Begining of Lessons

Another splendid day dawns on Crete.  Following the breakfast buffet (oh, what is finer than to start the day with creamy delicious Cretan yogurt?) Sam led us in our team meeting.  We enjoyed Cathy’s journal of yesterday and her chosen quote.

Karl retired to the library, otherwise known as the pool patio to read.  Sam accompanied Cathy and Marty to a nearby travel agency to help facilitate their Saturday excursion to Santorini.  Success! It sounds like a grand day.

Reading, sunning, swimming, and catching up on laundry filled the morning hours.  Lunch was, as always, delicious and copious: Greek (well, of course) meatballs (keftethes), rice and fries delicately fried in pure olive oil, and oh, yum, Greek (most certainly) steamed greens in olive oil and lemon juice. The afternoon provided time to work on lesson plans.

I think I can speak for the whole team when I say that by late afternoon we were all eager to meet our students, to do what we had come to Crete to do.  At 5:00 the fun began, Karl and Cathy dividing up the group of teenagers (about 7) and Marty heading for the pool patio with 8 yr. old Alice and 9 yr. old Rafaela.  By 7:30 things were winding down, the teenagers heading out to other aspects of their lives and the little ones a bit restless after a day at school and then tutoring in English.  The atmosphere in the hotel remained lively ; Marty joined Cathy who was by this time helping Irene and Suzanne with useful hotel phrases, Karl conversing with Sam’s second oldest daughter, and Nikos plying Marty with frustrating riddles.

Dinner came along, as always delicious, this time more broccoli shreds (does that accurately describe this delicacy?) in olive oil and lemon juice, potatoes and (oh double yum!!) dolmathes accompanied by a fish entrée.  The lobby, which is truly more like a family’s living room, continued to be a lively place with animated conversations going on between  Dimitri, Terry, and others.    The youngsters, Alice and Rafaela, were given dinner, this after a full day of school, a couple hours of English tutoring, and homework.  In this atmosphere I think we all feel we have been graciously immersed in family life.