I learned more than I ever imagined I would.

As my dialogue has come to a close, I feel that I have changed as a person in several ways. For one, I am definitely more open minded. I entered Greece with almost low expectations as a result of everything I heard about the conditions of the economy through the media at home. When I arrived, I realized that I had been misled and that I learned that I should make my own judgments based on personal or firsthand experiences, rather than hearsay. I also changed by gaining a greater appreciation for the resources that are available to me at home, especially through Northeastern. Many of the Greeks around my age have degrees that are of no use to them due to the lack of jobs and struggling economy. I met many people who worked up to four odd jobs per year just to make a living and get by. Many of them had never even practiced in the professional field that they studied in. This made me reflect on how fortunate I am to have access to the resources that my own country and university provide to me to enable me to follow my dreams and pursue the career that I am interested in. Through the co-op program, I have already had two experiences in my field of studies without a degree, while many Greeks have never gotten that opportunity.
My professional and academic goals have changed in the sense that I want to incorporate more aspects of economic studies into my finance and supply chain management concentrations. Being in Greece during the height of the economic crisis and experiencing the results of the European Union’s decision firsthand, I have developed a greater interest in the workings of counties’ economies. I have not taken an economics class since before coming to college and I think I forgot how interesting the subject is. I am now planning to use a future elective to take an economics class at Northeastern and I am also interested in exploring co-op opportunities that incorporate the subject matter a bit more than my first two internships. I’m glad that I got to be in Greece during a time where history was being made, and that the experience brought to the surface an interest that I forgot I had.
A self-discovery that surprised me was my ability to get along with people. I have always been an outgoing person, but I can’t remember the last time I had to make friends and go into a situation where I didn’t know anyone. I made twenty six new friends on my dialogue trip and I am happy that I went on the program without knowing anyone because it allowed me to meet new people without being attached to someone already. Also, I met a lot of Greek people and I was surprised at how easily I was able to with the language barrier and cultural differences. It gave me a boost of confidence to be able to communicate and befriend so many people from different backgrounds, majors, interests, etc. I always knew that I was a friendly person, but I was excited to discover that I am able to branch out and become close to many different people. I will carry this with me as classes start in the fall semester to keep my mind open to choosing group members that I don’t already know for projects and to branch out and meet new people.
I was able to navigate through my fears and apprehensions I had before studying abroad my following my professor and working along with my group members to act as a team. My professor has led this dialogue for many years now, and he is knowledgeable about the country, its traditions, standards, people, and more. I definitely would have had more apprehensions upon arriving in Greece, especially amidst the crisis, if my professor had not been so familiar and comfortable with the country. We also had a great group on the trip and we were compatible with each other. We worked together and heard each other out when making decisions about where to go or what to do in certain situations. I never went anywhere without a friend and we all looked out for each other. This made all of my fears gradually disappear. I am grateful to have had such a wonderful group and strong leader on the dialogue to help me dissolve my fears and apprehensions that I had upon entering Greece.
Studying abroad has impacted my view of the world in a major way. I think it can be easy to get caught up in small stresses and minor details when you are wrapped up in your own little world and problems. By traveling to Greece and experiencing a completely different set of daily routines and way of life, my eyes have been opened to how big the world truly is and my problems all seem a lot smaller than I thought they were. My view of humanity has been changed by studying abroad, as well. It amazes me that even with different backgrounds, values, governments, habits, and more, humans can get along. There were times that I was surprised by something making me and a Greek, or another traveler from a different country, share a laugh. We have different languages and ways of communicating, yet we share the same basic aspects of humanity. I was shocked by how much I had in common with people that lived across the globe from me and grew up in a completely different environment. In these ways, studying abroad changed my view of the world by making it seem both larger and smaller, depending on the situation.
For me, the single greatest benefit of studying abroad is gaining firsthand experience. I believe that I learned more about Greece by physically being there and going through situations on my own than I could have from reading anything in a textbook. Even though there were times that I struggled, I could not have imagined a better way to learn about Greek culture, politics, the economy, people, and more than by going through it myself. I think that among all the other amazing aspects of studying abroad, like being able to travel, try new foods, see beautiful scenery, make new friends, etc., learning about a subject firsthand takes the cake. What I learned on the dialogue to Greece by actually traveling there is incomparable to anything I could have read, watched, or heard. I will always treasure the firsthand experiences that I gained on this trip.

My favorite experience actually occurred on the first week of the dialogue. Visiting the Parthenon on the Acropolis in Athens is an experience that I will never forget. Reading and learning about history has always been a side interest of mine, but actually being there to see such a famous and historical monument was an experience that I cannot put into words. Physically seeing the antiquity that I had heard so much about was incredible. I could feel the historical value and gained a lot of knowledge from our tour guide about Greek mythology and how the temple was used by the ancient Greeks. Visiting the Parthenon was the perfect way to start off the tour and it was my favorite monument that we saw.
To future participants of this dialogue, or any dialogue for that matter, my advice would be to come in with a completely open mind. I think that eliminating all possible expectations or stereotypes can make for a more rewarding experience. It is important to make any and all judgments about a place or aspect of it based on personal experiences. By being open minded, you are also setting yourself up to gain the most knowledge possible and to take everything in without being tainted by prior expectations. Being open to new possibilities will also allow for more amazing experience. For example, I probably would not have gone cliff jumping on this trip if I had not made a promise to myself to try new things and not hold back. If I had the class availability, I would most definitely study abroad again. Since I have been to Europe a few times now, I might want to try visiting another continent, like Asia or Australia. I would recommend studying abroad to everyone that can and to take advantage of the opportunities that Northeastern provides because they are extremely rewarding and worth it. I had an incredible experience on my dialogue in Greece and learned more than I ever imagined I would.