Are you kidding me? Our hotel on the beach is showing Man City vs QPR. Games in Manchester.. That means they’re showing a match at the very first stadium I’ve ever been to. That was just in February of this year. Small small world. Even crazier Man City won the championship with the victory!
My Internet connection the next 21 days will be dodgy. We’re planning out the island hopping destinations these upcoming hours but what that means for you, the reader, is that you’ll have to bare with me. My iPhone will be more of a camera than a method of communication. The photos i post may be out of order and there may be a stretch of 10 days you don’t hear a word from me. Keep checking in. Send me feedback and tell me what you like to hear! I’ll do my part and post when I have a chance. Thanks in advance my friends I’m doing this for you (:
Our first Mothers Day together in over a decade. Her favorite place in the world with her favorite son.
Do you know how it feels to walk in the same footsteps as your parents? Literally. Roughly 21 years after I was conceived here I am at Perissa beach in Santorini. My mom and dad were here sometime before 1991 walking this exact same BLACK sand. Its incredible to think they were here in the past, but all I can hope is for my children to do the same.
Just like that it could all be be gone. Just. Like. That.
Some background info to start.. my mom was debating meeting me in London to see the sights & to start our summer travels but after some thought we decided its best for us to meet in Greece. Before I left Oxford (a few days ago) I was told to call her on Skype “ASAP”. I was at the pub with our group for the final time so I decided to wait until I got home… bad idea. I didn’t realize when I got home I still needed to call her so I figured I’d call her the next morning. This was the email I woke up to titled
Urgent Reply Please:
Hello,
I am deeply sorry for not writing or calling you before leaving, I came down here to London, England for some personal matters and got mugged at a gun point last night at the park of the hotel where I lodged. All my cash,credit cards and Phone were stolen off me. I’ve been to the embassy and the Police here but they’re not helping issues at all,my flight leaves on Wednesday 7:00 AM and I’m having problems settling the hotel bills.
The hotel manager won’t let me leave until I settle the hotel bills($X,XXXUSD).
Please you can wire it to my name from a western union outlet around.
Check: (www.westernunion.com ) to find the nearest WU around you or you simply can wire the money from their online website, Once you do, please send me a scanned copy of the payment slip so that I can use it in picking up the money and settling the hotel bills.
I’m sorry for bringing this up to you, but I really do not want anyone knowing I came to London so please keep this to yourself, i will explain better to you when I get back home but for now please let this be our little secret.Here’s my info below.
Linda Harding.
397 Craven Hill Garden,
London, United Kingdom
I promise to refund it back to you once I get home.
Thanks in Advance
Linda.
Without any hesitation I hopped out of bed and went to Barclays, a 30 min journey. After waiting in line for some time I was sent back home to grab my passport. My bank affiliates themselves with Barclays thankfully but I still had to walk alllll the way home and back to the bank to withdraw some money to help her out. Next step Western Union. The first spot only had a $300 maximum transfer so that was a bust. Second stop took 30 minutes to find and another 30 minutes to complete the transaction. So I’m exhausted at this point and STILL have to pack up my room by 5. The chance of that happening was looking more and more slim. I’m walking home, stressed, and run into Kate & Aubrey as im walking through a shopping mall short cut. They encourage me to talk to the program directors. Janine and I sat down and discussed the scenario. For many reasons I assumed my mom was sending the email.. many many reasons. And although the content isn’t anything like the way she would normally speak through email, I had to assume she was in trouble. Maybe she was being held hostage and somebody else was typing it? That IS the only way we communicate because my texting and calling doesn’t work. And after missing her important Skype call the night before, and it being 11am she needed money as soon as possible. Being in London too, extremely believable because I was just an hour outside the city. Just by chance she was in the city we planned on possibly meeting in? Needing the exact amount she placed in my account? This couldn’t be a coincidence. On the other hand, Janine heard my story and immediately thought one thing: Scam. That was the last thing that would possibly come to my mind. Not a chance in hell! So I call my sister with my calling card thats used oh-so-sparingly. Turns out my mom was not in London, but just arriving to the Orlando airport. Whaaaaaat? So I immediately call Western Union to cancel the transaction before “Linda Harding” picks it up. The associate told me that the item was processing but because it hasn’t been technically claimed I was allowed to cancel. Let’s not say how much I sent her but I nearly lost a crazy amount of £. So I go back to the western union to claim it and spend not 30, but easily 60 minutes in the room waiting for my refund. I was beginning to doubt the company and starting to think they wanted to keep my money. When I finally received my heart sank. Thank the Lord! Next step was putting the money back in the account. Because I didn’t have a bank account with Barclays and I wasn’t able to open an account they told me I couldn’t deposit the money. The LAST thing I need is a wad of United Kingdom’s sterling in my pockets every country I travel to. We finally found a way to place the money in my account but the hassle was incredible. In the long run I only lost £50 in fees but I DID get all the money I sent back. Finally when I went home it was 515, completely missing the packing deadline (for understandable reasons). I’ve learned from this experience is how quickly shift happens. I nearly lost thousands of pounds! Thats money I need to be traveling with this summer. Had the theif gotten away with my cash there was a very very high chance i would have had to come home early. And instead of traveling to 11 countries after the semester ended it’ll only have been 3 countries. I just have to thank God for showing me the fragility of man made possessions.
Money comes and goes.
God was, and is, and is to come.
The more I think the more I realize this is the first time I’ve ever worn a robe. How strange is that? It fits funny but compliments of the hotel so I’ll sport it. Efharisto!
After living in England for 5 months I’ve had an enormous amount of tea in my diet lately. One thing I’ll take with me back to America is the trade. Yesterday I saw a cafe was serving herbal tea so I had to order it. The view wasn’t too bad but I realize just how lucky I’ve been lately. Last spring I had to deal with a lot of legal issues and to have the opportunity to spend time here has been something I’ll NEVER take for granted. Plus while sipping tea I saw a few guy with sail boats. One day I’d like to own a boat! The upkeep is expensive but taking it to unbelievable places is what makes it all worth it.
To three weeks in Greece. To olives, olive oil, souvlakis, and baklava. To black and red sand beaches. Beautiful white architecture, togas, and Greek goddesses. It’s historical background in philosophy and astronomy. The OLYMPICS! Which just so happen to be in London this year. I’m do fortunate as to call Santorini, Thira, Greece home for the next 21 days.
About me
There will be a time in your life when America isn't enough. I call it 2012. You can follow my journey right here, right now. Zachary Higgins
ACU Office of Admissions Tour Guide, Sub T-16 Intramural Director, Vice President for AIS at ACU, LYNAY Member
