Last Sunday I flew back to the United States because my 90-day visa is up, and tomorrow, I fly to Vancouver for two weeks of work training. That left me with six days of laziness, which were more needed than I realized. It is so nice to take a brain break from work stress and living-in-another-country-stress.
I wonder if I’ll ever feel as comfortable in Greece as I do in the United States. Everything is so much easier here – not just because the US values customer service, but because I know exactly where to go to get something I need, and I can read everything, and I know that if someone stops me with a problem, I can communicate well enough to fix it. Honestly, I don’t think I’ll ever be as comfortable in Greece as I am here, but I hope the reading and communication aspects will steadily get better.
It’s also nice to have an easy social circle. I’ve had lunches and dinners and ice creams with friends and family. I’ve run into people unexpectedly while doing other things. Peoria is just a tiny bit smaller than Athens, so that is a thing that can happen here.
My first stop while home was to the library – both because they are former coworkers that I always enjoy seeing, and because of FREE BOOKS. I took home an armful and read four of them in five days. I was hoping for a solid one-a-day, but I also powered through the first season of Legends of Tomorrow, so the failure is acceptable. I also watched Beauty and the Beast twice more in theaters. It is such a joy to go to a theater that isn’t an hour away from my home.
Tomorrow is Easter, which means church and then lunch with my family. In the late afternoon, I head back to the airport to go to Vancouver. I expect that training will be pretty exhausting, but I’m hoping to counterbalance that with some Asian food and at least one hike in a forest.
It Is Trish 