Happy?? Birthday To Me...

(this is gonna be another long one! Sorry guys!!) I am not even sure on where to start to describe this weekend. I guess you can just say that it was an interesting trip. Here it goes…

We left Friday morning at 7:30AM. We had no issues with the plane ride there. We used RyanAir to get there. They are super strict on their luggage policies! We all just took a bookbag and it has to weigh a max of 22 pounds (which wasn’t hard to deal with) and they are very very strict on the size of the bag. Thankfully we didn’t have a problem cause we all used bookbags but we saw many people that had to pay an extra 50 euro cause their bag didn’t fit. Your carry-on bag also has to include your purse, so you have to be able to fit ur purse inside of your carry-on bag. It’s a little bit ridiculous, but whatever, we made it work just fine. On the plane one girl that came with us (Morgan) made friends with a Greek couple. They took us under their wing! They lived right next to our hotel so they took us with them to get there. They were so very nice! She kept calling us her children and she seemed to know a lot of people in the town. She was like a little tour guide on the bus ride to the hotel telling us all about each building and cheap places to shop and eat and when we would pass a store she would say “oh! Sorry, I need to call my friend I think I just saw them in that store!” or “I know that owner, let me call them really quick!” She did this many many times, it was so cute! She was also telling us that we always need to be cautious with our bags while we are here because there is a problem with pick-pocketing in the town. We had already heard this many times before leaving from friends, family, and the school advisors so I was already paranoid about it and then it made me realize how important it was if a local was even telling you do watch your stuff. Needless to say, I was very protective and paranoid about my bag and purse the whole trip! It was a little nerve-racking on the bus ride because of what we saw out the windows too. This was not the stereotypical Greece trip that I was imagining at all. No white buildings with blue roofs like in Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and no beach. Instead we were in the ghetto. It was real sketchy looking. People living in shacks on the side of the road, graffiti everywhere, and we saw entire families dumpster diving the whole trip! I know that Greece’s economy is pretty much in the toilet right now and I expected to see a little bit of that but this was the ENTIRE TOWN. Everything looked terrible and we were gonna sleep right in the middle of it all in our hotel room. I was a little worried and I could see in everyone elses face that they were a little scared too, but we were gonna make the most of it!

We got to our hotel and the lady we met who was with her husband on the plan (we called her Mrs. Sabrina) helped up with getting our room straightened out with the front desk. Everyone at that hotel was very nice and welcoming and very accommodating to all of us! They were so helpful! They always had cookies, fresh coffee, fresh tea, and bottled water for us 24/7 too. We really liked our hotel there despite its location! 

After we got all settled we decided to go get some lunch. Mrs. Sabrina had told us about a place that serves giant gyros for a cheap price right up the street from our hotel so we decided to go there. Thank goodness we did cause it was delicious!! I find myself craving them now! They had all types of gyros! I got the pork gyro and I asked for them to put lettuce on it and then I saw that the gyro came with fries so I was expecting a plate of fries with them too…nope! The fries go ON the gyro!! It was genius! It was so good! We got that and a soda all for only 4 euro. It was so delicious and filling! I loved it! 

After having a few food babies in our tummies, we decided to walk around the town to see what there was to do so that we can decide how we wanted to spend our day on Saturday. As we kept walking and got closer to the water we noticed that the town was getting a little nicer. It started to not look so ghetto-like! It was actually really beautiful down by the water. And by the time we got there the sun was setting and it was gorgeous to look out at the sea with the sky in shades of orange, pink, and purple. It was so pretty. 

We noticed that they had a lot of nice shops and restaurants and decided it was definitely worth coming back to the next day. We called it an early night and just hung out at the hotel the rest of the night and took advantage of the free cookies and coffee and just stayed up to chat for a while. It was a nice chill night.

