Chios, Greece

Kirk left early this week, but before he left, we decided to explore one of the closest Greek islands, Chios. A 1.5 hour bus ride deposited us in Cesme where we caught the hour-long ferry to the island. An auspicious beginning to our trip, we were escorted by a pod of dolphins across the water. They torpedoed up next to the boat, frolicked in the wake for a few minutes, then left as quickly as they had appeared.

We rented a car and spent two days exploring the mountainous island. Ignoring the skull and crossbones on the road signs, we found beautiful deserted beaches beyond. We explored stone-walled villages and ate at cafes (ordering by mime). On our last night, we found a little restaurant in a quiet harbor and watched the Greek nightlife pass by as we ate mezes and fish, throwing increasingly larger pieces of bread into the sea to if we could start a fish feeding frenzy (we could).

After being in Turkey this long, I realize I take for granted my ability to use Turkish to accomplish everyday tasks. We foolishly went to Greece without knowing even a word of the language. It worked out, but I would recommend a bit more preparation.

I am back now during the last two weeks of school (finals) and preparing for the upcoming conference and summer camp that I have been madly planning. I also agreed to do some work for the Ministry of Education, editing one of their ESL books, so my time is spoken for. The weekend away was a refreshing break. Come July 1, I hope to have some free time!

Still no word on what next year will hold. On June 15, the English Languge Fellow program will begin to offer the "hard to fill" positions to returning fellows. Unfortunately, the appointments that are still available look like ones that I wouldn't be very excited about (with the exception of Brazil), so I have started to put out my CV elsewhere. After having so much autonomy and ability to be creative in my current position, I feel that I can't go back to a "regular" job. I want work that is fulfilling, challenging, rewarding, and that pays decently. Is that too much to ask?