Crete, Greece

lalalalalalalala my life is a dream.

Greece was (ofcourse) amazing. It was everything I thought it was going to be and nothing at all like I thought it was going to be and yet still better than my dreams. I was on this "wait, I'm in Greece?" type feelings the whole week and ... it was beautiful. I can't believe this is my life! I love my Belge friends... I'll never forget the memories I made with them this past week. They are my best friends and have made my life. When I think about what my year would be like without these people... I don't think I would be where I am or who I am. Belgium (along with the beautiful people it has as citizens) has made my life, saved my life, and changed my life. Thank you.

But first before I get all emotional about how much I love my Belge Besties... let me talk to you a little about this place called "Crete".... :) I know, my faithful followers, you are dying to know a little more information - Mallory Style.

Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek Islands (80+ isles). It is also the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea - and maybe the most beautiful? Crete is impressively one of the only Greek Islands that can support itself not just by tourism. Crete has a cultural heritage like Greece while also maintaining its own local cultural traits - dialect, poetry, and music. The Greek spoke in Crete has a distinct Cretan Greek dialect with an extended vocabulary that is very specific. My good friend, Constantin, was actually born in Greece and speaks fluently since he goes home atleast 3 times a year... he said that sometimes it is hard to communicate with the Cretes because they have a different vocabulary and dialect than the mainland (much like the Belgian French). Crete also has its own distinctive Mantinades poetry... and Mantinades-based music.
Crete is extrememly mountainous... which is something I wasn't expecting at all. The terrain is very different than the stereotypical terrain of the Greece mainland you always think about. Crete is characterized by a high mountain range crossing from west to east that forms three different groups of mountains. We stayed near Heraklion, the largest city and capital of Crete, and went on two day trips to visit the beautiful, Greek city of Heraklion through out the week. The city is modern, old, touristic, and the quintessential Greek city all wrapped in one. You would have the touristic streets filled with all the stereotypical things being sold by people that don't look at all Greek and then down the next street you would find a Starbucks where you could hear Greek chatter from teens sipping on cold drinks and then if you walked a little further you would find an old, Orthodox Church from the Byzantine Empire relaxing in the sun with candles burning and chanting on the inside seeping through the stained glass windows. I love cities like these... :) I enjoyed a Greek Coffee with my 9 good, girl friends at a local restaurant while we watched the traffic flow along in the sun and the beach as the background scenery. It was perfect. This city also has a museum with relics from the Minoan Age... it was pretty boring for everyone since the descriptions for everything was in English or Greek... but I loved it! It was so interesting to read about the ancient culture :) Chania (about 3 hours from where we were staying) is the second largest city - that we also visited - and it has about 53,000 inhabitants. This city was beautiful...like every city in Greece. It was like all those screensavers you have on your laptop with the old, stone city next to the clear blue water... it was beautiful. The 9 of us girls ate calamari at a restaurant pretty much on the water and then after we went walking on the old stones of the ancient port... it was beyond beautiful. Pictures nor words can capture the beauty.
Cretans are fiercely proud of their island and customs... I wish I could say I was exaggerating at the amount of tattoos I saw on men/women that said "Made in Creta". They are very proud that they are Greek ... which is something I would be proud of too if I was Greek! Customs are taken very seriously and the traditional, everyday dress for men is knee-high black riding boots, black shirts, and a black headdress that is like a fishnet-weave kerchief worn around the head and shoulders (don't think that everyone wears this... ! but I did see a good number of old people dressed this traditional way). Black is the color of the mourning... and since the Cretan family is considered to be so extended as to include great-grandparents, great-great grandchildren, and too many cousins to have a number system for - one is theoretically justified to be in continuous morning for some relative or other, however distant. I found that to be really cool... not that they are always mourning but because they consider even the 21st cousin that they have never seen to be part of the family. It was so cool to see old men dressed like this just sitting outside their houses - dressed in the traditional Cretan attire.
Crete was also the center of the Minoan civilization - 2700-1420 BC - the first civilization in Europe. The Minoan civilization built the first palace of Europe in Crete at Knossos (which we visited!). The Knossos Palace (located near Heraklion) was discovered in 1878 and is the largest Bronze Age archaeological site on Crete and was the ceremonial and political center of the Minoan civilization and culture. The palace was built gradually between 1700 and 1400 BC. The Palace covers 6 acres with 1,300 rooms, a theatre, a main entrance on each of its four cardinal faces, and extensive storerooms. The palace had at least three separate liquid management system - one for supply, one for drainage of runoff, and one for drainage of waste water. Aqueducts brought fresh water from springs about 10 km away and water was then distributed by a gravity feed through terracotta pipes to fountains and spigots (there was also a sewer system). The Palace is known for its frescoes which are very sophisticated, colorful, portray society, and conspicuously non-militaristic. One feature of their art is the color-coding of the sexes: men with ruddy skin and women as milky white. The pictures are all of young adults (rarely children or elders) linked to activities/athletic feats. The centerpiece of the "Minoan" palace was the Throne Room. The throne is flanked by the Griffin Fresco, with two griffins lying down facing the thrown... their are many theories about the "Griffins" and the actual use of the room. It is speculated that the throne was actually made for a female! I loved this visit... but once again my friends were just not into it. It was hard to keep my 'cool' with my Belge friends while also being really interested in what the tour guide was saying... :)

