The Santorini Eight

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  Athens, Attica, Greece
Monday, October 13, 2008

Wreath of Roses called me yesterday to break the news that she and seven other students were stranded on the island of Santorini. The ferries do not sail if the winds are too high or the Aegean is too choppy, and the students' ferry back to Athens after their weekend of relaxation and sightseeing was cancelled. Wreath was particularly concerned about my reaction to the news that they'd be missing Monday classes because she had a presentation scheduled in my class Monday morning. "I feel like I'm calling my parents to tell them I'm in jail," she said. But I understood. The further into October we get, the more dangerous the seas. I'd rather they stay on the island for an extra day and be safe.

So with the absence of the Santorini Eight, I had a whopping three students in my Rhetorical Criticism class and five students in Persuasion. This was a bit disappointing because I had spent days and days researching the lesson plan for Crit about the Greek's veto of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia's application to join NATO and the European Union. The roots of the conflict between Greece and FYROM over the use of the word "Macedonia" go all the way back to Alexander the Great, and include some very complicated Balkan history and politics. All of that work to prepare a class for three students.

Dutch, Nurse Cubby, and Chaplain got back from their day trip to Corinth and told us all about their Corinthian adventures over gyros from the beloved Red Door.

Then after a siesta (blessed Mediterranean nap, may you forever reign), we joined Gramma and then made a huge dinner of Greek salad, pastitsio (sort of like Greek lasagna, but with nutmeg), and potato salad. They had heard the Macedonia issue mentioned by their tour guide in Corinth, so after dinner we decided to play school. I lined my friends up on the couch and delivered my Macedonia lecture again to more "students." They only nodded off a little bit. :-)

After dinner, Gramma convinced me to buy my two favorite songs from iTunes. I'll have them on the computer to listen to whenever I want now, and the BibFem Four were curious to hear a sample of this nerdy prog metal I've been telling them about. I sang the songs for them and they decided it wasn't as bone-griningly terrible as they expected it to be (the musical genre, not my singing, which probably WAS bone-grindingly terrible). Their presence is nourishing.

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Yugoslavian Macedonia vs. Greek Macedonia

If only all my students were so enraptured

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