WEXPLORE GREECETHE TGS ODYSSEY

20 - 25 APRIL 2015

The humanities teachers are planning an expedi-tion for the 9th and 10th grade students to embark on their own recreational odyssey on April 20-25. We will be sailing from Lefkada to Zakynthos, stop-ping at Ithaca and Cephalonia on the way. The mis-sion for this expedition and unit is first and fore-most to explore the themes of The Odyssey through thoughtful activities in each destination. These will be recreational as well as thought-provoking, especially when paired with in-depth nightly discussions on concepts like temptation, overcoming hardship, cunning vs. strength, and hospitality.

WEXPLORE

DESTINATIONS

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DAY DATE WK AM PM EVENING

Day 0 SUN Leaving Athens 12am!Overnight sleep on charter bus from Athens to Lefada 8 hrs.

Day 1 20 Apr MON Arrive in Lefkada 8am. Breakfast on Boat

Bike tour on Lekfada Lekfada on boat, !movie Night

Day 2 21 Apr TUE Dawn sail to Ithaca 2.5 hrs. Ithaca Cave of the Nymph

Ithaca Homer’s School Odysseus palace - Hike to Pelikata Hill near Stavros

Day 3 22 Apr WED Ceffalonia:-Melissani caves: Caving

Noon - Sailing !Late PM - Kayak along the coastline between Lixouri and Minies

Ceffalonia - Sami beach and town

Day 4 23 Apr THU Zakynthos!Agios Nikolaos Shinari - Blue Cave (kayaking)

ZAKYNTHOS ! and Shipwreck (Navagio) !tour island?- Town/museum

ZAKYNTHOS town/!Byzantine Museum of Zakynthos

Day 5 23 Apr FRI Disembark:!*ZAKYNTHOS - Town/museum

Charter bus back to Athens

Arrive in Athens

The Ionian Islands are located in the Ionian Sea, off the west coast of Greece, and are made up of Corfu, Cephalonia, Zakynthos, Lefkada, Ithaca, Paxos, and Kythira. The islands are very well-known for their beautiful, sandy beaches, crystal clear waters, charming villages, and stunning scenic coun-trysides, which are full of greenery and nature. Each Ionian island has a distinct character, and be-tween them they offer everything we could ask for during this weXplore. Our goal is to provide a rec-reational and relaxing week away from Athens that is set amongst the legendary backdrop of Homer’s The Odyssey. While on board and on land, we will reenact Homeric events, discuss themes from The Odyssey, and allow time for students to carefully construct their own odyssey.

THE IONIAN ISLANDS OVERVIEW

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Motor Sailer, Custom Wooden Gulet, 101 feet, 1990 (Refit 2001)

Boat is certified and insured

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Cabins 12 Bathroom 12 Sleeping Capacity 33__________________________________________________________

ABOUT THE BOAT

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Currency

• Spending Money - X amount of euros (€) at your discretion

Essentials

• In your large duffel or backpack you should bring the following:

Clothing

• T-shirts and Shorts/skirts for 5 days (not all tank tops) :

• for general daily wear

• sportswear for active activities

• Pairs of long pants

• Long sleeved shirts

• At least 2 warm sweaters/sweatshirts/fleece jackets

• Pajamas

• Undergarments (and sports bras)

• Socks

• Rain jacket

• Swimsuit or swimming shorts/long sleeve rash shirt

• Footwear for:

• Sports and exercise

• Comfortable walking/hiking shoes

• Closed toed shoes for daily wear

• Sandals for warmer weather/beach

PACKING LIST

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Other stuff to bring

• Day bag/school backpack (to take on daily excursions on the islands)

• Water bottle

• 1 Torch (flashlight)/or headlamp and extra batteries

• A journal/pens/pencils

Personal Items

• Hygiene stuff:

• deodorant

• feminine hygiene products

• personal toiletries (shampoo, soap etc)

• Medications:

• Sea sickness meds for those who get seasick

• personal prescription medications

• over the counters that are frequently used

• Earplugs if you’re a light-sleeper

• 1 Sunhat

• Sunscreen

• Sunglasses

• Contacts or glasses, it is recommended to bring a backup pair of glasses.

