It's Been A While...

It's been quite a while since I last blogged. I struggle with blogging in the first place, because my relationship with this online journal is a bit of a love/hate. I love the idea of be able to document and share more than just a mere status and a couple of pictures. The hate part is more of just a I-don't-have-anything-that-important-to-say. Since it has been so long however, I do have a few updates:

1. I am no longer in Greece studying abroad. 

2. I spent the last four months of my undergraduate career completing a thesis on redemption through suffering, which is, by the way, something I never believed I could do.

3. I AM ENGAGED TO THE SWEETEST MAN IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD!

4. I have struggled, learned, and grown so much more in the past four years of my life than I have ever consciously been aware of. It's been incredibly positive and beautiful. Although I am currently in this awkward phase of fresh-out-of-college-where--da-heck-am-I-going, it also feels like a strange kind of magical.

Aside from desperately searching for a full-time job, I have found myself using all of the extra post-grad, no homework time to do the things that I love; building relationships with the genuine people God has put into my life and to collaborate and feed off of other artists, their ideas, their words, and their presence.

Exhibit A: 

A recent makeup shoot with my dear friend and wonderfully talented makeup artist, Kailen Hodge

(You can follow her on Instagram, and very soon, Facebook too!)

P.S. We will be doing a couple of model shoots a month. Shoot us an e-mail at alexiswinstonphotography@gmail.com if you are interested in participating as a model!

Sundays are the Best Days

I'm not sure if there are words to describe how much I love Sundays. In Greece, the church bells still ring. The morning streets are quiet and slow, and as you near the church, you begin to hear the distant chanting. Jenna, Josh, and I attended St. Gerassimos this morning and the church was full with little standing room left. The church was bright, allowing much sunlight. The iconography was particularly beautiful with bold colors. The hymns and prayers being chanted seemed to bounce off the walls and fill the air. It was one of those liturgies where you can truly feel His presence and the sense of unification within the community. After liturgy we met new friends and went for cappuccinos and frappes, and got to know each other through broken Greek and English conversations. We stopped at a sweet shop on our walk home before we parted ways. It was a day of Christ, coffee, community, and successful studying.  There is no way to describe it other than perfect.

The Church of St. Theodora in Vasta

On little planning and even lesser sleep, Jenna and I began our 14-hour journey at 6 am. We walked to the metro in Syntagma, took the sub-rail to Eleonas, and walked another 10 minutes to the Kifissos bus hub. We bought a round trip ticket to Megalopolis and discussed life and books over the 3.5 hour bus ride each way. Being that tourist season is over, the small town of Megalopolis was slow and quiet. We took a taxi over the mountain to Vasta to see the quiet miraculous church of St. Theodora. 

The story of St. Theodora is of a young, pious girl who grew up in a poor Orthodox family in the ninth century. She so desired a life of virginity that she went to the only monastery in the area. The problem is that it was a men's monastery. She presented herself as a male and introduced herself to the abbot as Theodore. Theodora becomes an exceptional monastic, fully trustworthy, and takes on the labors of the male monastics with obedience. At a point when famine had taken over, the abbot asked her to go door to door of the Christian households and ask for bread. In one household there was a young girl that was secretly pregnant and accused Theodore of raping her in order to hide her shame. Many people from the village became infuriated and rushed to the monastery to take revenge on Theodore. Theodora takes her sentence with meekness, and like a lamb to the slaughter, she utters no word in her own defense. She is dragged to the village of Vasta and there is killed, likely by beheading. Before Theodora's martyrdom, she said this prayer: that her body becomes a temple, her hair trees, and her blood a stream of water. It is only then that the disguise is revealed, that she was a woman and not a man. The villagers mourn for their dreadful mistake and the abbot and monks of the monastery are left speechless. 

Today there stands a chapel, a small stream flowing around it, and trees growing from it's roof with no sign of roots. To this day the church cannot be scientifically explained. You can read more about the science of it here. 

Studies @ Stadium

The past month we have been getting to know our neighborhood in Παγκράτι and very quickly, found our favorite cafe and homework spot, Stadium. We have yet to find another cafe that gives you a cappuccino and a bottle of water for €1.50. We pass it every morning on our walk to school and have gotten to know the owners very well. When they're not teasing us, they help us practice our Greek and give us free treats or alcohol when we stay there to study. Today, we finally got a picture with one of our new friends! Yay!

Pictures from Santorini

Despite the island's reputation, Santorini was never a place I desired to visit. Its blue water, white sand beaches, and quaint white houses look beautiful on postcards, but my idea of traveling is not exactly the vacation type. If I am spending the time and money to fly across the world, the last thing I want to do is run around sightseeing, drink a cold beer, and lay out on the beach. 

Our weekend plans to Santorini happened overnight and I was grateful to travel with Markella. She has a heart of gold, and as you can tell from the photographs, a smile and laugh of pure joy. Together, in the "Disneyland" of Greece, we were able to practice our Greek and were flattered when locals asked if were indeed Greek or maybe Australian. We ate chocolate and nuts for breakfast every morning, paid a whole 3 Euros for Greek coffees, watched the sunset in Oia, had ice cream with the Yiayiades, swam in the hot springs and mud bath before hiking the famous volcano, and danced with our "toast". 

Although the weekend was truly a gift, we agreed that the only thing missing was our families. <3

Glory to God for all things.

(Above two photos, PC: Markella Patitsas)

4:12 PM

I can’t believe it is Sunday again! I haven’t journaled or blogged in exactly a week. I am on the bus back to Athens, but feel like I literally just left for my weekend in Florina. Where is the time going?

Needless to say, it has been the best week spent with my family. Meeting my cousin’s adorable kiddies for the first time was so worth every page of reading and homework that I neglected.

Also, what kind of a photographer leaves her extra battery and camera charger in the States when she is going abroad? What is wrong with me?

P.S. Aren't they muffins?

2:22 PM

Liturgy, kafeneio, pastry shop, and long conversations on the balcony with good parea. Happy Sunday!