iN MY OWN WORDS //

A Little More About My Trip

“Some people go their whole lives without seeing something like this.” My classmate, Sabrina, said this to me while we were standing atop the Acropolis in Athens during the first week of the trip, and it stuck with me for the rest of my time here. Everything we saw, I realized how incredible it was that I had the opportunity to study abroad, especially in a country with such a rich history. Greece is unique in so many ways, as you can see in my photos. This trip taught me a lot about the country and the people, but it also taught me a lot about myself. While I was in Olympia one evening I was shopping with my friend David and we struck up a conversation with the shop owner. He had lived in Olympia for his entire life. It’s a city with a population of just about 1,000 people, but he was so happy meeting new people every day as visitors travelled in an out. He said that meeting other people taught him who he was, and so he has had a similar experience that we have being immersed in another culture. It was just reversed. There is so much to learn on a trip like this, and I hope to express it all as best I can through my photographs and this post.

 

Itinerary

 

I’d like to start out by explaining what my trip consisted of. For the 5 weeks I was in Greece I did a lot of travelling, both on the mainland and on different islands. It was one of my favorite parts of the trip because I felt like I was able to experience many different parts of Greece. As a country it is very spread out because it is a peninsula, and there are many islands off its coast. Each aspect of Greece has its own history which has made it what it is today, and all together these different aspects make up Greek culture. If one of these parts was missing, Greece wouldn’t be the same. While it is all separate, it is uniquely whole at the same time. So, we flew into Athens and stayed there for a few days before we began island hopping. We travelled to six islands before heading back to Athens for a pit stop before we began mainland hopping. Then we travelled to five different mainland cities before returning to Athens for the few remaining days of our trip. This website is set up to reflect my travels so you can follow along with where I went and what I experienced. We travelled to many ancient archaeological sites, museums, beaches, agoras (city-centers), and churches. In each our professors enlightened us on the history of each site, so when we explored we knew what we were seeing. And on Siphnos we had a tour guide take us around, and teach us traditional Greek dancing! Her name was Ronda and she was a hoot.

 

Meet My Classmates

 

I’m writing this post on the eleven-hour plane ride back to the United States. So as I sit 39,000 feet in the air, I reflect back on this experience. It’s bittersweet because on one hand I’m anxious to see my family again. But on the other, it’s heartbreaking to be leaving such an incredible trip. The main lesson I learned from this experience is that when you study abroad you will meet people who will change your lives forever. Now, I know that sounds corny, but just hang with me for a minute. I started on this journey not knowing a single person, but from it I met 15 unique, incredible, inspirational friends. And I’m lucky enough that some of them go to Ball State, so I’ll see them again soon! In order to understand the trip, I think it’s important that you know who everybody was.

First, we have Sabrina, as I recently mentioned. She is a bright personality in more ways than one. Not only can she run six miles a day in the Greek heat, but she still has the energy to actively participate at every site. Her energy spread to the group in a major way. She also has the most precious southern accent I’ve ever heard.

Then we have her sidekick, Sydney. She was quiet at first but the more you got to know her the more she opened up with funny comments. And did I mention that she rode a donkey up a cliff like a champ? That’s because she’s an expert horse rider. Needless to say she continuously impressed us all.

And then there’s Jazmin. She is a sweetheart through and through. Although she is Mexican, the Greeks constantly mistook her for one of their own and she was constantly dealing with people starting conversation with her in a language she couldn’t understand. But she handled it well, and she always had a funny remark to lighten up the atmosphere.

Next, is Alex. He is actually part Greek, and growing out his hair, so he fit right in. He is a comedian through and through, but past his light-hearted nature he has a strong heart for others. He was always quick to help someone in any way he could, and cheer them up if they were feeling down.

Brooke was the other student who was part Greek, and on the trip she actually met some of her family for the very first time! Brooke was the “mom” of the group – someone who was always there for you with a warm smile and an “I know sweetie.” She is who you go to for anything and she’d drop everything to help you.

And then we have Maren. She is the fashionista of the group, and always willing to share her cute cardigans with everyone! She was the best story-teller, and I always enjoyed her emotive nature as she would try to explain to us something that had happened previously. Whether it was in class, at a site, or on the bus she always managed to make me smile.

Next, is Jordynn. First of all, I discovered that she and I had the same taste in music. And she was another photographer so we bonded pretty quickly on the trip. I was so impressed with her photos. She has the ability to take an ordinary scene and make it magnificent. I only hope that my photos can compare to hers!

Natalie was a ball of energy. Always laughing and making everyone’s day a little bit better. I was inspired by her enthusiasm at every archaeological site. She is also the kind of person who likes to make sure everyone is included and having a good time, which is so needed on this kind of trip. She just made people’s days better.

