6 months

A taverna in Hania, Crete

Time flies...

[This got kind of long, so I've made it two posts, next one coming shortly.]

Some observations after six months (roughly - I've probably been out of the country about 4-5 weeks total during that time) in Greece:

1. Language - gah. That is about it. I just started lessons again this week after six weeks off due to traveling, visitors, and holidays. Greek is a lot harder than I thought. My Spanish is great - in France I was able to spend time with some girls from Spain who didn't speak any English and got along just fine. I thought the other language would help in learning a third, and it has been helpful, without a doubt, but the simple fact is that Greek is just HARD. I also have not grown up hearing it as I did with Spanish - all the sounds were unfamiliar. I can get by with what I know here, and have people telling me I do pretty well, but still have a hard time understanding when spoken to. The other problem is that everyone speaks English, and rarely will they speak Greek to you when they know you are a foreigner. Without being forced to use Greek, it's been difficult to be really disciplined to use it. Pressing on!

2. Community/friends. I've been blessed with several new friends over the last few months. I meet with two every week for a study of John, and have several others that I can call to hang out, get dinner, watch a movie, or sit and chat. :) One lives just two blocks from me and knows everyone in our neighborhood, so I'm slowly starting to get to know people here, too. One cool thing, I've decided to start some kind of something for the single women here (since there are so many of us and since I have this whole house now, might as well use it!). I'm planning on having a bunch of them over in the next couple weeks to talk about what kind of regular thing we could do. I have a few ideas. I'm excited about this, it's something that's been on my heart for a couple of months now. Church-wise, I've been going to a Greek church, and while the language stuff is challenging (they do have translation), I'm trying to be consistent and look for places to plug in. The pastor is great; he pastored a Greek church in Boston for several years (incidentally, with Barry Corey, for you Biola people). It's all coming along, slowly but surely. One bummer I've mentioned before is that there are many short-termers who come - you become friends, hang out a lot, then they leave. That's never fun.

3. Heath. More specifically, my knee: Well, I've been running occasionally, which is huge! Being consistent at the gym has helped strengthen my leg again which has made be able to run without pain, if only once or twice a week (don't want to push it). Elsewhere, it has been a bit of a struggle for me to find the sleeping/eating rhythm, especially without a regular schedule and having to learn things I can cook here. (Though I never cooked much before - pitifully, I miss Lean Cuisines!) I am tired a lot, which I realize is largely underlying stress that comes from being in an unfamiliar setting all the time. But I'm working on getting enough sleep on a regular basis, and it's a wonder what that does. :)

Ok, next time...Ministry, cultural stuff, and long term plans or observations! :)