Classes!

The second week of classes has begun! My schedule has changed slightly:

- Black and White Photography
Our darkroom facilities are...interesting. 5 enlargers in a space barely larger than your average closet, a loading room with a light switch ON THE OUTSIDE, a drying room full of dust....it should be fun. On the other hand, Eric (our teacher) is awesome.

- Philosophy, Life Themes
Less a philosophy class in the classical sense and more a personalized life discussion course. Barry Tagrin, the teacher and director of the whole HISA program, has led a really interesting life and is willing to open up and tell us about it. We talked today about such varied topics as underage abortion, age of consent, cheating/forgiveness, and the concept of god. Fun stuff.

- Creative Writing
Very personalized. I meet with Larry/Barry (both are poets) and George Crane, separately, once a week to discuss my work. So far, they have proven insightful and helpful. I'm hoping to get another short story written in my time here.

- Historical Sites
Don't really have a bearing on this course yet. The first and only class we have taken was essentially a "here is where we're going" sort of thing.

- Theory of Art
I'm torn on this. Its interesting, for sure, but I have been steadily growing away from 'Art' and its criticism since high school. What is interesting about it is that it's taught by a different prof each week, so we should get a fairly varied look at art as a whole.

The island remains beautiful. The sunsets here are unbelievable--they roll in over the ocean with these obscene reds and purples.

On Saturday, we visited the Myceneaen Acropolis above Naoussa as well as circumnavigated a peninsula on the north side of the island. Jarre and I summited the mountain for photos (mine are all analog, so you'll have to wait) and stood on the peak watching the sea spread out from us in turquoises and deep blues. Islands reared up on the horizon, and the sunlight glinted off whitewashed houses crowding their shores. Surprisingly, I didn't burn. A good day.

The strays here are ridiculous. One cat in our complex, once terrified of me, now bothers me constantly for food. I suspect others are feeding and sheltering it.

I walked up to the back gate at 5:30 AM or so last week and found myself face-to-face with a pack of at least 20 dogs, just staring. Back. Away. Slowly.

The island is not quite as safe as we were told, apparently. One girl on our trip was chased by a Rottweiler last week. Another was pushed into a telephone booth by a strange man. Luckily, she had pepper spray on hand (technically illegal in Greece), and fast legs. Some guys in our group took his bike after he stumbled off, clutching his face. I bet he feels silly now!

All in all, life is pretty darn good.