Study Abroad Reflection

After being back home for a few days I’ve had time to think about my time in Greece. I had a great while studying abroad and enjoyed every minute of being in the Greek culture. I was fortunate enough to be able to visit different cities within the country to get a great overview of the country. Every city was different in regards to architecture, cost, and feelings towards tourists. I would say that my favorite city was Tolon because it was a small enough town that I was able to get to know some of the local people who worked at the shops and restaurants and they were all very hospitable. I was definitely surprised at how well many Greek people could speak English; I had time to talk with local people who had lived in Greece for years and also students who went to school at the University of Athens. It seems like such a different culture because of how serious they take learning other languages like English and for the surrounding countries. Apart from learning about the culture and ancient sites I also got to know a lot of great people within my group. There were more than 50 of us on the trip including faculty. I made many new friends and it was great to be able to share an experience like this with them. I am so grateful for the chance to taken part in another study abroad trip through TNCIS and Vol State. My time abroad has given me a new perspective on another country and has made me want to travel more.

Traveling Home

5/29/11

Location: Nashville

We got up early this morning and had to have all of our luggage in the lobby by 8AM before eating breakfast. Then we got onto a bus to take us to the airport. The ride there was about 30 minutes long and then we got off to check our luggage. The process of getting our tickets, going through customs, and checking our bags at security took about an hour. Once we got to the gate we either had to stay there or go through security again if we wanted to leave. We eventually boarded the plane and got settled in for the long flight. I slept for a lot of the flight except when they were serving food. It was 10 hours on a plane but it actually wasn’t too bad. We landed in Philadelphia and had a few hours to relax and eat after going through security again. It was good to be able to spend time with people in our group before getting on another plane. The second plane ride was only about 2 hours long and was pretty quick. We got into Nashville earlier than scheduled so we all waited by the baggage claim for our luggage and family. It was great being able to meet everyone’s family. My parents and a good friend of mine met me at the airport. It was hard to say goodbye to everyone and we are definitely planning to get together over the summer. The 3 weeks that I got to spend in Greece was amazing and I’ve also made a lot of new friends. I wish that the trip would have lasted longer but it’s also good to be home.

Last Day in Athens

5/28/11

Location: Athens

I got up and ate breakfast this morning as usual. Today is free for me because we’ve finished our class. I had some time to relax and I waited for the people from the business class to be done. Then I went into central Athens to do some last minute shopping along with some other people. I was able to find everything that I wanted to get and I also got to eat at a nice restaurant where I had chicken and pitas. We spent a couple more hours walking around to make sure we had everything. It was a Saturday so there were some garage sale-type stands in the city. It was fun to look around but I didn’t get anything. We headed back to the hotel in the late afternoon and I packed up all of my souvenirs. Then I went into town to go to the grocery store before dinner. Some of us had a toga party at our farewell dinner and we got a lot of great pictures of everyone. I’m really going to miss everyone on this trip. It feels like I’ve been with them a lot longer than 3 weeks. I wish that this trip was longer but in some ways I’m ready to go home. Some of us went into town to get some gelato for the last time and it was good as always. Our group sat and talked about our favorite parts of the trip while we ate our gelato. Then I went back to the hotel and stayed up talking with a few people in my room and making sure that all of my stuff was packed before going to bed. It was a good last day in Athens and I was able to have some time to look back on the trip as a whole and how well I’ve gotten to know everyone here. I’ve definitely made a lot of new friends on this trip.

