CIS Olympic Choir Trip – Athen Journal

Teacher - Ms. Jade Bennett

Student - Ms. Janera Liu

Saturday , May 17

Saturday May 17 began early for twelve members of the C.I S. choir and their chaperones who met in the school lobby bright and early. Everyone was a bit tired but also very excited to begin his or her adventure. After almost 24 hours either in the air or in an airport, we were happy to arrive at the hotel in Greece to get some rest before the real fun began.

Everyone gathered in the lobby early on this particular Saturday morning, with our luggage and minds ready to set out for Europe. We were all extremely excited to see what Athens has to offer, and also what our transfer stop Amsterdam Schiphol Airport was like. Noting that it will be a long 20 hr flying time high above the ground, still nobody complained.
We arrived in Athens at around 1:30 am local time. Jet-lagged, and dizzy we were, but in the end all managed to grab our suitcases and leave the Athens Airport for our bus. Athens seemed amazing at night, the buildings reflected colorful lights that shone brightly. People were still walking on the streets, you could just see the ancient city's vibrant nightlight life. After the 12hour-ish flight to Amsterdam, we already had sore necks, and backs. Then we had to wait in the airport for another five long hours for the flight to Athens! The good thing was that the airport was really nice, the shops were really interesting not boring. All of us were hungry for some food and went to a nice cafeteria-style dinning area, some of us had chunky American-style pizza slices, while others got juicy burgers and fries, and we all picked what we wanted to drink. After the meal, the elementary kids went to a playing area. They had a blast climbing and sliding up and down! While the older kids and teachers sat back and watched them have fun. Finally at around 8:30 Amsterdam time we hopped on the flight to our final destination- Athens. I remember clearly that the adults and all twelve of us students too, slept all the way on the three-hour flight to Greece. (We were way too exhausted)

Sunday, May 18

We had all seen the Greek flag before, blue and white lines and a cross, Sunny even knew that the colours represented the blue sea and the white sky. It wasn't until we reached our first destination Sunday morning, the Aegean Sea, that we understood the significance of these colours. The sea was a gorgeous blue and the sky was brilliant. After playing in the clean water we made our way to the wharf to check out the fresh seafood and meet some fun loving fisherman. They didn't speak our language, but they were happy to communicate with us in other ways and pose for pictures.
Our next stop was the site of the first modern Olympic games in 1894. The stadium was bright white marble and we enjoyed taking pictures, but our minds were on other things because in the distance we could see the Acropolis and we couldn't wait to get there. Luckily that was next on our agenda.
Being at the Acropolis was extraordinary. As we ascended the hill our excitement grew. Our very amusing but strict tour guide, Alex, insisted we not take pictures until we had learned about what we were looking at. We were reluctant at first, but he was right. We learned about the history of the Acropolis, its importance in democracy and how unique each column in the Parthenon is even though at first glance they all look the same. I also couldn't help but notice the resemblance of the white columns and the blue sky to the lines in the Greek flag. Behind the Parthenon, at the top of the Acropolis, we could see an amazing view of the city below us. It was only our fist day, but we knew we loved Athens.

On the first day of our trip we had to wake up at around 8:30 am, since we hauled a long way to Greece's capital city. Hotel Marina, was an okay place to stay at, I must say we complained about how small our rooms were that's all. After breakfast we set out, got on the bus to officially start our tour in Athens. Students started taking many photos of Athenian streets (which were exquisite). Our first stop was to a beach, with beautiful sparking blue water. With fishermen selling freshly caught tuna and most species of fish I couldn't name on the side. It was really hot, so we walked to a nearby Haagen Dazs Cafe and each had two scoops of tasty ice-cream, a treat from Dr. Pang. Lunch we enjoyed in a local Chinese Restaurant the food there was okay, needless to say a bit different than having Chinese food in Beijing.
In the afternoon we went to the Panathenaic Stadium, where the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 took place. But it's rich history can be traced back all the way to 330 BC. After that we went to the most important site in Athens- the Acropolis. On the Acropolis hill lies the most characteristic monument of ancient Greek civilization, The Parthenon. It was dedicated to Athena Parthenos, the patron goddess of Athens. The magnificent marble structure's sculptural decoration was completed in 432 B.C. Later we also went to visit the Temple Of Zeus, the largest temple in Greece. Every one of us was truly fascinated by the ancient Greek architecture. Lastly we walked from the Temple of Zeus to Syntagma (constitution in Greek) Square where we saw the changing of the Guards ceremony. The guards were dressed in traditional Greek uniforms, marching into the square and taking over the soldiers who were originally there. Before we left we each posed with the guards who stood motionless staring. It was an incredible day filled with endless memorable moments! =) (p.s. at night the students all had a party together in one suite, filled with scary story telling)