We got goin on Saturday by 9AM. Before we left we asked the front desk at the hotel how far the beach was and they looked at us very confused and said “We do not have beach here” and our souls were a tad crushed when we heard this but we brushed it off and went on our way. We went down to the nice part of town and did a little shopping. We found some great little stores that were pretty cheap. I got an awesome gold and bright red scarf for only 5 euro that probably would have been like 40 bucks at home so I was pretty excited about that! I never wear scarves at home but ever since I left I just love wearing them! Then we heard about a local market so we went over there. It was a little scary! It was really crowded so we were paranoid about our purses and they were obviously all speaking Greek and the little bit of English that they knew was really creepy to hear like “come here American babies” and things of that nature….not very comforting to hear especially that early in the morning! So needless to say we did not stay at the market very long! Then we saw a giant soccer bus with lots of soccer players there. I think it might have been the pro soccer team there and they were having things set up for little kids to come play and they were bumpin music so it was fun to walk through. Then we noticed that there was a boardwalk a little ways up so we decided to venture on over there.

 They had really cool bench recliner things too. They were wavy and kind of looked like cartoon mustaches. They were comfy too! 

Then on our way back we found this cute little tourist-souvenir shop and we got some post cards and magnets and what not for pretty cheap, so that was nice.

We were starting to get hungry too. Everywhere you walk there it seemed to have a different scent of a different kind of food. One minute you smell gyro and then you smell pastries, then you smell fruit. It was great! So that made us starving and we kept seeing lots of American places like Applebees, Starbucks, TGI Fridays, and Pizza Hut and we figured since we had greek for lunch the day before that we can get a good cheeseburger so we went to Goody’s for lunch. It was delicious! It was really cool inside too. They decorated it really nice. The chairs were neon green and purple plastic and stainless steel everywhere with bright colored and patterned walls. It was awesome and the food was delicious! After buying our souvenirs earlier we realized that Thessalonik was famous for ‘The White Tower’ so we definitely had to go see it! 

It was really beautiful! It was just one lone tower that looked very castle-y.  As we were getting closer a man approached us. Now all over this town (even here in Tuscania every now and then) there are these Nigerian/Jamaican men that are always trying to sell things. I expected that, we all did and we had seen them before in other places and have been able to brush them off. Well, this one guy was very determined. He came up to me and started to tie a bracelet on my wrist. It was one of those bracelets that you make on your own from books (friendship bracelets). I was moving my arm away and saying “sorry, no money. No thank you,” but he continued to tie it and at this point it was tied pretty tight on my wrist. I was literally yanking my wrist away and telling him that I had no money and he looks at me and says “No, no, no you don’t understand ‘tis from my heart!” I continued to tell him no and he continued to repeat himself. This went on for about 30-40 seconds, then he says “you don’t understand lady, ‘tis from my heart!” and I said “Free?? Sorry no money I need to go,” and he says “from my heart and you give me something from your heart!” it was getting really annoying and finally Morgan came over and started to grab the guys hand away so that I could untie it and we booked it out of there to get away from him haha. It was nuts! Then finally we got to the tower!

 We wanted to go to the top and when we asked how much it was they said it was free if we were students, so…SCORE! Gotta love free things! It was really cool to look at everything inside. It was a giant spiral stair case going up to the top and every so often they had rooms with displays in them.

 One of the rooms reminded me of the movie Tron so I just had to do an epic pose in there! It was awesome!

 Then when we got to the top the view was absolutely breath-taking! We could see for miles! On one side you could see the sea and on the other you saw miles and miles of buildings! It was an amazing sight to see! I couldn’t believe how many buildings there were! It was astonishing to see!

After doing a little more shopping (and finding another pair of boots!! Yay me!), we went back to the hotel to take a little bit of a break and rest before we went out to dinner. They have a lot more American TV in Greece. Just Shoot Me was on, and Tuckeverlasting was on! It was kind of nice! We all got ready and went out to eat after about 2 hours. Before heading down there, we stopped at a bar across the street from our hotel and I ordered the most amazing drink ever! I got a white hot chocolate! Oh my gosh!! It was so good! So rick and creamy and yummy! I want one just thinking about it! 