Close to Ending

5/27/11
Location: Athens

I got up in the morning and got ready for the day. I ate breakfast and got ready for class. I had class for an hour and then went to listen to a speaker who talked about the Olympics and the country of Greece. It was pretty interesting; I enjoy listening to native Greeks talk about what they think of the current economic situation. We had a break before listening to another speaker so I went into town to go to a grocery store. I hadn’t been able to find one in 2 weeks and I was really happy. I was able to buy water and some other things that I needed. Then I went back to the hotel to listen to a speaker talk about the health care system in Greece. It was kind of interesting but sometimes it was hard to understand what he was saying. I had a little bit of time to just relax which was really nice. I was able to catch up on my online stuff and write a paper for my class. Before dinner we had a chance to go downstairs at the hotel and meet students from the University of Athens and talk with them. It was fun being able to meet people who were studying some of the same subjects who lived in another country. I got to know a couple of girls named Mina and Helen who were both very nice. After dinner, I played cards with a group of people at the hotel. I had some more time to relax and just be able to enjoy my time with the group of people I was with. I went out with a few girls to get gelato later on and then came back to the hotel to go to sleep.

Going to Class and Into Town

5/26/11
Location: Athens

I got up in the morning and got ready for the day. I ate breakfast and got ready for class. I had class for an hour and then had a break where I helped a friend with some homework. Then went to listen to a speaker who met us at the hotel and that session lasted about 2 hours. Once I got done with the class portion of my day I tried to find a grocery store in town but I couldn’t find one. Then I went back to the hotel and met up with a group of people to go into the main part of the city to do some souvenir shopping. I spent a few hours walking around with Libby and I was able to find a few t-shirts for myself and some other people. I like just being in the city and seeing a different side of Athens than where we are actually staying. Later on, we all sat down to eat some dinner. I ate some honey and sesame chicken and it was really good. It was raining on and off all day so our movement throughout the city was dependent on that. We traveled back to the hotel and got back around 11PM. I had a good time in the city with the people in our group and I felt like I got a lot of my shopping done. Some of the people from our group who stayed at the hotel thought I went into Athens by myself because of a rumor that had started and by the time I got back they were attempting to form a search party. That was an interesting situation to come back to but it's good to know that the other group members care about me.

School Time and Protests

5/25/11
Location: Athens

I got up in the morning and ate breakfast. I had some time to relax before class started. Class lasted about an hour and then we had time for a lunch break. I went into the smaller part of town to get some lunch. We ate at a small restaurant called BoBo's and it was really good and cheap. Afterwards, we headed back to the hotel to listen to a guest speaker who talked about the Greek economy. I thought his speech was pretty interesting and I learned alot about the economic crisis right now. A little while later I went into the main part of Athens with Emily and Brandon to see the protest that was going on. There were about 5,000 people at the protest and there was actually a second protest going on across the street as well. We stayed in that area for about 2 hours to see what was happening and then headed back to the hotel. The trams were shut down because of the protest so we had to walk about a mile and climb over a fence to get to a tram that worked. We eventually got back to the hotel for dinner and then had some time to relax. I stayed in the hotel lobby for a while to work on my computer and then went with a few people to get some gelato. I've had a lot of fun being able to explore the different parts of the city. I'm really going to miss walking around the streets and being in such a different culture than what I'm used to.

Athens and the Acropolis

5/24/11

Location: Athens

We had to get up really early this morning to travel to the center of Athens. I still managed to shower and eat breakfast before leaving at 8AM. The whole group got on the tram and traveled 45 minutes to the end of the tracks and got off to get onto the metro system. We got off the tram at Syntagma and then traveled on the metro to the Acropolis. We went down to the ancient part of the Acropolis to see the ruins. We walked around and saw a lot of different structures and the Parthenon. We spent about 2 hours walking around the site; I could have spent longer there but it was really hot out. I went into the main part of town to eat lunch and look at the shops in the area. I was able get a lot of my souvenir shopping done but it took me about 5 hours to get everything I wanted. I walked around with a few girls and then traveled back to the hotel. My legs were hurting pretty bad but it was worth it. I eventually made it back to the hotel to eat dinner and then I went into a different part of town that was closer to where our hotel is located. A few of us went to the movie theater to see Pirates of the Caribbean 4. It was an interesting experience being in a theater in a different country. We went back to the hotel after the movie and I stayed up for about an hour talking with a few people from our group. I eventually went to bed around 1AM. I had a really good time exploring the main part of Athens.

