 Joanna Martorelli '08
American College of
Thessoliniki -
Thessaloniki, Greece
jmartorelli@monm.edu
Schaumburg, IL
May 2, 2007
Hey everyone. I don't know if you received my prior
e-mail. It had the first part of my spring break contained
in it with photos. I hope you all got it; my e-mail has been
acting funny lately. Ok...
The second week of spring break, I spent on a cruise of
the Greek islands with my friends. We went to Rhodes,
Mykonos, Santorini, Crete, Kusadasi, and Patmos. It was such
a blast!! I managed to not get seasick even though there
were a couple days where the sea was really really rough. I
don't know if you all heard about it but the ship that we
were supposed to be on sunk in Santorin and 2 people are
still MIA. We changed ships at the last minute and thank God
weren't on the one that sank. In Santorin, I rode a donkey
up to the kentro of the city. I think that was the best 4
euros I’ve spent here in Greece yet!! In Rhodes, we sat out
on the beach ALLLLLLL day and drank bacardi cokes. The water
everywhere was freezing. I definitely want to go back to the
islands sometime to explore some more. We didn't get to
really see all of the island because we didn’t' have enough
time on them.
We were gone from Thessaloniki for like a week and a half
because we took a school trip to Athens that lasted the
weekend. In Athens we did all the major touristy stuff.
THEN, after the school left us in Athens for our trip to
Italy, we got to explore Athens on our own. That night we
were on our way out, asking for directions from these Greek
kids, and while we were talking...I GOT POOPED ON BY A
PIDGEON!!! I didn't know what to do!! I went to a cafe to
wash it off my shirt, and the faucet exploded all over my
shirt...so not only did I have poo on my shirt, I had a crap
load of water all over me too! We didn't even get to go out
because I couldn't after I got pooped on...isn't that
supposed to be good luck? The next day in Athens we spent at
a beach...lol the best part about it was that it was a
topless/nude beach. It was soooo much fun, we spent all day
there.
In Italy we went to Florence, Rome, and Pisa. All places
were sort of expensive but Florence was my favorite I think.
We saw again all the major touristy stuff...including the
David and the leaning tower of Pisa. We also met 3 of the
140 Italian Sailors from the navy!!! They took us to
coffee!!! Italians are quite the romantics and quite the
gentlemen as well.
In Rome, again we saw all the major touristy stuff, we
went out to a bar called the Drunken ship...LOL!! And met a
dude named Bert who was from San Francisco. He came to the
coliseum with us the next day. Which was amazing by the way.
I didn't enjoy Rome as much as I enjoyed Florence. Rome was
overcrowded with so many different kinds of people. Florence
was really laid back.
So I don't know if you have heard about why I hate Athens
even more now than I hated it before. Athens is a dirty city
with TONS of creepers. We were kind of cutting it close
because our flight got in at 11:30pm and we needed to make a
1230 train back to Thessaloniki. So we took a cab from the
airport to the train station.
1. There weren't supposed to be 5 people in the cab
because you can get fined...but we did anyways. 2. We got to
the station at 1215 and missed the 1230 train because it
left early. We got stuck in Athens. At that time we were
like...ok we'll just chill in the train station until the
next train comes at 6:50 in the morning. Mind you this is a
really dumb idea because we had been up for more than 12
hours already. And we only had like 15 euros left for the
train so we couldn't get a hotel room to stay in while we
waited for the train. I have never seen so many homeless
people in my life. Finally when 6am rolled around, the train
we needed to go on was an express which was more expensive.
So we waited another 3 hours for the 920 train that cost 15
euros...THAT TOOK 7 hours to get home to Thessaloniki. what
a long trip...and that's why I hate Athens so much...if you
were actually talking to me right now it would be more
interesting because e-mail just doesn't do my story
justice...even though I am the worst story teller EVER!! And
you all know that I think.
