It is only day three of our trip and the drowsy side effects of flying are starting to wear away.  By this point I am extremely surprised to see how well everyone is already catching on to the language.  We had our first real night out in Athens last evening and a long day of sight seeing, along with some shopping time to test out our freshly expanded vocabulary.  It began with a trip to the Parthenon, which was accompanied by a great tour guide.  The short excursion was full of nothing but beautiful sights and interesting history.  We then walked down to the Acropolis museum to see some of the incredible statues that have been uncovered in the past years.  As beautiful as the sights were, the day began to hit its peak for me when we were able to listen to the music of the street performers on our walks to and from the different sights.

After taking a break for the scorching heat to enjoy yet another wonderful meal, we had some time to shop in downtown Athens and practice our new Greek language skills.  With some assistance from the ACG peers, we were able to buy all different kinds of clothing and souvenirs for our families and ourselves. I am amazed at how much we have all learned so far and how incredibly we are all getting along.  It is a great group of people this year and I looking forward to all of the fun things that we have yet to experience!

Blake Buckman