My kind of day. Early morning walk, laundry, tidied my nest, researched for a paper I’m writing, Skyped with BF, then dressed up to attend a party. What more could a girl ask for?

My new favorite Greek professor, “Dr. M” hosted a party at her flat near Glafada, a seaside community. Her home was “cool New York flat with a European flair: marble floors and great books everywhere, and vintage photos of her with poets and politicians and dignitaries and dear friends, and treasures from her travels. Her stories are captivating. And she is an amazing cook. She prepared traditional Greek specialties, all home-made and delicious: Spinach pie, Sagnaki served with red peppers and spearmint leaves, meatballs with mint, Moussaka (eggplant lasagna), stuffed peppers and zuchinni, eggplant salad, and a huge fresh Greek salad. It was a Greek feast.

As you might imagine, the guests were as delightful and interesting as the food and everyone was friendly and welcoming. I met professors from all disciplines, not just English, former students who lead fascinating lives working for the government, universities, a sort of “spiritual life coach guy” and even a young American lady who came to Greece ten years ago for a study abroad and married a Greek man and married him. We chatted and ate and ate some more and drank wonderful Greek wine. It was a scene from a Woody Allen movie and I loved being in it.

City life is a bit of a conundrum. I always thought I could be happy living in a big city, especially if I were younger. It’s a love/hate realtionship. It’s totally cool being here: freshly baked bread, funky restaurants and bars, archeological digs, ancient ruins, diverse shops are all within a five-minute walk, and the “people meeting” and people watching opportunites are off the charts. However, it’s noisy, dirty, trash is everywhere at night, stray cats and dogs run free, homeless beggers live on my corner, I must step over an occasional pile of poop in the street, or a broken sidewalk, the aromas often shift quickly from “mmmmm, someone’s cooking something wonderful” to stale urine, and traveling anywhere outside the city entails a crowded Metro or bus ride or both, but I love it. While I certainly miss BF and my family, I have not had one homesick moment. The weekend island visits provide breaks from the city, which is a gift, but the city is just plain fascinating.

Loving the adventure. Sarting the countdown to the day when I ride the crowded metro to meet BF at the airport: 11 days!