A Day in Delphi

Author: Addy Miller | Major: Excercise Science

Trying to describe the experience I just had in less than 1,000 words will be impossible. Living in one of the most beautiful places in the world for over a month is something I will surely never forget. Hopefully, I can explain the unbelievable time I had and the memories that came along with it and persuade more people to take a journey similar to the one I have made.

I originally chose the program I was a part of due to my fascination with Ancient Greek history. I have always found that Greek history is extremely unique and interesting. Once I found out that I could study in Athens for over four weeks, I could not think of a better way to learn about the country’s current and past cultures. I studied at the American College of Greece, or better known as Deree University, which is a college that does all its classes in English. I was not only able to take classes that were geared towards my professional goals, but I was able to take them in a completely unfamiliar environment with Greek students. Each day I attended two classes that were both two hours long (I am not going to miss that). Both courses were something I had never experienced before. One professor was an older Greek gentleman who taught psychology and had a passion for his material that is exceedingly rare to find. Although his accent made class difficult at times, he always made me feel very welcome and appreciated in his classroom. My other professor was an unbelievably outgoing historian from Germany. Every day he would ask me numerous questions about life in America and would compare our culture to both Greece’s and Germany’s. Not only did I learn so much about early Western Civilization, but I also learned so much about European culture as well. Classes differed in Greece compared to Arkansas in many ways. All classes are extremely small and usually only contain around fifteen students. Courses are set up this way to increase student-professor interaction. Each day our professors would expect us to voice our opinions and ideas on the material. Most classes would turn into discussions and sometimes even debates. This kept everyone engaged and truly made you think critically about what was being presented to you. I hope I can find more classes like that back home because they were extremely fun to be a part of.

Outside of class was always an adventure. Each day my new friends and I would explore Athens by finding new restaurants, beaches, or boutique shops. We constantly tried to see new things within Athens during the week. Once the weekend hit, we all traveled around the rest of the country. While I was in Greece, I was able to travel to the islands of Mykonos, Paros, and Naxos. I also made a trip up into the mountains to visit the sacred land of Delphi. Each place had many unique features that the others did not. The cuisine, lifestyle, and terrain were vastly different from one other. Every trip felt like you were in a completely different country. I had no idea how geologically diverse Greece was until seeing it first-hand. One thing remained constant however, the people. Every single person I encountered on my trip was immensely kind and gracious. The Greek people are as relaxed as one can be and never seem to be sad. Even as a tourist I was always greeted with a smile and felt like I was friends with the entire population of the country.

As you can tell, this trip was nothing short of amazing. I genuinely enjoyed every second of my time in Greece and I highly recommend any student to do the same. Between the high quality of education, the unbelievable views and landscapes, and the kindness of the Greek people, I could not think of a better place for a college student to study abroad. The only thing I wish I knew before arriving was how to travel around Athens and the rest of the country. Unless you rent a motorized bike (which I would not advise) you will have to travel through taxis or Uber. Just understand that it will cost a bit of money to travel anywhere outside of where you are staying. Also, if you plan to stay on an island at any time make sure to book your ferry ride at least three days in advance. Tickets sell out quickly as many people try to get out to an island during the weekends.

I hope this has helped encourage other people to look into not only studying abroad but doing it in Athens. I promise you will love and cherish every moment of the amazing experience that is awaiting you. Although my time here has been nothing short of incredible, I am most certainly ready to get home and crash into my comfortable bed and catch up on lots and lots of sleep that I missed while in Greece and enjoy being in the same time zone as all my American friends that I miss dearly.