Traumatic Travels

Want to see what I look like after a total 27 hours of traveling?

Me neither. Sorry. But pretteee, huh.

What was the most wonderful vacation happened to have the most horrid ending. Starting the moment I woke up. I'll sum it up as briefly as I can, and just tell you that after taking Tylenol on an empty stomach, I was vomiting more impressively than my most impressive hangover. Thanks to the pharmacist's recommendation, I had to stick a dissolving tablet in a place that I believe has one purpose, and one purpose only. After all had failed, and I was still in the bathroom with only an hour to spare before my taxi came to take me to Athens, I made a visit to the most illegitimate, sketchy doctor's office I hope to ever be in. There were no diplomas hanging on that wall to say the least. A nice, pleasant little shot in the ass was received, and I was sent on my way. Under a different last name than my own. Heh.

Take my morning and add in a two and a half hour car ride to the airport, nine hour plane delay, potential Greek passengers turned rioters, countless minutes standing in lines, and a busted open suitcase on the luggage belt. It's safe to say I'm happy to be home.
I can already tell I'm going to be a little mixed up with my sleep schedule for a while. It's 2:00 PM and I'm considering hibernation for the rest of the day. After my last 27 hours...hell - I'd even take just the tablet-in-the-place-it-shouldn't-go excuse, productivity is not expected. The bags are unpacked and the fridge is stocked...my work is done for the day.

Worth 1,000 Words

Heaven on Earth

I wish I could show you what I've seen thus far over a blog post, but descriptions and pictures cannot do it justice. No worries - I will at least attempt. I think my jet lag is still hanging around, because my sleep schedule is off. We finally made it to bed around three last night, and yet it's only 6:30, and here I am awake. The only reason why I am perfectly OK with this right now is because I'm sitting out on the balcony with the view of the Mediterranean on one side, and the mountains on the other. There are palm trees lining the middle of the street, birds announcing the start of the day, and a Yia Yia watering her plants down below. The sun is starting to shine over the tips of the mountains, and to top it all off, I'm here with some of my favorite people. This has to be an earthly version of heaven.

 I had originally planned to post often, but my internet and writing time is limited, and I am completely content with that. I never thought I would say this, but aside from not being able to call my mama any time I'd like, I am actually enjoying not having a cell phone. Once I get over the weird feeling of wanting to check it but not being able to, it's enjoyable to be less available. I will resume back to normalcy as soon as I'm back in New York, but for the time being, I need to just let myself enjoy where I am right now. So check in every so often, as I'll be doing the same. My whines will be traded in for wishing, my gin and tonics for mojitos, and my work clothes for swim suits. It must be summer vacation.

Plane Ride 9 Hours Too Long

I don't fare well when traveling. It's not that I don't enjoy it - I love a good vacation just as much as anyone else. It's the 'getting there' part that I struggle with. Flying used to be enjoyable for me. It didn't happen very often, so whenever I was able to take a plane, it was new and exciting. After four years of consistent air travel, it's safe to say the excitement has worn off. I may even go as far as to say it's beginning to make car trips feel a little more...accommodating. On car rides, I am at least able to vocally express my discomfort to the driver (aka daddy). I have the opportunity to persuade a stop at any given shopping center or coffee shop location, and am comforted by the fact that the bodies much too close to me are my siblings. This plane ride is especially awkward for me. Each conversation I hold starts off with Greek mumbo jumbo that I don't understand a word of, the man behind me somehow has his legs positioned in a way that prevents me from putting my seat back, and it's somewhere between four and eleven in the morning. But has been light out for the past two hours. The airplane food has caused mayja abdominal discomfort. And I'm definitely the only Dutch girl on here.

I came prepared of course, and I've already killed most of one of the two books I brought along. "Why Mr. Right Can't Find You". No, I'm not joking. And yes, it actually does have some good points - many of which I'll be writing about later. The unfortunate part of reading this self-help book, aside from the fact that the cashier was definitely trying not to smirk as he rang me up, is that the title in itself is a little embarrassing to be seen reading. It may as well say - "I'm single and Can't Find Anyone That Wants To Be With Me". But, I'm a little nerdy, and a lot studious, so research is going to be done. Scenarios such as Mr. Minnesota are not uncommon for me, and it's time to figure out what's going wrong.

I'll try and blog as much as I can while in Greece. Some of my posts are going to be written during the next eight hours of this plane ride, while others will be short updates and photo braggings of the trip. The blog may have an awkward feel to it for the next few weeks, and timing is going to be a little off with no consistent internet, but bear with me. I'll come back rejuvenated, ready to be a smart ass and test the self esteem of those around me once again. That's what my vacations are for, after all. 

Family Away From Home

If there's one event in a girls' adulthood that makes her miss her mama, it's moving. (There are actually countless events, but this is the one occurring at the moment). She may be lacking the muscles needed, but trips to Ikea and Target to pick out furniture, bed linens, and bathroom accessories are just a lot less exciting with my mom half the country away. Sending pictures on my Blackberry and receiving gift cards through the mail can only suffice for so much. I want to actually have my mom here to see me wipe out an entire display of 'As Seen on TV' Ped Eggs with my overstuffed cart at Bed Bath and Beyond. The seester Abby would probably appreciate that one too. I miss my mommy. Wah.

And just for the record - I abandoned ship at Bed Bath and Beyond. Because I did, in fact, knock over an abnormally large display that I still believe jumped out of no where, and I was not about to take responsibility for it. So I hit up a few local stores, put my hair up and fedora on, and hoped I wouldn't be recognized when I went back a few hours later for my intended purchases. True story.

One week and counting until moving/vacation to Greece, and I am proud to report I have made some progress on my to-do-list. I should elaborate on my trip, before you begin to assume I'm actually hoarding thousands of dollars for exotic vacations and pretending I'm financially independent so you won't secretly despise me.
I've mentioned my previous job as an au pair - the reason for moving to Long Island. The job itself was temporary, but the place that was created for me in the family is not. I love those two little boys with my whole heart, and I gained so much from my year with them - the most valuable to me being a big, loud, beautiful, Greek-American family. Going beyond the immediate family I lived with, I was welcomed with open arms into the homes of their aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents - and I know I always will be. They are the most incredibly compassionate and generous people I've met here, and I am blessed to have them in my life. Aside from my boys, the family lives in Brooklyn, so I may not be able to see them as often as I'd like, but they are such an important part of my life here. I was thrilled for my own family to be able to meet them during a visit last summer - they were able to understand the praises I had been singing since meeting them my first weekend on Long Island.

My YiaYia and Papou

My handsome boys

Our faces sum up it all up

Anyways. Enough of my photo bragging. This family of mine has a house in Greece, where they often stay during the summers, and lucky little Leah is going to pop in for a visit. In terms of funding, you must know that I literally took an extra job last school year, as a high school tutor, to pay for this trip. So do not assume I have my daddy's credit card numbers written down somewhere - it took enduring hours and hours of attempting to decipher broken Urdu, deciphering way too many inappropriate Spanish comments, and relentlessly encouraging effort from punky, know-it-all high school students for me to go to Greece. And I know, before even leaving, that it will be beyond worth it.

After all of this Asian invasion living and endless shifts at the bar, getting off of Long Island for a few weeks cannot come soon enough.