Ain't No Mountain High

If you had asked me five days ago to climb a mountain at five o' clock in the morning, I probably would have asked you where you got your shrooms. Being completely honest, here, I pretty much win the gold medal in laziness. Nevertheless, five-thirty this morning found me joining a handful of adventurous students to hike the treacherous trail up Mt. Hymettos. This is one of those situations in which YOLO becomes the primary driving force. You really do only live once, and while I'm here I plan on taking advantage of every opportunity thrown my way. Six mile hike up a rocky mountain? NBD, I've been needing a good workout, anyway.

Though the trek really was dangerous and difficult, especially once we left the safety of the pavement, the view made every step worth it. We stopped for a break just as the sun was rising, and watched light cascade over the entire city of Athens like a sheet.

It was actually not as physically strenuous as I was expecting. I may have sniffled a little because of the cold, but other than that I was being a real trouper. Long runs on the beach have really payed off, probably with a little help from mom's workout videos of death. It wasn't until we kept reaching false summits that I began questioning my mentality. Really, the highest peak would look so close, and then Mr. Dr. Kaplan would look up to point out Chase still climbing several yards above everyone else. So close, yet so far.

I made it though, and that's all that matters. Now I can legitimately say that I have climbed to the top of a mountain, rather than banking on my little walks through the Appalachian trail as hiking experience. It was hard, but I really did feel like we accomplished something amazing this morning, living out the adventures that some only dream about. I mean, we climbed a mountain and watched the sun rise over Athens all before nine o'clock in the morning. I'd say that's pretty badass.

After a three hour nap (hey, it was only like, 10am, we deserved a little sleep), Rebecca, Lauren, and I set off on a journey for bakeries and cheap food. We, of course, ended up getting well and truly lost. It started as a simple walk down to the main street of our neighborhood. Then we got bored and decided to see what was down another street...more houses and apartments. So we kept turning....and walking straight...and turning...and walking straight. Until finally we ended up walking down this huge road with lots of cars and stores.

Throughout this entire trip, I'd never felt the enormity of the language barrier until that adventure. So far we've always had Drs. Kaplan around to help us order food and such, or someone in the store was able to speak English. Very few people understood what we were asking, and when we did find an old couple who understood English, they walked away. While the getting lost was great fun, it was a bit frustrating trying to find our way back home with no ability to ask for directions. 

Finally, we ended up miraculously deciding to keep going in a certain direction before coming upon the playground across from our dorms. I guess once God decided we'd had enough adventure time he brought us right back home, safe and sound. It was a great learning experience, and now we know where to find the Greek Pizza Hut downtown.

The night ended with a reception for our entire dorms, including the students from other schools. It was a little awkward, though, since we're all so used to being a close-knit group. Mingling was pretty much nonexistent They seem nice enough, though. As long as they don't start playing "Call Me Maybe" at four o'clock in the morning through loud speakers, we should be in the clear.

Well, after bonding time with ice cream and Tangled, I'm pretty much exhausted. Wish us luck, tomorrow is our first venture onto campus for orientation!