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Tech Items

• iPhone + charger

• iPhone headphones

• iPad + charger

• iPad stylus pen

• Macbook + charger (Optional)

• External hard drive

• Power converter (Greece’s power outlets are the two pronged round type)  

• Camera (if you have one) with:

• extra batteries or charger

• all memory cards and/or film you will need

Suggested Items

• Dry bag - 10 L for tech and larger for other items (good travel item for day trips and trips near water)

Please do NOT bring:

• Expensive jewelry

• other expensive items

• sentimental items

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TGS STAFF ACCOMPANYING THE TRIP

• Adam Sturman asturman@thinkglobalschool.org +30 6987183916

• Nick Martino nmartino@thinkglobalschool.org +30 6987183062

• Breanna Reynolds breynolds@thinkglobalschool.org +30 6987184065

• Chung Man Chan cchan@thinkglobalschool.org +30 6987183536

• Lindsay Clark lclark@thinkglobalschool.org +30 6980158557

TGS STAFF ON DUTY ON CAMPUS

On duty Monday - Wednesday (20 - 22 April 2015)

• Jamie Steckart jsteckart@thinkglobalschool.com +30 6987038237

On duty: Wednesday - Thursday (22 - 24 April 2015)

• Andrew Jenkinson ajenkinson@thinkglobalschool.org +30 6987163935

On duty: Thursday - Saturday (24 - 26 April 2015)

• Jarret Voytilla jvoytilla@thinkglobalschool.org +30 6980160418

EMERGENCY CONTACT INFOMATION

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THEMES

Throughout the week, students will discuss the themes revolving around The Odyssey.

WEEKLONG ACTIVITIES

Daily ‘Odysseus’ Role and First Mate

• Odysseus can make command decisions (LOD)

• First Mate is in charge of crew morale, water and sunscreen.

Daily photo competition

• Photos should capture different themes each day

• Photos should inspire conversation on visual depiction of themes. As there was not a written language before Homer’s time, how has the power of visual storytelling changed over the years?

• Bring your Stick Figure Story Diagram for narrative writing idea sharing

DAY TO DAY ACTIVITIES

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Cunning vs Strength RelationshipsSeduction Fatalism

Honor TemptationMemory + Grief Self-Restraint

A snack will be distributed before boarding the vessel. Consider our

themes of temptation and desire coupled with the importance of rationing

food while on a long sea journey.

ARE YOU TEMPTED?

AMDepart the residence in Athens at midnight for our 8 hour bus ride to Nidri Port on Lefkada Island. We will arrive around 8am in Lefkas. We will first drop our bags in our rooms on the boat and then meet for breakfast at 8:00am. This morning, we will board our vessel and learn about her while reviewing safety procedures and protocols. This boat will be our home for our odyssey. The crew will make us breakfasts and dinners most evenings on board.

Seaman Activity: Safety procedures + Nautical terms and opportunities to shadow the crew.

PMIn the afternoon, we will do a cycling tour around Lefkas.

DAY 1

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LEFKAS TO ITHACA

Lefkas is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea on the western coast of Greece. Tourism officials suggest that Lefkada could be a possible model for Homeric Ithaca. The reasons they can make this claim is because according to Homer, Ithaca was an island that is reachable on foot, which as you can see on the map fits for Lefkada. According to mythology, this island was actually a wedding gift from Odysseus’ father to Penelopes’ father! The people of the island made it an island by digging a canal in the 7th century BCE.

“Why do you go away? So

that you can come back. So that you can see the place you

came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.”― Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full

of Sky (Discworld, #32)

Discussion Prompt:

“ Why do we explore? Why do we take journeys? What do we gain? What are the pros/cons of traveling? “

- This prompt should serve to direct a narrative related to one of your travels. Today we will make space for narrative writing and discussion.

EVENING- Dinner will be served on board

- Walk along the harbor

- Movie night & discussion :

Clash of the Titans

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Homer in the “Classroom”Book Twelve: Sea Perils and Defeat--Sirens, Charybdis, Cattle of the Sun God, Phaeacians (Self-Restraint) (Temptation)

Listen> Listen to Book Twelve for homework. Highlight key dialogue and plot points as you listen.

Discussion> Discuss the many ways Odysseus and his crew had to fight temptation in order to stay on track. Discuss a time you, or someone you know, had to practice self-restraint in a moment of temptation to "stay on track?"

What lessons can we take away from Odysseus' experiences?

I am Odysseus, Laertes' son, world-famedFor stratagems: my name has reached the heavens.

Bright Ithaca is my home: it has a mountain,Leaf-quivering Neriton, far visible.

