Temperature Reading - Week 2

OK, just for the sake of journaling, here are some of the things on my mind as the second week in Athens, and the first week of classes, comes to a close:

my rather skimpy wardrobe for the semester

• The laundry facilities are great - those washers really spin, man!! Ha! No really, our US washers don't get out the water like these European ones.
  
• Printing here is an issue - in fact, I had a little bit of a melt-down considering how I was going to facilitate my style of study (typed notes from readings and printed req'd readings from online  Moodle for mark-ups). We went over to the computer lab to try to figure it out, but had no luck. We have even considered purchasing a printer for the apartment, but even that is a hurdle (find a store, speak to the employees to get help...gah!) I did talk to some of the other students about it and they are experiencing trouble, as well. They don't seem as concerned as I (as usual)...I just am planning on asking for more help from the IT guru and hope I can understand what I am supposed to do.
  
• Both Chuck and I are feeling a little under the weather; partly due to the damp weather and partly due to the heater blowing on us all night (and for me, probably some wheat sneaking into my diet). We are going to try to turn off the heat at night and see how that works. Waking up with a headache is not working for either of us.
  
• My classes are taught by exceptional professors, and I recommend them all. (The instructor creds and write up are from the CYA website.)

Dr. Iosif teaches The Orthodox Church

Dr. Iosif received a B.A. in History and Archaeology and an M.A. in Ancient History from the University of Crete, a Ph.D. from University College London and conducted her post-doc at the University of Thessaly. Among her academic publications are the following books: Early Christian Attitudes to War, Violence and Military Service, (Gorgias Press, 2013), Apocryphal Acts of Paul and Thecla, (Katarti, co-authored with M. Triantafyllou, 2008) and The Byzantine Empire, (OTEK, 2008), and articles: ‘“Early Christian Aloofness and Participation in the Pagan World”, in Cults, Creeds and Identities, (Peeters, 2013), and “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Illness as Demon Possession in the World of the First Christian Ascetics and Monks”, (Mental Health, Religion and Culture, Routledge Journals, 2011). She also teaches for the University of Crete.

Dr. Mylonaki teaches Greek Philosophy

Dr. Evgenia Mylonaki studied philosophy and history of science at the University of Athens, and received her PhD in philosophy from the University of Pittsburgh (2010). Her doctoral dissertation, which is entitled "From Conflict to Unity: Motivation and Practical Reason", is an attempt to recast in contemporary terms the Platonic argument for the division of the soul in the Republic. Currently she holds a three year post-doctoral fellowship funded by the Greek State and the EU and her post-doctoral research project is on "Moral Perception and Practical Knowledge". She also teaches at the program "Plato's Academy" of the University of Athens. Her main research interests lie within the fields of ethics, politics, theory of action in ancient and contemporary philosophy. She is currently working on the nature of representations of life and practice, on practical reason in ethics and politics, on film and philosophy and on neo-Aristotelianism in business ethics.

Anna Steward teaches
Ancient Greek Mythology & Religion

Ms. Stewart received a Department Citation for Distinction in Classical Languages while an undergraduate at the University of California (Berkeley). She received her M.A. in Classical Archaeology at the same institution, writing on the iconography connected with Demetrios Poliorketes. She has excavated at Nemea and Corinth, as well as in Israel as an Area Supervisor at Tel Dor, and she has worked in the Archives Department of the Athenian Agora Excavations. Her dissertation topic is "The Function and Meaning of Idols in Early Greek Cults."

Dr. Triantafillidou 'suffers' us poor
Americans teaching Modern Greek -
she is amazing!

Dr. Triantafillidou (B.A., Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 1987; M.A., University of Houston, 1991; Ed.D. in Second Language Education/Applied Linguistics, University of Houston, 1996) has taught French, ESL, and Modern Greek as a foreign language in Denmark and in Houston (1987-1997), where she established a Modern Greek language program at the University of Houston. Upon her return to Greece in 1997, she joined CYA and has worked in a European Union-funded program coordinated by the University of Athens, which aims to enhance the education and integration of foreign students in the Greek school system. She has also worked for the Greek Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs (2000-2004) as a special advisor concerned with the educational and cultural interests of Greeks living abroad. Her research focuses on language assessment and materials development. She has published extensively in her field and recently co-authored a book entitled Levels of Proficiency in Greek as Second Language, published by the University of Athens (2003).

Yeah, the profs are pretty amazing! As are the administrative staff of CYA - I have nothing but good things to say about how we are treated. Also, the food is very, very good. I am so thankful that we decided to partake of the meal plan; we have one meal we don't have to think about every weekday. It is a lifesaver!

snap of Chuck's area, and this awesome book he is reading in his spare time -
he is the power-guru inside our apartment!

 

this is one idea that I am taking home - oil and vinegar!
really love this on salads instead of heavy dressing

trying to keep my class work straight...

• The homework load of these classes will be less than at home, but with all of Athens (and beyond) as an immersion classroom, who needs homework?
  
• We are very glad we were able to move closer to campus - it is nice not having to traverse a couple of really busy streets to get to class.
  
• We cannot wait for nicer weather - it has been rather cold and rainy. The good part is that the sun peaks through now and again, giving us a glimpse of what is to come. The bluest skies you've ever seen are not in Seattle...they are in Greece!

The view out our window - when the weather is nicer, we will be sitting on the balcony.
The construction is for the new art museum - fascinating to watch!