Exploring the City

5/23/11

Location: Athens

I got up this morning and ate breakfast. We had some time to relax while we were waiting to start the walking tour of the city. We ended up waiting about 2 hours to get the tram passes but I just stayed at the hotel and talked with some friends. Once we finally started our tour we got on the tram to take us into the city. We haven't gone into the center of Athens yet. We are actually staying in a town right beside it. We had about an hour and a half to walk around and I got some lunch with a few friends and looked in a few shops. We traveled back to the hotel for class which lasted about 2 hours and then I went back into town with a few of the girls to go shopping. I didn’t buy anything but I still had a good time walking around with them. We went back to the hotel for dinner. After we ate I gathered with a few people from our group who wanted to go into town again. I really like to walk and explore the city. Most of the stores were closed by then but we still enjoyed walking through the streets. We spent about 3 hours walking and then stopped to eat some crepes. I got a chocolate crepe that was huge and I couldn’t finish all of it. Finally we walked back to the tram station and headed back to the hotel. I stayed up a little longer talking with some friends and then went to bed.

From Delphi to Athens

5/22/11
Location: Athens

I got up this morning and made sure that all of my stuff was packed before going down to breakfast. I really wish that we could have spent more time in Delphi because it's a really nice city. I ate breakfast with the group and then we brought our luggage down to the bus. We loaded all of our things on and then walked down to the Ancient Delphi site. The museum and ruins were less than a mile away. We explored the ruins and walked up the hill at Delphi. There was so much stuff to see and I got a lot of great photos. We were already on top on a huge mountain and we were climbing up even farther to get to the top. We spent about 2 hours looking around and going to the museum. I walked around with Xuan Anh at Delphi. She's another friend that I've made on this trip. After we got done at Ancient Delphi we all got on the bus and drove about 30 minutes and stopped in a little town for lunch. It was probably the best lunch that we've had so far because here was so much food to choose from. We had 4 or 5 different appetizers and a main course. After we got done with lunch we got back on the bus and drove for 3 hours to Athens. I slept for most of the time on the bus. We finally got to the hotel and settled into our hotel. I'm glad that we're done traveling around; it was fun but it seemed like a lot of moving in less than a week. I spent the rest of the day relaxing by the pool and I also worked on homework with some friends from my sociology class. So far I'm enjoying Athens and we'll be exploring the city more tomorrow.

Traveling to Delphi

5/21/11

Location: Delphi

We got to sleep in this morning and I packed all of my stuff. Then I went downstairs and ate breakfast. We loaded up all of our stuff on to the bus and left the hotel in Patras. We drove for about 3 hours before getting to Delphi. The area around the hotel we’re staying at is very small. It has narrow streets and a lot of different shops. I walked around for a little while by myself and then met up with a few other girls to walk around more. The style of the buildings and the roads seem very old fashioned. The whole city is on top of a hill overlooking a large valley. Pretty much everywhere I go there is a good view. I eventually went back to the hotel to eat dinner. The food was okay, but not as good as the previous hotels. After eating, I walked around some more with Elizabeth and Brandon to see what the city looked like at night. We spent about 2 hours walking around and found a large church a few streets over from our hotel. It was different seeing everything at night. Then we walked back to the hotel and I relaxed for a while and talked with some friends. The rest of the night I stayed at the hotel and it was very relaxing.

Visting Olympia and Relaxing in Patras

5/20/11

Location: Patras

I got up this morning and got ready for the day. Then I went downstairs to eat breakfast and then everyone got onto the tour bus. We drove for about 2 hours to Olympia where we got to see ancient ruins and where the first Olympics were held. I walked around with the whole group to look at the site and then I went to the museum filled with artifacts. It was cool seeing the gyms that they had built for the athletes and see the different sculptures in the museum. I walked into the main area of town with Elizabeth to look at the souvenir shops. I bought a few things and then ate lunch at a small restaurant in the town. I ate some pizza and then walked back to the bus with Elizabeth. The ride back took about the same amount of time and I slept for most of it. Once we got back to the hotel I spent some time updating all my online things. We actually have free internet service in our rooms this time which is really nice. Then it was time for dinner; the food here is really good too. After dinner I spent some time in the main area of the hotel just relaxing and talking to people. Then a few of us watched some South Park episodes on my computer. It’s nice to have some people with the same interests to spend time with. I’ve really gotten to know a lot of people and it’s great having so many different personalities on this trip. We watched a few episodes and then went downstairs and played cards with a big group of people. Then I went upstairs to go to bed. Even though it was only a short time, I had a lot of fun staying in Patras.