Zac is a fun guy. It amazed me that he could wake up every day 10 minutes before breakfast ended and still eat well and make it to class on time. And everyone got a kick out of his love for pistachio ice cream and baklava. It was always a good day when he would order one or the other. It made the trip feel like we were part of a regular routine, which we barely had since we moved around so much! It was great fun having him along.

And then we have Skyler. I have to get this off my chest right away: on the very first day he left his phone in the cab and lost it. So he ordered a new one and had it arrive when we returned to Athens half way through the trip. He did not have his phone for 24 hours before we were swimming in Loutraki and he forget to take it out of his swim trunks. So he lost two phones on the trip! But, on a more positive note, Skyler was the “dad” of the group. He cared about everybody and always made our group excursions fun. I also can’t forget that he had the raddest choco-tanlines I’ve ever seen on anyone.

Anna was a ray of sunshine. She brightened everybody’s day because she enjoyed every second of the trip and tried to make sure everyone else did too. Kind-hearted and very intelligent, she has a sense of adventure that inspired the rest of us every day.

And then there’s Rachel. I don’t know what we would have done without her. She helped organize everything we did, from a trip to Santorini to creating Superlatives for everybody on the last day of the trip. She is a natural born leader, and very on top of the itinerary… even if she didn’t always know how to pronounce the name of the hotel. She is a fun spirit.

Ashley is another enthusiastic Greece-er. She is very passionate, that’s easy to see. And she was always laughing and making my day better. She was always ready to go at every site and took charge leading the way through the ruins. She’s the kind of person that everybody enjoys being around. She was also the person I went to every time I saw a Greek cat or dog, because she shared in my enthusiasm.

Then, David was such a great friend to me on this trip. We actually met officially in Athens when I got lost leaving the Acropolis. I finally made my way back to the entrance and was standing there by myself, scared and trying not to cry, when he and Sabrina walked down. They took me back and we went out to dinner, and that was when we truly started to connect. I’m actually thankful I got lost because it led to one of my greatest friendships on the trip. His knowledge of Classical Culture was very impressive, and anytime I wanted to know something he was the person to go to. You’d be hard-pressed to ask him something he didn’t know.

And finally, there’s Mary. I roomed with her more than anyone on the trip, and I’m so thankful for that because I got to know her so well. Actually, she’s on the plane with me. Which doesn’t sound like a surprise, until you find out there were many, many, problems checking in at the Athens airport, and we got separated from the group and bumped to a different flight because they couldn’t check us in on time. I was so thankful to see her because I was in a different line and thought I’d be flying home by myself! She is a joy, and she shares my love for cats. I can’t thank her enough for all of the gelato runs, encouragement, and company that she gave me.

 

And that’s everyone! I could go on longer, but with fifteen people, I tried not to take up too much of your time. When we started on this journey, Dr Shea told us we would all become one organism, and that was the truest statement of the trip. Every single person was essential to this experience, and it wouldn’t have been the same with out them. It’s too cliché to say that we were all a family, so instead I’ll say that I made some incredible friendships that will last a lifetime. I know that if I needed anything these people would be here for me. They showed me that as halfway through the trip I experienced a loss in the family. But everybody dropped everything for me. Rachel even brought me back a milkshake, which doesn’t seem like much but it was everything to me that night. I promise, if you want to create strong relationships, spending five weeks straight with a group of people will make that happen. If any of you read this, I hope you know how appreciative of you I am and how thankful I am that you were on this trip. Yamas! (Cheers!)

 

Lessons Learned

 

I never fully realized how privileged I was until this experience. Of course, I knew how fortunate I was to have the experience to take a study abroad trip, but it goes far beyond that. In Greece, all of the signs and menus, etc., are written in both Greek and English. Everywhere I went people spoke English, even if it was just enough to order Souvlaki and a Coke. It wasn’t until more than halfway through the trip that I had a waitress who was struggling to understand my order. The owner of the restaurant came and helped and we had a delicious meal, but it was in that instant that I realized how lucky I was. I never had trouble in Greece because everyone there could speak my language. I didn’t have to learn Greek, or struggle to pronounce anything, and that is astonishing because I was in a completely different culture. It also made me sad to think how many students in America can not speak another language fluently. I took four years of Spanish, and I could get by, but I couldn’t hold a conversation with anyone. In America it is expected that others learn English, but then other countries don’t expect us to learn their language. It’s a backwards system, and something to consider next time I go abroad.

