finding the chef within...

Today was a normal day. I had two tests today, one in Bible and then in Greek. Everyday this week i have had at least one test per day. Luckily, this was the last of them, so i had a chance to relax. After classes Roman, Blake, Calle and i went out to find some soccer fields we had heard about. Fofi said it was a pretty good distance down the road so she gave us a ride. There were many different courts, some for basketball, soccer, tennis, and a playground. She chauffered us around a little bit and showed us the surrounding area and then dropped us off for our adventures. The field was very nice, made of turf, regulation size. We got out the soccer ball and started kicking it around. Fofi had sent me with a tinfoil full of chicken, and we ate that before we started playing. It was delish!! She knows me too well to send me somewhere without food. Im always in the kitchen with her! sooo i munched a little bit and then went to join Blake and Roman. Calle enjoyed the bit of sunshine and read some twilight. A few minutes in, some kids showed up. They spoke english and started up a convo. They were dressed a little different and turns out they are sailors. They sail everyday. There were about 6 or 8 of them, id say around 13 years of age. They joined us for a little bit and then headed off to their lessons. We continued to play for another hour or two and then headed back in order to make it back for lunch. We weren't really sure how long it would take, so we gave ourselves a good amount of time. We walked along the coast, and watched the waves of the Aegean crash at our feet. The beach was very rocky, not exactly what i had imaged, but still breath taking! i was on the beach in greece! the sea was not how it is anywhere in the states. the variety of color is a failure to describe. the colors range from the clearest blue to a deep shade that pulls you in, longing for you to never look away. gorgeous. i think i just found my new running path. it took us a total of 55 minutes to maneuver our way back to the artemis. we made it just in time for lunch, everyone was seated and ready to chow down. and guess what... more of fofi's fine cooking! the chicken was the best chicken i had ever had. annnnnd then... i had lunch duty. i really love my job here. its kinda gross, cleaning up all the food but then again, its nice to have something to do. and i love the girls i work with; calle, danielle, amanda and mary b. annnd as soon as i finished i started cooking dinner with fofi. this is the second night i have prepared dinner with her, and it was breakfast for dinner. we made mass amounts of food. i think we wetn through about 8 dozen eggs, preparing omelets, french toast and other assortments. bacon, hashbrown salad... and the like. my cutting skills have improved in a major way, but maybe its just because the knives are super sharp! and then the bacon. ummm say ouch one more time. we had a flat stove top with about 45 - 50 pieces of bacon frying at a time. trying to reach the back ones to flip were like walking on hot coals, waiting for the burn to come. haha... but it was a great experience. i work with a master chef, and i get to wear a sweet chefs shirt. oh yea! love it! it took a total of about 3 hours to prepare enough food for all 46 of us, but i loved every minute of it. after dinner i watched part of the mummy with richard, and then emily started teaching me how to play the piano. im learning a whole new world from aladdin,, using both hands. definately just diving right in to the art of becoming a pianist. i would love to learn how to play the piano. i think i might invest in it this summer. we shall see. if not, emily said she would give me lessons at school and there are pianos open for practice 24/7. she said she would bring her beginners books with her back to school in the fall. ican't wait! another success of a wonderful day in athens! im gonna go finish that movie now! miss all you who are following the blog! love you!

behind the piercing eyes of starvation

today was a great day. after the usual class and work out i went into athens with a group of about ten to work at the soup kitchen for the homeleess. my heard broke. as i walked in there were at least a hundred people crowded in a small room. i made my way up the next set of stairs to the area where the actual kitchen was. here, we were given instructions and put into different groups. i worked with tills and em and a few other people i was not yet aquainted to. we made our way down a winding rickety staircase, that was part of a backstage theatre type and started the night. i was to take bowls of soup and give them to the the hands that belonged to the piercing, starving eyes. i wish my words could fully illuminate the emotions wihthin. these people were longing for foood, and enjoyed the comfort of a warm building. for me, this was any other day, just a day where i could reach out and serve. but for them, this was the one day of the week they were guaranteed one meal. i had just come from the busy streets of athens and had indulged in a few different types of crescents, like it was no big deal. it made me feel so selfish. the only difference between me and the starving people is where i was born. what family i was born into, and the opportunities that arose since my birht. and you can tell who is really starving. some poeple were scraping their bowls with their slice of braed, yearning for it to fullfill. i will never forget the sight of a young man helping a child eat. they were a few of the last ones there, and the poor little child started crying because they had to elave. fortunately the cups were plastic, so the elder poured the remaining soup into the bowl and then picked up the child to leave. he seemed a little embarrassed as he did this, but it was the only way for him to feed this kid. my heart just reachees out for these people, and makes me want to help. annnnnd all im doing is handing them soup. the night went on, and a count of over three hundred people came through the soup kitchen. OVER 300 poeople who were in need of food. wow. there was another lady there, who only spoke greek. i had a translater nearby and i got her name. it was shamime. she had a few children and she wanted me to hold them so that she could take a picture. im nto really sure why, but she was so excited. i wish i could have carried a converstaion with her, she could not have been much older that i am. sometimes i just wish i could hear peoples stories. behind each face, there is something deeper, something more than just a few words. a life, and the journey it has carried.