Around are many islands, close to each other,Doulichion and Same and wooded Zacynthos.

Ithaca itself lies low, furthest to seaTowards dusk; the rest, apart, face dawn and sun.

Odyssey 9.19-26

DRAWING ITHACA : PART ONE

These lines from The Odyssey have created confusion over the centuries, often as a result of mis-translation.

Read the following text from The Odyssey and illustrate your interpretation of Ithaca. Tomorrow when we arrive in Ithaca, we will draw a plein-air sketch on site and compare your images

AM: Our first sail on the ship will be a 2.5 hour cruise from Lefkada to Vathi port on Ithaca Island. The sailing will hap-pen before dawn. Students will wake up to find themselves in Ithaca to watch the sunrise.

Meal: Breakfast is served on board.

AM HIKING - CHOOSE YOUR PATH

Hike to Cave of Nymphs

Hike to Homer’s School/Palace of Odysseus

Archaeological Museum12

Ithaca is the second smallest island in the Ionian chain and has a very unique geographic composition. It consists of two peninsulas joined by the isthmusof Aetos. Ithaca is thought to have been named after the son of a Cephalonian King, Ithacis, who settled here and together with his brother built a fountain that provided the whole island with water. It is known that in the Mycenaean times Ithaca was the capital of Cephalonia. There have been archaeological finds that date back to 4000- 3000 BC here on Ithaca. Ithaca is most famous for being Odysseus’ homeland. Although there are no substantiated archaeological discoveries to support Homer’s writing, and as Ithaca was the birthplace of Odysseus, it fits his description. “There are no tracks, nor grasslands…it is a rocky severe island, unsuited for horses, but not so wretched, despite its small size. It is good for goats.” When Odysseus set off for glory in the Trojan War, his beloved wife, Penelope, was left alone. Before long, the palace was full of horrible, lustful, overbearing suitors who would flirt with the queen persistently. They eventually made Penelope promise she would marry one of them. She outwitted them by promising she would come to a wedding with the best of them when she finished weaving a wedding shroud. Each day she would weave it and then each night she would spend time unweaving it. This worked and she managed to stay clear of the suitors for 20 whole years, until Odysseus returned to Ithaca.

DAY 2 LEFKAS TO ITHACA

Odysseus after fighting in the Trojan Wars endured a 10 year ordeal to get back home to Ithaca and his wife Penelope. Due to this many people feel that Ithaca symbolises life’s journey and destiny. In a poem called Ithaca, by Cavafy, He writes “When you set out on your voyage to Ithaca, Pray that your journey may be long, Full of adventures, full of knowledge.”

EVENINGDinner will be served on board

Sail from Ithaca (Vathi Port) To: Keffalania (Sami Port)

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DRAWING ITHACA : PART TWO

From a higher vantage point, sketch the island of Ithaca. > Can you pin-point the detail Homer has described? > Does the land form look anything like the original text? Is this how you have imagined Ithaca to be? How so?

PMMeal: Gastronomy Lunch

It might be difficult to date the local dishes back to the ancient era; still their taste is mythical all the same. Try codpie, toma-toballs, savóro fish (fish fillet fried in vinegar, raisins, rosemary and garlic) tserepáto (red meat of chicken charcoal-grilled in a clay pot) and, as a desert, rovaní (ground rice

Curricular Activity: Journal considering Penelope’s suitors andthe story of her weaving the wedding dress …jealousy/anger/betrayal/revenge?

Homer in the “Classroom”Discussion> What is home to you? Is home really where your heart is? Activity> You will be starting a new narrative today. Find a quiet spot to think and write for 1 hour. We will be sharing 1-2 sentences each to read out loud at the end of our writing session.

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ITHACA TO KEFALLONIA

The largest of the seven Ionian islands, Kefalonia is home to lush forests, breathtaking mountains and high cliffs that drop straight into the bright blue sea. It’s beaches are world famous and the whole island is known for its ‘soul-uplifting serenity.’ Some people think that the western peninsula of Kefalonia was part of the kingdom of Ithaca and that because of its beauty there is a chance Odysseus would have had his palace here. There are sites described by Homer that we will see that will mimic some of the stories of the waves and currents that Odysseus’ son Telemachus may have braved when he began his journey to find his father. We will be sailing around most of this island from Sami port to Lexouris port.

There are sites described by Homer that we will see, which mimic some of the stories of the waves and currents that Odysseus’ son Telemachus may have braved when he began his journey to find his father. We will be sailing around most of this island from Sami port to Lexouris port.

