weekend at the beach

This weekend we went to a resort at a beach in Halikidiki, which is about an hour and half away from Thessaloniki. A lot of families who live in the city vacation there for the weekends. The beaches were gorgeous again, as you can tell from the pictures. The one of us in the water is myself and 4 other girls from OU (making coach sano proud, for any of you OUFH'ers out there!). I went on a run yesterday by the beach and had an interesting experience. There are lots of stray dogs in Greece and at one point I turned around and I had a team of about 5 dogs running along with me! At first I started sprinting away from them, but I realized they were harmless.

Today we are back at work again for our client, trying to crack down on our project. We are going out into the city today to hand out surveys to stores that carry our client's products. The last picture I posted is a picture of my group that I have been working with, 3 OU students, one Bulgarian student, and one Greek student - we are a pretty solid group!

Tomorrow night we are taking a sailing trip. I'm looking forward to that, it will be a nice way to spend an evening.

I was happy to hear that the DJD Fight On Golf Tournament went well. I'm glad the weather was nice and that everyone had a great time helping out a good cause. I'm excited to see pictures and hear who the winning foursome was!

hard at work

Yesterday my consulting group that I will be working with (myself and 4 others) got to meet with our client. The company we are working with is called The Pyramis Group and they manufacture sinks and also sell kitchen appliances and bathroom fixtures. They are one of the largest companies in Greece and are headquartered in Thessanoliki. When we arrived at their office, they led us to an amazing conference room, I felt like I was on The Apprentice. The general manager of the company was there and also the son of one of the most successful businessmen in Greece. Needless to say, it was a great experience and I think we will learn a lot in the next to weeks.

Last night we went to a really nice steakhouse and I had a phenomenal filet with a creamy mushroom sauce on top (almost as good as my dad makes). The owner of the restaurant appeared to love Americans and kept giving us free food and drinks and yelling "Opa!". Sometimes it is very challenging to order food at a restaurant if the workers do not speak Greek. We do a lot of pointing and nodding. We only know about 5 Greek phrases, but we use them whenever we can.

The people in Greece are crazy drivers. It seems like there are no traffic laws because I haven't seen a single car pulled over since we've been here. On a two lane highway when cars merge, no one stops to let them on. They just share the lane with you until someone pulls ahead. Don't worry mom, I'm wearing my seatbelt with pride!

Time to get back to work for me - looking forward to our time at Halkidiki Beach this weekend!!

thessaloniki beaches

Yesterday was my favorite day so far. We got to go to Sani Beach in Thessaloniki for the entire day. The weather was perfect and the water was crystal clear and the beaches were filled with white sand. I spent the day lounging on the beach, reading, and listening to music. It was our last day before our consulting project begins, so everyone was trying to soak up as much relaxation as possible.

Thessaloniki is a lot more interesting than most people would think. It is the second largest city in Greece, and in 1997, the European Commision of Commerce declared the city the "cultural center of Europe". There is so much history here. It is amazing to think people have been living here since 315 BC. One of the things I noticed the most here is the pace of the lifestyle. Everyone seems to be so much more laid back than in America. It really makes you appreciate the moment and not to rush through your days in haste. We also go to try some awesome Greek food at lunch yesterday. I discovered how much I love feta cheese, tomatoes, and cucumbers.

The first picture I posted is a picture of the city along the water at sunset. The second picture is a picture of my rommate Lindsey, who is from OU, and our professor Dr. V. The last picture is a picture of the city along the water with the White Tower in the distance. It is a famous landmark in Thessaloniki, and was part of the city wall a long, long time ago. Enjoy!

Off to a good start!

hello everyone!

So far everything has been great on my trip. I arrived in Thessaloniki, Greece yesterday around 2pm (which is 7am EST). We are staying in a hotel in the city for this weekend until Monday when we move into the dorms and begin our consulting project. The hotel is about a block away from the Aegean Sea, so our view is beautiful and the restaurants along the water are awesome.

Last night we stumbled upon a little adventure that turned out to be a lot of fun. We were chatting with friends along the water and noticed a boat decorated in Jamaican colors. We realized the boat was used for an evening reggae music cruise, so we decided to hop on. It turned out to be a lot of fun, we were out on the water for about a half hour and then it brought us back to the pier.

There was also an orchestra performing outside last night in Aristotle Square (a block from our hotel). At one point, we were passing by and we heard them playing the final symphony from the movie August Rush, which is a beautiful song.

Tomorrow we are going to Halkidiki Beach for the day. I think I might try scuba diving! Thanks for reading, hope all is well back home!