The drive to Rethymno was about an hour, so I spend most of the ride there catching up on most of the sleep I lost the night before. Actually, it's a bit of a story about why I barely slept, but to put it bluntly, when your roommate is having a field day in the bathroom—and said bathroom is directly next to your bed, it's not that easy to fall asleep. Truthfully, I was really worried for Jack because he had just suddenly disappeared from the dinner table, saying that he wasn't feeling well, and when I got back to the room, he was running to our shared bathroom and retching into the toilet. My mom gave me some several emergency pills for nausea and diarrhea, which I didn't think I would have to use, but since Jack was really having it bad, I offered it to him and told him to stay hydrated.
So, yeah. It was not a fun time, but I still had to put that out there!!!
We were zipping through the roads and mountains and I was listening to music in my earphones as soundtrack to the scenery. Our destination was about twenty minutes out from the city, and it was an important historical site in Crete called Arkadi Monastery or Μονή Αρκαδίου (Moní Arkadíou), where the Cretan Revolt against the Ottomans occurred in 1866. It is a hallowed site because as act of revolt, the Cretans burned themselves to death, ever-loyal to the Greek Orthodox Faith. I didn't personally take pictures at the Powder Magazine to respect the people who perished there. It just felt like it would be wrong to take pictures at a place like that. This might sound crazy, but when I was standing in that spot, somehow I felt a little wind rustling through the air, whispering as though it carried remnants of life or ζωή (zoí). Maybe that's what places like that do to you, but I swear, I felt something.
I looked around at more artifacts in the museum portion of the monastery and even got to see some skulls in the old windmill. I was able to see every spot in the guidebook by the time we left the site, and I walked away with a deeper sense of empathy for people's sufferings.
Back from the time that I thought I was going to do the six month co-op in Crete (it did not work out, unfortunately), I heard about Rethymno as being home to University of Crete, or Πανεπιστημιο Κρητης (Panepistimio Kritis). Theodore had described to me as a polytechnic institute, and I knew that it was where the Materials Science Engineering department was located. I didn't get to see the university itself, but it was cool to see the city where I might have done my work! I became good friends with many of the students who would be staying on the island for longer, and while two of them went to check out their apartments, me, Alyssa, and Micaela went for drinks and tacos for lunch!
It was a relaxing two hours. Everyone on the trip was great, but when there's twenty-five people constantly in each other's space for an extended period of time, it can be a very exhausting environment for someone who considers themself an introvert. Being in a smaller group was a great chance for me to recharge and try to have deeper and more meaningful conversations with my peers. We walked around the city streets, dipped our toes in the water, and took pictures by the lighthouse.
Our last activity of the day was the cooking workshop!
We churned out dolmades, or ντολμάδες (stuffed vine leaves) like there was no tomorrow. They were stuffed with rice and chopped fresh vegetables, which we all contributed to. Admittedly, my knife skills are a little bit under-par, but there was no shame in that! It only encouraged me to get better, so I can prepare more tasty dishes like the ones were made while we were here. Homemade pasta was another thing we made, as well as these sweet/sour cheese pies that we made, which reminded me of Philippine empanadas. I loved the dessert a lot—I swear, it was such a simple thing, just chocolate with nuts, but I'm definitely gonna have to make that as a snack for myself back in the United States. The other Maria helped us out a lot and I think she liked our corner of the table. Not to pat myself on the back, but we stayed standing that entire time, 'cause if Maria could stand for that long, so could we!!!
Greek Words
Μονή Αρκαδίου = Moní Arkadíou = Arkadi Monastery
ζωή = zoí = life
Πανεπιστημιο Κρητης = Panepistimio Kritis = University of Crete
ντολμάδες = dolmades = stuffed vine leaves
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