Author: Ashwin Narayan | Major: Industrial Engineering | Semester: Summer 2024

The Acropolis

I selected Athens as the study abroad destination of choice because of my interest in ancient history, philosophy, and politics, all of which were heavily influenced by the Athenians. I had not yet traveled to Greece and given the opportunity to spend a month leaning about the country and visiting some of its most popular landmarks and natural attractions, I was eager to pursue this program. The program was hosted by the American College of Greece, which would provide a comfortable and somewhat familiar element to school while allowing me to interact with the Greek faculty and students who happened to take the same courses. I was in Athens for 34 days (just over a month) which included a few days of assimilation upon arrival, four weeks of courses, and two days of finals during the first summer session from mid-May to mid-June. For me, the entire experience could be divided into four segments. First, the assimilation period took about a week. This included accommodating to the living situation, the people, the food, and the coursework. This lasted for about a week. The second portion, by which I had become comfortable with daily activities, lasted about three weeks. By this point, I had memorized the names of other students in my courses, had built a connection with waiters at my favorite restaurants (who had my order memorized), had come to terms with how small my bathroom was, and gotten used to the warm, dry Greek climate. The third period featured my last week in Athens as I had to face the prospect of leaving and returning to more mundane surroundings in Northwest Arkansas. During this period, I tried my utmost to savor the lasts of my favorite activities: eating at my favorite spots, hanging out with new Greek friends, and experiencing some of the peculiarities of Greece and the Greek people.

Since I had completed all of my graduation requirements, I selected courses which were as far removed from engineering as possible to develop my knowledge of other topics of interest. First, I took a history course titled Greece: The Birth of a Modern Nation which was not as interesting as I would have hoped. While the content was very relevant to the current political dynamics in Greece and in Europe, the lecture and PowerPoint heavy format was not very conducive to appreciating the content. The other course, a philosophy class titled Ethics, was fascinating. The course was taught by a fantastic professor who engaged our class with open discussions and practical examples of ethical debates in the public sphere. Studying ethics enhanced my appreciation for the complexities of some of the prevalent topics which are debated in politics and in life. Notably, we discussed relevant topics such as animal ethics, cultural relativism, and the value of life which are still sources of ongoing debate in the U.S.

While in Athens, I made sure to explore the city to visit some of the notable landmarks. The Acropolis was the first on my list, and while I was disappointed to see the scaffolding covering some of the pillars on the Parthenon, the complex was beautiful with picturesque views of Athens and fantastic preservation of structures which had survived centuries and several earthquakes, wars, and other potentially catastrophic events. Other Athenian landmarks that visited included the Temple of Hephaestus and the Ancient Agora (my personal favorite), the Areopagus, the Panathenaic Stadium (another favorite), Monastiraki, and several museums. Additionally, AIFS provided excursions which took the students to nearby islands, archaeological sites, and temples. My favorite excursion was an evening trip on an old fishing vessel which stopped at four islands, enabling the students to swim in the clear Mediterranean waters.

Studying abroad enabled me to discover some of the cultural differences between Greeks and Americans which provided some insight into why certain cultures behave in particular ways. It also really led me to question some of my practices back home (such as using a dryer). My biggest surprise was discovering how much fun I had while outside of my comfort zone.