Happy 200th Independence Day, Greece!

I have to admit, it has been over 5 months since I last wrote anything here. Being in lockdown basically that entire duration has my creativity lacking these days.

Lockdown entails following a set curfew (you can never be out past 9pm), wearing a mask at all times outside your home (makes sense), and needing to text a specific number before leaving your home (you specify with one of 6 options for your reason of leaving). I haven’t sat in a restaurant since my birthday. Stores have been closed (except grocery) for almost the entire 5 months of lockdown. I carry my passport and immigration papers on me anywhere I go in case I get stopped by police. My goodness, this all definitely took some adjusting.

However, today is a special day here in Greece…. today is celebrating 200 years of independence!

I wish I could have experienced the parade or air show, but an audience was not allowed, everything was streamed instead. But, in honor of this exciting day, I thought it would be a great opportunity to share some of the sights Greeces has offered to me these past 5 months.

Please, join me in reliving my memories of the past 5 months….

Dressed up for my first internationally celebrated Halloween (it was a big deal at our American school), and also experienced my first earthquake that same afternoon.

Celebrated my 2nd Thanksgiving abroad (my first Thanksgiving abroad was celebrated in 2015 in Beijing, China). I enjoyed the holiday with my dear friends. We all came together and cooked ourselves a beautiful dinner.

I celebrated my name day in December. Name day is kind of like an additional birthday here in Greece. Every Anna across the country celebrated on this day.

Celebrating Christmas without my family was tough, but my first Christmas abroad was well spent. It was beautiful to see the entire center lit up with decorations.

I did a bit of sightseeing this afternoon. I found my way to the Panathenaic Stadium and also enjoyed the National Gardens nearby.

Snow day!!! Athens rarely sees this much snow.

Seeing the center of Athens covered in snow felt like a fairy tale.

Spent a Saturday afternoon with my friends hiking up Filopappou Hill. For the first time since moving here, I finally saw the sea.

I am so happy that I live here. It still feels surreal from time to time. I couldn’t imagine spending my 25th year of life anywhere else at the moment.

Thanks for reading, and I hope to be back soon with more exciting adventures abroad.

❤️
~Anna