🩵Living my Mamma Mia Dreams🩷

“Well, look what the tide’s washed in!”

Before I get into the part I'm most excited to share, let me give you an update on school.

I’ve officially started student teaching! I’m working with a Year 5 class (what we’d call 4th grade). My first day was mostly spent observing the class, the teacher (who happened to be a substitute that day), and getting a feel for the school. I was introduced as Isa from the United States, which fascinated the kids—they were full of questions about why I was in Oxford, why I called football “soccer,” and of course, my American accent. It was a blast! They even taught me TikTok dances, introduced me to slang like “girlypop,” and walked me through their school schedule.

One thing I noticed right away was how often the word "sensible" is used. I heard it more times than I can count—"Are you being sensible?" or “Be sensible”—it was everywhere! Also, every student wrote in cursive, which blew me away because I was never taught cursive growing up.

By week two, I experienced my first all-school assembly. These kids are clearly used to the rain. We had outdoor recess in the pouring rain, and they didn’t even flinch, while I was... well, struggling. I also learned that they call social studies “topics” here. The kids were decorating Christmas cards (I know, a bit early!), and I noticed how art is seamlessly integrated into their regular lessons. It was fascinating to see things I studied back in San Diego actually being implemented in the classroom.

Now for the part I’ve been dying to talk about: I went to Santorini, Greece, over the weekend! Ever since I saw Mamma Mia at around six or seven years old, I’ve dreamed of going to Greece. It finally happened, and I was beyond ecstatic.

A group of seven of us woke up at 3:30 a.m. to catch a taxi to Gatwick airport. After a Starbucks run, we boarded the plane. The flight was about three and a half hours, and I mostly slept, but also chatted with my friend who sat behind me.

When we landed, I was a little surprised by how much dirt there was, but the water was breathtakingly blue. The airport was tiny, so we got through it quickly and took a taxi to our Airbnb in Oía. After a short walk (taxis can only go so far into Oía), we arrived at the most gorgeous place. Four bedrooms, each with a queen bed and private bathroom—I lucked out and got my own!

For lunch, two of my friends and I went to a cute spot with an amazing view. I had a Greek burger, and it was delicious.

Afterward, we headed down to Ammoudi Beach, where I couldn’t get over how clear and blue the water was—I could see all the way to the bottom, which was oddly comforting. Even though the beach was rocky, I couldn’t resist getting into the water. It was so hot, and the water felt perfect, even if the waves kept splashing me in the face. Of course, we also filmed a TikTok to "Lay All Your Love on Me" from Mamma Mia—how could we not?

After the beach, we braved what I now call the “Stairs of Death” to get back to our Airbnb. Going up was brutal, especially in the heat. On the way, we met a dog we named Perry, who followed us all the way back.

That evening, I put on my navy sundress and we took sunset photos on the roof of our Airbnb before heading out for drinks. We tried the BEST tzatziki dip with bread at one bar, then met the rest of our group at a rooftop lounge. Before heading home, we grabbed gyros—I could live off Greek food.

The next day was our boat day! We woke up early and were driven to our private catamaran. The boat crew was lovely, serving us Swiss wine while we hooked up our playlist and blasted a mix of Mamma Mia, Taylor Swift, country hits, and more.

We stopped three times to swim, and I even went snorkeling—though it took a lot of courage. Y’all, I was completely terrified. I could barely survive with a fish in my room as a kid, and now I had to go swimming with them. It took me forever to get into the water. We had just finished lunch and one of the servers dumped parts of the leftovers into the sea and so literally a million of fish were swimming around the boat. Once I was brave enough to get into the water, it was a whole another push to get me to put my face in the water. I was really making sure I was kicking so the little fishies knew not to get near me. I don’t know what I would’ve done if I felt one touch me. Anyway, another stop was in the HotSprings. It really wasn’t that big of a difference temperature wise in my opinion.

Lunch was grilled on the boat and included shrimp, chicken, Greek salad, and more—it was incredible. The day was spent swimming, sunbathing, dancing, and laughing. It lasted five hours, but felt like the perfect amount of time.

For dinner that night, a few of us had a sunset meal by Ammoudi Beach. It was such a wholesome evening, spent chatting, laughing, and taking endless pictures. Perry the dog found us again and sat by our feet the whole time. It’s amazing how I met these girls just five weeks ago, and now we’re in this dream location together, making memories that will last a lifetime.

On our last day, we had breakfast, grabbed smoothies, and headed to Fira. We dropped off our bags and went exploring. After one more round of stairs (so many stairs!), we found a beautiful rooftop café where I had my third smoothie of the day. I read a bit of my book and soaked in the view. Enjoy this picture of a cat. There were a million of them.

For our final meal, we went to a local family restaurant. I had spaghetti bolognese (which is surprisingly popular here), and we finished with baklava—it was heavenly.

Then, it was time to head back home. I didn’t get back to my dorm until 2 a.m. and had to be up at 8, but I survived!

And now, I’m off on my next adventure. Greece was everything I dreamed of and more. If you’ve ever thought about going... do it… and bring me with you!!

Much love,

Isa