The Market, Gyros, and Family Dinner

Just a quick update on the past couple days. We have done so much, it is hard to keep everything straight. Yesterday was Friday, no classes whoohoo! So we hit up the Farmer's Market down the street from our apartments, best idea ever! Yanna, our Greek professor was telling us in class that the market was the best place to get fresh produce and pretty much anything else they sell there, and she was so right. I figured that since its so fresh and delicious that it would be way more expensive than most of the stuff found at the super market, but I was so wrong. We bought potatoes, garlic, apples, bananas, grapes, eggs, lemons, and more for really cheap! I love the atmosphere down there as well. Everyone is yelling, trying to get you to buy their food instead of the stand next to them, when it is all relatively the same. It's so different from any other Farmer's Market I've been to. At home, usually I'm the only person yelling at the market and everyone thinks I'm crazy! You can smell the fresh olives from a block away, I wish I could send everyone back home the smells and sights of this place. It is such a big part of their culture you can tell by the way the little Greek women are buying everything in bulk to last all week, and it is nothing out of the ordinary. Meanwhile, all of us foreign college kids stand in the midst of everything, dumbstruck by how great this all is. 

We were so proud of all that we discovered!

An endless amount of Greek olives.

We have discovered the greatness of Gyros on the go. I think I have had about ten since I've been here and that is a small number compared to many other people. Down on the corner of the square where we spend a lot of time is this amazing Gyro place, and SO cheap. We go there almost everyday, and hopefully soon we will learn to read the menu so we can order something else! 

Chicken and Pork Gyro meat grilling away! 

I believe Derek has the record for most Gyro's consumed so far. 

Last night we cooked our first big meal at home. The boys downstairs, Caitlin, Tori, Kristina and I combined forces to have a fabulous dinner. We had so much fun making it, with our amazing fresh food from the market, we felt so domestic! Once everything was done we crowded around our little dinning room table, and some one made the comment that we were "so Greek" in that moment. We had gone to the market to find food, made it at home, were eating at 9 at night, drinking only with dinner, and having intelligent conversations about classes. Sounds way cheesy and it was but I'm glad we are all adjusting so well already. After dinner everyone from the other building joined us for some fun before a bunch of them went out. I didn't join because I was so exhausted from a long first week. I have an overwhelming amount of homework to get done in the next couple days, so I have to get on it! More updates to come soon! 

Tori, Caitlin, and I in the apartment waiting for dinner to finish cooking

We prepared our first home-cooked meal!