Friday, June 8, 2012

Friday, June 8, 2012

I woke up at 3:30 am and took a shower. I got all of my stuffy ready, sent a quick “leaving Tirana now” email to some family members and close friends, and ran downstairs to the van with all my stuff. I sat in the front seat and didn’t put all my stuff in the back with everyone else’s. Theodhori had told the van driver where to go to drop me off, and when we got there Fr. Luke helped me meet the guy who sold me my ticket. He didn’t speak Greek, but he did speak English, thankfully :) I said goodbye to Fr. Luke and then the rest of the group was off to the airport! I went into the office and payed for my ticket (25 euro=3500 lek), then the guy (who was very nice) told me which bus to get on. I ran down the street and grabbed a breakfast sandwich from a little restaurant and then went back on the bus.

We pulled out (unexpectedly to me) a few minutes before 5:00. We were off on various roads in the general direction of “Selanik,” as the Albanians call Thessaloniki. I knew that Thessaloniki was southeast of Tirana, and at one point it looked like we were going west (the sun behind us). I was all alone, with no cell phone, and didn’t speak the country’s language. I kept having doubts, and fears that this was going to Moscow, Kiev, Paris or London or something, or that I got on the wrong bus, or something to that extent. I was also worried that at some point I would have to change buses and wouldn’t know that and would end up in Athens, or back in Tirana or something.

I got up the courage to ask a gentleman who was sitting across the aisle from me: “Κύριε, μιλάτε Ελληνικά; - Sir, do you speak Greek? ” “Ναι, μιλάω – Yes, I speak. [smile]” He turned out to be very friendly and helpful. His name is Photios. He is Albanian but from what I could gather he worked in Greece for many years and he’s done this trip many times. I asked him if I needed to change buses. He told me no. He was very nice, polite, and helpful throughout the entire trip.

We stopped in Korça at the bus station (which was nowhere near the Cathedral, from what I could tell – I had wanted to run over there during our 20 minute stop if it was close enough). I opened my computer and checked for internet – not to be found. Oh well. I plugged it in and continued catching up on blogs from the last week. I bought a little more food – a sandwich, I believe. I asked Mr. Photios if I could use his cell phone to call my aunt in Greece and let her know where I was, etc. I didn’t understand his answer – something about waiting until Greece because his phone is weird or something. He asked for me at the service desk at the bus station and they said they couldn’t call outside the country, I believe. He then asked his daughter who was able to call on her phone. I talked to Thia and let her know where I was, and that I would let her know as I got closer and as I was able.

When they called “SELANIK!!!” I hopped right back on the bus – didn’t want to take any chances of it pulling away without me! :)

Our next stop was the border.  And what an interesting stop it was! We waited around for hours. First they came through the bus and took everyone’s passport. At the same time some vendors came on, wanting to sell newspapers. When we got out to wait, people came around with trays of sausage-french fry sandwiches and waters. I didn’t want to trust the meat out here but when I saw someone come out of a building with what looked like a few fresher sandwiches I decided to buy one to tide me over. It turned out to be fine :)

After an hour or more we got back on the bus and pulled into the actual border itself. We unloaded our bags from the bottom of the bus and opened them on a table for the border  staff to inspect. Then we closed them and put them back underneath the bus. We got our passports back and got back on the bus, and pulled into another spot where we waited for at least 20 minutes. Nearby was a bathroom. This bathroom was unmarked as to which side was men’s and women’s. I went in where I saw the men going. There were toilets without seats (supposedly called Turkish toilets – why would anyone want that?!), stalls without doors (talk about privacy!), and sinks without soap. And it was dirty and there were flies. But I tried to remember what Metropolitan John had said. At least I was going to Greece!

While we were stopped there, there was a kid named Andreas who came on the bus (presumably a roma/beggar?). He was very charming and started singing. Some people gave him candy or little coins. I called him over to my seat and started talking to him with the 20 words of Albanian that I know. He also speaks a little Greek (a lot more than I speak Albanian!) so that was helpful. He is 11 years old. We made some small talk and played some hand games (putting one hand on a table, then the other’s hand on top, and so on). I mainly wanted him to feel loved and cared about. I didn’t want to give him anything, but wanted him to feel like a normal kid. However I was able to do that, I tried to.

Once we started moving (Andreas had left) and I realized we were in Greece, the landscape seemed the same as in Albania, except for the little churches dotting seemingly every mountain and plane. Street signs were also different :) I called my aunt several times from Mr. Photios’s phone which apparently worked in Greece. I let her know where we were and our ETA. At one point we stopped for 20-30 minutes at a little restaurant ("because people are hungry," Mr. Photios told me). I was hungry too, but just wanted to get there! No more stops, please!!

We arrived at the Κ.Τ.Ε.Λ. (KTEL) bus station around 4:30, if I remember correctly. My aunt and my cousin were waiting inside, but the bus only dropped us off outside, opened to let us get our bags, and then kept going. I called Thia again from Mr. Photios’s phone and told her we were outside. She seemed surprised that the bus wouldn’t enter the station. They came out and I greeted them, introduced them to Mr. Photios, heartfeltly thanked him, and went with them to their car. They took me to their apartment where I was able to call home to tell my parents that I arrived safely. After a few hours there, hanging out, eating, etc., they took me to my yiayia (actually my uncle's mother-in-law whom I call grandmother) with whom I stayed for five days (see the brief journal about Greece, later).

I wanted to go to the “vigil” in the crypt of St. Demetrios church. I thought it started around 8 or 9, and I knew that the Holy Cross senior trip was going to be there that night. I got there at 10:00 and they were giving out antidoron. Turns out is Divine Liturgy by itself, not a full vigil, and it starts at 8:30. Oh well. I said hi to the seniors and then went out to a little outdoor street-side restaurant where they ordered gyros, etc. I hung out and talked to them for about an hour, about various things – how their trip was going, how my trip was going, typikon, their upcoming trip to Mount Athos, and random other things. Then I walked with some of them down to Egnatia, the main boulevard, to a bus station where I caught a bus that took me close to Yiayia’s apartment.