. (not a girly cigar a real one). Aww. I don’t think, I don’t get all sentimental, I just sit peacefully…

The other things I love about being in the Peloponnese is the sites. We raced down the original Olympic track, we told myths at Mycenae, we performed a play in Epidaurus theatre, we hiked through waterfalls, we swam 2km in the Aegean, we climbed through a Byzantine Castle, we did Yoga on the beach, we did journal writing by the pool, we attempted the Gorilla Bar and now we are moving on…
Oh something else that I am thrilled about being in Greece is the food. After eating Pizza and Pasta for a month I have been dying for variety. So, for the last few days I have been enjoying, lot’s of Greek salad, Gyro’s, fried Cheese, Yogurt, pork, lamb, artichokes, Mouskaka… and the list goes on. And as much as some of you might roll your eyes I do enjoy the Greek wine. Ya ya I know, but it is refreshing it suits their climate and in some ways suits me. So there! Not to say that I don’t think that Tuscan Wine is superior because it is, but there is something nice about a glass of cold white Greek wine.
Speaking of the climate, it is beautiful here about 27 everyday, well I guess I am lying, because as I look out the bus window it seems to cloudy. Hmmm. Well I am brown, I got my Dad’s gold tan thing going on. (wicked!!)

So here we go folk…. Athens is only 2 hours away and you know what they have there?!? Yes I know the Acropolis and other cool old sights, but considering I have been going to bed at 1 and getting up at 6:30 everyday I am looking forward to Starbucks! Black please!
Night all!

Splitting Bond

It is not a molecule or an atom
It is the sharing of expressions
The ipod sits alone.

It is not just being there with them
It is the excuse to be beside them.
The ipod is out.

It is not about a listening to a song.
It is about being in the same beat with them.
The ipod sits in some ones hand.

It is not about notes that fill the ears
It is about hearing the same thing together
The ipod holder glances out.

It is not about the artist lyrics
It is about the smile you share when the song hits that point.
The ipod holder makes the proposal.

It is not about seeing what they like.
It is about discovering who they are.
The proposal is accepted.

It is not about showing off your selection
It is about sharing your creation
The splitter is found.

It is not about getting someone to keep pace with
It is about creating a rhythm with them.
The earphones find their place.

It is not about listening and talking
It is about not saying anything
The music is turned on.

It is not about just sitting beside each other
It is about spending time together
The ipod rest in ones hand.

It is not sharing or listening to music
It is the splitting bond!

As I leave Rome for sixth time now I have to take a moment think, what separated this visit from the rest? Well, to be honest not to much, Rome always seems to impress me no matter how many times I’ve experienced it. The Piazza Navona is still my favourite square, I love watching the artist sell what they claim to be their own work, I love gazing at the fountain of Rivers as it always make me try to remember the four major rivers and laugh at the fact that I have been through the mind game 5 times before. I love watching all the other wandering people and create their stories in my head. Then once I have soaked up the contemporary square I imagine what is was like filled with Chariots and people wearing togas. Once my mind is satisfied, I must satisfy my stomach. I move through the little streets just off the Piazza with hopes to find a restaurant that I ate at last year. Rarely do I find it, but I always find a new gem that appears like platfrom 9 3/4 in Harry Potter. When dinner is complete, which is either some version of pizza or pasta, I move on to dessert…Gelato. As most of you know I have a soft spot for this Italian dessert and no matter how many gelatos’ I try at home, they taste nothing like they do in Rome. Unlike the restaurants I know exactly where I want to go. My favourite Gelatorie is not some fancy place, nor does it have a lot of flavors, instead it is a small place that is cluttered with fruit and pictures of famous and not so famous people enjoying their home made gelato. This year however I did change up the flavours a bit. I commonly have one scope of yogurt flavour and 1 scope of melon (yummy), but this year the students encouraged me to be more adventurous and try new flavours…and the new list is long to present. From this experiment developed “The Gelato Challenge”, which consist of eating 12 different flavours, at 12 different Gelato places, in 12 hours. (Each flavour must be on a separate cone and the cone must be eaten completely). I have not yet completed this challenge and since we are on our way to Greece I probably never will. Oh, wait I could do it this summer….
I would be lying if I said this visit was like all the others, because each group brings their own character and this group is wonderfully kind and adventurous. For example one night I asked one students what they were planning on doing for the evening. As awaited the typical response, which is “going to a restaurant near Piazza Navona” or “getting take out near the hotel”, but instead I heard “a few of us were thinking about having a picnic on the Spanish Steps.” Wow, I thought to myself and what was even more impressive was that I was invited. (Commonly students don’t like to hangout with their teacher on their free night and vice versa, but this was an experience I did not want to pass up). After grocery shopping for this picnic we found ourselves with the following items for 6 people.
4 packages of meat, Brie, Swiss cheese, Buns, mayo, juice, wine, apples, Winnie the pooh kinder eggs, cookies, whip cream, nutella, and what we call a 2 pound pound cake. (It was defiantly one of the funniest shopping experiences I have ever had.)

