|
Greece Study Abroad
By Amanda Klinger
Spring break was a wonderful time to be in Greece. Over this time, Sarah Wright and I led 18 participants through 4 different airports in the US, Germany, and Greece. Our group was quite diverse and many of the participants had never been out of the country.
We spent most of our time in the center of Athens. The first day we walked to the Acropolis where we climbed the hill to the Parthenon. It was amazing seeing first-hand the architecture and construction techniques of people from 447 BC. We traveled to Delphi to see the Temple of Apollo, which was also an amazing site constructed in the 7th century BC. Our activities in Athens included visiting many historical sites, dancing some traditional Greek dances, enjoying some wonderful Greek cuisine, and seeing so many cultural differences .
Then our group was delighted to travel to the island of Aegina to see a different side of Greece. We spent two days and one night on the island and enjoyed the slower-paced island life. This seemed to be the highlight of the trip for most of the group. Our first excursion was to visit the Temple of Aphaia. She was the daughter of Zeus and the temple was breath-taking on the highest point of the island. We soaked up the sun, the water, and all of the pistachio cuisine in just a limited amount of time. Aegina is known internationally for its pistachios, which are considered to be the highest quality in the world.
An unexpected highlight of our trip was seeing and petting the stray cats everywhere we traveled in Greece. Most of the cats were very friendly and seemed to be taken care of by the community.
We traveled with the Study Abroad Association and were led around the country by faculty members from the Hellenic American University in Athens. The faculty members were all very knowledgeable and were ready to answer all of our questions.
I have now led four trips abroad with students and community members. Each time it is such a joy to see people young and old discover the awe of traveling. Participants will always start planning their next trip before the end of the nine days. This trip was special for me because I was able to travel with my mom, and I will never forget it. I believe that the more people see and learn about other cultures, the more they will learn about themselves.
Greece photos
| 