Leaving Tolon and Moving to Patras

5/19/11

Location: Patras

Today I got up and made sure that all of my stuff was packed and then I brought everything downstairs. I ate breakfast and enjoyed the beach view from the dining room. After eating, we all loaded our stuff onto the tour bus and left Tolon. I was really sad to leave because it was such a great town to be in. We traveled to Ancient Corinth; the bus ride took about an hour. We got out and were able to look at the old ruins of the city. It was a big area to explore and they had a museum filled with artifacts. We spent about 2 hours looking around and then got to walk around in the more modern area of the city where there were souvenir shops and restaurants. I spent some time looking around and going into some of the shops. I thought it was really cool that I could still see some of the ruins as I walked through the more modern area of the city. Then we ate at another traditional Greek restaurant for lunch called Marino’s. We ate a few different types of meat, Greek salad, and pasta. The food was really good and there was a lot of it. Afterwards, we got on the bus for about 2 hours to go to Patras where we’d be staying the next couple of nights. Once we unloaded all of our stuff and settled into our rooms, some of us went into town. I was told that the main part of the city was for tourists. It was definitely an experience because we had to park the bus at a shipping dock and get out to walk into the city. I was a little uneasy walking around so I stayed in a group with a lot of people. There were a lot of different things that I saw. At the port we got off at there were illegal immigrants trying to sneak onto some of the boats and I saw a homeless camping ground. I stayed close to some of my friends just to make sure that everyone got back okay. It was definitely an experience and a culture shock from what I had seen in Greece before. We finally got back on the bus and went back to the hotel for dinner. After we ate, I stayed up and watched some South Park with Keith and then talked with some friends before going to bed. It was a long and interesting day but I’m still enjoying everything that I get to do.

Last Day In Tolon

5/18/11

Location: Tolon

I got up this morning and I ate some breakfast in the room because my roommate wasn’t feeling good. Then I went to class for a couple of hours. We got off earlier than the other classes and had the rest of the day off. I walked around town for a little while and then came back to the hotel to work on homework. I also got to spend time with Abby, Hailin, and Xuan Anh. They are all in my sociology class. Then I went downstairs and played cards with a few people until it was dinner time. After dinner I went into town with some friends and I bought a few souvenirs from Tolon. This is our last night in this town and I will really miss it. I think what I’ve enjoyed the most is walking around town and getting to know the local people at the shops. A few of us went to the gelato shop one last time. We’ve gotten to know the woman who owns the shop and we said goodbye to her. It has been a really fun experience being in a more relaxed setting for this portion of the trip.

Getting To Know The Town

5/17/11

Location: Tolon

Today I got up and ate breakfast and then went to class. I’m getting used to the routine after being here a week. I know that it won’t last much longer but it feels like I’ve been here a while already. After the first class period, I went with a few of the girls from my class to go eat lunch. We ate at a café on the beach and then went back for our second class period of the day. The classes aren’t too bad but sometimes it’s difficult when there’s 2 in 1 day. Once class was over for the day I went down to the beach to lay out in the sun for a while. Some people from our group came down and played a game of soccer on the beach. It was fun to watch and I also got to have some time outside. It wasn’t too sunny today but I still had a good time. Afterwards, I went back to the hotel to change and I played cards with a few friends. We ate dinner together and then I went into town with Elizabeth and Samantha to go shopping. I really like how small the town is and some of the people in the shops recognize us. We looked in a few different shops and met up with a few other people along the way. We stayed out until about 10:30 and then came back to the hotel and went to bed.

