Tuesday, December 9, 2008

I almost went to Athens this past weekend...

Word of the Post: Una Manifestazione (Student Riot/Student Strike/Protest)

My childhood best friend is currently studying in Athens, Greece. When I was making plans to travel this semester, Athens was on the top of my list. I figured that I would get to visit my friend, I would get to enjoy some sunshine, and I would get to see one of my favorite structures-The Parthenon. In October, I looked up flights to Athens from Rome and found one for $125 for this past weekend. It was our long weekend so I would have been able to go for approximately 5-6 days...I am a pretty spontaneous spender (at least my mom would say so), so I almost instantly took up the offer on the cheap flight. As far as I was concerned Athens would be my home for my final weekend in Europe. Then something clicked inside of me--I wanted to spend my last weekend in Europe, in the country that I had lived in for the entire semester. Thank god for that decision.

Apparently Italy is not the only European country that has student protests, riots, and strikes. Greece does too.

Currently, students are rioting like crazy in Greece. And I don't mean 1 million person strike like the one here where students marched through the streets. No, in Greece they are lighting things on fire, destroying hotels, setting off small bombs, and destroying things. It is madness, and I was supposed to be there this past weekend. I can only imagine what my mom would have been emailing me the entire weekend while I was there... "Are you okay?" "Has your hostile, or apartment been lit on fire" "Let me know when you are back in Rome safe." No worries Mom, I am safe and sound in my lovely Roman apartment. But I still worry about my friend who is seeing all of this out her Athens window...and to think I almost went to Athens this past weekend...

If you would like to read the assosicated press article:

http://www.mcall.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-eu-greece-riots,0,5381314.story

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