The first two days of school

Monday, 11th of October: 

Even though I won't be having any classes on Mondays, this was our first real day of school and we decided to meet up at the university to get our free lunch from the canteen.  But as we got there, we were met by demonstrations, loud music and graffiti everywhere. All the posters were in Greek language, so in order to understand what it was all about, I sent some photos of the posters and graffiti to my Greek buddy who then translated it for me. And as I understand it... 

• In Greece, there is a law banning the police from entering universities. And the government now wants to create a new police force for universities, with powers to arrest and charge those considered troublemakers. They also want to introduce disciplinary boards with powers to suspend or expel students, and students could risk consequences for putting up posters, banners and for “noise pollution”. But university students in Greece mean that such thing would harm the freedom of expression on campus, and that was what the demonstration was all about, if I understood it correctly. "The campus you dream about is going to be your worse nightmare". 
  

But we asked the staff in the kitchen if it was safe to stay, and then we sat down in the dining room with our free meal and ate our first lunch together on campus. We then went and explored the university, and I think we were all a little shocked to see all the graffiti everywhere that had been created earlier the same day both indoors and outdoors. 

After lunch I went to a nice hair salon that a friend recommended and cut off a large piece of my hair (for 28 euros, so cheap!) and as I was there I took advantage of the opportunity to having a conversation with a local, and besides from talking about politics and similar, I also got good recommendations for areas in Athens as well as good islands for day trips. (so a good advice, if you are alone in a new country and want to get in touch with a local, go to a hair salon!) And before going back to my hostel I met up with the boys and had a coffee at Loris apartment. 

On the way home, my sister called with bad news that she had become sick again and was going to the hospital to do some tests, and in order to hear her better I walked away from the main road without thinking about where I was going. We talked for a while, but then I heard someone screaming behind me and it was not until now that I looked up and around, only to realize that I had ended up in a really bad area and the man who shouted behind me was high on drugs and completely uncontactable. The street was empty except from all the homeless people taking drugs, and there I stood alone with my blonde hair far away from the main road. So I said to my sister that I had to go and that I had to call back later, and without describing more, it was all a very unpleasant experience which really scared me.

The day as a whole had been full of impressions and quite overwhelming... The next day I would move to such an area and live there for six months, how would I manage that? I packed my suitcase at the hostel, and when the evening came I was so hungry and tired that I honestly felt tears welling up. I went to a restaurant nearby and ordered chicken souvlaki, and the woman at the checkout asked how I was. When I told her a little about my day, she replied "Every year the erasmus students come here, and EVERY year all Greeks wonder WHY they choose to live in the worst area! Be careful, never walk alone! You have to be careful!". Let's just say, I didn't sleep very well that night...

Tuesday:

The next morning I packed up all of my things, said goodbye to the staff at my hostel and took a Beat to my new home. My roommate met me in the hallway and helped me up with my bags, and we had some time to greet each other and talk a bit before I went to my first class. The lesson ended at 2 pm, and the idea was to go to the cafeteria to eat our free meal after that, but the queue there was endless so I, Aymen and Pauline went to a restaurant nearby instead. Then we went to the supermarket to buy food, and I was shocked at how expensive everything was. Until now, I had experienced Greece and Athens as cheap, but in the grocery store some things were even much more expensive than in Sweden...

When I returned to my apartment, I was alone, and for the first time since I came to Greece, I could unpack my bag, start a washing machine, and "cook" my own dinner. The apartment itself felt like a safe free zone. However, the outside world felt scary, and I felt trapped and limited... Would I never be able to go for a walk alone as soon as darkness comes, or go out for a run on an evening? Would I never even be able to have dinner at a friends place and then walk home? 

But the respons I received after posting this picture on Instagram was heartwarming and I realized one important thing, that I am not alone. Even though I had only been here in Greece for two weeks, I was surrounded by friends and friendly people. And today as I write this post, a week later, I can say that yes, I have gotten used to it now and I think I exaggerated everything in my head and made the whole situation so much worse than it actually is. But more about that in future posts... I already think this post is long enough, and once again I have far too much to tell to sum it up in a single post. 

With love, Elsa ♡