Though the food was fairly silly (for a lack of a better word) we decided to dress up. So there we were, all 6 of us at the park by the Spanish Steps sitting in what could almost be the middle of a road. People, children, police and tourist walk by and around our silly feast and stared at us, but we knew that deep down they were jealous. They were jealous because we were watching the sunset on Rome as we communally performed a memorable picnic.
We sipped wine or ACE (an Italian fruit drink) or a combo of both from plastic glasses, we were stuffed the air holes of our buns with lettuce because our bun looked as if asteroids had hit them. Once the holes were filled with lettuce and mayo we gazed patiently at John as he carefully sliced the cheese with our only knife. Then we pilled on the meat, four different kinds of meat were tossed on the bun layer after layer, not one slice could go to waste. (one sandwich in particular had over an inch of meat on it.) Once the crumbs of the sandwiches settled it was time for dessert. First came the Winnie the Pooh Kinder’s, each egg was picked out, almost like getting a fortune cookie after eating Chinese food, but instead of hoping for a fortune we were hoping for our favourite pooh character “Eyore, Eyore!” chanted one of my picnic companion, “Yes, Tigger!” another shouted. Then once all the eggs were open we all took turns sharing what we found inside. (I got a Pooh.) That wasn’t the end to our dessert the cookie bag was opened, the seal of the Nutella was broken, and the whip can was shaken. Being sure not to break the delicate half chocolate, half vanilla cookie, one person carefully dipped each cookie into the Nutella. Then the next step required topping the cookie off with whip cream, which appeared not to be the easiest task. It seemed that the European whip creams cans require a strong hand, in order for it to spray efficiently on to the Nutella covered cookie. The process was worth it! I honestly do not know how to go about describing it, as side from the fact that it was very tasty. I feel that this original dessert deserves a name…. perhaps The Spanish Step Cookie. Hmm. No that doesn’t give it justice, anyhow. We wrapped up our picnic leaving marks of wine, ACE, chocolate, lettuce, and crumbs on the pavement of our spot that over looked the night glow of Rome.

my sisters trip

Right now I am in the Bahamas and the sun is shining and the rum punch is good. We had a nice sailboat ride this morning.
I have to pump every 2-3 hours and I just lost the most important piece to my breast pump- a very small piece. My roomate took the drain apart and it wasn't there. Then we rushed to a local pharmacy and spent 50 bucks on a different pump and sat on the beach to try and get it to work but it really sucks - and boy was it hard with the sand and the surf. It really didn't work anyway so I hand expressed into the sand which is a pretty funny visual. There I am on the beach massaging my breasts with the main road going by behind me. This is a major snag to teh trip but I just came on line to find a shop in Nassau that sells my brand so let's keep our fingers crossed that they have it in and I will make the trek into town - I think my roomate with pass on this trip though after getting sprayed by my breast on the beach. I am trying to not let this get me down and still have fun. Maybe a Pina Colada will help...

tuscany

This is random writing from Tuscany.

Tall long trees that line the drive way
Leading me along the gravel path
At the end a lords home with heated floors

Now I am living in a Tuscan home

Breathing in the cool dampness
that lingers from the morning fog
Vaporizing into the blood stream
(Like an aired out chianti)

Now I am living in a Tuscan home

Gazing at the twinkling dew
Crystals hang on to every surviving web
The blue body of water smokes
Rays stream though the weeping purple flowers

Now I am living in a Tuscan home

A church with two beds
It is not a sin to undress on stone floors
The scent of incense still lingers
The air feels like cottage basement.

Now I am living in a Tuscan home

The noodle is never the same
Each evening it takes a new shape.
It is creative enough to keep me wanting more.

Now I am living in a Tuscan home

After using three different forks
And cleansing with the luscious red
My eyes have become heavy
Espresso anyone?

Now I am living in a Tuscan home