So...I think all of you should get an international phone
card and call me. OR download skype and skype me. I feel
that I have no idea what is going on in your lives and that
is kinda scary. Considering I will be home in around a month
and a half. AND on top of that I like getting e-mails, or
phone calls, or skype whatevers. I don't want to be
completely out of the loop when I come home.
Love you all!
na'ste kala!
March 21, 2007
Gia sas oikogeneia kai philios!
A recap on my visit to Athens...
Wednesday we took the bus from Thessaloniki to Athens...which
is a 6-7 hour bus ride. ON the bus were the men and women's
volleyball and soccer teams and men's basketball with Greeks,
Americans, Serbians, and Portuguese, all mixed together on one
bus, 3-5 different languages being spoken...ON TOP OF
THAT...the Greeks brought on a huge cooler full of alcohol for
the ride there. They were soooo loud...singing sounds about
how the bus driver and the coaches were all bald and crazy.
This was definitely not something I was used to...the Greeks
were all drunk 2-3 hours into the ride to Athens. It was
hilarious...THE COACHES DIDN'T EVEN CARE...THEY WERE DRINKING
WITH THEM!!!!!
We finally got to Athens. Passed
the Olympic stadium to our hotel "The President". We got there
around 9..10 at night...ish and picked up some dinner at
Goodie’s (which is like Greek fast food...the Greeks call it
junk food...like our McDonalds). I think every one of the
Greeks went out that night...I should have went out too but at
the time I was worried about playing soccer well the next day
and getting to sleep.
Thursday...first day of games...basketball, volleyball and
soccer all had games in the morning. Our game was at 3:30
indoor at the gym. We were supposed to play the American
College of Greece...BUT...most of the girls got injured so the
team dropped out of the tournament leaving only 2 girls teams
to play each other. SO we played berut. AND GOT MASSACRED!!!!!
My team scored only one goal in the 5v5 game compared to
berut's 15 goals. That is the highest scoring game I have ever
seen IN MY LIFE!!! After that we decided we did not want to
play berut again because they were the only team we could play
since the other teams dropped out. That night I was exhausted.
I watched some movie with Samuel L. Jackson in it...IN GREEK.
I didn't know what was going on at all. It was the first time
I’ve watched TV in almost a month and a half.
Friday... Boys basketball got robbed of 2 games...1 because
the refs were bad...and 2 because the score keepers forgot to
turn the score cards (yes...this school didn't even have a
scoreboard...they had those flip cards that we used to use
when we were in grade school). Since we didn't have a game
today, I helped coach the guy’s soccer team because the coach
was tired of losing and wanted to play in the game too. In
between their first and second game, Petro and I went to the
Acropolis. We rode the metro which was SOOOOOOOO CLEAN! It was
immaculate compared to the L in Chicago. Unfortunately I can't
say the same about Athens because Athens is generally a really
dirty city...I actually like Thessaloniki much more than I do
Athens. Anyway so I saw the Acropolis and wasn't too
impressed. It was under construction so there was scaffolding
all over the place. I did take lots of pictures though.
On the way down...Petro and I
were talking about something and this dude started following
us and then all of a sudden chimed into our conversation in
English...and was like "oh I’m sorry, I just needed to talk to
someone since my day was so bad. It's nice hearing people that
speak English" Apparently this guy got bar scammed big time
and it cost him like 200 euros...which is like $265. That
night I went out with my friend Jamie and the guys from the
soccer team. We left the hotel at like 2am...and stayed out
till 630am. They drink so much and have such a high tolerance.
So...this resulted in me being pretty hung-over and tired all
day Saturday...which was perfect because all I had to do was
go to the closing ceremony and then get on the bus home.
Something funny...the girl’s soccer team was the only team to
bring home a trophy and medals...why you might ask?? BECAUSE
THERE WERE ONLY 2 GIRLS TEAMS IN THE TOURNAMENT...SO since we
got killed in the game and only had one game...we
automatically got second place... I slept all the way home to
Thessalonica waking up to stop at Thermopoli where the 300
Spartans were in a battle.