Mycenae and Epidaurus

5/16/11

Location: Tolon

Today I got up and showered and ate breakfast. I’ve learned that it’s usually best to shower in the morning. After I ate, everyone got on a large tour bus and traveled to Mycenae. We went to 2 different places; the first one was Agamemnon’s tomb and the second place was Agamemnon’s palace. Both places were really cool. At the tomb we got to walk inside; it was dome-shaped at the top and it seemed pretty big. At the palace we got to walk up to the top of the hill where we took a lot of photos. Then we traveled back down the hill to go to the museum where they had ancient artifacts. Then we all got on the bus to go to lunch. We ate at a fancy Greek restaurant in Mycenae where they served us moussaka, Greek salad, and chicken kabobs. I really enjoy eating the food here. After eating lunch we traveled to Epidaurus to look at the ancient amphitheater. I got to walk along the steps of the theater and take a lot of pictures. There was a museum with different artifacts at this location too. By the time we all got back to the bus everyone was really tired. I slept on the way back to the hotel. Once we got back I went to the beach and got into the sea and then I layed out for a while. I went back to the hotel for dinner and then walked into town with a few friends to look at the jewelry shops. I love being in Tolon, It’s been one week since we got here and I’ve had a great time.

Going to Class and Hiking in Tolon

5-15-11

Location: Tolon

I got up this morning and ate some chocolate croissants for breakfast. I really like eating those in the morning. Then I had class for 2 hours and we sat inside to have a discussion. We got an hour long break for lunch and I went with some of the girls in my class and the teacher to a beach café. I was able to get some pizza and look at the beach the whole time. Then we went back to have class for another 2 hours. After class was over I went on a hike up a hill that overlooked the entire city. It was a mile long walk to get there and we stopped at a bar along the way. Then we climbed up the rocks to get to the top. There were different sides to climb up and we got to see both sides of the city. The hike was really fun and I got a lot of great pictures. We hiked back down the mountain and walked back to the hotel for dinner. The whole trip took about 4 hours and it was really great to do. After I ate dinner I went out with a few friends to the gelato shop to get some dessert and use the internet. Once I got back to the hotel I just relaxed and talked with some friends before going to bed.

Cruise in Greece

5/14/11

Location: Tolon

I woke up and ate breakfast in the morning. Then we all walked about a mile to the large boat dock. We visited 2 different islands today. The trip to the island Hydra was about 2 hours long. We got to ride in a large 3 story ship with more than 130 people on it. It was fun being on the first island. They had old fashion buildings that were built on a hill and they had white sides and an orange roof. Pretty much like the ones that are in all of the movies. I was able to do some souvenir shopping and I walked around with Elizabeth. Then we ate lunch and it was traditional Greek food; we had moussaka (A chilled eggplant dessert), Greek salad, and pork kabobs. The food was pretty good, I’m trying new things. Then we got back on the boat for an hour long ride to the island Spetses. This was a nice place to go to; there weren’t many shops but it was very relaxing to just enjoy the town. We spent a little while there and then rode back to Tolon. We ate dinner and then went to the gelato shop to get some dessert and get on the internet. I’ve got a little bit of sun burn but it has been a really great day.

Catching up on blogging

5/13/11

Location: Tolon

I woke up and ate breakfast this morning. I’m pretty happy with the food provided by the hotel. Afterwards, we waited for an hour for a bus to take us to the next town. We realized we were at the wrong bus stop, and then we found out the bus wasn’t running yet because it wasn’t tourist season. Some of the people from my sociology class got together and ate lunch and then sat by the pool to study for a few hours. I got to know some of the girls better and finish my homework. Then I went down to the beach with a few friends to layed in the sun for a while. We stayed there about an hour and then went back to the hotel to clean ourselves up before going to dinner. After dinner I went into town to find someone to interview for my class. Our assignment was to find someone who is from Greece and ask them about the values that are common in this area. I got to meet a woman named Flora who worked at a hotel. She was really nice and I learned a lot about what she personally thought about the economic situation. I spent the rest of the night with some friends in town and tomorrow we go on a cruise to visit a couple of the islands.

