Tuesday students woke up to attended orientation. The University of Indianapolis, Athens hosted the students in the main lecture hall where the students filled out their registration information and were welcomed by the heads of the AHEPA educational foundation. Dr. Jim Dimitriou had all of the students give their hometowns and names during orientation as the Journey students found out how small the world really is! Many students reside in the same areas as other but have never crossed paths and now were becoming close as fellow AHEPA Journey to Greece members. After the registration, the students attended their first day of classes with a great eagerness to begin their coursework. The first day of classes admittedly is more of an administrative endeavor, but nonetheless each Journey student found each of their professors to be excellent. After the last class had adjourned, students were rushing to change for the opening of the AHEPA national convention. The convention opened on Tuesday with his Eminence Archbishop Demetrios giving a speech that praised both the efforts of the AHEPA in the United States and in Greece. The opening was spectacular. The students walked out of the meeting hall and into a beautiful reception with live entertainment and miniaturized food; there were tiropites that were rolled up like eggrolls! Students mingled with all of the AHEPA and Greek brass talking about politics and the experiances that each student had on the trip so far. All of the students had a great time and walked back to their apartments to rest up for the next day's classes after the event was over.
On Wednesday, students attended their first day of full classes (1 hour 50 min. each). Some of the students with early morning classes managed to make it to the beach, for the rest of us who were not so fortunate; we ended up getting frappe's across the street from the UINDY campus to combat the Athens summer heat. With the end of classes on Wednesday, students found themselves going to a glendi that was hosted for the national convention. A few of the students took pictures with the Supreme President of AHEPA, and some of the students DANCED with the Supreme President. The night was one filled with excitement and fellowship as non-journey convention attendees Greek danced with the students during Kotsari and Sirto. The students were served a full dinner at the glendi, the meat was so tender that it could be cut with a fork, it was the best food many of the students have had on the trip so far.
