Semester Highlights

In the beginning, we find ourselves in a strange environment - Everything is unknown, even the other students. But this ignorance is something that brought us together. After all, everyone is in the same boat.

We do everything together here. We live, eat, clean, study, learn, shop, and travel together. We get bored together, we have fun together, and we're always there for each other. It's set up here so that we have many people living under one roof. Through these close quarters we learn to respect each other and work as a team to achieve the desired ends. I became friends with people I would never have opened up to back home. This allowed me to further develop parts of my own personality that otherwise would have continued to stay hidden. Working in a large group also helped to develop patience and perspective.

It's ironic and also comforting to find that when you take 20 college students, fly them 4000 miles away from home, and put them in a strange country... they're fine. In fact, I never felt so healthy and well adjusted in all of my life. I had to do everything for myself and take responsibility for all of my actions - it felt great.

ÊMy program in Greece featured a one week study tour at the beginning of the semester. For each day that week, we were taken by bus to a different historical location in Greece. The program director would guide us through the various cities and archeological sites. During this week, all travel and accommodations were taken care of, so it was easy to see a lot of Greece, with minimal stress.

. I made sure that the program I had chosen could provide the classes I needed stay on track in order to graduate in time. Some of my classes met at The University of the Aegean with individual professors, and others met on location at archeological sites and museums. The classes were set up specifically for us, separate from the Greek students. I was relieved to find that Academics in Greece are relaxed.

The American and Greek lifestyles are profoundly different. In Greece people are much more relaxed. Time is not a constraint to motivate, but a luxury to enjoy. In America there are many laws and regulations that confine our behaviors; in Greece, order is held through personal responsibility and community trust. Personally, I found that some aspects of European living were more satisfying that anything in the States.

I had a change to experience Greece, without being wrapped up in the rat race of my everyday life. My entire world was the moment and the person in front of me. Although I still has to honor commitments back in the States, the freedom in Greece opened my eyes critically.

Studying in Greece gave me the opportunity to learn about another country, but also to learn more about the U.S. For the first time, I was able to see the U.S as other countries do, I was able to develop a more complete picture of what it means to be American. Before I took America for granted, only seeing its faults. But having lived in Greece for 4 months, I now understand what makes America great.

Greece might be experiencing a lot of change, but for the most part, reliable internet service and post offices are easily available. While living in Greece, it is possible to stay in touch with your family via phone (5 euro, 3 hours), via internet (including video-chat), and standard mail. Though once I was settled in, and knew the best ways to contact people back home, I still chose not to. I always knew that the people I loved would still be there for me upon return, and they too understood that for me, Greece was about building new relationships from the ground up.

Americans aren't always welcome abroad, but consistent friendliness and a willingness to learn the language will ultimately win you acceptance. Though don't underestimate the difficulty of the Greek language.

Because of its central location in the Mediterranean, and proximity to other European countries, traveling out of Greece is easy. My independent travel experiences were some of the most memorable and rewarding of my semester abroad. I got to see Turkey twice, the Greek island of Kos, Rome, Milan, Venice, Paris, Marseille, Geneva, and Dublin.

Next: Returning