A Lesson in Patience

Morning came too soon and we were up before dawn in order to catch the ferry to Santorini. Even though we were traveling with the same company as yesterday, we were surprised to find that our tickets were for deck seating, meaning exactly that - on the deck. There were some seats inside near the cafe, but there was so many people smoking that the room was hazy and I could hardly breathe. Kaitlyn and I opted to sit underneath the staircase outside, which ended up being okay because we were out of the way and could spread out a little bit. Not to mention, we were out of the direct wind and cold. The ferry left port and everyone on deck was cheering, whistling, and waving to family on the shore below. Some people even had signs hanging off the sides saying what I imagined to be the Greek equivalent of "Santorini or bust." It was quite a sight to see.

With eight hours ahead of me, I put in my iPod and took some me and God time, which was very refreshing. After journalling about the past few days, I finished my note taking on the book Kaitlyn and I have been reading, Soul Cravings, and then started reading Mere Christianity. I'm loving the time I have to read for fun! With all of the reading we had for classes, I had almost forgotten how much I loved reading. Mom can tell you, I was born a reader. When I was little, our neighbor Mr. Miller used to turn my books upside down as a joke. I'd look at him like he was crazy and turn it right back around. Mom even has pictures of me, asleep with a book open across my chest. Give me a good book and I'm a happy girl.

After about an hour, my blissful time of reading was no longer enough to keep me happy. Just let me tell you how awful the remainder of the ferry was... it gets significantly better, don't worry! I just need a second to vent.

It was freezing outside and I'm convinced that people secretly plotted against us by declaring the stairs as the designated smoking spot. We began our search for seating but were not the first to go against the system. People were sitting on every surface imaginable and there were about 300 screaming teenagers running rampant around the boat. We decided to camp out in a hallway near a stairway, but that plan failed. We were near a heavy metal door that people kept walking through and Kaitlyn got hit six times. I went to the bathroom and stepped in vomit on the way from someone getting sea sick, and that was only the beginning. People were running for the bathrooms left and right, some only making it to the nearest trash can. I was disgusted, claustrophobic, and about at my wit's end. The kids were loud and rude and I was so frustrated. They sat in the stairway, blocking traffic from both directions and didn't even get up to let by an elderly woman with a cane. Thankfully some of the ferry's staff came to the rescue and made them leave the area, but not until halfway through the ferry ride. Needless to say, we could NOT wait to get to the awaiting paradise, the beautiful isle of Santorini.

We're only on Day #8 of our month-long adventure, but I feel like it has been so much longer for what I've learned and experienced. On the train from Maastricht to Venice, I wrote in my journal that "over the next month, I'm bound to feel overwhelmed and frustrated. Use this time to mold me into the person you've created me to be." I have LOVED traveling and I am SO enjoying everything I'm getting to see. That being said, there have been a couple times I've been fatigued, worried, anxious, and frustrated as plans have changed or things have not been so "comfy." But I asked for this, right? :) God follows through on His promise that He is enough, and I am learning to be completely and utterly dependent on Him.

One of the sermon podcasts I listened to recently was about contentment. Josh Patterson from The Village Church in Dallas said, "contentment is a learned experience." God loves to pour blessings on us, and I consider this study abroad program a huge blessing. In Philippians Paul talks about having plenty and being in need, and being content despite the circumstances. Sometimes God gives us times of need purely for the experience so that we will learn to be content. I have everything I could ever want or need, but the times of travel trials remind me that He is sufficient. My favorite thing from the sermon was this: "the more confidence you have that He is who He says He is, He does what He says He does, then circumstances become irrelevant."

We figured the reason why the boat was so crazy was because of the strike. Our boat arriving in Patras yesterday was the last one coming in or going out until this morning, so if anyone had previously made reservations for Thursday, they were most likely put on our boat. It was entirely too crowded but I mean, what can you do? It's just another unpredictable event that will be added to my travel journal, and a memory of true perseverance.

I'm praising God for the fun that I'm having! The joys of traveling far surpass any temporal frustrations we encounter. After all, these stories of traveling mishaps are kind of hilarious after the fact. I'll look back on them and think, "yep, I got through that." As Kaitlyn and I like to say, "do it for the blog." And that, my friends, is the tale of the worst ferry ride of all time. Everyone on the ship was crowded around the door to the exit, just waiting to make a run for it to escape the vessel. There were so many of us that instead of using the escalator exit, they took us through the galleys below where the cars were stowed away, and they lowered the huge ramp for us to exit. It was like something from a movie... when the ramp hit the dock, we all started running and there were cheers echoing from all over the ship. Joanna and I kissed the sweet, Santorini ground and couldn't believe we made it out alive! Haha, oh my goodness... I have videos and pictures of the whole ordeal, so I'll have to share those with you once I get home.

We checked into our hostel - San Giorgio Villas - and we love it! It's right near the Fira main square so we have access to a lot of shops and restaurants. We reunited with Rachel and Brittany who decided to go to Greece a few days earlier, as well as Jazzy, Taylor, and Bri. Together the 11 of us enjoyed a tasty Greek meal at a place called Naoussa, where the waiters constantly said "oopa!" like you hear in all the Greek movies. Oh man, everyone is SO nice here! I love it!

Okay, time to turn in for the night so I can enjoy a day of soaking up the Santorini sun! We're going to get an early start and try to rent a few ATV's to ride around the island. I've heard rumor that we can take a donkey ride down to the beach, and if given the opportunity I'm totally in! I just hope I don't fall off like Tibby did in Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2. Oh which reminds me, Rachel is taking us to see the house where they filmed the movie! I'm so incredibly excited, and I can't wait to enjoy the beach and this beautiful weather.

Good night from Greece! Love you guys!