General Information

Well, it finally feels like we're here! In case you want to send a letter:

Sarah Bay
Harding University in Greece
37 Klm Porto Rafti Avenue, Markopoulou
Attiki, Greece 19003

And the classes I'll be taking:

ODD DAYS:
9 Paul
10-11:30 Humanities
11:40-12:30 Sociology
12:45 Chapel
1:30 Lunch

EVEN DAYS:
9:00 Christian Home
12:45 Chapel
1:30 Lunch
3:00 Aerobics
4:00 Greek

Our first little excursions are this weekend. I'll have pictures and stories after then for sure.

Greek Greetings

Well, we have safely arrived in Porto Rafti - tired - yes, sore from so much sitting - yes, sick of airports and airplanes - yes, massively excited - heck yes.

Glasses begin tomorrow, which is insanity. Wednesday should be a very exciting day - UEFA Champions league final will be held in Athens at the Olympic Stadium, and they said they're expecting 40,000 people from England and Italy to be coming for the game. I think I could very easily get caught up in the football hype.

It's just under 2 weeks until we go to Egypt, which I can't even believe.

Actually, I still can't really believe that we're here. It's a little surreal, but it's definitely starting to sink in.

So is the jet lag, so I'll have more for you later.

Stop the World, I Want to Get On!

Well, gang, I'm off to Greece for the summer.

I'll do my best to make updates here, so everyone can keep tabs on what is happening on the far side of the world.

Love you!

Bisons for Obama

Well, the political arena is heating up. The debates have begun; we've had the first Democratic one, and the first Republican one is coming up in just a few days. People are starting to take interest and get involved.

I am actually very excited to say that I'm doing the same. This will be my first presidential election to vote in, and I'm really anxious to take part and be involved.

I went to a meeting for Bisons for Obama tonight, and I've started to get excited about campaigning for Barack Obama. I've been continuing my research, and just to start with, something that encourages me most about, besides his personality and speaking capabilities, is his willingness to move across party lines in order to get things done. He, like many others, has spoken about changing the extreme partisanship in Washington, but unlike some others, he has made strides toward making it happen. He's been involved in a few different projects that have paired him with Republicans, and those projects have had positive results. I think working to decrease the strict party lines is an admirable goal.

Also, SelectSmart rates Obama as a 72% match for me, the highest of any candidate. While I know an online quiz is by no means authoritative, it's nice to see that he and I think along the same lines.

I encourage you all to start doing your research for the 2008 election, and to take time to get to know what kind of candidate Barack Obama is.

If I Ever Leave This World Alive

Every once and awhile, a band comes along that just feels good. No matter how long you go without listening to any of their music, the second you turn it back on and hear the first few chords, you can't help but smile.

I'm experiencing that this very minute, and it's every bit as refreshing as a breath of spring air.

I first heard Flogging Molly my junior year of high school, I think. They played at Warped Tour in 2004, and it was there that I had the great pleasure to see them. Senior year of high school and freshman year of college saw them quickly becoming an obsession, and I still count them among my absolute favorites.

I also credit them, just a bit, for helping to get Jeff and me together (after the little Destiny bit - thanks for that, Kristina). In the summer of 2006, they released a CD/DVD called Whiskey on a Sunday, which Jeff and I went to see together. The documentary increased my appreciation for them tenfold. There was a period after its release that I listened to almost nothing else.

The word that comes to the front of my mind when thinking of FM is unique. There's not much about them that is duplicated throughout the music industry. They are a seven member band fronted by a 45 year old Irishman. Their sound is somewhere in the middle of traditional Irish music and punk rock, even though all they ever really set out to do was make great music, free of any label. They consistently use instruments people don't associate with punk - a tin whistle, a banjo, a mandolin, a fiddle, an accordion - but they still rock harder than the majority of their peers (don't believe me, try a concert). They began in 1997, playing every Monday night at Molly Malone's in Los Angeles for a number of years, and they still managed to break out of the bar band stigma.

They've released a live album, 3 studio albums, and the CD/DVD. The live album, Alive Behind the Green Door, was recorded at Molly Malone's in 1997. Their studio albums are Swagger (200o), Drunken Lullabies (2002), and Within a Mile of Home (2004). The documentary is completely worth it - it chronicles the amazing history of an amazing band.

I can't really say enough about them, because the music speaks for itself. Do yourself a favor and go listen.




Left to right: Bob Schmidt, Nathan Maxwell, Dennis Casey, Dave King, Bridget Regan, Matt Hensley (sadly, no longer with the band), George Schwindt