Then it was time for food! We were trying to look for a Greek restaurant to eat at but there was no where to go. It was unbelievable! Everything was just a bar with drinks and snacks. We needed a meal! So as much as we wanted to avoid American food again, we had no other choice so we went to TGI Friday’s. Which I was totally fine with! I got another cheeseburger cause I knew I would be missing those when we came back to Tuscania. It was weird to, to be able to order margaritas and appletini’s in an American restaurant and not get carded for it or anything. They were delicious by the way! Then my friend Carly told our waitress that it was my birthday and they came and sang ‘Happy Birthday” to me in Greek and gave me a giant ice cream! It was a good dinner out with everyone!

We didn’t want to go home yet and when we left for dinner there were tons of people out so we wanted to experience the night life there. When we got out of the restaurant though it was like we were in a ghost town! It was so strange. No one was outside, everyone had moved inside and since they all were inside everything was super crowded. We found a place outside to sit on couches and order some drinks. It was very chill but it was beautiful and a lot of fun with just the 7 of us. We wanted to stay out until midnight when it was officially my birthday but we were all super tired and went back a little after 11PM. It was a great night though and we all enjoyed it.

Then Sunday happened. Okay so we got up and moving around 9 again and the forum was open for the public and we had about 2 and a half hours until we needed to get to the airport so we went to the forum to explore. It was a lot fun and really cool to see. We pretended to be statues on the old columns and sat in an old amphitheater. It was really neat. 

Then we had to go buy bus tickets and catch a bus to the airport. This is where it gets fun…

Okay, so Caroline (my roommate) forgot to bring extra money with her to Greece so I had been spotting her money while we were there and she was gonna pay me back when we came home. So we go to buy our bus tickets and got that taken care of then we went to wait at the bus stop. When we get on the bus we notice it is super crowded so I move my bookbag in front of me on a ledge and my purse in front of me. Connor (a guy we were with) was validating our tickets for us on the bus and this sketchy lookin man wouldn’t move for him to do them all. Then we noticed this guy movin around the bus, just pushin his way through the crowds of people and we didn’t think anything of it. We just thought he was a strange Greek man. Whatever.  Eventually we all start to get separated because of all the people on the bus then Connor comes over to us and asks if we have Abby’s wallet. I was really confused and asked if she left it at the hotel and he told me that she had it when she bought her bus ticket so I think to myself “okay, I will check my purse just in case she gave it to me and I don’t remember.” I look down at my purse and notice the my zipper is on the other side. I get real confused and lift it up and look inside and my wallet is missing too. By this time the sketchy guy had gotten off the bus and when he got off he was running. I start to shake. Literally my whole body is shaking. Shortly after I realize it’s gone we are at the airport and I start looking everywhere for my wallet. A security officer hears us talking about what happens and takes us to the police station inside the airport. On our way there I immediately call my dad and the first thing I say is “Dad? You need to cancel all my credit cards and debit card right now.” I said it perfect. I got that sentence out and then he asked me if I was okay (back home it was like 4AM when I called him in the states) and as soon as he asked me that I started to bawl my eyes out! He kept asking me what was wrong and I couldn’t answer him. I was such a mess. Finally I was able to tell him that my wallet was taken and that I had to get off the phone to talk to the police and that I would call him back. I hate crying in front of people and was doing my best not to cry. I hate crying. I never do it! There was no stopping this water works though! The police were very nice and telling us to calm down. We still had our passports (and I had all my diabetic stuff still) so everything would be fine. Everything else was replaceable eventually. We talked with the police and then I was a little more calm and the policeman asks “How old are you?” and I start crying again and all I say is “Today is my birthday!” ha! Oh jeez! All the police people start to laugh with that undertone of “awwww” and told me happy birthday. It was kinda funny and strangely comforting at the time. I was finally able to call my dad back and talk to him more in detail. Thank goodness I was able to reach him! He is so good in rough situations. He made me feel so much better and so much more calm. He wasn’t yelling at me, he was reassuring me that everything would be okay and not to worry about it and to just keep him updated on what was going on. He was pretty much my lifesaver that day! Thanks dude! I love you! He made me feel a million times better and I was able to pull myself together!