Ok...so anyway I suppose I need to go because my friends are
waiting for me so we can go back to our apartment. Another
e-mail will be coming soon. :)
Na'ste kala!
March 9, 2007
Ãéá óáó óôéí Åëëáäá. AHH I just
learned how to type on the keyboard in Greek letters... I was
struggling for like 15 minutes and then I had to ask my friend
Óôåöáíéá to help me. Wow I’m really excited about that.
OK...anyway. So, here's what I’ve been up to lately...(I need
to make a habit of writing like once or twice a week because
I'm starting to not remember what I've been doing the past
week/days)
On Tuesday, I was taking the 1:00 bus to school. I take 2
buses to get to school (the 30 and the 58). Usually around the
times I have to go to school, the bus is PACKED with people.
On this particular occasion I was going to school by myself
and the bus was relatively empty. I thought nothing of it of
course. Normally on any bus, you have to pay to ride. Here
it’s, 50 euro to ride and you can use the same ticket up to 70
minutes. You have to stamp it once you get on the bus so you
can't use the ticket again after the 70 minutes. I on the
other hand, have been using the same ticket for about a month
and hadn't stamped it. In Greece, it is someone's job to go
around on the buses that are empty and check to see if people
have a stamped ticket.
So, that day, they were spot
checking tickets and I did not know. I got on the 30 without
stamping my ticket and proceeded to get on the 58. 3 stops
in...2 bigger, scruffy lookin men get on...I think nothing of
it. Of course, these guys pull out their bus ticket checker
badge dealies and start checking everyone's ticket...and me
being a moron...didn't stamp my ticket which could result in a
30 euro fine. Which is the kind of money I don't have to waste
on bus ticket fines. I watched as they started moving from the
front to the middle of the bus...as I slowly move toward the
back of the bus...praying to God that there was a stop coming
up soon. YES, the prayer answered. I immediately get off the
bus at some random stop and I didn't know where I was. I knew
that if I waited another bus would come and it would be no big
deal. BUT, the 58 comes like every 15-20 minutes and I had to
get to school so I wouldn't be late for class. I thought "hell
with it" I’m gonna walk to the next stop and hope the next bus
comes.
So I’m taking a nice 10 minute
stroll to the next stop and guess who I see. THE TWO BIG BURLY
TICKET CHECKER GUYS!!! AND THEY RECOGNIZED ME FROM THE STOP
BEFORE!!!! Just my luck right?! So they approached me and
starting babbling on to me in Greek and I couldn't
understand...well most of it. In defense, I attempted to speak
what little Greek I knew, telling them, I don't understand and
I don't speak Greek well...and that I didn't know what was
going on...and that I was exeno...ameriki. THEN, they started
yelling at me. By this time I was like...wow this isn't going
anywhere. And I did the worst thing you could do to someone
when they are yelling at you. I LAUGHED....I started laughing
hysterically. AND THEY WERE STILL YELLING AT ME!!!!!! After
another 10 minutes of me laughing and them yelling...something
really crazy happened. The two crazy Greek yelling ticket
checkers looked at each other and started laughing too.
So...in the end all three of us were laughing because I didn't
understand them...they didn't understand me...and we were all
waiting for the stupid 58 bus to come. Then the bus finally
came which made the most awkward situation a relief. The two
guys told me to get on the bus and showed me how to stamp my
ticket in the stamper thing on the bus...and then I was off to
school...again.
Interesting huh? Yeah. That kinda stuff somehow happens to
me...semi-often.
Another thing. I was trying to buy a children's book in the
bookstore and I asked the lady how much the book was, and she
said okto ekosideka euro. Which in English means 8.20. I'm
actually pretty good with my numbers, but for some reason that
day I was really off and I thought she said 82 euros. So I was
like thank you anyways but I don't want it. I told my friend
Carissa about it and she just started laughing at me because
she knew it was 8.20 not 82...which made me laugh just as
hard.