Moday, May 19

Monday was spent touring the 2004 Olympic sites. The architecture was surprisingly modern for such an ancient city, but as most things are in Athens, everything was white. After singing the Olympic song, and entering some of the venues, we were ready to get out the blistering hot sun and into the air-conditioned museum.
Inside the museum Alex showed us how the Greek statues changed each century to reflect what was happening in the country. In early centuries of peace, the statues were bright eyed and smiling, in centuries of turmoil, the statues eyes became severe and smiles disappeared. We could all easily see the changes made in the tombstones for 2D to 3D over centuries.
We said goodbye to our tour guide and headed to the current parliament building where we saw the changing of the guard. The movements of the guards were like a well choreographed dance played in slow motion and every pleat in their uniform was perfect.

On the second day before we left the hotel we had a moment of silence, because it was exactly one week since the Earthquake hit Wenchuan, Sichuan. We stood silent for three minutes and prayed hoping the missing ones could be found while the injured could heal and the innocent victims could rest in peace. The entire morning was spent in the Olympic Stadium, where the 2004 Olympic games were held. For the first time our choir song Welcome To Beijing was heard outside of Asia, in fact in Europe. It was a special moment for all the choir members, and everyone else.
In the afternoon we went to The National Archaeological Museum Of Athens. It was a really interesting place, because I got to see Agamemnon's gold mask in real life rather than on the pages in my social srudies textbook. We had an English-speaking tour guide (he helped us tour the Acropolis as well) who showed us the most important historical artifacts available. After an interesting "Greek history lesson" we went briefly to Mitropoleos Square, a shopping area in Downtown Athens. For dinner we drove to the port of Pireaus, to finally have Mediterranean cuisine in a fancy restaurant called Zorbas. This upscale eatery has two parts; one built right on top of water (where we ate) the other across the road containing the kitchen. The elegant decor created a comfortable yet calming atmosphere. We had Greek salads, French fries (cooked Greek-style, soft but crispy), seafood spaghetti, and grilled fish. Our expectations were high, and we weren't disappointed at all cause the food was simply delicious! A big Thank You to Namisa's parents who were kind enough to treat 20 people at such a magnificent restaurant!

Tuesday, May 20

The wake up calls rang at 6:00 am Tuesday morning so we could make our way to the port for a day cruise to the Greek islands of Poros, Hydra, and Aegina. The scene from the ship was breathtaking. Postcards showing the light coloured homes scaling the mountains do not compare to seeing them in person. On Poros, we spent our entire time posing for pictures and enjoying our surroundings. I for one had always loved pictures of these islands and couldn’t believe that I was actually there. We reached Hydra at lunchtime and the temperature was beginning to soar, so we had an ice cream break before walking to a cliff where the students could dip their feet in the sea.
The last island Aegina was another history lesson. The Temple of Aphaia was at the top of the island. On our way down the hill we saw pistachio groves and were able to buy some of the tasty nuts grown right on the island. Our final stop on the island was a gorgeous Byzantine cathedral. We were only there a short time but we did many wonderful things.
One of our most surprising moments on the cruise was the trip home. We expected to amuse ourselves by playing games for two hours until we arrived back at the port. This however did not happen, we were pleasantly surprised to find live entertainment from a silly piano player. Somehow the C.I.S. choir soon became the entertainment. The students sang the Olympic song and then the cruise staff asked the choir to continue singing songs from our different nationalities. Namissa’s mom sang the Chinese song Yue Liang Dai Biao Wo De Xi, everyone sang Oh Canada, and Fred enthusiastically sang the Korean song Nam Heng Yul Cha. Songs from different nations continued for the rest of the boat ride home, including a few by our extremely young, new friend Zion. As we were leaving the boat out friendly piano player had switched to the saxophone and was serenading everyone on the cruise ship with the song Old Lang Sine, but when he saw us leaving he began playing We are the World especially for C.I.S. It was the perfect end to an unbelievable day.