Its name is thought to come from the Nymph Melissanthi who drowned herself in the lake over her unfulfilled love for god Pan. According to another myth, a shepherdess named Melissanthi was looking for one of her sheep and stumbled and fell into the lake. During the ancient years, the lake was a place of worship of god Pan. The cave is 160 meters long and 40 meters wide. The stalactites are 16,000 to 20,000 years old. The floor is covered by a lake about 40 meters deep. In the center of the lake is a small island.

Homer in the “Classroom”Listen> Book Twenty-One: The Test of the Bow (Honor) Listen> Book Twenty-Two: Death in the Great Hall (Honor)Discussion> No one can string Odysseus' bow except for Odysseus himself. How did others view honor in Odysseus' day? How would you define honor in a family context? Global context? How has the definition of honor changed over time?Discussion> The moment when Odysseus strings the bow is the moment most famously known in this text. What makes this scene such a pivotal moment? How is the weapon symbolic? Who appears as another symbol of strength?

DAY 3

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PMMeal: Lunch on boat as we sail the 5.5 hours from one port to the next.

Hopefully we can stop along the cliffs and have a long swim stop or two while making this day journey. Reenact Sirens scene.

If we get in at a normal time, we can do a early evening/sunset kayak - Lixouri and Minies

EVENINGMeal: We eat either somewhere in Lixouri or the boat

We will be sailing:

From: Kefallinia Island / Lixouri port

To: Zakinthos island/ Ag.Nikolaos port

Travel time : 3h30

MAPPING YOUR JOURNEY

Begin your map making activities by mapping your own odyssey thus far. Be creative!

AM Meal: Breakfast in Sami Port.

Sami Town Activities, Melissani caves , Beach time, Writing, Trekking on donkeys.

AMMeal: Early breakfast on Boat

Sail From: Zakinthos island/ Ag.Nikolaos port

To: Blue caves - travel time: 30min

PMSail from Blue caves to Shipwreck: 1.5 hours

Shipwreck (Navagio)

Hike the road to your right to get to a small viewing platform some 600 ft above the wreck. This is where most of the picture postcard shots are taken from. This perspective is seen as the better view, rather than up close and personal on the beach it-self.

DAY 4

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ZAKYNTHOS

Our last port of call will be Zakynthos, also called by its Italian name Zante. It is the third largest island in the Ionian Sea and is named after Zacythnos, son of legendary Arcadian chief Dardanos. Zante has been inhabited since the Neolithic Age and archaeological evidence has found huge settlements in different areas of its coastlines. The island is mentioned in both the Iliad and the Odyssey. In the Iliad he mentions that the first inhabitants of this island were King Dardanos and his son, Zakynthos of Troy. The island, according to legend, was first conquered by King Arkesios of Kefalonia, and then later by our hero Odysseus, King of Ithaca. Zante town is the capital of the island and was built amphitheatrically up to the hill of Bohali. This inspiring location is where Dionysios Solomos wrote the poem which later became the lyrics to the Greek National Anthem.

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Homer in the “Classroom” Discussion> Consider all forms of temptation humans face around the world today. When have you, or someone you’ve known, struggled? Do you think humans have evolved in terms of struggles we’ve faced as a collective overtime?Activity> You will be starting a new narrative today. Find a quiet spot to think and write for 1 hour. We will be sharing 1-2 sentences each to read out loud at the end of our writing session.

MAPPING YOUR JOURNEY

Continue drawing the map of your journey

EVENING- Dinner will be served on a late

feast on the boat

- Byzantine Museum of Zakyn-thos Museum

- May be visit Zante town

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ZAKYNTHOS TO ATHENS

Homer in the “Classroom”Book Twenty-Three: The Trunk of the Olive Tree (Relationships)Listen> Listen to Book Twenty-Three for homework. Highlight key dialogue and plot points as you listen.Discussion> Odysseus reunites with Penelope. How does she trick him into revealing his true identity to her? Discuss a time when you reunited with someone after much space and/or distance. How can space and distance both hinder and help our relationships with others? What is homecoming like for you? What are some of the feelings you go through when returning home?

DAY 5

AM Arrive back to port in Zakynthos, upon arrival we have been told by the coach company that we need to take a ferry to where the bus will pick us up.

EVENINGArrive in Athens

PMBus ride back home

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REFERENCE

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2015

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