I constantly confuse my yes' and my no's in Greek and English
not just speaking...but if you shake your head no it means yes
here...and if you nod yes, it means no here. And when I do
that they laugh at me and I laugh too. I found that if you
just smile and nod...or smile and laugh...or smile and say
signome then katalaveno...it's kinda easy to get by.
On Wednesday my entire apartment went to a club/bar called OXO
for 1 euro shot night. I was out til 4:30 am again and the
cool thing was that their were soooo many people in there that
they ended up giving 3 shots for a euro.
Last night we went to Bousoukia for the first time. It's like
a dance hall with a huge stage in front. There is a live band
and everyone is dancing...on stage, on tables, on chairs. They
played a lot of traditional music I knew and then a lot of
modern stuff. I had such a good time.
This weekend we are going to see a movie at the cinema. The
movie is called the 300 and it's about the war between the
Spartans and the Persians. And it's made by the director that
made Sin City. I'm totally excited!
Ok...I think this is long enough. So sorry. Talk to you all
soon.
-Joanna
p.s. I like getting mail (whether it be e-mail or real mail)
hint hint...wink wink...nudge nudge
March 5, 2007
Hello everyone. An update as to
what I’ve been doing lately...
Two weekends ago I visited Trikala and Kalampaka. We went to
two monasteries that were located on top of these HUGE rock
formations. We also took a few excursions on our own and went
hiking.
On Saturday I began my day by doing laundry that takes 2 hours
to wash...and then...there are no dryers so I had to hang my
laundry outside my balcony to dry.
The weather was sunny and clear
skies...must have been 73 degrees out. I headed out to the
market dressed for the weather. Here's the kicker. I got to
the market and I got the stare down from EVERYONE!!!!! And I
was wondering why. All of a sudden this Greek lady firmly taps
my shoulder and said something to me in Greek I didn't
understand. I smiled and thought nothing of it. This happened
4 other times. And by that time I was like geeze, am I not
supposed to be wearing tank tops? Am I not supposed to show my
shoulders? I was so upset and so uncomfortable that I just got
my eggs from the market and left.
I got back to my apartment and I
was really upset. Stefanos stopped by because my friend
Carissa locked herself out of her room, so I asked him about
the shoulder thing and he said "don't worry, they were just
telling you that the weather was 'bad' and that you might burn
your shoulders". That was so crazy. I thought I was doing
something wrong by wearing a tank top and instead the Greek
ladies were just telling me to be careful not to burn my
shoulders. I guess you had to be there for this story to make
sense, but this was probably one of the more upsetting things
that happened since I’ve been here. I was pretty relieved
after that.
The rest of the day I pretty
much relaxed, went for a run by the sea, rearranged my room
and cleaned.
On Sunday I went to Halkidiki to watch some of my friends
scuba dive. It was a 50 euro thing. I am going to do it next
time after spring break. The weather was perfect and my tan is
getting darker week by week. Halkidiki is sooooo beautiful.
The water so clear and like a million shades of blue. On the
way home we saw a double rainbow.
Last night, I booked my spring break flights with my friend
Petro. Petro is greek-American and speaks Greek pretty
fluently. He and I are traveling the first week of spring
break together to: Vienna, Brussels, Amsterdam, Paris and then
we'll be back for Greek Easter. I'm still not really sure what
I’m doing for Greek Easter. The Greeks (Paul, Petro, Melissa,
Aaliki, Nikos, Darwin) and I are considering cooking Greek and
making red eggs.
The next week of spring break,
the girls and I are taking a cruise through the Greek islands
for CHEAP through one of Paul’s friends who works for a travel
agency. Anyway...spring break is quite an expense so I’m
trying to travel as cheaply as possible so I have $$ to travel
AFTER school is out as well.
This weekend the guy’s soccer team has a tournament in Athens.
The girls team was supposed to play in as well but the girls
didn't really want to commit. I was really disappointing
because I was looking forward to seeing them. So, I’m just
going to watch because my friends who will be playing. They
are really good.