We were all extremely excited about our third day in Greece, why? That's because we got to go on an Athens One Day Cruise to three nearby islands. The three islands were Poros, Hydra, and Aegina. In order to get on board on time, we had to wake up extra early at 6:30 am. Poros, is known for its unique location in the Southern part of the Saronic Gulf. While Hydra was the most beautiful of all, there were no automobiles on the island, only donkeys for hauling luggage, food, and supplies. There were white sand on the beach, the water was undoubtedly clean- think crystal clear turquoise water! We re-boarded on the cruise just in time for a three-course Greek-style lunch, which contained smoked salmon salad, pork chops with risotto and a creamy cake dessert. On Aegina the last island, we visited the Temple of Aphaia, and a cathedral. The island is famous for its pistachios, which some people believe are the best in the world. (We bought some too). By the time we were back on board every single one of us was exhausted, we sat on the wooden floor with everybody gathered around in a circle and played some fun games (I don't know the names). No one would ever have thought one person's arrival would create a highlight in our trip, but it did. A performer came to play the keyboards right in front of our circle and he played some songs. We stopped playing our game, and started to concentrate and dance to the music. He played some famous Korean songs, which the Korean students joyfully sang to. (Surprised to hear a foreigner play songs from Asian countries in Greece) Then he also played some Chinese songs. We appreciated his performance so much that he wanted something in return- us to sing him a song. Of course that would be a great opportunity to sing the Olympic song to the other tourists on board, and we took that chance. At that time Mrs. Wu took over the keyboard, and played familiar melody. We finished the song in a tremendous applause, everyone felt terrific. They (the performer and tourists) thought one song wasn't enough, so we also got to sing another, Canada's National Anthem-O Canada. (Some people struggled because they didn't know all of the lyrics, but it was fine we managed to get through that with no difficulty). After our performance Namisa's mother sang a solo well-known Chinese song月亮代表我的心(The Moon Represents My Heart), and Fred also sang a solo Korean Song.(We cheered loudly for them both) The 2hours back to shore went by in the blink of an eye, we didn't want the songs and our journey today to end so soon. (At night again we organized the last party of this trip in another suite to avoid boredom)

Wednesday, May 21

Our last day in Greece was spent buying gifts for loved ones. We were all looking forward to seeing our families again, but a little part of each of us was sad to be finishing our exciting adventure. We have lovely memories of Greece and thousands of pictures to make sure we never forget the country and all its blue and white.

Early in the morning of Wednesday again we went to the Temple of Zeus (under the Acropolis Hill) to sing our Official choir song one last time in the city of Athens. After that we went souvenir shopping downtown, something everyone loved to do. After lunch as much as we didn't want to (or did) boarded on a plane to Amsterdam (then to Beijing) and ended our trip in Europe. It was nice to see the familiar skyline of Beijing, for all of us that also meant back to school again. I enjoyed this trip very much, and everyone did a fantastic job singing the Olympic Song three times in Greece. Lastly, a huge thanks goes to Ms. Bennett, Dr. Pang, Mr. Vincent Tam, Mrs. Wu and also Namisa's parents who kindly helped supervise the younger kids. We couldn't have possibly had this much fun without all of your help!!