The police said we did not have enough time to file a report on it and still catch our flight back to Rome so we had to go to the police station in Rome when we got there to file for a report. It did not take long once we were able to communicate with them and tell them what happened. Honestly, there is no way we are ever going to see those wallets again or anything in them but it still had to be reported just in case. I had everything in my wallet. I had about 200 euro, 200 American dollars, credit cards, debit cards, drivers license, military ID, school ID, ISIC card, insurance card, bank card, everything. I even had my SSN written down on a sheet of paper in there. It looks like random numbers to anyone else, but still. After the initial shock of it all and my friends making me feel better I was able to sorta kinda laugh about it. I started to think of the dumb stuff that was in there too like store reward cards and movie stubs and pictures of friends that I can never get back now. Oh, and all my free food vouchers from school were in there and I had about 8 of them! Bummer! Anyways, it was all straightened out eventually and we just wanted to get back.

We had to wait for our ride from the Rome airport and while we did Morgan bought me and Abby food and drinks without even asking us if we wanted anything cause she knew we didn’t have any money on us. It was really nice of her to do that and we definitely appreciated it. Then they all took me out for dinner for my birthday and cause I couldn’t afford anything anymore. I am completely broke right now. I have absolutely nothing with me.  But before dinner we went to our apartment to drop our stuff off and take a breather. When I got there my roommates surprised me with an apple pie with candles in it and sang happy birthday to me! It was so nice!! I love my roommates, I definitely lucked out on them!! It was great! It was also my first pie I have ever had in my whole life! It was delicious! Then we went for pizza. This pizza place was amazing! Every pizza you order comes out on 2…count them 2….plates cause they are so huge! We each got our own and had no problem finishing the whole thing by myself! It was so good! I just got the regular margarita pizza, always a good choice! It was so good and pretty cheap. My pizza was only 5 euro for that giant thing! Definitely going back there again!

So all in all it was an interesting birthday. Definitely won’t forget this one that’s for sure!

Next day at school on Monday I told the advisors what happened. They were so nice and helpful about it! They replaced all 8 of my food vouchers and gave me 4 more. They also gave me 100 euro loan to take in the mean time while I figure everything out. They were so gracious about it and making me feel better. I am so lucky to be surrounded by such wonderful and caring people here! It is such a blessing and I am so thankful for all of them! I am getting things figured out with replacing things. I have been talking with my mom and dad and making things work. I have a replacement debit card on the way in the mail and will be able to get money again. All of my IDs are replaceable eventually too so I feel much better bout the situation and can now look back and laugh and joke about it. It was a learning experience. Of course it would happen to me though! I was so paranoid about it. I keep thinking back wondering if I felt anything weird or noticed anything strange and I can’t. There is nothing else I could have done to avoid it and I need to stop thinking about what could have happened if I had noticed earlier. There is no point in wasting my time thinking of that. This whole experience just makes me that much more appreciative of everything that I DO have. It is nice to be back in Tuscania where I do not have to worry about things like that anymore!

Other than what happened, the weekend was really fun…not what I was expecting but it was still fun to go to Greece! And now I can say that I was in both Greece and Italy on my 20^th Birthday! So I guess that is pretty cool. Monday classes went fine. I actually enjoyed the movie in cinema class. It is called “Rocco and His Brothers” and in sketch we went outside since it was nice out. Things are looking up and it feels good. Today was my day off so I had a little break from everything and tomorrow I have a field trip to the cheese factory and Thursday I go to a winery. Things are definitely looking up!

So that was my birthday adventure in Greece and my recovery afterwards! Sorry it was another annoyingly long post!

Until next time…ciao!