Paros

Paros is the name of the island we're staying on. The art teacher Cameron, stuffed all 12 of us into his tiny 9 seater van and drove us around the whole island. Apart from the sunburns it was the neatest day so far.

We spent the entire day wandering through the tiny towns. They all look the same yet the scene never gets old or any less surprising. I also found it most enjoyable to see everyone else's reactions to things. Most of the kids here have traveled to other countries but this is the first trip to Greece for everyone. We're all in this together. I really love all of my "school"mates. Everyone is super nice and we are all like-mided, artsy kids, most with a good sense of humor. I have found myself on a few occasions pulling some Dad-inspired cheap shots that are either overlooked entirely or become a phrase that is repeated for days. I've yet to invade their privacy by taking decent photos of them but here a few shots I sneaked.

This is Mattie. She is me. I am her. We are always off together, away from everyone else because as you know, I (therefore Mattie) require lots of alone time. We now spend our alone time together, practicing accents and sound effects. When all 12 of us are together, Mattie and I can be found in the back of the mob, lagging behind a dozen yards or so, doubled over laughing at our own comments and observations. 

This particular day, Mattie and I, and one other hilarious girl, had been up for 36 hours. While the rest of our comrades acted responsibly, the three of us (also the shyest 3) had spent the entire night before dancing the hours away with a roving band of Australians that were mourning their last night on the island. We had such a good time and are now very disappointed, as the Australians set the bar too high for great nights out. We came back to our apartments with enough time to change our clothes and meet Cameron and his tiny van. Needless to say, Mattie and I were delusional and hysterical by the end of the day.

Cameron took us hiking and cliff diving at the end of our adventure day and though the water was FREEZING it was immensely thrilling. We were hiking along the edge of a huge cliff, which is no place to be when you've got debilitating giggles. Once we made it to Cameron's secret spot we all jumped right in and swam to a sea cave within the cliff that opens up to the sky. Mattie and I found this nice ledge where we lounged and thawed out while everyone else continued swimming. Being the only two from the south, we were ridiculed for finding the water cold. On the return hike to the van Mattie and I had to be separated for we were so delusional and giggly that the others were afraid we would fall over the edge. Mentally and literally.