November 6
The
last day, the ultimate, the culmination and reflection of all things past. We
woke up to pouring rain. I like to think Greece was crying that we were
leaving. At this point I would also like to point out how amazing the weather
has been the ENTIRE trip. We had maybe 3 days of rain altogether, and the rest
has been clear sunny skies; just how I like it!
Today we visited one last art museum, which pretty
much summarized our entire trip. It had various artifacts from every island we
have been to as well as Turkey and the mainland of Greece. Then we ran through the rain getting last minute
presents. Dan bought a beautiful bouzkie (traditional Greek guitar) while I
attempted to play one. Although it was a little chilly and wet the rain was
refreshing and renewing. It felt good to walk around barefoot along the street
(my rainbows had turned into ice skates along the wet marble) I could not help
but smile about everything.
At four we departed the hotel for a group dinner.
The food was amazing and we had our own private area on top of the restaurant
which was perfect for our excited group. At the end of diner we shared
gratitude. A week ago we picked names out of a bag and that was our person for
which we were supposed to make a present and share gratitude. I picked someone
who I had gotten to know through our morning runs, Jessica, our Resident
Counselor. Through our conversations she had told me about an adventure she is
about to take: going to Antarctica to be a driver for the McMurdon base. So for
her gift I made an adventure guide. On the back I drew the map of Antarctica
with labels which corresponded to my top 15 places to go and things to do along
with fun facts and “bucket list” ideas such as licking an iceberg or traveling
to the physical North Pole. I presented this to her along with a card full of
my gratitude for her hard work and support throughout this trip. I am so
grateful that our morning runs had brought us together in this way.
Elissa, my scuba buddy, had me and she wrote me a
book of travel tips which related to our trip. It was so hilarious and
meaningful. She even included a map because she knows I tend to get lost. It
was a perfect, thoughtful gift. Everyone’s gratitude was very touching and no
two gifts were the same. That moment, along with group scuba day and group
cooking day were my group highlight moments of the trip, where I felt so
grateful and at harmony with the group and the entire trip. I am so grateful
for each and every person as everyone contributed so much to this “one grand
brotherhood” we have created.
After dinner we got ice cream and headed over to church
for Wednseday night service, which was read in both English and Greek! The
members were so welcoming and loving. It reminded me of San Juan Society on
Thanksgiving where we do a translation of everything including testimonies and
gratitude. I was in such a sense of gratitude that I even stood up and shared
about my gratitude for One Mind, which I do not usually do. The service
concluded with Hymn 51, which has a lot of meaning to my dad and his brother,
and hugs and kisses from all of the members. This service on top of gratitude
dinner made me feel so loved and genuinely content with everything about the
trip and Christian Science.
If my day wasn’t already perfect, I packed up in
record timing and four of us: Dan, Molly, Dallen, and I walked up to Mars Hill
which is the hill across from the Acropolis. This was the cherry on top of the
entire day. We sat upon that hill with a view of history glowing as it lit up
against the hill and the city twinkling around us. This is the Hill, which Paul
preached on in Acts, and this is the hill on which we reflected and shared
memories of the trip.
I would like to thank you all for taking the time
to read my blog. This trip has been so harmonious and I know it is because of
all the love and support I have received from you all and for that I thank you
from the bottom of my heart. This has been a trip of a lifetime and it has gone
above and beyond in exceeding every expectation I have had. If there is one
word I could use to describe this trip it would be harmonious.
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