Day 3: Beach Day!

This was the last free day before the official start of the class, so I tried to make the most of it. We had an earlier start with the day, and breakfast was served at nine in the morning. I think my favorite part of the breakfast was the Greek yogurt, which is topped with local honey on top—I don't think I've ever had any yogurt in America that has ever lived up to that level of goodness. Afterwards, I went with Jack and Maggie to grab sunscreen and coffee from the same café, and I ordered a hot cappuccino this time. Coffee tastes unreal. I heard that the coffee beans grown here tend to be a lot drier, due to the hot climate, which gives them a stronger and more bitter taste. Personally, I like this a lot, and will miss it when I go to back to the States.

As for the beach, I didn't go into the water, but I enjoyed sitting on the sand and talking with the other people there. Though the temperature was supposed to be around sixty degrees, it felt as though it was about ten degrees hotter. Like, there was not a single cloud in the sky, and the sun was just beaming down on everyone. I think the exhaustion from the beach and the gyros we ate later caused me to crash in bed when I got back to the hotel. Later in the evening, we all met up at the hotel for dinner and had our orientation for the trip. We also got sweatshirts with our names on it! Dinner was really delicious, and it kind of descended into a karaoke party with Amina as the DJ. George, one of the owners of the hotel, disappeared and returned with a disco ball light and a microphone! People were making plans to go clubbing tonight, but I was already having a blast with the music and lights.

I don't think I'm much of a party person, so I think I made a good decision standing by my principles and not feeling pressured to go to the city and "live it up" tonight, even if it is probably the only night we will be able to. The taxi was already pretty expensive from yesterday, and I wasn't in the mood to throw around the cash and play the designated friend who make sure that everyone gets back home safe. On top of that, we're supposed to have an early start with the class tomorrow, and I don't want to be tired and hungover for my birthday. Yes, my birthday is tomorrow—I don't have any specific plans, but hopefully I get to do some shopping before I go home!