Time is just flying – I cant believe I have been gone for a month. I left Toronto a month ago today. Unbelievable. We only have a week and half more school, and then on to the whirlwind tour of Europe! Every time I sit and reflect on everything I am overwhelmed - it has been, and continues to be, such an amazing experience. It's exciting that the heads of the school are so impressed with my work; I asked for a "progress report" last week and they couldn't think of a single thing to improve upon. I am really hoping to ask them for reference letters for my PhD application before I leave. Speaking of phd applications, I have finally picked a topic (small miracle!) My applications are starting to take shape as I already have a rough draft ready to go. I am finding that writing drafts of my applications for studying and grant funding is going much better with a glass of white wine on the side of the bright blue Agean Sea. Simply amazing.
Speaking of how amazing it is here, I went for a run yesterday. There is a scenic loop, mostly dirt road with lots of hills, about 6-8Km, and I got over ¾ of the way around it in the heat of the day before I needed a break. The swimming must be paying off…but the point of this is to say HOW BEAUTIFUL this island is! I remember feeling this sense of dread getting off the plane and looking at my surroundings - so arid and hot and mountainous - to the point that it is almost imposing in a negative way - but now I just cannot see it as anything but beautiful. When I walked for my little break it was at a point in the road with goats in farmers pastures on both sides. They all have little bells tied around their necks. It was so peaceful; just the little bells trilling away on both sides, and it echoed up both sides of the valley. So amazing. I often forget to just stop and admire this place.
For example: here's a photo of the sun coming up over Chora. I know I post these all the time, but this is my current favorite:
Anyway the real purpose of this post is to tell you about the awesome nicknames Emily, Gen and I have acquired this trip. The first name, "Hamily," came about when we were discussing how much more awesome Emily would be if we fused our collective brainpower. So Emily is now known as Hamily, for whatever reason. Even better is "Shreddie," which is short for the "Deer Shredder." One night at dinner, Gen was telling everyone how she hunts for deer and how she can pluck a bird in one motion with one hand. One of the other girls didn't hear the bit about the bird though, so she asked if Gen could really skin a deer with one hand. Hence, the "Deer Shredder" was born. This nickname is particularly excellent because before we leave for anywhere we yell "READY SHREDDIE?" which will never be anything but funny. Equally funny is my remix of Aerosmith's "Janie's got a gun," which is now "Shreddie's on the Run." Amazing. Finally, the Wink Ninja was born at dinner one night when we realized I am the only person here who cannot wink. That's right - I just can't do it. And so - now I am known as the Wink Ninja.
The best part about all of this? The heads of the field school routinely call us Hamily, Shreddie, and Ninja. Amazing.
Speaking of how amazing it is here, I went for a run yesterday. There is a scenic loop, mostly dirt road with lots of hills, about 6-8Km, and I got over ¾ of the way around it in the heat of the day before I needed a break. The swimming must be paying off…but the point of this is to say HOW BEAUTIFUL this island is! I remember feeling this sense of dread getting off the plane and looking at my surroundings - so arid and hot and mountainous - to the point that it is almost imposing in a negative way - but now I just cannot see it as anything but beautiful. When I walked for my little break it was at a point in the road with goats in farmers pastures on both sides. They all have little bells tied around their necks. It was so peaceful; just the little bells trilling away on both sides, and it echoed up both sides of the valley. So amazing. I often forget to just stop and admire this place.
For example: here's a photo of the sun coming up over Chora. I know I post these all the time, but this is my current favorite:
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| This makes getting up at 5:30am six days of the week totally worthwhile. |
The best part about all of this? The heads of the field school routinely call us Hamily, Shreddie, and Ninja. Amazing.
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