 

I also learned so much from my professors. We had two Classical Culture profs, a Religious Studies prof, and an English prof. Together they answered every question we had, and I was constantly impressed by how much they knew. I was also amazed because anytime one of them had a question they would ask one of the others, and they were always so interested to learn from them. They never took questions as embarrassing for any one of us not knowing. Instead, they used it as an opportunity to teach. It was impressive and I was grateful because I learned many new things every single day.

 

As for photography, I learned so much from this experience. I was taking photos every day. I was trying out different angles, different camera settings, and my scenery was always changing so I never took repetitive pictures. Each place was a brand new opportunity to explore. In my Christianity class we talked about icons. We went to the Byzantium museum where I got to see in-person many ancient icons of saints, and it reminded me of how lucky we are to have cameras. Because icons of the saints are all different depending on the time period they were created, and the culture that influenced them. Icons from across the globe portray the saints differently, so we will never have an accurate representation of what they looked liked. With journalism as a whole, the best lesson I learned was that there is a story everywhere you go. This is something teachers and professors have been telling me for years, but I was constantly blind to the familiarity of being at home. Here in Greece, we were enlightened of every unique piece of history that belonged to each site we went to. Every city has its own story, as do the people who live there. From talking to people I learned that. I met a man who was an Olympic torch runner in the 1996 Atlanta games. I also talked to a lot of the waiters to learn more about each city we were at, and in Naxos I struck up a conversation with a woman who was making home-made blankets. I learned about her life on Naxos, and I bought a blanket. Every person, even if they’ve lived in the same place their entire life, has a story. Everybody has something to say, I just have to ask them about it.

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Why Travel?

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It's easy to look at a map or Google images of places around the world, but it's much more difficult to actually get there. The few months leading up to my trip people kept telling me how lucky I was that I would have this experience, and they were totally right. Except for the fact that everyone should be having this experience. Traveling isn't something for those lucky few, it's for everyone. Whether you're traveling halfway across the world or just a state away, it's healthy to travel to a new place. There's the phrase "the grass is always greener on the other side," and it's true. We often fall into routine lives in the same town we've been living in for years, and we only dream about these far off places. But instead of simply dreaming about it, my advice is to make it a reality. On a trip like this you go to lose yourself: to lose the repetitiveness of daily life, of mundane activities and the same Foldgers coffee every single morning. And it is by losing yourself that you end up finding yourself, and a whole lot more. You learn what it's like to navigate a foreign city. You learn how to be open to trying new foods. You learn what someone else's every day routine is, and how it differs from your own. You learn how to accept differences. You learn what it means to pass on kindness to someone else because someone pointed you kindly in the right direction or gave you a discount on your cab fare. You learn the history of a new place. You learn how adaptable you are. You learn how resilient you are to altercations in the itinerary. You learn how to work around these problems. You learn how to handle new situations. You learn what it is to be independent.

Traveling is not just about the things that go right, it's about running through the airport because you're about to miss your flight, or finding a new bus when yours doesn't show up. It's about snorkeling in new beaches and exploring the ruins of an ancient city. All of the pieces of the past bring us to where we are today, and that's something to be admired. There's something extraordinary about hearing the same wind that's been blowing through the columns of the Parthenon for years. Or hearing you professor perfectly from the stage floor of the ancient theater at Delphi. Or growing closer to people who were once strangers, but are now forever friends in your life. Even the post-travelling depression that sets in around the third day you've been home is worth it because of everything you've experienced. And every single trip is different. You'll learn more about yourself the more you put yourself in new situations. There are endless cities to travel to, it just takes the motivation to get there.

 

Closing Remarks

 

It really is hard to put into words all that I experienced and learned on this trip, despite how long this post is. I hope that my photos can give you an idea of what my time in Greece was all about, but I know that they can’t fully do it justice. As I photographer I can humble myself enough to admit that. I have so much respect for photographers and I’m thankful because they allow us to see places we may never have the chance to. But my advice is this: Go out and see the world. Go where you’ve always dreamed, and don’t let anything stop you. Work that extra shift on Saturdays and then go. Because it’s a life-changing experience. It opened my eyes to how much of the world I still need to see, and it taught me more about myself than I ever thought possible. Everybody told me I’d be a changed person after studying abroad, and to an extent I assumed they were right, but it was truly an understatement. I’ve grown in more ways than I can even count, and I know that once I’m back in the United States I’ll keep learning more about myself from this trip that I haven’t even noticed yet. I also need to say thank you to my family for encouraging me to take wings and fly. Thank you for raising me to be brave, and to always go after my dreams. I’ve wanted to go to Greece since I was 12 years old, and I finally did it. Thank you for this experience, and we have a lot to catch up on when I get home.

 

Yasas everybody,

Kate

 

P.S. Look out KIIS Italy, winter 2017!