On the Island of Santorini in front of classic white Cycladic architecture

Author: Samuel Cobbs | Majors: Applied Mathematics and Philosophy

My name is Samuel Cobbs, and I am an Applied Mathematics and Philosophy major in the Fulbright College of Arts & Sciences. This summer I traveled to the Cycladic Island, Paros, for the Hellenic International Studies in the Arts program. The HISA program lasted three weeks, and I stayed and explored other parts of Greece for three weeks after. I chose this program primarily because of its location. As a philosophy major, I thought there would be no place better to discuss thought than the birthplace of philosophy itself, and, as it turns out, I was correct in my assumption.

The classes and professors of the HISA program were phenomenal in both my Cycladic Arts & Culture and Creative Writing class. While I have never been a large history buff, the Greek islands have such an ancient and unbelievably interesting history. We could walk in Apollon Temples from over 3,000 years ago, or we could walk in Venetian forts built from the ruins of ancient Greek temples, or we could walk around the stunningly beautiful modern Cycladic white and blue architecture. My Creative Writing professor was a two-time published author and a sort of real-life Indiana Jones. He has never lived in one place for more than four years (we were his last class before he moved again), has hunted for lost cities in Morocco and outer Mongolia, and is currently having a movie made about his travels in Mongolia. All this is to say he was an incredibly accomplished creative writer and sparked a desire within me to create new stories someday similar to his.

As I stated earlier, I was correct in my assumption about philosophy’s close relation to Greek people. On my first day of traveling after the program, I began discussions with two waiters at the restaurant in which I was eating. One was a middle-aged that talked to me for an hour about his outlook on life and personal philosophy. This was the case in almost every Greek person I spoke with, everyone had their own philosophy of life and were gladly willing to share and discuss with me when asked. Apart from Greek philosophy, Greek cuisine was phenomenal as well. It seems Europeans also make meals into an event, which was a large difference in our cultures. When I’m home in the states, meals are at most 15 minutes, whereas dinner in Greece was about a two-hour outing.

The climb to the peak of Olympus

I also had many great experiences while in Greece. I snorkeled for the first time, which was a perfect place to start because of the crystal-clear blue water. I snorkeled over a 400-meter-long sunken ship and took a spring out of the engine. I climbed and peaked Mt Olympus. The last 250m of the climb were a straight free-climb up an 80-degree incline which is pictured above. Also pictured are three friends and I at the top that I met while climbing. I stayed overnight in a Monastery, pictured below, while working, praying, eating, and waking up at 4am for church with them. I finished out my travels on Crete for five days where I met four great friends from around Europe that I hope to visit again next summer.

I would recommend this program to other students because of the amazing location and professors. I wish I would’ve studied more Greek prior to this program. I spent a month beforehand on Duolingo every day, yet I still did not learn close to enough to have the full experience that I would’ve wanted. As I have now returned home, the biggest thing I have had to get reaccustomed to is the fried foods in America. I had fried chicken my first day back in America and my stomach is still regretting it a week later.

Again, this opportunity was incredible. I see now why there are so many people that spend their whole lives traveling, as there is so much to see and do.