Getting used to life on the island

5-12-11

Location: Tolon

I had stayed up until 1 or 2am last night and woke up about 5 hours later. I haven’t felt any effects of the big time change. I went down to breakfast and ate some chocolate croissants. Then we had class for a few hours and we sat by the pool while talking about sociology. We had a break for lunch and I went with some friends into town to get some pizza. We had another class period after lunch and sat by the pool again. Class hasn’t been too bad, I enjoy listening to my teacher and learning about Greek history. Once class was over for the day I went back to the hotel to relax and play cards. I do like the majority of the people in our group; I try to meet someone new everyday. We had dinner a little later and then walked around town for a while with Elizabeth and Samantha before going to the internet café. Even though the town is small, I still enjoy walking down the same streets and looking in the shops. We eventually got back to the hotel and I did some homework before going to bed. 

Tolon Day 2

5/11/11

Location: Tolon

I woke up this morning and went down to breakfast. I ate some fruit and bread. I try not to be too picky about what I eat but I know it takes some time to get used to the meals provided by the hotels. Afterwards, we all had orientation to go through a few rules and what the plans are for our time in Tolon. We had some free time before our first class. I went down to the beach by our hotel with Josh and Elizabeth to take some pictures. There was a long dock made out of rock that we sat on and looked at the ocean. After that I walked through town and got some bread. There are more than 50 people on our trip and I see a lot of them around town. I’m slowly getting to know more people in our group. I sat down for lunch with a few girls from my class and got to talk to them for a while. Then I went to my first class meeting for sociology. We had class on the beach which was really fun. I decided to go into town to buy some flip flops because I was dumb and didn’t bring any. Then I met up with a few girls and we looked at all of the souvenir shops. I want to buy a few things that say “Tolon” on them before I leave. We still have a week left here so I have a lot of time to look around. We went back to the hotel to eat dinner and then went over to the internet café. I’m planning to just rest for tonight and read the chapters assigned in my sociology book. So far this has been a very easy going trip and I’m really enjoying it.

First Day In Tolon

5/10/11

Location: Tolon

The flight that we got on yesterday was delayed by more than 2 hours. We finally boarded the plane and got settled I for the long flight. I slept for most of the time other than when they were serving food. We arrived in Athens at 9:10 in the morning. After everyone got their luggage we all got on a bus that would take us to Tolon, the first city we would be visiting. The bus ride took about 2 hours and we stopped to look at the canal in Corinth and take pictures. The canal was very high up and near a few souvenir shops and restaurants. I hadn’t gotten any Euros yet, we were all waiting to get to Tolon and use a local ATM to withdraw money. It only took me about 10 minutes to settle into my hotel room and then I went to look around the city. I was able to find an ATM and look at the various shops that they had. Tolon is like a village and it’s very small. It was fun to be able to explore the area. I found where the grocery store was and walked along the beach by the hotel. Dinner is served fairly late in the day so everyone in our group had a chance to walk around which was nice after a long plane ride and being on a bus for so long. After we ate dinner a few of us walked around searching for a place that had an internet connection. Our first dayis almost over, I feel tired but it's been a great trip so far.

Taking Off To Greece

5/09/11

Location: Philadelphia

I got to meet the majority of the group going to Greece this morning at the Nashville airport. We’ll be meeting up with the other people in Philadelphia. I’m excited to spend time with students that I already know and to meet new people. The flight from Nashville to Philadelphia took about 2 hours and I was able to get to know my roommate Samantha during the flight and we get along really well. Once we landed we had to move all of our carry on luggage to the next gate that we would be leaving from. We had a few hours to relax at the airport after that. I ate some Italian food and got to know some of the other girls on the trip. The flight to Athens will take about 12 hours and we are about to board the plane. I’m excited.