the hills are alive !

Hey again, long time no see! Today was another exciting day in Crete. The highlight of my day was visiting the monastery. Although I was a bit nervous for the visit, it was one of my favorite experiences so far. The nuns were so welcoming, and it was incredible to see the amazing tapestries and woodwork they created. Everything was so intricate and well planned out that it was almost unbelievable to hear that it only took about six months to build. I was shocked by how self sufficient the nuns were. They did the artwork in the churches and even grew their own olives. It was also interesting to hear that they do outreach programs with the children in surrounding areas to teach them about sustainability.    

Something I did not expect, however, was the spiritual experience that I had while visiting. I would not consider myself a spiritual person, per se. However, this experience definitely ignited something. When I was younger, my grandfather died unexpectedly after being hit by a car. While at the monastery, I was getting some real "Sound of Music" vibes because we were at a monastery up in the hills, and Devin had been singing "Edelweiss" all week. This musical just so happened to be my grandfather's favorite musical, and that was his favorite song from it; he used to sing it to my sister and I all the time. Thinking of all these memories really struck a chord with me, and I started thinking about how proud he would be if he could see everything I accomplished. It was a really moving experience that I never expected to have while I was here. This is one of the many reasons why I am so thankful to be on this trip with all these wonderful people. Till next time!

Fin.

XX Jess