In between touring cities and going on little scholastic visits ... I lived it up :) I gained back the 4 pounds I lost before going by eating cucumbers, tomatoes, and feta cheese along with greek yogurt with honey (which all my friends made fun of me because I was pretty much eating honey with yogurt - have I already mentioned I like things disgustingly sweet?) and just feasting on the greek goodness in buffet style at our hotel. I also spent a fair amount of time basking in the sun... rotating my time between the pools at the hotel and the beaches surrounding the hotel. It was beautifullll!! Must I continue saying this? As a big group (there were a total of 102 of us on the trip) we would go on hour walks through the little city our hotel was located in... We also enjoyed playing tennis and having beach volley ball tournaments! I forgot that I have some skills on the volleyball court! One day we took rented bikes 2 hours to another coast (called SiSi) and enjoyed the beach there! I hate biking... and I didn't realize how to switch gears until the 2 hour bike ride home (remember that Crete has little mountains?) so I was beyond miserable on the bike ride but the moment I got off and looked around me at where I was... the pain just kind of became numb. We biked to this little secluded town nestled in between a huge cliff and the clearest water I have ever seen. Sadly... that is the day my camera broke.... but it will forever rest in my memory. My nights spent in Greece ... hmm well anybody who knows me knows that I didn't spend my time sitting in the hotel and whining about my sunburn and sand in my bikini! We all went out every single night and every single night I would dance my butt off and meet new people and smile like I've never smiled before. It was the time of my life... hands down. Let's just say this week... I have been beyond exhausted. Our last night there, we stayed out until 4 in the morning and had to be up for breakfast at 9 on Sunday and then we hopped on a plane that night... didn't get home until 5 in the morning Monday... and (ofcourse) it was obligatory to go to school that day! Benoit and I only made it until noon! haha We tried! To say the least I have been exhausted this week...! But - so worth it.

Now I'm enjoying my even deeper friendships with my Belge Besties now that we only have 5 more weeks of school together... and now we are all planning things for summer! I'm so glad I'm staying to enjoy summer ... :) I miss my family and friends a lot back home... but I am happy I'm staying to spend time with my family and friends here. I love my life here.
I'm changing families this soon (it is supposed to be this Saturday but I don't know if it will work out) to go to my friend's house (Noemie)... I'm kind of sad to leave my brothers. This week they have been really sweet and I just feel so a part of this family... it will be sad to leave. I'm trying to tell myself that I'll see them... it's not like I'm going home to America! I'm just moving ... they will still be my family and my brothers even if I have a different address. Isabelle told me today that my room is now "Mallory's Room" and that I can come back whenever... it almost made me cry. Yesterday she was telling me she was talking to her co-worker who son is going to do an exchange trio too. The lady was asking her about her experience with me and Isabelle told me she told her how it was the best experience and they are so lucky to have me be a part of their family and that things are going to be weird for her and the boys when I leave... I love this family. But life is about changing and adapting... and I'm ready for my new adventure! I will forever have this family <3

All for now :)
Love life
Mallory