Winding down...

I can't believe that we have less than two weeks left of the program. It seems to have gone by in a blur. I can't even remember half of what we did while we were in Athens this time around. Here are the highlights: We made our fourth and final visit to the National Museum and saw this amazing new gallery that just opened this week on Women and Ritual practice in Ancient Greece. Our tour was led by the curator of the exhibit, Alan Shapiro. It was extremely interesting! We also took a day trip out to Marathon and even got a chance to go to the beach afterward. It was a nice and sandy beach that was still shallow (waist high) 100 yards out. Another place we got to visit was the new excavation going on at the Agora, where my classmate from UW, Kris, is an acting supervisor at the dig. And finally today, we got to head out to Piraeus, the port of Athens, and see the ancient ship sheds and a life size reconstruction of an Athenian trireme (an ancient boat with three levels of oars). All in all it's been pretty fun and I've enjoyed being back home with internet, shower, delicious meals, and privacy. Our group has spent countless hours playing games and hanging out, and I have even managed to get in a little research time at the library.

Tomorrow we leave for our final trip up North to places such as Delphi, Thessaloniki, and Olynthus (where I'll give my site report). I am extremely excited about this part of the trip because I have only been to Delphi before, so every other place we visit will be all brand new to me. We even get to pick our own roommates for the trip, so it will be fun times with Suzy, Christine, and Kristen. Which reminds me that I should tell you a little more about Christine who is the resident Canadian in our group and is made fun of mercilessly because of it. She has the funniest way of saying "sorry" and responds to just about everything with "hi". :) She is super smart so she has a lot to say and is always the most enthusiastic of us all. I don't know where she gets her energy because I think she may sleep the least of us all. She will be a fun roommate to have on the trip.

So hopefully, I will be able to keep you updated on my adventures up north and all the new places I'll be experiencing. I can't wait...