Ok so that is enough for now. I have to catch Carissa before
she takes the bus home. Hope all is well at home and the snow
isn't getting too crazy. :)
February 21, 2007
Wow...Ok this is my third
attempt at a mass e-mail. I hit some weird button on my
computer and it deleted everything. GRRR! Ok..this one is
going to be sorta short and sweet because i'm tired of writing
long e-mails and I already wrote 2 that got deleted so here
goes.
My apartment:
I live in apt 72 on the 7th floor of Alexandrias apartment
building. I have a nice view from my balcony and we call our
bathroom the shoilet. (the shower and toilet are in the same
place. My apartment is 5-10 minutes from the sea.
Thessaloniki
It is dirty with a lot of graffiti. Stray dogs all over the
place...watch where you are walking, you'll step in dog poop.
Also, look up...the old ladies might be shaking out their rugs
on your head. If you are loud during naptime (3-5:30pm) they
will throw eggs off their balcony at you. There are kiosks on
every block. Buses and taxis can get you anywhere...walking is
the ideal way though.
School
Two buildings. One is the library and the second is the "new
building" where classes are. Free bus morning and late at
night...anytime in between you are on your own with the public
bus. Classes are relatively easy...taught in English. One of
my art history classes consists of entirely field trips to
museums.
 Weekends
Always something to do, bars, lounges, coffeehouses, clubs.
they don't go out until 12am and don't come home until 4ish.
Breakfast is at 12pm, lunch is at 3:00, and siesta is from
3:00-530. Dinner is at 9 or 10pm.
What I've done since I've been here:
Vergina and Tomb of King Phillip the 2nd
Back to Base Dance Club
Chupa Chupa Latin Dance Club
Elvis Costello Bar
Downtown Thessaloniki bus tour
St. Dimitrios Church
Carnival in Aristotle Square
Mesopotamian Cosmos Mall
Power Hour
Pagan Penis Fesitval in Tirnovos
What I'm doing this weekend:
Meteora Monestary
Bousoukia
SO...if you have any questions and want specifics on any of
those things I mentioned earlier...shoot me an e-mail and I
will give you the scoop. Hope all is well back in the states!
adio!
Joanna
February 12, 2007
 Things are really great here.
I've met a lot of great people and the kids in my apartment
building are amazing. We had a potluck dinner already and I'm
making greek chicken on Wednesday.
Well to begin, I went to school orientation, I visited Vergina
(which is the home to the tomb of King Phillip the 2nd who is
Alexander the Great's father), I've been to a salsa club,
Bouzoukia, and right now, I'm at the library. I've already
taken 2 classes and I still really suck at greek. Hopefully I
will pick it up quickly. I am not excited to buy books. I
think I'm going to split books with other kids taking the same
class as me and we'll just photocopy or borrow the book. Too
many euros.
One thing I've noticed though, is that gyros are different
here. They put French fries in them and the meat is a little
different. BUT THEY ARE STILL AMAZING.
Everyone dresses up to go everywhere. School...the bus...drop
off their garbage...whatever...they are always looking nice.
There are actually about 10 Greek Americans here, which is
nice. Some speak Greek and most of the rest of us don't, which
is ok.
So..a horror story that happened to a girl named Andrea. She
went to call her mom on the payphone at 4am our time last
week...BY HERSELF. And some guy tried to grab her and she was
on the phone screaming bloody murder to her mom. It was a
pretty crazy story. They live in the downtown, compared to my
building that is a residential area with lots of families.
Thank goodness for me.
Surprisingly enough, I think when I get back I'm going to be a
pretty decent cook. Making dinner every night is interesting.
Also, there are no dryers...washers are free but it takes 2
hours to wash, so....I think I might be hand washing my
clothes. Seems like a better idea.
My roommate is sick right now so I've been taking lots of
vitamins and stuff.
Ok...well guess I'll talk to you soon.
adio
Joanna
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