On Thurday (22nd) I woke up late and got ready to meet my tandem language partner again! :) I didn't have that much time since I was going to watch a second playoff game of basketball: Panathinaikos - Maccabi Electra from Israel. The game was an euroleague game. I went there with my greek friend, Xenofon and couple of his friends! :) The arena was huge! I've never been to watch a basketball game in Finland but what I've seen from tv and it was nothing like we have in Finland! The arena is located in Marousi and it is the "Olympic Indoor Hall", it seats 19,250 people and at the game it wasn't even full and the atmosphere was crazy, indescribable!
The game was really exciting and it went to over time! Panathinaikos lost 94-92. Couple of so stupid mistakes at the end cost the points..! The fans there were loud! As in really loud!! They sang or shout songs all through the game! The noise seemed to me to make to game much more psychological since the fans really can get to some players singing terrible songs about them.. I really wouldn't want to be a hated player in front of over 10 000 fans.. On the other hand the players must have learnt just to forget the fans and people there and concentrate what they are there to do.. :) There were this huge smoke cloud above the court since almost everybody smoked cigarettes or pot (a safe place to smoke since nobody can get caught). Outside there arena there were lots of riot police officers to make sure it's safe in there!
On a Friday morning I went to Ilion to the rehabilitation center. It was such a fun day there!! We had one egyptian patient who spoke fluent greek and when I tried to do some therapy with him he just called me his honey and darling and stuff and he didn't listen to anything I told him to do.. And it wasn't just me, that happens to his therapist also (minus he doesn't call him his darling..) :D One patient was originally from Rhodes and he spoke some finnish! It was so much fun to communicate even a little in Finnish and now everybody else had the feeling of not understanding and asking me to translate! :D Then suddenly this student boy asked me to come with him, and on the therapy table there was this man and the student told me with poor english that: "a good hand and leg, a bad hand and leg. Do what you want", closed the curtains leaving me there alone. I couldn't believe it! :D Terrible and hilarious situation. In the end I couldn't do anything but laugh about it. I asked as many questions in greek as I could from the patient and started doing some therapy with him. I can tell you that 30 minutes is a long time when you don't have that much idea what should be done!! :D The day also included a 90 minute lecture about the corruption and financial situation in Greece..! :D
After the practical training I went to Exarchia to have a coffee with Molly. Molly is a greek-irish-american occupationaltherapist-student and she is doing her practical training in Ilion also. :) So we went to have a coffee and play Tavli (Backhammon), a game I used to play a lot in summertimes in Greece! I had totally forgotten that it is my favourite game! It was so nice to play it!
Then I walked to the Syntagma sq. where I met someone from Athensmus and I paid my deposit for the sailing party on 6-8th of April. The trip is expensive but it's also once in a life time thing! I totally wanted to do it when I saw the advertisement while still in Finland! + it's my birthday so it's also gonna be once in a lifetime birthday party on a yacht! :)
In the evening me and my flatmate had a spring party at our place! First I think people were a bit uneasy but when they started drinking the mood changed! We danced Macarena in a line of maybe ten people! We also danced along with Abba's hit songs! Then we headed to Panepistimio to some bar. I walked home and went to bed around 3.30 am :)
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| The statue at the top of Filopappou |
On Saturday I woke up before my alarm, to my surprise! It was time for Erasmus famous picnic-botellon held in Filopappou hill near Acropolis hill. :) Me and Miina met and since we were a bit late from the meeting time we decided to go there on our own. We walked there and climbed up and there was no one there.. We stayed there anyway to enjoy the sun and admire the view. Then we walked past thissio and monastiraki and left home. :) Oh, and when we were leavinh around 3.30 pm we met some students just going there.. So we should have guest to come there like hours late.. :D
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| The view from Filopappou: Akropols and Lycavittos |
On a Sunday morning I woke up early since I had a date with Miina and the other finnish girl Kati who eventually didn't come since she had forgotten to change the time from clocks.. We met two Miina's greek friends at Monastiraki metro station. It was quite an adventure to go there since some of the metro stations were closed for example, mine Evangelismos was closed.. Sunday 25.3 was a Greece's independence day and there was this military parade at Syntagma. There weren't many people since most were scared of some riots and demonstrations. We were also a bit nervous but since there were 4500 police officers on the streets, it felt safe there. Twice a year there are parades in Thessaloniki and in Athens. Last parade in Thessaloniki was cancelled because of huge riots. So the same thing was afraid to happen also in Athens.
There is this tradition about the parade. There is a student and military parade held. In front of Syntagma there are these VIP chairs and when the student parade walks near it and are about to pass it, there is this tradition that when told the students must turn their heads towarsds the ministers, politician and president to honour and show them their respect. Last year was the first year, when this was supposed to happen, the students didn't turn their heads or turned them into an opposite direction. Some of the students even gave the finger to them.. Also some of the older students had had black shirts on instead of blue ones.. That was quite a scandal last year. Well, this year the student parade was on Saturday and we weren't there but we heard that also this year they didn't show them their respect..
The military parade was pretty cool. The place were we stand it was really peacful and no signs of any riots. We only stand maybe 100-200 metres from the main area from Syntagma. The parade lasted mabe 40 minutes and it covered all the military sections. Fireman, special forces, "tsoliades" = the presidental guards who stand in fron of the Syntagma etc. I think they might have gotten the biggest applause when the riot polices got the worst booing..
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| Tsoliades |
After the parade me, Miina, Angela and her boyfriend and Katerina went to some hotel in Monastiraki to have coffee at the roof. The view, oh my god! I think it became my favourite view in Athens! I also drank coffee again, I'm becoming addicted to Frappe (a greek iced-coffee with coffee, sugar and milk). You can drink it many ways if you want it stronger but I'll like mine probably because it doesn't taste that much in coffee. Anyway, it's delicious! We had fun time hanging out and the girls were a bit embarrassed since I knew better than them some things about Athens and some places. :D
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| Amazing! |
Then me and Miina left to eat at Kerameikos. At first we were supposed to go eat somewhere near my place but we got the metro to the wrong direction so we decided why not eat in Kerameikos. After coming to my place we rested a little over 30 minutes and started our way towards the Olympic stadium since we got free football tickets from Angela. It was AEK- Panaitolikos. Also there the fans were crazy but it didn't feel that insane since the stadium was so empty. AEK won 1-0 and it was okey, mostly my head turned towards the fans since the game was a bit slow, as football often is to my opinion.. :)
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| AEK - Panaitolikos |
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| Fans |
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| Outside the olympic stadium |
On a Monday morning was the first time in ages since my flue, that I felt okey enough to go to the gym! It was nice after a while! :) Then I headed to Viktoria station and to the Athensmus office to pay my trip to Chalkida and Karystos for a beach party the next weekend (I learnt that here it's actually said this weekend) (now I'm not sure how to say it anymore and which is correct in which language..). Then I took a nap and got ready for a "Champions leage game" -event. We, exchange students, went somewhere near Kerameikos metro station to play football. It was really nice to play and it was so much fun! :)
Yesterday I had again my practical training at Attikon hospital and straight after that my language course. For the whole day I was so tired but I fought against myself and got my self up to go to the gym and to the supermarket! :)
Today again practical training and language course. Then me and Miina got lost in Larissa when we didn't find a right bus stop.. When we eventually were sitting in a bus Miina figured why we couldn't find it: the road was a one way street so obviously the bus can't leave the same way it came.. From Miina's place I decided to try to walk home without a map. I knew it was around 3,5km and the Lycavittos hill was my only landmark. But I made it home easily and with a bit of luck! :D
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