Beginning of Week 1: Orientation and First Observations

I was pleasantly surprised by the situation in Athens, the first city we traveled to in Greece. After all that I heard through the news and media, I could not believe how happy everyone was in Athens and how peaceful it was. Athens is a city with many young people and fun things to do. The beach that we visited to was beautiful, which was something that I did not expect. The culture is very lively. Dinners are eaten around 9 PM and people do not go out to socialize until around 1 AM. The sights that we have seen are amazing. The ancient ruins, like the Acropolis and Parthenon, were really cool to see, especially if you like history. The lectures that we have attended at the American Hellenic University have been very interesting and I have learned so much about the current economic and political situation of the country.
Our second orientation was held at Northeastern before departing for the airport. Our professor explained that the country was safe and that we would be having an incredible experience observing history first hand. That really stood out to me because even though I was aware of the economic crisis and recent referendum held in Greece, I never really thought about the fact that I would be witnessing history in the making! It truly is a major turning point in the European Union, as well as Africa and Asia due to the geographical location of Greece. Another interesting thing from the orientation that stood out to me was the fact that so many people in my program had never been abroad. The professor explained that, as I mentioned before, Greece’s location is the perfect country to visit for the first time outside of the United States. The country has influences from many surrounding continents and access to many ports. Even though I have been to Europe before, I have never traveled to any other continents, so I couldn’t wait to experience many cultures coming together in one city. A final thing that stood out to me at the orientation was that very few people knew each other prior to the dialogue. I was nervous coming into the program because I did not know anyone, but we all hit it off right off the bat and became friends. This made me even more excited because now I realize that I will not only be leaving Greece with great memories and experiences, but with new friends. I am having an amazing time in Greece so far and I can’t wait for the unforgettable experiences ahead of my on this dialogue.