I've been trying to post for quite some time now, especially after last weekend. I started a post on my computer; and since being back from Mykonos, I haven't quite had the appropriate time to immerse (submerse?) myself into writing a decent post. Unfortunately for me, also, the student center closes early this evening -- the one time I actually had to sit down and put all my scattered thoughts down into something mildly cohesive! Furthermore, tomorrow morning we leave bright and early for our last excursion that's going to last 11 days total. Itinerary = Thessaloniki, Turkey, and Samos. I'm incredibly excited, I really am; but this second session has already exhausted me (all 4 days of it!), and I'm nervous my enthusiasm may not be able to hold out!

To make matters worse, the heat here has been absolutely dreadful. The heat index has been at an average of 105. Athens is not nearly as much fun when you're dying of a heat stroke. We have no air conditioning in our apartments, and just last night did we finally get these dinky fans to provide some circulation. I haven't slept in days (and goodness knows I didn't get any in Mykonos), and I'm getting ancy with all the stuff happening back home that I can't do because I'm here. So, I'm gearing myself up to make this last excursion absolutely amazing and leave my problems until I can really sit down and focus. Aka, I'm bringing a 6-pack of Mythos on the bus.

Just in case I can't get back into the center before we trudge off tomorrow, here's a quick sneaky-peak at some of the 'highlights' of the last week:

• Visiting Mykonos Island MUST rank on every one's list of "100 Things to Do Before I Die." There's an element for everyone, and it felt so top-notch. The only 'problem' is the nudie beach part, but of course that's all relative. ;)
• I took my first ferry ride, there and back of course, and I can't believe how much I enjoyed being on the water the whole 5 1/2 hours there and 5 1/2 hours back. We ran into a family from Illinois who was big into chartering boats, and their next big adventure was the Greek Isles. I was completely jealous; I've decided I want to get MY chartering licence now!
• Also on the ferry ride, I received my first marriage proposal. I declined, of course, but now this kid's hot to find me in South Carolina and ask my father's permission for my hand in marriage. Too bad I told him that my name was 'Jessica.'
• Italian boys know how to dance; and I love it! Well, for the first 5 minutes. Then they do this instant warp into total "creepy", in which case the dancing has got. to. go.
• New Zealand boys can make any crazy situation even crazier, and it's amazing how outgoing they can be. And how hilarious.
• Irish girls are scary; they're insanely pretty, but they're loud and very temperamental. And they know how to box when the situation arrives....
• I've been mistaken for a Norwegian on numerous occasions, which actually works better in my favor than being American. I'm trying desperately to get the accent down.
• Class is far more intense that usual; we're on site for class and the teacher's trying to move things along so we're not all out in the treacherous heat, but it's not a very conducive learning environment. It also doesn't help that you're still exhausted from painfully bad sleep.
• I'm addicted to frappes now. Not good.
• I'm addicted to sweet treats in general; even worse!
• I believe that I've sufficiently achieved the 'Mediterranean Glow' thanks to 2 straight days on the beach in Mykonos, so now the hard part is going to be keeping it up. However, I somehow got the bright idea to roll my bikini bottoms into a teeny-tiny triangle on my tush and forever rid myself of the weird tan line I get on my dairie-aire. The problem? My ass hasn't seen daylight since I was 3. And I forgot to slap sunscreen on my cheeks. The result? I'm now "Celia: Yellow Head, Red Butt." My butt had this horrible radiating, stinging heat fro two days, then it itched for two more, and now it's starting to peel. GROSS.
• I had my first experience at the outdoor movie theatre in the Plaka (the big central area by the Acropoolis), and we saw "The Fracture" there. I really enjoyed it -- the theatre and the movie -- and we even saw this huge shooting star in the sky over the screen. Love it!
• And I really can't think of anything else -- sorry this is so badly rushed, but hopefully I can work on the details of some stuff and post again soon! In the meantime, here's another big batch of pictures:
• Olive You, Greece (updated with a few new shots)
• Myk- Oh no's? Oh, Yes!
• Myk- Oh no's? Oh, Yes! (The Finale)

And I have Greek pizza and Greek salad to go home and make, not to mention lots of packing to do! Leave love, because goodness knows I'll return the favour when I get back.... ;)

-C